Parent Bulletin
March 4, 2021
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The Catholic Church observes the passage of time through the liturgical calendar - which includes feasts such as Easter and Christmas, and seasons such as Lent and Advent. In addition, popes can set aside time for the Church to reflect more deeply on a specific aspect of Catholic teaching or belief. Pope Francis did just that when he recently established 2021 as The Year of St. Joseph, so that “every member of the faithful, following Joseph’s example, may strengthen their life of faith daily in the complete fulfillment of God’s will.” In making his declaration, Pope Francis noted that we are at the 150th anniversary of the saint’s proclamation as Patron of the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX in 1870.
Pope Francis said the coronavirus pandemic has heightened his desire to reflect on St. Joseph, as so many people during the pandemic have made hidden sacrifices to protect others, just as St. Joseph quietly protected and cared for Mary and Jesus.
“Each of us can discover in Joseph -- the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence -- an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble,” the pope wrote. He also said he wanted to highlight St. Joseph’s role as a father who served his family with charity and humility, adding, “Our world today needs fathers.”
Why does the Church honor St. Joseph? Catholics do not worship saints, but ask for their heavenly intercession before God and seek to imitate their virtues here on earth. The Catholic Church honors St. Joseph as the husband and protector of Mary, the foster father of Jesus, and the patron saint of the Universal Church. He’s also popularly known as “Joseph the Worker,” due to his industriousness and hard work as a carpenter. But did you know that St. Joseph goes by still other monikers? Joseph is called among other titles: “Patron of the Dying;” “Patron of Immigrants and Travelers;” “Mirror of Patience;” and “Terror of Demons.”
At St. Louise, prior to celebrating an all-school Mass on March 19 – the Solemnity of St. Joseph - Mrs. LB will be spending these first weeks of March in her music classes teaching her grade K-6 students about St. Joseph, including all his titles or nicknames. Perhaps you can have a discussion with your children on the way home from school on March 19, finding out if they have learned more facts about St. Joseph than you know? 😉
And as a family, consider taking time together to read over these various facts about Joseph and view these pieces of art depicting St. Joseph. You’ll come away with some interesting information of which many Christians were unaware.
The Seattle Archdiocese is suggesting all Catholics join in a novena of prayer to St. Joseph just prior to his March 19th feast day – the Solemnity of St. Joseph. A novena is nine days of private or public devotion in the Catholic Church to obtain special graces. When we pray a novena, we either pray the same prayer for all nine days or follow a list of prayers to be prayed for each day. Every novena is a bit different in the intention and formation of prayers. Our Archdiocese is suggesting the following prayer format and schedule, to begin on March 10. However, it is fine when you focus on the special prayer intentions for each day of the novena that you also add your own personal intentions daily.
Schedule of each day of the Novena to St. Joseph and the day’s prayer intentions:
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March 10 - For a greater openness to God’s will for us, and the courage to follow wherever God may lead
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March 11 - For the “unsung heroes” who have kept us going during the pandemic, especially health care workers, teachers, and essential workers
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March 12 - For all who work, and for all who are unemployed or underemployed, that they may be treated with justice and dignity
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March 13 - For migrants and refugees, forced like the Holy Family to leave their homeland, that they may find safety and welcome
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March 14 - For our local Church, that we may proclaim the Gospel with integrity, and serve Christ in the poor and the afflicted
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March 15 - For the dying, that God may grant them the grace of a happy death, and give comfort and peace to their families
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March 16 - For all who have authority over others—bishops and priests, elected officials, teachers, supervisors, and parents—that, like Joseph, they may be examples of gentleness and fidelity
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March 17 - For husbands and fathers, that they may learn from St. Joseph to be gentle, loving, faithful, and courageous
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March 18 - For families, especially families in crisis, that they may draw strength from the example and intercession of St. Joseph and the Holy Family
Novena prayer format:
+ Make the Sign of the Cross.
- Read the Scripture Verse from Matthew 13:54-55 - “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son?”
- Prayer Leader: “Let us pray. Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To you God entrusted His only Son; in you Mary placed her trust; with you Christ became man. Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father, and guide us in the path of life. Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage, and defend us from every evil. Amen.”
- Litany
Leader: “Joseph most just…”
ALL: “Pray for us.”
Leader: “Joseph most strong…”
ALL: “Pray for us.”
Leader: “Joseph most obedient…”
ALL: “Pray for us.”
Leader: “Joseph most faithful…”
ALL: “Pray for us.”
+ Make the Sign of the Cross.
It would be wonderful if all the St. Louise families could pray a nine-day novena to St. Joseph from March 10-18, and then celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph on Friday, March 19, by joining in our school Mass at 9AM that day, or by watching via livestream. Note that our grade 3-8 students will be attending Mass in church, while grades K-2 will be watching the livestream from their classrooms, due to space availability in church. Parents who would like to attend Mass must please RSVP online. There are limited spaces available; look for the RSVP link in next Thursday's bulletin.
Blessings on your day!
MR. FITZ
p.s.
Tomorrow/Friday, Charger Cards will be sold out of their sales window at the usual morning time from 8:15-9:00am, and there will be a BONUS SALES TIME SLOT tomorrow from 2:00-3:30pm. Charger Cards is selling cards out of the Charger Card office at the same time as the Used Uniform and Charger Gear sales will be taking place next door in the St. Louise Room of the original school hallway.
Stop into the original school building tomorrow from 2:00-3:30 to get Cards, Gear, and Used Uniforms!
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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
Today
- School Commission Meeting at 6:30PM in school library
Friday, March 5
- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; grades grades 2-8 attending in the afternoon
- Second Trimester Ends; report cards to be distributed on March 25
- Used Uniform Sale and Charger Gear Sale - in the St. Louise Room of the original school building from 2-4PM
- Charger Cards will sell out their sales window in the original school building both in the morning (8:15-9:00) and in the afternoon (2:00-3:30).
Monday, March 8 - NOON DISMISSAL
Tuesday, March 9
- Stations of the Cross; all students attending one of three prayer services in the parish hall today (unfortunately there is no space for parents)
Wednesday, March 10 thru Thursday, March 18
- Pray the 9-Day Novena to St. Joseph (see Dan's Blog above)
Wednesday, March 10 and Thursday, March 25
- 5th and 6th graders go to the Sacrament of Confession
Thursday and Friday, March 11 & 12 - NO-SCHOOL DAYS
Friday, March 19
- Mass on the Feast of St. Joseph; grades 3-8 attending 9AM Mass; grades K-2 viewing livestream; limited spaces in church for parents to attend - the RSVP link will be in next week's bulletin
Tuesday, March 23
Thursday, March 25
- Parents' Club Meeting - 7PM on Teams
Friday, March 26
- Principal-for-the-Day is 3rd grader Elena Catorcini
Saturday, March 27
- Saturday Spruce-Up, 8-11AM
CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR HERE
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Call to Action by Our Bishops! |
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The bill's objective is to insert "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" into civil rights laws. It would discriminate against people of faith and impose "gender theory" throughout public and private businesses and charities, and even Catholic schools.
One of the most egregious facets of this bill, according to our Catholic Bishops, is that it is an infringement on the free exercise of religion. The Equality Act's sponsors, knowing there would be religious exemptions claimed by churches, religious institutions, and religious schools if their bill passed, purposely inserted language in the bill that explicitly denies application of the most important statutory security of the free exercise of religion, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). It is unprecedented for RFRA to be removed from a bill, and by doing so, a church, religious institution, or religious school cannot claim a First Amendment right to freedom of religion when opposing any components of this bill. By removing the RRFA defense, the Equality Act will leave churches, Catholic schools, charities, mosques, and synagogues without defense against the legislation's imposition of secular ideology.
The Bishops declare:
“Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. The Equality Act, which is being voted on in the U.S. Senate soon, in many ways does the opposite and needs to be opposed. Instead of respecting differences in beliefs about marriage and sexuality, the Equality Act would discriminate against people of faith. The Equality Act would: punish faith-based organizations, such as charities and schools who serve everyone in their communities, simply because of their beliefs; force girls and women to compete against boys and men for limited opportunities in sports, and to share locker rooms and shower spaces with biological males who identify as women; risk mandating taxpayers to fund abortions; force people in everyday life, and especially health care workers, to support gender transition; and expand what the government considers a ‘public’ place, forcing even some parish halls to host functions that conflict with Catholic beliefs.”
Specifically regarding St. Louise School and other Catholic and Christian schools, if the Equality Act passes, it could dramatically impact school rules and procedures. For example, this legislation forces schools to allow boys to go into girls’ bathrooms, and vice-versa. Other outcomes could be that CYO would need to allow boys the ability to play on the girls’ teams, which isn't an issue for co-ed kindergarten soccer, but is a big issue for 8th grade basketball or track sprinting events. School uniform policies would be forced to change so to allow boys to wear skirts, makeup, and earrings. Still another example is that in religion class, teachers could no longer teach that God created two sexes - male and female. This type of statement would legally be considered "hate speech." There are so many reasons why this legislation is bad for kids and bad for Catholic institutions, which is why the Catholic Church is so adamantly against it.
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Thank You for Your Almsgiving |
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O n Ash Wednesday, all students and staff fasted and gave alms - two of the pillars of Lent - by eating a simple lunch and donating to the New Bethlehem Project. Thanks to everyone's generosity, $1,486 was donated that day to New Bethlehem, which runs a day shelter for families in Kirkland, and will use this gift from our St. Louise School community to continue to provide essential services such as showers, laundry, computer-use, and meals to families experiencing homelessness.
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Spring Is Arriving; Time for a Spring Spruce-Up |
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On Saturday, March 27, Saturday Spruce-Ups return to our campus! We will be gathering with volunteers at 8:00AM to work on raking, weeding, and pruning the grounds of the school and parish. If you can give us 3 hours of labor, we'd really appreciate it! Hard-working kids are welcome to come with their parents. Please bring your own work gloves, weeding tools, and a rake. If you have a wheelbarrow, please bring it too.
We gather outside the north wing of the original school at 8, and we'll cleanup by 11. Thanks in advance for those who can volunteer in this gardening ministry!
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Just 12 Days Left to Reserve Your Cans of Silly-String |
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Our 6th and 7th grades almost have earned their Silly String! Grades 8, 2, and 3 are rallying to participate too!
We need 100% of families per grade level to pledge or donate no later than March 15 - a week from this Monday - to participate in Silly Stringing Mr. Fitz and Mr. Fuerte on Annual Fund Giving Day!
Want to make your donation now? Click the button below. Want to pledge now and pay later? Send a note to our bookkeeper Angie Ogilvy to set up your pledge!
Thank you so much for your support of the Annual Fund! To learn more about how your contribution makes a difference, click here.
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Annual Fund Giving Day Volunteers Needed!
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LOCATION
AM and PM Carpool
DATE AND TIME
03/15/21 8:00am
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03/15/21 3:00pm
We need 4 - 6 parents each in the morning and afternoon of 3/15 to hand out envelopes and treats and pick up envelopes!
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Balloon Pick Up for Annual Fund Giving Day: We need one parent to pick up balloons for our giving day. Balloons would need to be picked up at Party City at Crossroads and delivered to the St. Louise office at 7pm on Sunday, March 14th. Click here to volunteer!
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Welcome Bag Distribution Volunteers Needed!
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LOCATION
Pick up from the Main Office
DATE AND TIME
03/03/21 1:00pm
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03/03/21 5:00pm
We are welcoming many new families to campus in the upcoming fall and would love to have current St. Louise families deliver these!
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Car Decal and Re-Enrollment Free Dress List |
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Thank you to all who participated in our Car Decal Day, and also re-enrolled by the early deadline! Your kiddos are eligible for the Free Dress Day! It will be held on Thursday, March 25th! Please mark your calendars!
(If you have a grade 6-8 child who is not here on Thursdays, they will be able to use Wednesday, March 24th as their Free Dress day. Thanks for your flexibility on this!)
The families who have qualified are listed below. Please note they are listed by student last name. If you have any questions, please contact Julianne Read. |
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Acosta Gutierrez
Aitken
Akers
Ameen
Andrade
Antezana Garvizu
Avalos
Barros
Black
Blank
Brennan
Brown (Mia & Maggie)
Bumatay
Cam
Caso
Castillo
Cermak
Chan
Charles
Chason
Chu
Colby
Condit
Coronado Barbeyto
Cotillo
Craig
Cuevas
D'Ambrosio
Dautricourt
D'Costa
DeBord
Delgado
Dickinson
Dogra
Doran
Doria-La
Eala
Ellestad
Ellis
Engel
Enke
Estrada
Flaat
Foot
Giltus
Goett
Gonzalez
Gonzalez-Diaz
Green
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Hairston
Hale
Harris
Herber
Hewett
Hsi
Isaksen
Ivannikov
Jaster
Kehdy
Kenn
Kierlin
Kirsch
Kujath
Lacouture
Lagunero
Lau (Robin)
Lau (Germaine, Serene, Renee)
Ledesma
Lewis
Lizotte
Lozada
Magnotti
Magnusen
Maloney
McCulloch
Mendes
Michael
Miller
Miller
Minotte
Mora
Muller
Munar
Nesbit
Neuman
Newton
Nguyen
Nieuwenhuis
Nightingale
Nowak
Ogilvy
O'Loughlin-Britt
O'Rourke
Osorio
Pacheco
Perez
Perreault
Podaca
Pokorny
Ponte
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Rabon
Read
Reed (Benjamin)
Reed (Beckett & Griffin)
Rivera
Roberts
Roets
Russell (Blake & Lauren)
Russell (Vivian)
Sackmann
Salmon
Sequeira
Sharp
Shaw
Solares
Soto
St. Pierre
Sturgill
Sulaiman
Sullivan
Sweeney
Taasan
Tano
Towse
VanNoy
Veloz
Victor
Vimal
Walker
Wang (Winnie)
Wang (May)
Weber
Widodo
Wilhelm
Wilken
Wilkins
Wiseman-Scott
Wong
Wu
Zayas Collazo
Zevenbergen
Zope
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Upcoming K-5th Graders Are Invited to Summer Camp |
Once again this August, St. Louise School will be running Chargers Adventure Camp, with all current and incoming St. Louise School students, along with other children in the parish, invited to join us for one-to-four weeks of summer fun and learning! Check out OUR VIDEO from last year’s camp!
All four weeks of our camp programs are age-appropriate for children who will be entering grades K-5, and all sessions combine fun outdoor adventures with exciting physical and mental challenges. Campers will learn new skills while practicing faith values in cool ways. Activities for every week include sports, arts, cooking, science, water games & more! Families can sign up for just one week to attend in August, or sign up for multiple weeks - even all four!
Our director of Kids' Club and Extra-Curricular Programs - Maria Zambrano - is the director and head instructor for all sessions. For this coming August, the weeks we're in session and the themes for each week are as follows:
Wacky Water August 2 - 6
Special Co-teacher for the week: Mrs. Linda Bowers
Get ready to splash with your old or new friends! This week we’ll have a blast playing water balloon toss, squirt blaster races, water limbo, drip-drip-drop, sponge toss, water relay races, and TONS more! Bring a towel and sunscreen for that nose. Go full speed for a summer full of experiences that will last a lifetime.
Sports Extravaganza August 9 - August 13
Special Co-teacher for the week: Miss Kaila Crosby
Get ready for a week filled with opportunities to exercise the body (and mind) in a setting emphasizing values such as sportsmanship, responsibility, independence, friendship, and acceptance. We'll play classic sports games like dodgeball and capture the flag. We’ll also play traditional sports such as baseball, volleyball, soccer, basketball, and more! Our daily morning schedule includes warm-ups, skills fundamentals, and small side games. Afternoons will be filled with art opportunities and tons of water games to cool off from the morning sweat! Don't miss out on the fun!
Camp Charger’s Got Talent August 16 – 20
Special Co-teacher for the week: Mrs. Terry LB
We are seeking for talented cooks, artist, dramatists, gymnast, dancers or performers of any kind to present in front of families and friends a culminating Island Escape performance show on August 20. Campers will gain self-confidence and leadership skills while practicing together what they are passionate about. To cool down in the afternoons, our superstars will have a blast playing water relay races, sponge ball toss games, beach ball races, water balloon competitions, and more! Celebrate the sunny weather and get ready to splash!
Mad Scientist – August 23 -27
Special Co-teacher for the week: Mrs. Mary Herridge
Science is exciting and magical. Campers will discover the basic principles of science as they participate in icky, sticky, and silly experiments. Have a blast making fizzy eruptions, marbled milk, oobleck, slime, rainbows in a jar, shaving cream rain clouds, and much more! Campers don't miss out this opportunity to learn lots while having a blast! Every afternoon is filled with super fun water games that will definitely cool us off!
Safety will continue to be our top priority. Our staff will work around-the-clock to ensure safety in every activity. For more information on safety procedures for Summer Camps 2021, click Safety Plan!
ENROLLMENT IS LIMITED
Don’t miss out the fun!
To learn more about this our summer camps, visit ST. LOUISE SUMMER CAMPS. We are excited to be part of your kids' August plans for 2021. If you have questions, please contact Camp Director Maria Zambrano.
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RELOAD Contest Ends Monday
To reload a card, simply purchase a plastic gift card from the Charger Card office and later add funds to that same card, reusing it over and over each month! If you reload any Charger Card from February 8th through March 8th, your name will be entered for a chance to win a $25 card of your choice! Will your prize be $25 Nordstrom? $25 at Safeway? $25 on Amazon? Each Reload is a chance to win! Enter as many times as you like! Once you set it up, you’ll see how easy it is to reload!
It's Time for March Madness!
For the month of March (1-31), if you use your credit or debit card for purchases, there is no ‘fee’ for transactions in excess of $100 and cards with over 3% rebates!
You may choose to pay in-person at the window Friday mornings from 8:15-9:00 am.
Or you may choose to skip the window line and submit your order online, then pay by credit card online when we send you an invoice for payment. Here's how:
- Place your order on ShopWithScrip and pick “Pay by Check” instead of PrestoPay.
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Then email chargercards@stlouiseschool.org to let us know you wish to pay by credit card.
- We will email you an invoice with a link allowing you to go online to enter your credit card payment.
Still another option is to return a paper order form to the Charger Card office by 9:00 am on the Monday the week you want your cards. We will enter your order and email you an invoice with a link allowing you to go online to enter your credit card payment. Cards are ordered once payment is received and delivered to you via kid mail by Thursday/Friday of that week, or you can collect your cards in the school office.
Think Spring and Plan Ahead
Do you have any travel plans for Easter break next month? If so, buy Charger Cards for your plans now, pay with your credit card (NO FEE!), earn your CC points AND support St. Louise at the same time! You can use Charger Cards for your Easter vacation needs such as hotels, gas, airfare, and rental cars. Charger Cards carries many cards useful for travel! Where will you be during Spring break?
· Hotels – Best Western, Clarion Hotels, Comfort Inn,
· Rental Cars – Avis, Budget
· Air – Delta, Southwest
· Travel – Disney, Princess Cruise, Celebrity Cruise, Carnival Cruise, Royal Caribbean
· Gas & Auto – Chevron, Shell, 76, Arco, Safeway, Jiffy Lube, Sinclair
For more information on brands/cards available for purchase 24/7 please go to shopwithscrip.com.
In-person sales every school-Friday from 8:15-9:00AM in the central hallway of the original school building.
Thank you for supporting St. Louise Charger Cards!
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Used Uniforms and Charger Gear on Sale Tomorrow |
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Both our Used Uniform Sales and our Charger Gear Program are offering sales tomorrow from 2-4PM in the St. Louise Room of the original school building.
Parents can come shop for gently-used skirts, sweaters, and pants at ridiculously low prices.
Additionally, Charger Gear will be there with drastically reduced prices for some Friday-wear hoodies and track jackets.
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Before-School or After-School Childcare Is Available |
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We are happy to inform you that registration for our Kids’ Club program for the upcoming 2021-22 school year is now open.
For those of you not familiar with Kids’ Club, this is our before-school and/or after-school onsite program for St. Louise School students in grades K-8. At Kids’ Club, our goal is to ensure a smooth transition between the school day and the before-school and after-school program. Activities are designed to spark academic interests, recreation, physical fitness and nurture social-emotional growth. We also provide the time, the place, and the assistance to ensure your children have enough time to complete their homework.
There are so many advantages to being part of a before/afterschool program. A report by the U.S. Department of Education shows that students in after-school programs can have fewer behavioral problems, more self-confidence, and can handle conflicts better than students who are not involved with after school programs. Our Kids' Club family is strong and engaged, and we welcome the opportunity to share it with you!
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Thursday's Theology: “The ultimate goal of fasting is to help each one of us to make a complete gift of self to God." (Pope Benedict XVI)
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