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ST. LOUISE SCHOOL PARENT BULLETIN
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August 15, 2019
-
First Edition
of the New School Year
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Welcome to the first Parent Bulletin of the school year! I am looking forward to seeing the return of your children, whom I assume are a little tanner and lot taller than when I last saw them. Additionally, it is exciting to have 30 new families joining our school community this year! For you "newbies," please note that this Parent Bulletin will be sent to you every Thursday morning. I ask that you please read it that same day, as there is often timely information enclosed.
I want to thank in advance all parents
- returning and new - for the fantastic help I know all of you will be providing by volunteering throughout the school year! We couldn't be such a terrific school without your wonderful assistance!
When you are ready to begin recording your hours as you begin volunteering for the new school year, you may do this at the "submit volunteers hours" link on our website.
Remember, we ask you to volunteer for at least 40 hours from now through June 2020, and it is up to you to submit your volunteer hours as they occur by "logging in" your hours online. If you have questions about volunteering, please contact Jennifer Sharp, the Parents' Club's volunteer coordinator.
Here are some early opportunities to start volunteering:
- Plant flowers, pull weeds, and spread bark the morning of Saturday, September 7, at our first Fall Fix-Up of the year. From 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., our parish (volunteer) landscaper, Jeffrey Hummer, needs a crew of parents to help spruce up the grounds. (And junior high-age children may accompany.) Please email Jeffrey to let him know how many in your family to expect.
- If you like doing this type of yard work, join the Adopt-a-Garden program, and on your own time throughout the school year you can weed, prune, and rake a small, designated area on our grounds. Contact fellow school parent Eric Lund to choose your adopted outside area.
- We need parents willing to give 30 minutes one day a week assisting with traffic directing. If you're already pulling in your car to pick up your child at the end of the day, why not take advantage of the opportunity to earn volunteer-hour time each week while doing so? You work with Mike Fuerte and one other parent helping to park cars from 2:50-3:20 one day a week (or 1:50-2:20 on Mondays). Please contact Mr. Fuerte to inquire about this vital volunteer job and let him know which day of the week works for you.
- We need parents willing to give 70 minutes one day a week or one day every-other-week assisting with lunch recess supervision. You work with our instructional assistants in supervising the grades K-8 recesses - from 11:50-1:00 - choosing the day that works for you. Please contact our head supervisor, Lisa McKenna, to let her know which day of the week (or every-other-week) may work for you.
- School secretaries Lola Bazan and Mindy Morgan are in need of parent volunteers to assist them in the school office daily - answering phones, greeting visitors, and completing clerical tasks. If you can volunteer for a 3+ hour shift one day a week (or every-other week), please contact Lola and Mindy and tell them your preferred day and preferred shift - 8:15-11:30 or 11:30-3:00.
- Bake cookies as refreshments for the Curriculum Nights occurring the first weeks in September. Please contact Hospitality co-chair Liz DeBord to let her know how many dozen cookies to expect for each date, and deliver these cookies in disposable containers to the school office by the afternoon(s) of the three Curriculum Night(s): September 3, 5, and 10. Furthermore, if you can help serve refreshments any or all of these nights, please let Liz know.
Enjoy God's blessings today,
Next week, we'll be emailing you (separately from this Thursday Bulletin) the 2019-20 class lists and family roster. Thank you in advance for not contacting me after you see your child's homeroom, asking to switch so he/she can be with a different teacher or a different classmate or two. If you get the urge to contact me, please first read either
this or
this.
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Upcoming Calendar of Events
- Charger Gear Sale - sale of fleece and Friday-spirit-wear in the St. Louise Room (central hallway of original school) from 4:00-5:30
- Used Uniform Sale - sale in the St. Louise Room (central hallway of original school) from 4:00-5:30
- Charger Cards Sale - at the Charger Cards sales-window in the central hallway of original school from 3:30-5:30
- Playdate for PreK and Kindergarten students and their families at the BigToy (north end of playground) from 3:00-4:00
Friday, August 30 through Monday, September 2
Tuesday, September 3 -
First Day of the School Year!
- Passport Day Schedule - Families Report to the PARISH HALL at the following times with their school supplies:
- Last names A-C at 8:30
- Last names D-J at 9:15
- Last names K-P at 10:00
- Last names Q-Z at 10:45
- Curriculum Night for Parents of Gr. 7-8 - Library at 6:30PM; every gr. 7-8 family must have at least one parent present
Wednesday, September 4
- Parents' Coffee - Main Lobby at 8:30AM; all parents invited
- Curriculum Meeting for Pre-Kindergarten Parents - Pre-K room at 9:00AM; every grade Pre-K family must have one at least one parent present; meeting is for adults only - please find childcare; there is no Pre-K class held today
- Opening Week Prayer Service for Gr. 1-8 - Church at 11:00AM; parents invited
- Noon Dismissal ONLY for gr. K & 1 - parents park in south/central parking lot and wait outside central wing of original school for your children at 12:00PM
Thursday, September 5
- ONLY Pre-K students with last names A-O attend Pre-K today - 8:15-11:45 (no extended day)
- Noon Dismissal ONLY for gr. K & 1 - parents park in south/central parking lot and wait outside central wing of original school for your children at 12:00PM
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Curriculum Meeting for Parents of Gr. 1-6 -
PARISH HALL at 6:30PM; every gr. 1-6 family must have one at least one parent present; meeting is for adults only - please find childcare; (note that the evening begins in the Parish Hall, not the school)
Friday, September 6
- ONLY Pre-K students with last names P-Z attend Pre-K today - 8:15-11:45 (no extended day)
- Noon Dismissal ONLY for gr. K & 1 - parents park in south/central parking lot and wait outside central wing of original school for your children at 12:00PM
- Cross Country practices begin
Saturday, September 7
- Fall Fix-Up Day - 8AM-12PM; please meet outside the original school's north wing with your weeding tools, metal rakes, shovels, and/or wheelbarrows.
Monday, September 9
- Daily Milk & Hot Lunch begin
- Reminder: school dismisses at 2:00 EVERY MONDAY for all K-8 students and extended day Pre-K students
Tue
sday, September 10
- Curriculum Meeting for Parents of Kindergarteners - Main Lobby at 6:30PM; every kindergarten family must have one at least one parent present; meeting is for adults only - please find childcare
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Please Return Your
Fieldtrip
Driver Information Sheet
Our insurance requires us to have parents annually fill out driver information sheet - which may always be found on our website under the
Resources
menu at the
Traffic, Parking, and Fieldtrip Driving Information link
(and we enclosed a hard copy in last week's postal mailing). This sheet asks you to specify the insurance information on vehicles that may be driven on school field trips. Since there is a strong possibility that every school family will drive on at least one field trip this school year, we ask each school family to complete and return an information sheet right away.
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Last Chance to Sign Up for Fall Sports
CYO fall sports registration for St. Louise Soccer and for Cross country is open to everyone in grades K-8. Please r
egister
here
.
Soccer registration closes Aug. 30. (There is a $20 sibling discount if you sign up two or more children for soccer.)
Cross Country will register participants through the second week of September. (There is no sibling discount for cross country.)
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Cross Country practices will begin on Friday, Sept. 6, and thereafter will be every Tuesday and Friday through Oct. 4th immediately after school at Robinswood Park. The Cross Country meets will be held at Lake Sammamish State Park on three Sundays, all at 2:00 - Sept. 22, Sept. 29, and Oct. 6. We are looking for coaches for all grade levels (no cross country experience necessary), so if you're interested in coaching, please contact the Cross Country coordinator, Amy Wilken.
Soccer is in need of 3rd grade and 4th grade boys' team coaches! We have a plethora of boys signed up, but without a coach there cannot be a team!
Please pray about taking on this role - so to not disappoint the boys and to earn a few volunteer hours each week this fall. I
f you want to learn more about what's entailed in coaching, or if you have questions regarding grade K-8 soccer, please contact coordinators, Jenelle Bair and Mari Sullivan.
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Next Thursday Is First Chance to Buy Cards in Person
Charger Cards will be selling at their
sales-window in the central wing of the original school on August 22nd from 3:30-5:30. This is the same afternoon that Used Uniforms and Charger Gear will be selling just down the hallway starting at 4:00.
If before 9:00AM tomorrow (August 16), you place an order online for pickup, you may collect your cards on August 22nd at the sales-window.
If you place a "Standing Order" before September 30, and include at least one "Groceries or Gas" category store. you will receive a $5 Starbucks gift card with your first order!
Find the Standing Order Form on our webpage.
Don't Do Back-to-School Shopping Until You Have Charger Cards in Your Wallet
Shop
for uniforms and school supplies now and you will be ready to start the school year right. Stay ahead of the class and place your order today!
We have in stock a limited supply of high rebates gift cards that are perfect for back to school shopping.
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Brands
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Rebates
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Amazon
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4.25%
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Bath & Body Works
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17%
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Chipotle
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12%
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Gap/OldNavy/Banana Rep/Athleta
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18%
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Home Depot
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7%
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Panera Bread
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10%
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Target
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3.5%
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TJMaxx/Marshalls
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9%
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Make
the Grade in Summer Shopping
Every family
needs to register online (if you haven't already!) Here's why!
- Online registration provides each family with ability to track their family rebates and see order history.
- Online registration enhances record keeping for St. Louise so we have easier, more accurate information
- Ordering online provides access to full amount of gift cards available (hundreds of additional choices)!
- Rebate bonuses are available for online purchases
- Order ScripNow/printable gift cards, reloadable gift cards in addition to traditional plastic cards
- Friends and family can create their own online account and purchase cards that credit your family account
- Use the mobile wallet/app for unplanned purchases from your smartphone
- See the Online Registration Directions page for step by step info to register online and get started!
Use Charger Cards for the Summer
Learn how to use Charger Cards this summer and earn a Starbucks $5 gift card for rebates earned over $50 and Krispy Kreme Gift card for rebates over $100 when you buy ScripNow and RELOAD Charger Cards online!
Promotion Ends August 31.
The Charger Cards sale office in the central wing of the original school is open on school-Fridays from 8:15-9:00AM.
Charger Cards...It's simple, it's thoughtful and it's truly the gift that
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Two More Weeks to Sign Up for Choir
Students entering grades 3-8 are invited to be a part of music ministry at our school Masses by joining "Chorale" - the school choir. If your child loves to sing or play guitar, drums, violin, flute, etc., please encourage him/her to sign up. Chorale rehearses approximately three Mondays a month from 2-3 pm in the church, starting on September 9. There is a one-time $50 fee due by August 31. You may sign up and pay
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School Supplies to Be Brought to School on Passport Day
The list of pens, folders, and other school supplies your child is required to bring to school on Passport Day (Tuesday, September 3) may be found on the
Student Supplies List link
on our website. We ask that before you go to the store to buy your supplies that you first buy Charger Cards (available at the August 22nd Uniform Sale or online here) and then use those gift cards to make your back to school purchases at various stores (e.g. Fred Meyer, Walmart, Target, etc.).
Please have your children b
ring their school supplies - including P.E. shoes stored in a durable, reusable bag - to the PARISH HALL (underneath the church) on Passport Day morning.
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How Is Your Child Doing with Summer Work?
As you are aware, to combat "summer slump," St. Louise teachers expect their incoming students to do some "homework" over the summer. If kids can be kept out of a slump in math, reading and keyboarding, then not much time has to be spent on review in the fall.
You will find recommendations or requirements (based on the grade level
your child will be entering) for summer work for your children at our
website
.
Students entering grades K-5 should be reading at least
20 minutes a day this summer. For students entering grades 6-8, we have specific novels from which these students must choose for REQUIRED summer reading. The grade 6-8 teachers have also developed written assignments, to be completed after the reading and due on the first day of language arts class in September.
We are recommending every entering grade 1-8 student complete free online math lessons on the Khan Academy
website throughout the summer - preferably no less than a lesson every-other-day.
Finally, regarding keyboarding skills, because the level of speed and accuracy expected by our computer teachers increases as the children develop in age and finger dexterity, practicing proper keyboarding over the summer will help your child continue to develop fundamental typing skills as well as preventing him or her from reverting to poor fingering habits. Thus, we are REQUIRING that every St. Louise student entering grades 3-7 put in a minimum number of minutes of keyboarding practice at least 5 days a week, using the online keyboarding programs listed on our
website.
Thanks for partnering with us, parents, in keeping your kids from "slumping" over the summer.
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Have Fun Purchasing Your Child's School Uniform
O
n our website you'll find uniform guidelines, and we ask
you to please read it carefully so you purchase the correct clothing for your children.
Uniforms are required beginning with the first day of school - September 3rd's "Passport Day." Although every student is required to own a sweater or fleece, a sweater/fleece does not have to be worn if the weather on a particular day is too hot.
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If your child would like to wear a traditional acrylic sweater, these may be purchased at the Uniform Store or through our Used Uniforms program. If your child prefers the fleece sweater, this is sold through our
Parents' Club's Charger Gear program as well as Used Uniforms.
Charger Gear also continues to be the sole supplier of the optional Friday-only-wear. Friday-only-wear are the
Charger Gear hoodies and track jackets which are allowed to be worn inside - only on Fridays - in lieu of a sweater or fleece.
You may contact fellow parent Anneliese Kertson
if you have questions about Charger Gear products.
You may buy new uniforms by visiting the Dennis Uniform Store in Tukwila.
Except for the girls' skirts/jumpers and the acrylic sweaters, most other uniform pieces may be purchased at a variety of clothing stores, not just at Dennis.
For example, just up the street from school at Crossroads Mall is Old Navy, and you can buy polo shirts or white socks there at ridiculously low prices. What we like at a place such as Old Navy, besides their prices, is that their white socks are plain - no Nike swooshes or Air Jordan logos. And as you saw on our uniform guidelines, kids cannot wear socks with logos on them. Thanks for making sure your summer clothes shopping includes buying non-logo socks and shirts.
At various sales events throughout the year - including on August 22 - Parents' Club sells Used Uniforms, and fellow parents Kristina Yumul-Abueg and Aila Olayao co-chair this program. You may contact them for more information.
(Sometimes those who offer to help set up and sell Used Uniforms at the August sale get first dibs at purchasing before the sale opens! Ask Kristina and Aila.)
Finally, a separate pair of "sneakers" (gym shoes) must be brought by every grade K-8 student in a sturdy, plastic shopping bag on Passport Day and kept in the classroom all year.
Have fun shopping!
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WE ARE ONE
Auction News
Th
e
DEADLINE
for all families to turn in the physical items they have procured for their
auction donations (and the deadline for newly enrolled families to turn in their procurement forms) is coming up in one month.
These are due on Monday, September 16.
Forms may be filled out
online
, or paper forms are still available in the school office.
We are hoping to complete our Amazon Registry to allow our Silent Auction to be EPIC. So, please consider purchasing from our Registry by clicking here. These items will be shipped directly to St. Louise, so it is super convenient and helpful!
Thank you, again, for working to make
We Are One
a success! If you have any questions, please reach out to me.
~Julianne Read
St. Louise Parent & Auction Director
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Subscribe to the School Calendar
A virtual version of the school calendar may be downloaded to your computer and/or phone by clicking on the "Subscribe" link found on our website's Events/Calendar page.
Also, it is recommended that you print out a hard copy of each individual month. To do that:
2)
Click on the "Calendar View" link on the right side;
3)
Click on "Print" for each calendar you scroll to, using the arrows in the upper left corner.
4) Insert these 12 calendar pages inside your red binder or hang them on your frig.
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There's a New Law in Town and It May Affect You
Washington has just passed a new law about vaccinations and vaccinating students. There are some important changes you should know about, and the most detailed information is found at the Department of Health.
Let us summarize these changes for you.
Our state has a new law
that removes the personal and philosophical option to exempt children from the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine required for school and child care entry. Although Washington State
is no longer allowing exemptions for personal or philosophical reasons, the MMR vaccine can be objected to for medical or religious exemptions.It's also important to note there are additional ways that parents can demonstrate their child has been immunized. Your child may take a blood test which shows he/she is immune, or your health care provider may certify that your child has already had the disease for which the immunization is required.
Remember, each student is required to have a completed vaccination form on file before starting school each September. If you have claimed an exemption in the past for your child receiving immunization based on personal or philosophical reasons, that exemption will no longer be accepted for the MMR vaccine. That exemption can still be used for other types of immunization, like DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis/whooping cough). As noted above, a medical or religious exemption for MMR immunization is available, but if your child isn't immunized (even with an exemption), he/she must be kept away from school if a disease outbreak occurs.
It comes down to this: if your child has not received MMR immunization because of personal/philosophical objections to that immunization, your child will not be able to attend school starting this September unless you present us with one of the following:
- an updated vaccination form reflecting your child has now received the MMR immunization;
- a blood test of immunity (titer blood test);
- a health care provider letter that certifies your child has already had measles/mumps/rubella;
- a letter certifying you have a medical or religious exemption from the vaccination (no longer can the exemption be based on personal or philosophical reasons).
Finally, for parents of children in the following specific grade levels, please make sure you take care of the following immunization requirements. These are not changes, but the same requirements as in past years:
A)
Parents of all incoming Kindergarteners need to make sure your child's immunizations are up to date. If your child receives any immunizations over the summer, please forward the dates to our school nurse, Jane Reynolds, and she will update your child's immunization form we have on file.
B)
For parents of all incoming 6th graders, the state requires a booster Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis). Please forward the date your child received this booster to Jane Reynolds by no later than the first week of September, or else your child will not be able to attend school.
We don't want to have a student not allowed entry into school in September due to incomplete immunizations or incomplete paperwork; thus, we suggest you avoid the end-of-summer rush and start getting to work today on one of the actions above if your child is in need of updated vaccinations.
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S
AINT OF THE
W
EEK
please read this with your kids
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See what's happening on our St. Louise Facebook page
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