ST. LOUISE SCHOOL PARENT BULLETIN

October 10, 2019
Dan's Blog
Please be looking for an email I'm sending you this morning that has the link for our fall Parent Survey. This is a survey that every school family must complete in order to let us know on what day and time you would like your child's teacher to schedule your required November Parent-Teacher Conference.  There are also additional questions on the survey asking for your input on future tuition rates and class sizes, so you'll need about 10 minutes to answer the complete survey. Thanks for completing the survey (one per school family) by next Thursday the 17th.
 
A couple of times each year, our faculty increase their theology knowledge and deepen their Catholic faith by gathering together for study, discussion, and prayer. Tomorrow is one of those days, and thus, it's a no-school day. The school office and Kids' Club will also be closed, so your children's teachers and the school staff can focus their day on the topic of Sin and the Sacrament of Confession in our annual fall retreat.  

Annually, our 3rd through 8th grade students go to confession during school hours, and our teachers hope to learn at tomorrow's retreat more ways to help make the students feel comfortable going. In addition, knowing that only 2% of Catholic adults go regularly to confession and about 75% of Catholic adults never receive this Sacrament of Reconciliation (according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate), it's important that our school faculty learn more about the benefits of the Sacrament and be inspired to increase their own visits to the confessional. 

If you'd like to learn more about the Sacrament of Reconciliation, here is a good article, and you can go here to learn about confession opportunities at St. Louise. Parents are great models for their kids when they go to Mass as a family each Sunday. Going to confession as a family on a regular basis is also terrific modeling you can do.

Enjoy God's blessings today,                                         
Mr. Fitz
 
p.s.

If you have procrastinated RSVPing for the Auction, could you please take care of that today? We need to have a head count for dinner, and we'd hate to miss you coming! In addition, after registering HERE,  please spread the word via texts, emails, Instagram, or dare you... face-to-face! to your fellow school parents, friends, and extended family members about the enjoyable and worthy reasons why you just signed up to attend our Auction, and how you'd like them to also register. They can note when they RSVP that they'd like to sit at the same dinner table. For more Auction information, please see Julianne's article below.

Upcoming Calendar of Events  

Today
  • Parents should expect a special email from Mr. Fitz this day that includes the link to complete a Parent Survey; this Parent Survey is the one where each family will sign up for their preferred day and time for a required November Parent/Teacher Conference; the survey will also include vital questions asking for parents' insights on future class sizes at St. Louise; the Survey will close on October 18; thank you in advance for completing this online survey between Oct. 10-18!
  • Training of grade 5-8 Altar Servers, 3:00-4:30, in the church
  • Due to Friday's No-School Day, Charger Cards will sell TODAY from 8:15-9:00AM out of their sales window.

Friday, October 11 - NO SCHOOL
  • School office and Kids' Club are both closed today
  • The faculty is spending the day in a theology retreat, studying the Sacrament of Penance

Saturday, October 12
  • Final Fall Fix-Up of the season; come with your work gloves and yard tools from 8AM-12PM to earn 4 volunteer hours while helping to beautify the parish grounds; please RSVP to our volunteer foreman, Jeffrey Hummer

Monday, October 14 - 
NOON DISMISSAL
  • All grades dismiss at 12:00 today
  • Teachers are holding optional parent/teacher conferences in the afternoon
  • Kids' Club is open this afternoon - from 12:00-5:45

Tuesday, October 15
  • Special meeting of all our school parents who are new to St. Louise this year, 8:30AM; contact Cindy Wagner for more information and to RSVP

Wednesday, October 16
  • Parent Prayer Group - gathers from 8:15-8:45 at school (check-in at the school office) to pray for our students, teachers, and parents' petitions; all parents invited; contact Thuy or Carmen for more information

Friday, October 18
  • Parents received a special email from Mr. Fitz on the 10th that included the link to complete a Parent Survey; this Parent Survey closes today, the 18th; it is a vital survey that asks each family to sign up for their preferred day and time for a required November Parent/Teacher Conference; the survey also includes questions asking for parents' insights on future class sizes at St. Louise; thank you for completing this online survey by no later than the 18th! 

Save the Dates:

October 31 - Fun-Dress Day; NOON DISMISSAL; no afternoon Kids' Club
November 1 - All Saints Day Mass, 9AM
November 1 - RSVPs due for We Are One
November 4-8 - Auction Preview Week in the school lobby
November 9 - We Are One at the Bellevue Westin

SCHOOL CALENDAR
WE ARE ONE 
Auction News

It is time to register for the BIG NIGHT! Auction Night is just 4 weeks away and we will get together and celebrate We Are One at St. Louise!  Here is what you need to know about helping to fill the ballroom at the Westin Bellevue!


Buying Your Tickets
If you purchased your tickets at the Launch Party back in March - all you need to do is send an email listing with whom you would like to sit, with the subject line: "Reservations."

If you need to purchase tickets, please click here to go to the Registration Page. Within the registration page, be sure to note which meal you would like to enjoy, and under Special Accommodations, please note with whom you would like to sit! If you are new this year, and don't know with whom to sit, don't worry! We'll seat you with other parents in your grade level.


Volunteering
We are just 4 weeks away and have hit the "we need all hands on deck" time! Here are the volunteer needs we have right now:

Auction Night Volunteers: We need just 10 - 12 more Auction Night Volunteers. These are our dedicated volunteers who make the night run smoothly - they handle registration, raffle ticket sales, live auction spotters, runners, item distribution, etc. If you have specific questions about how volunteering works on the night of the big event, please reach directly out to Mike Kirby. Or, simply sign up here. Please note that you will be working for the entire event and your job/responsibility may change several times during the evening.

Pre Event Volunteers: Also, if you are here at school and have 30 minutes  or more to volunteer (day or evening), I have all kinds of jobs that need to be completed over the coming weeks. Just send an email and let me know when you can be here and for how long and we'll help you check off your volunteer time!

Thank you so much - this event does not happen without everyone in our community!


Important Dates
TODAY
Black & White photo request form due. Click here.
TODAY
Premium Wine is due for the Root Beer Float Party.
11/1:
RSVPs due for We Are One at St. Louise!
11/4 - 11/8:
Preview Week!
11/9:
We Are One at the Bellevue Westin!
 
You are in store for a lot of fun surprises at this year's event - we hope you will join us!

~Julianne Read
St. Louise Parent & Auction Director
   auction@stlouiseschool.org or 425-214-5441
We Are the Champions...Again!

         All together now! Everybody sing it!

At last Sunday's CYO Championship Meet for Cross Country at Lake Sammamish State Park, the St. Louise team won an unbelievable 5th championship in a row! Besides being the overall Team Champion, St. Louise also won the Championship trophies for these grades/sexes:
  • 5th Grade Boys
  • 7th Grade Boys
  • 7th Grade Girls
  • 8th Grade Girls
A special thanks to all the coaches:  
  • Grade K-3 Coaches - Laura VanNoy & Meghan Green (along with assistants Tyler Green, David VanNoy, Kelly Miller, Marian Zappala, JT Taasan, Todd Kierlin, Joyce Yiu, Jason Scoppa)
     
  • Grade 4-8 Coaches - Amy Wilken, Sarah Pierce, Liz DeBord, Brendan Harris, Peggy Harris, Lara Kierlin.

Below is the list of St. Louise Chargers who finished in the top 3 of their respective Championship Races:
  • 4th Grade Boys - 1 Mile
    • 1st Place - Apollo Estrada 
  • 4th Grade Girls - 1 Mile
    • 1st Place - Addy Ellis
  • 5th Grade Boys - 1 Mile
    • 2nd Place - Zak Litovkin
  • 5th Grade Girls - 1 Mile
    • 2nd Place - Joila Olayao
  • 6th Grade Boys - 1.2 Miles
    • 2nd Place - Michael Charles
  • 6th Grade Girls - 1.2 Miles
    • 1st Place - Jane Clinton
  • 7th Grade Boys - 1.7 Miles
    • 1st Place - Sean McMenamin
    • 2nd Place - Ethan Read
    • 3rd Place - Ben Sharp
  • 7th Grade Girls - 1.7 Miles
    • 1st Place - Annie Wilken
    • 3rd Place - Ellie Estrada
  • 8th Grade Girls - 1.7 Miles
    • 1st Place - Carmen Denny
    • 2nd Place - Allison Kussy
    • 3rd Place - Justine Utz

Go here to see full results and more St. Louise names.









all photos courtesy of Amy Wilken
Training Today for Fifth thru Eighth Graders     

          Calling all parents of 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders! If your child is currently an altar server at St. Louise, or is a baptized Catholic who would like to learn how to be an altar server - to serve at school and/or weekend Masses at St. Louise - there is a training today. from 3:00-4:30. Training of new servers (and refresher training for returning altar servers) will take place in the church. Please encourage your 5th-8th grade child to participate in this special ministry role. Contact Gaby Gonzalez for more information. 
Earn Volunteer Hours this Saturday Morning


          Our final Saturday morning fix-up this fall of the school and parish grounds is coming up this Saturday, October 12. (We'll have two Saturday morning work days in the spring.) From 8AM-12PM this Saturday, school parents (and high school kids and parishioners) are coming to help rake leaves, prune bushes, and help beautify the grounds.
          If you're interested, come at 7:30AM for our head landscaper, Jeffrey Hummer, to give a pruning tutorial regarding pruning tools, techniques, and plant evaluation. Bring your  hand pruners and/or long handled loppers.
          All volunteers should gather by 8:00AM outside the north wing of the original school and bring work gloves any or all of the following: . wheelbarrows; shovels, steel bow rakes; your favorite weeding tool.
          Please RSVP to  Jeffrey Hummer to let him know if you will be there at 7:30 or 8:00. When we end at noon, lunch will be served!
Please Note Special Days Tomorrow and Monday
                    
          Tomorrow, October 11, is a  NO SCHOOL DAY, as the faculty  is spending the day in a theology retreat, studying the Sacrament of Penance. The s chool office and Kids' Club are both closed Friday.
          Then this Monday, October 14, a ll grades dismiss at 12:00. This NOON DISMISSAL DAY is to allow teachers to hold  optional parent/teacher conferences in the afternoon.  Kids' Club is open the afternoon of the 14th from 12:00-5:45

Special Window Sales Day This Morning

Due to the NO SCHOOL DAY tomorrow (Friday October 11),  our Charger Card sales window will be open  THIS MORNING, October 10, from 8:15-9:00 am.

Look in today's red envelope  for a complete list of the Charger Cards  we have in stock.  



Don't Forget This Month's Class Lunch Contest! 
 
During the month of October, place an order online and help your  child's entire class win a free pizza lunch & donut treats!  Contest Details:
  • Online order must be placed October 1-31. Contest ends 11:59pm, October 31st.
  • One online order counts toward the classes of all children in your family.
  • Any size order qualifies. (Place an order as small as one $5 Charger Card!)
  • Online PAYMENT is NOT required. Pay for your order by check or online (via Presto Pay). 
  • Winning class will be determined by the highest percentage of participating student families.
  • Date of free lunch TBD by winning class's teacher
Please use the Online Registration Directions form to get started!



There Are So Many Ways to Use Charger Cards in October
  1. It's time to thank your coaches for a great fall season! Charger Cards has great coaches gift ideas: Amazon, Red Robin, Starbucks, Home Depot, Regal Theaters
  2. Buy your Halloween candy and decorations with Charger Cards! We have Target, QFC, Walmart, Safeway
  3. Auction night is coming! Increase your contributions to St. Louise with Charger Cards:
    • Gene Juarez - 10% rebate
    • Nordstrom - 4% rebate
    • Levue Nails - 20%
    • Pizza - order pizza for your kids at home while you are out!
      • Pizza Hut, Dominos, Papa John's, Papa Murphy's, Little Caesar's

 
What's New?

We have cards to some nice, cozy restaurants great for date night or getting together with friends. Earn your rebates quickly and enjoy a delicious meal at the same time!
Charger Cards now have in stock these restaurant cards at 20% rebates:
  •  Purple, Barrio, Lot No. 3, Commons
  •  John Howie
  •  Daniels' Broiler
  •  El Gaucho
  • Tutta Bella
  •  Bai Tong
  • Tom Douglas
  

The Charger Cards sale office in the central wing of the original school is open on school-Fridays from 8:15-9:00AM. 
Of course, you may always purchase 24/7 at  www.shopwithscrip.com  or myscripwallet.com .                          
 
Charger Cards...It's simple, it's thoughtful and it's truly the gift that
 keeps on giving! For more information on Charger Cards and online ordering, please visit www.stlouiseschool.org/chargercards or email chairpersons Marsha and Katherine at

It's Almost Time to Start Dribbling

           It is basketball sign-up time! Please register your grade 4-8 child to be a part of St. Louise CYO Basketball's 2019-2020 season!
          St. Louise basketball is for children in grades 4-8 who either attend  St. Louise School or whose parents are members of St. Louise Parish.  Registration for CYO Basketball is open to children of all skill levels - from beginners to experienced - and every child on a St. Louise  team will get guaranteed playing time in all the games.
          All regular season CYO basketball games are held on weekends, either Saturday or Sunday, and most St. Louise teams get to play a number of games in our home gym. The first  games of the season start on the weekend of November 16, and the regular season ends by January 27. No games are sche
duled over Thanksgiving and Christmas weekends. Teams typically play 7 or 8 regular season games.
          All registration/enrollment is done online here, and regular registration  closes on Friday, October 25, at 11:59 pm. (Late Registration runs from October 26 to November 8, and the fee increases $35.)  Registration fees paid during the regular  registration period are  $75 for the first child registered within a family, and  $55 for all additional children registered within the same family.  
         If you have questions, please contact St. Louise Basketball Coordinator, Rodney Thomas .
Halloween Costume Guidelines
 
All students at St. Louise are allowed to come to school on Thursday, October 31, wearing a Halloween costume. When helping your child decide what his/her costume will be, please take into account these "Fun Dress Day" guidelines:
  • Costumes must be appropriate for an elementary school and more importantly, a Catholic elementary school; therefore, themes or dress that are disrespectful and/or too "adult" need to stay home. This includes, but is not limited to:
    • No dressing up as the opposite sex;
    • No costume with a crude sense of humor.
  • Violent themes are not allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, the banning of:
    • Bloody makeup;
    • Weapons (including fake ones);
    • Costumes depicting devils or vampires;
    • Costumes depicting violent characters such as Scream, Freddy Krueger, It/Pennywise, Dementor, etc.
  • Mr. Fitz and Mr. Fuerte have the final decision on which costumes are inappropriate. You may ask them, if you wonder if your child's costume will be considered appropriate or not. Or simpler yet - if you have to wonder...then the answer probably is you should choose another costume. ;-)
  • Thanks for keeping the "Happy" in "Happy Halloween!" by making this a fun day with no hassles.
 
SPECIAL TREAT - NO TRICK!
Mr. Fitz will be handing out GIANT-SIZE candy bars on Halloween ONLY to students wearing costumes of actual SAINTS! Perhaps you'll dress up as St. Gregory the Great...perhaps you'll be St. Therese the Little Flower...last we checked, there were a thousand Saints from which to choose. Find some ideas here and here. Let Mr. Fitz know on the 31st which of the Church's Saints you are dressed up as to receive your giant-size, chocolate treat from him!
 

Remember, October 31 is a HALF DAY with a NOON DISMISSAL.
All classes dismiss at 12:00, and there is no afterschool Kids' Club this day.

Archdiocese Is Asking for Your Support
            
The Called to Serve as Christ campaign is an extraordinary opportunity for all to play a role in strengthening the Catholic Church in Western Washington. This campaign will focus on raising $100 million to strengthen our priest pension and retirement medical plans, provide support to women religious serving or who have served in the Archdiocese of Seattle, and assist key efforts in our parishes. There are two questions that are often asked about the campaign so we'd like to share them and the answers to each one:
 
  • Will any of the Called to Serve as Christ campaign money be used to pay clergy abuse claims?
No. The money for abuse claims was paid by the archdiocesan insurance program. Money for the campaign is put in a separate bank account overseen by a separately incorporated nonprofit entity - The Called to Serve as Christ Campaign Fund. Both plans are trusts and assets that can only be used for priest pension and medical benefits. In other words, they can't be used to pay for anything other than those benefits.
 
  • How did the archdiocese decide what amount to ask my family?
Ask amounts were set by looking at a number of factors, including: a parish offertory snapshot, parishioners giving history to the Annual Catholic Appeal, other archdiocesan giving history (Crozier Society, etc.), planning study responses, other public knowledge of philanthropic giving, and capacity and an evaluation done by the parish. The archdiocese has no way of knowing a family's personal financial situation, income or obligations. Capital campaigns are about extraordinary giving towards extraordinary goals. To accomplish these goals, every parish family is humbly invited to consider a gift above and beyond their regular support to their parish and the Appeal. The amount of your gift or pledge is your personal decision.
 
You probably have other questions so we invite you to go over the list of frequently asked questions that's available on our parish website here or you can get a printed copy from the parish office. Please visit the Stories of Vocation and Service about our priests and women religious here. You can also read Fr. Gary's letter about the campaign here.
 
By now you should have received a campaign packet through the mail. Kindly take the time to read the material provided about the campaign and Archbishop Etienne's invitation. Please prayerfully consider the level of support that the good Lord is moving your heart to do for the campaign. Please call the parish office or send an email to calledtoserveaschrist@stlouise.org if you haven't received your campaign packet or for any other inquiries.
 
Thank you for your prayers and generous support for the Called to Serve as Christ campaign.

S AINT OF THE W EEK
please read this with your kids
 
 

Thank you for patronizing the following businesses and thanking these families who, through their generous sponsorship, help underwrite the costs of St. Louise School's Auction, Walk-A-Thon, and other events...


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