Parent Bulletin
January 9, 2020
|
|
Last year's Walk-a-Thon was a hit with the kids!
|
|
You’ve previously seen in this Bulletin a call for parents to step up and volunteer to coordinate the Walk-a-Thon, our Parents’ Club’s spring fund raiser in which every school family has committed to participate. No one has come forward to take the reins for 2020, so because of this, we are in serious danger of having to cancel the Walk-a-Thon.
Last year’s Walk-a-Thon coordinators – Jen Sharp, Marinell Zevenbergen, Julianne Read – have put together a plan that contains all the templates and documents needed for new coordinators to take over seamlessly. In fact, Jen, Marinell, and Julianne want to show their fellow school parents just how easy it will be to volunteer for the Walk-a-Thon in 2020 by hosting an informal
Walk-a-Thon Info-Session
. This coming Tuesday the 14
th
at 8:30AM and this coming Wednesday the 15
th
at 2:30pm, the ladies will be in the school lobby to show any curious parents their templates/documents and answer any questions. If you have the slightest interest in volunteering in some way with the Walk-a-Thon, stop by the lobby Tuesday morning or Wednesday afternoon for a chat with last year’s leaders at their
info-session
.
One of the SLEs (Student Learning Expectations) that we expect your children to achieve by the time they graduate from St. Louise School is, “
A St. Louise student is a community member who accepts leadership roles and collaborates with others
.” (SLE #4.3) It would be sadly ironic if we had to cancel the 2020 Walk-a-Thon because none of our students’ parents were willing to accept leadership roles, and yet we expect the students themselves to step up and become leaders.
We need a successful Walk-a-Thon so the Parents’ Club can raise $55,000. This revenue, along with revenue from the Parents’ Club other big fund raiser – Charger Cards - goes toward paying for various Parents’ Club-sponsored programs, such as supporting the teachers with Christmas bonuses and monthly lunches, providing parent education classes, and paying for enrichment grants. Additionally, the Parents’ Club has committed to be one of our school’s income sources with a direct line item donation each year of $60K. Without Walk-a-Thon revenue, the Parents’ Club can’t fulfill this donation commitment and in coming years the school would have to make up for this lost income simply by raising tuition that much more.
So here’s the bottom line...
We need to confirm two or more new leaders of the Walk-a-Thon by January 31, or else we have to move to plan B this year.
What is plan B?
It’s to scrap the Walk-a-Thon event and instead acquire direct donations from each school family without the ability to garner pledges from family, friends, and neighbors. So, if by January 31 we have no new Walk-a-Thon coordinators, the Parents’ Club and I have decided we’ll need to cancel the Walk-a-Thon event and make the spring fund raiser a straight, send-in-cash fund raiser. Thus, we would be asking each family to send in one of the following amounts, which are the minimum pledge amounts the Walk-a-Thon requires:
- 1-child families turn in $85;
- 2-child families turn in $170;
- 3-or-more child families turn in $235.
(By the way, everyone doing the minimum won't garner the usual $55K the Walk-a-Thon raises. Because of many kids and parents going above and beyond wiht their Walk-a-Thon pledge-collections, we are able to reach this financial goal. So the Parents' Club will still have to make some budget cuts if plan B is enacted.) And of course, e would sadly have to inform the students that there is no fun, all-school event this May.
I am humbly asking every St. Louise parent to take time to discern if stepping up to be the 2020 co-leader of the Walk-a-Thon is something you should do for the good of the school, for the pleasure of your kids, and for the good of your personal growth and gratification.
In his article, “
Discernment: Making Inspired Choices
,” Joe Paprocki defines
DISCERNMENT
as “
a decision-making process that honors the place of God's will in our lives; an interior search that seeks to align our own will with the will of God in order to learn what God is calling us to
.” So how do you discern God's will? Joe lists these steps, and they fit in perfectly with the steps I’m asking every school parent to take this week:
- Talk to someone you respect: Seek out the wisdom of others whom you know have wisdom and experience, and ask them for advice. (Remember, last year’s Walk-a-Thon leaders will share their wisdom and experience this Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon at their info-sessions!)
- Find some solitude: Take time to be alone with your thoughts and with God. This is the best way to invite God into your decision-making process.
- Tell God what it is that you desire and what you fear…and then let God speak to you: Only rarely does one hear a voice when God speaks. Instead, pay attention closely to the ways that God “speaks” to you by stirring up feelings of joy and excitement, or stirring up the opposite feelings.
- Pray to do God's will: We all pray the words, “thy will be done,” when we pray the Our Father. This is your opportunity to truly mean it. Ask God to give you the strength you need to continue to discern His will and to follow it.
- Prayerfully commit: At some point, you need to act. Knowing that you have sought God's will, set forth to do the benevolent thing.
As Joe says
, “Discernment can help you when you face decisions. Even though making good decisions can be difficult at times, trust that the Holy Spirit is with you to guide you and help you choose what is good and true
.”
I'll be saying a prayer that we have a number of parents come in on Tuesday morning or Wednesday afternoon to learn more about the Walk-a-Thon.
Enjoy God's blessings today,
MR. FITZ
p.s.
We 're excited that we continue to grow our enrollment with mid-year transfer students! This week we had Kaida Roets begin attending PreK, Lawrence Liang start in 1st grade, Mateo Doria-La start in kindergarten, and the Lizotte children begin attending in PreK (Macie), 3rd grade (Drew), and 5th grade (Mia). Veteran parents, thanks for reaching out to welcome these new parents to our St. Louise community!
|
|
CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
Tomorrow
- Mass with Grandparents, 9AM - meet your child's classroom outside the school by 8:45
- Grandparents' Reception 10-10:30AM
Monday, January 13
- Registration begins for 2020-21 Kids' Club enrollment; enroll here. Please contact Maria Zambrano for more information.
Tuesday, January 14
- Info-Session regarding the Walk-a-Thon at 8:30AM in the school lobby
- "Tuesday Tour" morning - prospective school parents, interested in enrolling their children for 2020-21, have an opportunity to be toured through campus by an 8th grader, to sit in on a class in session, and to meet with Mr. Fitz; if you know of a neighbor, co-worker, or friend with upcoming 4-14 year-olds, please have them email Lola and Mindy in the school office to set up a tour for this Tuesday (or for January 28)
Wednesday, January 15
- Info-Session regarding the Walk-a-Thon at 2:30PM in the school lobby
Thursday, January 16
- Bake Sale - proceeds benefit J.H. activities
- School Commission meeting at 6:30PM in the faculty room; all school parents are invited to attend
Friday, January 17
- Auction Lunch Day - for those students whose parents purchased this through the Auction; contact Julianne Read for more information
Monday, January 20 -
NO SCHOOL
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Holiday
- School and Kids' Club closed today
CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR
HERE
|
|
Admissions Season Has Begun; Please Send a Prospective New School Parent Our Way
|
On many Tuesdays in January and February, St. Louise hosts "Tuesday Tours" - a morning when prospective new school parents get to tour the school with an 8th grade ambassador, sit in on a class in session to observe a teacher, and get their questions answered in a meeting with Mr. Fitzpatrick.
Thanks for helping to
spread the word
about our awesome school, and the opportunity for those with upcoming 4-to-14 year-olds to tour our school and take in all the great things that happen at St. Louise during a typical school day.
Please note that our next Open House will be on January 30. Please encourage your neighbors, friends, and coworkers to come see for themselves why they would be smart to enroll their children in St. Louise for next fall. At an open house, they can meet all our teachers, explore our classrooms, and learn about after-school programs (mock trial, Girls Who Code, speech team, robotics, choirs, band, debate, etc.) and our cross-country, soccer, basketball, track and volleyball sports offerings.
Thanks for all you can do to spread the word regarding St. Louise School and our Open Houses! Don't forget to use your social media accounts. Please share our
Facebook page
and
Instagram page
.
*REMEMBER*
As a thank you for your help, we do have a referral bonus program:
ONE FREE MONTH OF TUITION for one child for any current school family who refers a newly-enrolling family!
|
|
Time to Sign-Up for CYO Volleyball
|
CYO volleyball registration is now open to all St. Louise School students and parish children in grades 4-8. To sign-up, please go
HERE
. Registration will close on January 17th. The registration fee is $75. Note that late registrations may be accepted depending on the size of existing rosters, but at the increased cost of $110. For more information, contact St. Louise volleyball coordinator,
Joni Hoffman
. Go, Chargers!
|
Bianca and Robin have two of the best smiles on the playground.
|
|
|
Emergency Notifications &
Inclement Weather
Procedures
If you wake up and suspect that snowfall (of other acts of God) may affect if school will begin on time or open at all, keep your cell phone and computer nearby. St. Louise School uses TEXTING and EMAILING as our emergency notification procedure to parents in the event of snowfall closing the school or delaying our start.
Emergency texting/emailing will also be used if an emergency occurs during school hours (heavy snow during the day, a lockdown, power outage during the cold/dark months, etc.) and you will either need an update or need to be informed to come get your children.
Since the St. Louise School population lives in a large area over many cities and various elevations, during snowfall the Lake Hills neighborhood may be very drivable but your neighborhood may be dangerously slick.
Please make your own choice, based on your geographical location,
about whether or not to attempt to drive to school in the morning or to come to school during the school day to pick up your kids early.
Note:
St. Louise School does NOT call TV and radio stations to broadcast our school’s closure/delayed-start information. You will only be notified via our group texting service through BrightArrow.com and/or through a group email from school.
If you didn’t respond to this past fall’s text message sent by the school asking you to opt-in to our emergency messaging system, please opt-in now by texting the word
YES
to
87569
. You will then be sure to receive texts from St. Louise School during emergencies such as school closures or lockdowns.
To learn more about our emergency texting procedure through BrightArrow.com, please refer to the “Schedule” section of our school Policies, found at
stlouiseschool.org
.
|
|
January Is Great Time to Get Organized; Charger Cards Can Help!
Buy gas and grocery cards that are reloadable! Buy a plastic gift card from Charger Cards and use that same card to reload online! You can reload any day of the month online at your convenience! Register your bank account and pay online instantly or if you prefer to pay by check, you can STILL order online! Just select the “send check to school coordinator” payment option and send your check to the school office.
Reload options:
- Gas - Shell, 76, Arco
- Grocery - Safeway, PCC
- Starbucks, Subway, Papa Johns, Dominos, Panera Bread
- And many more options!
Organize your home!
- Container Store (9%)
- Fred Meyer (5%)
- Target (2%)
- Walmart (2.5%)
- Home Depot (7%)
- Lowes (4%)
Place a standing order for your monthly budgeted items:
- QFC
- Safeway
- Starbucks
- Papa Murphy’s, Little Caesar’s, Subway, Chipotle
New Year’s resolution check-in: how is it going? Need a new one?
Purchase all of your Gas and Groceries in 2020 with Charger Cards!
Did you know if
every
school family bought simply
gas
and
groceries
with Charger Cards, St. Louise could earn $100K each year in rebates for just those two categories?! Charger Cards would like to encourage every family to start using Charger Cards for their everyday purchases.
|
|
The Charger Cards sale office in the central wing of the original school is open on school-Fridays from 8:15-9:00AM. You may always purchase 24/7 at
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
|
Seahawk playoffs continue! Buy Charger Cards for the big day!
- Seahawks wear! – Dick’s, Walmart, Target, Fred Meyer
- Party Food! – Safeway, Fred Meyer, QFC, Albertson’s, Whole Foods
- Pizza! – Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, Dominos, Little Caesar’s, Papa Murphy’s
|
|
The ASGC Needs Your Participation ASAP
|
Please be looking in the postal mail for our Annual Report, a record of all the generous supporters of St. Louise in 2019. Included in that mailing is information regarding our 2020 Annual School Gift Campaign (ASGC). The
ASGC
is a required fund raiser, expecting every school family to participate. Thank you for either sending in your one-time donation this month, or at least sending in a pledge to pay monthly or periodically through 2020. If you have questions about how the ASGC works or the various ways you can pledge and/or give, please talk to our development director,
Cindy Wagner
.
|
|
Bingo Night Returns to St. Louise
|
Save the date for the 2nd annual St. Louise Family Bingo
Night on Saturday, January 25,
in the Parish Hall. Doors open at 6PM (following the 5PM Mass). For just $2 per card buy-in, the whole family can have fun winning prizes. There will also be raffles, food, and drinks for purchase.
Proceeds benefit
Advocacy and Caring for Children
(ACC), a volunteer organization that provides caring, funding, and advocacy for Western Washington children and families in need. Family Bingo Night is brought to you by current and alumni St. Louise moms of ACC St. Therese Circle.
|
|
|
Thank You for Completing Your Homework, Parents
|
|
|
|
Dear Parents,
Please check out today's red envelope for a yellow flyer and some postcards. We would love for you to spread the word about our January 30th Open House. Thanks for your efforts to market our super school!
|
|
Saint of the Week
please read this with your kids
|
|
At last Sunday's Seattle Prep Chess Tournament, members of our St. Louise Chess Club participated and came away with the 1
st
place trophy in the 4-8 U900 division. Congratulations to the efforts of
Lorenzo, Raneisha, and Christopher!
|
|
Register Now for the Upcoming Mass/March for Life
|
Every year, the bishops and priests of the Archdiocese of Seattle strongly encourage their flocks (that's you!) to attend the Mass and March for Life in Olympia, our state capitol. Attending this event - this year to be held on January 21, from 8-2:30, is a tangible way to stand in solidarity, not only with our local church, but also with the most defenseless in our midst: desperate mothers and unborn babies. To make it easy for you to attend, St. Louise is sponsoring a bus for our parishioners.
Reserve your spot now here.
The bus will leave from the St. Louise parking lot at 8:00am on the 21st. The first stop is Sacred Heart in Lacey for the 9:30 Mass, and then heading to the Capitol for the March. There is not cost to you! Please bring a sack lunch.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
