Parent Bulletin
March 19, 2020
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Please take a look at the article below which notes that
the school building will be opened on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning for parents/students to pick up materials and drop off any hard-copy assignments.
Of course, this plan is subject to change if there are more government mandates about mandatory isolations and closures, so watch your email for late-breaking instructions I may have to give leading into this coming Tuesday.
The teachers and I know it's been a crazy week as far as school and "home-school" is concerned. We appreciate parents' assistance. I'd like to repeat what I emailed parents a few days ago about how we need your patience:
"...Although the teachers will appreciate feedback on how to improve their delivery of lessons and assigning of work, please realize that Mr. Fuerte, Mr. Kirby, and I have them under some restrictive parameters that might make some suggestions for digital lessons not able to be accomplished at this time. We are trying to create common plans, so as to not confuse parents who have kids in multiple grade levels, and we want to limit in these initial stages our use of real-time lessons utilizing the platform Microsoft Teams, which our grade 6-8 students already use on a regular basis. We later may move Teams to grades lower than grade 5, but we’re not wanting to move to another platform such as Google Classroom or Zoom, because too many programs throughout the school would confuse families with multiple students and would be difficult for us to support technologically..."
Using an analogy to further explain - If we can just get everyone to "get on the bus" with us, we'll at least be able to start moving, and then teachers, parents, students, and principals will feel less anxious. I know some of you would like to suggest we instead should get on the light rail, and I bet someone knows a person who instead could offer us their private jet, but we are fine for now just being on a bus. It will get us there. It will take longer than the jet, and the seats might not be as comfortable and view not as nice as if we were to take the light rail, but the bus works.
We may eventually "transfer off the bus" and expand to more live instruction, recorded instruction, sending assignments to files online, etc., but just not right away. We want to keep this very simple for everyone initially and not throw a lot of technology issues or myriad of options at you or the teachers. Thanks for letting us ease into this extraordinary time.
Some parents have asked me how this closure of five weeks (remember, one of the six weeks is actually our calendared
Easter Vacation) will impact the date school gets out in June and if our 8th graders still graduate on their scheduled date. We don't know yet, but what we do know is that
House Bill 2965
, w
hich would allow private schools waivers from days/hours missed during the closure, and flexibility for graduation requirements, has passed and is on the Governor’s desk. We will announce once it is signed and we get clarification from the Archdiocesan Office for Catholic Schools. We worry about the amount of instruction the students will have missed this school year, but we also realize families have planned summer vacations, and if there ever was a summer families would want to hurry up and go camping or take a trip, it's going to be this June-July-August!
I also wanted to give you an update on Mrs. Cervantes. Her husband is recovering and she has yet to show any symptoms beyond common-cold-like symptoms of a stuffy nose and sore throat. Thanks for your prayers for her family.
Although her family's life and much of our lives have been impacted by COVID-19, our spiritual lives do not really need to suffer. While we may be enduring quarantine, telecommuting, a severely impacted social life, and no college basketball
March Madness
, we still can observe the holy season of Lent. As
this article
says, the world needs faithful Christians now more than ever, and the world needs the prayer, fasting, works, and almsgiving of committed Catholics, especially when there is darkness in the world.
This inconvenience of isolating ourselves at home is an opportunity. It gives us time to contemplate in gratitude what we have (a home in which we can isolate ourselves…a family which can look after us…a God who is there for us), and it gives us time to meditate during this Lenten season.
Before this crisis hit, most likely many of us in our busy, hectic, over-scheduled lives weren’t making time for contemplating and meditating. We now find ourselves with time to mull over questions related to our faith and related to our coronavirus situation such as:
- Did Christ feel abandoned and alone in His last days?
- What did Jesus's disciples feel and experience in the days following His death, as they hid from the Romans?
- How do those people feel today who are practicing their faith in secret every single day in countries where the Church is underground?
- How can I grow in compassion for those who spend their entire lives isolated, such as in prison or in a nursing home?
- What can I learn about patience and letting go of my plans in this time?
While stuck at home, there are still practical ways to observe Lent. You might have a stack of spiritual reading you have not made time for, and now is the perfect time to find a comfy sofa and start reading. Of course, the Bible is the fundamental spiritual reading, and if it’s been a while since you’ve read it, one simple way to start it to read the entire Gospel of Matthew. With its 28 chapters, you can commit to reading just one chapter each weekday, and you’ll complete the entire Gospel right when school resumes in late April!
As you recall, for the first two Thursdays of Lent you were sent a “
Make Space for God
” sheet to use at one family dinner that week. Well, now that you’re probably finding time for even more family dinners than ever, due to telecommuting and canceled sports and events, there is no excuse to not use these sheets and indeed, make space for God and have deep conversations with your children.
HERE
are the remaining weekly “Make Space for God” sheets which we were going to send you a week at a time, but now you can copy off all the weeks at once and highlight one each week on your dining room table throughout the remainder of Lent.
Enjoy God's blessings today,
MR. FITZ
p.s.
It's already time to start planning for our 2020 School Auction, but since we can't have a live, in-person AUCTION LAUNCH PARTY as our Auction director Julianne Read had planned for this Saturday, we're coming up with a fun Plan-B. Read the Auction article below to find out what Plan-B is, and still be ready this Saturday night at 6PM! Contact
Julianne Read
with questions and/or offers to help remotely now or in person later this spring when things return to normal.
LENTEN RESOLUTION: GIVE UP WORRYING
"When my anxious inner thoughts become overwhelming, your comfort, Lord, encourages me.”
~ Psalm 94:19
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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
Tuesday, March 25 & Wednesday, March 26
- Parents and students are asked come to school only during these times -Tuesday from 1:00-6:00PM or Wednesday from 8:00-11:00AM - to pick up books, supplies, and teacher's assignments, and to drop-off completed assignments; see the instructions below.
Next Week
- This is the last work week for Lola Bazan - after 25 years as our school secretary! Please email or call her to wish her farewell and congratulate her on her retirement! We will move our previously scheduled ceremony to honor her to our end-of-year liturgy on the last day of school
Sunday, March 29
- Too bad we have to cancel the Mother/Son Bowling Event. We'll make refunds for those who have already paid, and we'll look for a date to try this again next school year.
Wednesday and Thursday, April 1 & 2
- The school play, Junie B. Jones, will sadly be postponed and a new date will be attempted to be found.
Wednesday, April 15
- The IRS may have delayed the deadline to pay your taxes by 90 days, but our deadline today to complete your 2020-21 application for tuition assistance remains. By no later than April 15, please complete the application to receive a financial aid scholarship, which includes uploading your 2019 tax documents. Please go HERE for more information.
Wednesday, April 28
- The Grade 3-4 Spring Concert is canceled.
Thursday, April 30
- The Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH) event is canceled.
CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR
HERE
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Please Come to School This Tuesday Afternoon or Wednesday Morning
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With obvious precautions (and "safer" than when you have to go to the grocery store or pharmacy these days), we are going to be opening up the school this Tuesday and Wednesday, March 25 and 26, so parents/students in all grade levels may pick up needed books, supplies, and teachers' hard-copy assignments. At the same time you can drop off already-completed assignments and grab any forgotten jackets, backpacks, lunch boxes, and (grade 6-8) p.e. clothes.
Here is how this is going to work so to keep everyone feeling safe:
- By Tuesday morning, all grade PK-8 teachers will put out on each student’s individual desk the materials they will need to future home-supported learning: any texts or notebooks out of their desks; their “Totally Lent” books; any hard-copy assignments for the future that you have copied-off; etc.
- Parents (and students) are asked come to school only during one of these times:
- Tuesday the 25th from 1:00-6:00PM
- Wednesday the 26th from 8:00-11:00AM.
- No teachers will be at school during these times, but Mr. Fitz and Mr. Fuerte will be here to prop open the front doors of the school and each homeroom door.
- Each parent and child needs to wash their hands immediately before entering and after leaving the school building. And of course, no one should enter the school if they have a fever. Please only touch the items on your child's individual desk (and locker for grades 6-8). Please keep a distance between you and any other families who may be in the building at the same time.
- The parent and child will take home the items on the child's desk (locker) that the teacher left out. Additionally, if you child might need certain supplies from his/her desk (locker) to work on future assignments (such as markers, notebooks), please take them.
- If your child has any completed assignments to hand-in, these should be left on the child's desk, not on the teacher's desk.
- While you're here, if your child two weeks ago left his/her jacket, backpack, lunch box, or grade 6-8 p.e. clothes, please take them.
- We will have custodians disinfect classrooms both before and after Tuesday's and Wednesday's visits. The teachers will return Thursday to pick up the dropped-off assignments to be graded.
We plan to repeat a similar plan the week of April 6 – when we would also put 2nd trimester report cards on each student’s desk to pick up as well as more hard-copied assignments, and asking parents/students to return completed assignments.
If you are ill, please find a fellow school parent who can do the above tasks for you. Thanks for your cooperation!
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During these gloomy closure days, the Wongs sent Mr. Fitz this photo, saying:
"We wanted you to remind you of three things that make you happy - St. Patrick's Day, basketball, and your students!"
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Message from Ms. Reynolds
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Our second grade teacher, Christina Reynolds, has the following message for her past, current, and potentially future students' families:
Dear St. Louise School Community,
I’ve enjoyed being one of St. Louise’s 2nd grade teachers these past two years, and it’s with sadness that I let everyone know I’ll be leaving my teaching position after the school year ends this June. After two years of my daily 50-mile commute back and forth to work from my home in Lynnwood, I decided I should look for a teaching opportunity closer to home. I’m going to miss working here because I’ve grown to close to the staff, students, and community. I wish you well and you are in my thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely,
Christina Reynolds
We'll get a chance to formally thank and say farewell to Ms. Reynolds at our end-of-year liturgy in June. Meanwhile, below you'll see information on teacher job openings for next year, as well as one instructional assistant opening. Even during this time of "isolation," we continue to set up phone interviews, so please share the job opening news with those you know who are qualified and interested.
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Job Openings at St. Louise
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Thank you for sharing these job postings with those you know who are looking for a job in a school and fit the following qualifications...
Three full-time teaching positions are available for the 2020-21 school year
at St. Louise School - one for
KINDERGARTEN
, one for
2ND GRADE
and one for
4TH GRADE.
St. Louise
in Bellevue is a school providing academic excellence in an atmosphere fostering Catholic faith and values. St. Louise has a comprehensive curriculum, impressive facilities, and specialist teachers in the areas of music, art, p.e., computers, and library. There are two homerooms for each grade level, with each of the homeroom teachers having a small class size of approximately 15 students, with the part-time aid of an instructional assistant. The positions close on April 3.
For job descriptions and qualifications for these job opening, or for our other open position of a
full-time INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANT
,
please go
HERE
.
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The 2020 Auction Logo & Theme Will Be Unveiled Saturday at 6PM
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Good morning, St. Louise Families,
Well, things have changed dramatically over the past week, and I know you've had to make choices for you and your family that you didn't expect this spring. We are all learning our new temporary normal.
Obviously our amazing Auction Launch Party scheduled for this Saturday night at school has been cancelled. However, I am still planning on launching the theme this Saturday, just via
Facebook Live
at a safe social distance from everyone! I hope if the online- learning hasn't destroyed you by that time, that you'll tune in at 6:00pm this Saturday the 21st
HERE
.
As we normally would do, we will offer discounted auction tickets and other early purchase options, and we'll share a fun video to kick things off!
Thank you for all you are doing. I'm well aware it is no small feat to have everyone at home, and balance work and home-supported learning.
See you virtually on Saturday at 6:00pm on
our Facebook page
! Please set your calendar alarm now so you won't forget to tune in!
Sincerely,
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Suggestions Provided for Summer Camps and Summer Activities
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As you plan for all the fun and exciting adventures your children will be having over the summer in just a few months, please keep in mind that summer is also an excellent opportunity to keep inquisitive minds active and engaged! Research shows that summer learning loss equals at least one month of instruction. Knowing this causes parents and teachers to think about how to best keep academic skills sharp over the summer while also using the time to improve upon or master some lagging academic skills.
Please go
HERE
to find our latest update to our
Summer Programs and Camps
document. This is a list of opportunities for enriching summer learning and fun for grades Pre-K through 12. Please take a moment now to explore the possibilities, because many summer camps and programs fill up with pre-registration by the spring.
Please note that St. Louise School is not necessarily "endorsing" these camps and programs (other than our own
Chargers' Adventure Summer Camp
right here on the St. Louise campus); we offer the list as a helpful guide for parents to then investigate.
Gone are the days when summer learning was dreaded and boring. Summer programs in the 21
st
century offer enriching, engaging, and exciting topics. If you have any questions, please contact our student support teacher,
Melissa Cantu.
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CYO Closes Down for the School Year
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The remainder of the CYO Volleyball season has been cancelled. Regarding any refunds for games unplayed, the St. Louise CYO Program is offering three options for families who had paid for volleyball: a $50 credit that you can forward to helping pay for registering for any CYO sport next school year; request a refund;
consider it a "donation" to our CYO program.
Please email
jonikhoffman@gmail.com
if you are electing to take the credit or get a refund. If you are simply going to leave your payment in the CYO account as a donation, thank you and no email is necessary.
The upcoming CYO Track and Field season, to have begun in May, is also cancelled.
We'll have to wait until September's Soccer and Cross Country seasons to see Chargers in uniform. Thanks to all the parents who coached Charger teams this year! Thanks also to our parish athletic board:
JC Fawcett, Joe Hueffed, Jim Goett, Scott Bailey, Sharon Kussy, Chris Evans, Janelle Bair, Mari Sullivan, Amy Wilken, Rodney Thomas, Joni Hoffman, Julie Kennedy.
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The Charger Cards sales-office will temporarily be closed due to the impact of COVID-19. We will not be packaging physical cards for pickup at this time. We will reevaluate the situation in the coming weeks and keep you informed on when cards can be picked up at the school office. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope to reopen soon. Online payments for ScripNow ecards and Reloads are still available. Below are instructions in how to setup if you have not done so.
Sign Up for Online Payments, Earn Rebates, and Continue to Support our School Fundraiser Even Now
Immediately get your eGift cards, instantly add funds to your reloadable gift cards, and shop wherever, whenever on your phone —all with the on-demand convenience of online payments. They’re secure and simple to set up, so you can grow your earnings. In fact, families who pay online earn 45% more than families who don’t.
Every Family Needs to Register Online; Here’s Why & How
- See the Online Registration Directions page for step by step info to register online and get started! You will need the enrollment code, so please email the Charger Cards chairpersons for this: chargercards@stlouiseschool.org.
- Online registration provides each family with ability to track their family rebates and see their 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
- See this video that shows you how to use MyScripWallet.com – the NEW mobile website to purchase, use and track Charger Card scrip on your phone:
Setup Online Payments
Link your bank account so you can pay online:
- Set up your account in a matter of minutes
- Create a unique PIN to keep your account safe
- $0.15 fee on each transaction
- To get set up, log in and select Dashboard > Payment Types on ShopWithScrip.com or Menu > Payment Types on MyScripWallet.com and follow the instructions.
Or pay with your credit card:
- Discover, Mastercard, and Visa are accepted
- You can choose to save the card to your account for future purchases
- 2.6% fee on each transaction
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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
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Don’t Let Your Spiritual Lives Suffer During this Time of Isolation
With Masses canceled, and the only way to “go to Mass” now being watching a livestream on your screen (such as
here
or
here
), you can still receive some consolation. Saint John Vianney said:
”Communion is to the soul like blowing a fire that is beginning to go out, but that has still plenty of hot embers; we blow, and the fire burns again. If we are deprived of Sacramental Communion, let us replace it, as far as we can, by spiritual communion, which we can make every moment; for we ought to have always a burning desire to receive the good God. ”
To make a Spiritual Communion, whether you do it when watching communion at a televised Mass or at any part of the day, you first want to be in the state of grace. Make a good examination of conscience and perhaps say a prayer such as the Confiteor:
"I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God."
You are then ready to perform a Spiritual Communion, and the version from Saint Alphonsus Liguori is probably the most popular one to recite:
“My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.”
Making a Spiritual Communion doesn’t take a lot of time. And it makes you long for the Sacramental Communion you are missing out on - that hopefully will be made available to us again in just a few more days or weeks.
Here
is more information on Spiritual Communion.
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Don't forget to bookmark the
parish website
, where you'll find news on liturgical events and cancellations, and to joint the
parish Flocknote
group, where you'll get texts from Father Gary and other parish staff regarding time-sensitive news.
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Saint of the Week
please read this with your kids
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