Parent Bulletin
March 5, 2020

 MR. FITZ'S BLOG
I'm happy to announce we have hired a new, halftime school secretary, to replace the retiring Lola Bazan at the end of this month - Tracy Brown. Tracy (shown here) has a long history with St. Louise. She graduated from our school as Tracy Lisk (along with her two brothers), a generation later she and her husband, Bill, sent their two kids here (Ally and Parker), and one of her parent volunteer jobs was the big task of co-chairing our school auction one year.

After years doing customer service and database management in the corporate world, in recent years Tracy has been a barista at the Starbucks at the corner of Main Street and 148th Avenue. (No, there was no quid pro quo that if I hired Tracy I would get Starbucks drinks for life.) You will see Tracy here a few days a week in March, getting trained by Lola and Mindy Morgan, and then she starts solo on March 30 - working every Monday, Tuesday, and half-days Wednesday. Mindy will be working half-days Wednesdays and also on Thursdays and Fridays. Note that Lola's final day is March 25, with a gathering that morning at 10:00 for the entire school community to say thank you and congratulations on her retirement.

* * * * *

You might have heard about various brain research throughout the years that has shown how there is a left-side of the brain which controls one’s analytical, rational, and verbal processes, and a right-side of the brain which controls more of the creative, artistic processes such as art, music, and spatial reasoning. Traditional K-12 education has emphasized learning primarily processed in the left-side. But research has also shown that the creative process stimulates "traditional" learning by creating new thought patterns and symbols. Students are thus able to apply problem-solving skills to the arts, and then apply those same skills to other learning and life situations.

So, there is a direct link in developing children’s brains and having a school curriculum containing some right-side-related, creative subjects such as visual arts and music. That is why a St. Louise School education not only contains the traditional “reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic” subjects for your children to learn, but we also include art class, music class, and fine arts extracurricular offerings. By the way, our Student Learning Expectation (SLE) that the entire school is focusing on this month is: "A St. Louise student is a well-balanced individual who develops mind, body, and spirit by experiencing the arts and participating in physical activity."

Among the many objectives of Mrs. Walker’s art classes, one is for her grade K-8 students to be able to analyze their own and others’ artwork using valid art principles as guides rather than by just personal tastes. Students can make "mistakes" in art and learn how to "correct" them as part of this learning process. The fun atmosphere of Mrs. Walker’s art classes enables assimilation of more information more quickly and effortlessly, developing both the right-side and left-side of the brain. In addition, through art classes, students learn perseverance, patience, appreciation for varied expression, aesthetic awareness, and respect for materials.

A student who studies and works with visual arts can also improve his/her understanding of mathematical and abstract concepts. In most art classes, students work on the mathematical principles of balance, repetition, patterns, spatial relationships, proportion, symmetry, estimation, and geometric properties. Research has shown that students who have at least four years of arts instruction in their K-12 years score at least 40 points higher on both the math and language sections of the SAT compared with students who did not have art classes.

I could just as easily give similar “proof” that music education classes are important to include in a well-rounded school curriculum. It’s been a long-established fact through research that music education and musical training (voice and/or instruments) makes kids smarter and can actively contribute to brain development. As one study showed, children with music training have significantly better verbal memory than those without such training. Another study showed that mastering a musical instrument improves the way the human brain processes parts of spoken language. And how is this for proof of the power of music - studies of MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) have showed the musicians have more focused, efficient brain activity.

Since children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory over the course of a year, compared to children who do not receive musical training, we were so pleased to be able to have a music program taught by Mrs. LaRussa Banton.

As far as St. Louise extracurricular offerings that are fine arts-related, the school choir, school band, and school drama program are popular programs that are not only fun for kids, but help them grow their brains, their self-esteem, and their poise. Speaking of the school drama program, many of our fifth through eighth graders have been rehearsing since December in preparation for this year’s musical – Junie B. Jones, Jr . This play will be performed for two nights only, on April 1 and 2, here in our Parish Hall. Tickets went on sale to the general public yesterday. This is a performance the entire family would enjoy. I hope you can buy some tickets (before they’re all gone) and treat your family to a fun night of theater…followed by a family dinner out 😊 as curtain time is 5PM and the show will end by 6:30.

We talk of St. Louise School educating the “whole” child. I often point out that this means we not only have developing a child’s brain as our objective, but we also believe in the importance of developing a child’s heart through our religious education and Catholic values focus. But let’s not forget that teaching the “whole” child also includes teaching the whole brain – both the left and right side – and thus, music classes, art classes, and fine arts extracurricular offerings are a big part of a St. Louise education.

Enjoy God's blessings today,

MR. FITZ

p.s.
There is still an opportunity for you to get one month's tuition paid for! If you refer a family to St. Louise School and they end up enrolling with us, you get a free month's tuition next school year! Thanks for promoting the benefits of a Catholic education to your neighbors, friends, and co-workers. 
CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

Today
  • Family Rosary Time at 3:15 in the church; all school parents and their children are invited to come spend 20 minutes praying a decade of the Rosary for the ill in our school community.
  • Tickets are on sale for our school musical, Junie B. Jones, to be performed April 1 and 2; a ticket order was sent home with your child yesterday.
  • Photo packages from the Father/Daughter Dance are being sent home today with your children

Tomorrow
  • Adoration in Parish Chapel - as part of parish's 24-hour prayer vigil (see article below)
  • End of 2nd Trimester (report cards come home on March 27

Wednesday, March 11
  • The Charger Cards sales window will be open this morning from 8:15-9:00 (due to no school on Friday); come take advantage of "March Madness" with no-fees for any purchases with your credit card

Thursday and Friday, March 12 and 13 - NO-SCHOOL DAYS
  • School closed and no Kid's Club these two days
  • Thursday is an online-learning day; expect work for K-8 students to be sent by their teachers
  • Teachers will be attending a theology course on Thursday, and on Friday will be working on report card inputting

Monday, March 16
  • Opera assembly in the parish hall for grades K-6 at 9:45 am; parents invited; thanks to a Parents' Club-funded Enrichment Grant (from Charger Cards and Walk-a-Thon proceeds) which is paying for this assembly

Tuesday, March 17
  • Fun-Dress Day for all students and staff - as long as there is GREEN being worn in honor of Saint Patrick; since we're in the 3rd trimester, shorts may be worn on free-dress/fun-dress days

Thursday, March 19
  • Parents' Club Meeting, 6:30 pm in the faculty room; parents invited

Saturday, March 21
  • Auction Launch Party! Come to the school lobby at 6:00 pm and find out the 2020 Auction theme and buy your November 14 tickets early to save $$!

Monday, March 23
  • Today is the deadline to RSVP to the Mother/Son Bowling Event - to be held on March 29. Go HERE to sign-up mom and her son(s) for this fun, annual event!

Wednesday, March 25
  • Farewell to Lola Bazan after 25 years as our school secretary - 10AM in the school lobby.


CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR HERE
Job Openings at St. Louise
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...

 
A full-time KINDERGARTEN TEACHER position for the 2020-21 school year is available at St. Louise School in Bellevue, 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 kindergarten classrooms, with each of the kindergarten teachers having a small class size of approximately 15 students, with the aid of an instructional assistant. For a job description and qualifications, please go here .


A full-time Primary Grades INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANT position for the 2020-21 school year is available at St. Louise School in Bellevue, a school providing academic excellence in an atmosphere fostering Catholic faith and values. St. Louise has a comprehensive curriculum, impressive facilities, and small class sizes, with instructional assistants supporting the teachers in many of our grade levels. This position available in the upcoming school year will be for sharing time between one kindergarten and one 1 st grade classroom. For a job description and qualifications, please go here .


To apply for either position, please send a letter of interest and resume to principal Dan Fitzpatrick at danf@stlouiseschool.org . Interested candidates must also apply through the Office for Catholic Schools website at http://www.ocsww.org/employment.php . The application process closes March 27.
Family Rosary Time this Afternoon
A special FAMILY ROSARY TIME is taking place in the church today, Thursday, immediately after school. At 3:15, we would love to see you and your children in the church, spending 20 minutes praying the Rosary before you head home. We'll be praying for the special intentions of the parents in our school community who are seriously ill - having cancer treatments, surgeries, etc.

For our FAMILY ROSARY TIME, it would be helpful to bring your family rosary for you/your child to use, but you don't need rosary beads to pray. As you enter the church, we'll hand out prayer sheets like the instructions below, so if it's been a while since you've prayed the rosary, you'll easily be able to pray along.
Thanks for Your Support of Fasting & Almsgiving Last Week
As you know, on Ash Wednesday everyone in the school (teachers, staff, and students) partook in the Lenten disciplines of fasting and almsgiving - fasted from a typical, filling lunch and instead ate a simple bowl of white rice and pinto beans.

The money that would have been spent to create a filling lunch was donated by each person when they picked up their bowl of rice and beans, and your fasting/almsgiving acts generated $1,388 to the Union Gospel Mission . We've already collected $567 in donations to the UGM through our recent Faculty Bake Sale, where the teachers baked treats and the kids purchased them. So all totaled, UGM will receive $1,955 to feed and shelter the poor thanks to the generosity of the St. Louise community!

In addition, students made a couple hundred prayer cards that have been sent to the Union Gospel Mission, who pledge to hand these cards out to those they feed at their shelter or greet in the streets of Seattle.

Thanks for everyone's generosity! Thanks also to these parents who helped cook and serve the rice and beans: Veronique Tano, Angeleigh Gregorios, Van Trinh, Gladys Ponte, Joe Sollars, Molly Akers, Jane Reynolds, Angie Ogilvy . And we thank Kristy Nguyen & Chinh Vu with their donations of the rice from Papaya restaurant.
Make Space for God this Lent
The reason we "give up" things during Lent and/or commit to do more "good" things is because these 40 days are a journey to bring us closer to Jesus, and when we fast and/or give more, we are removing the clutter from our lives and making more space in our lives for God.

On this note of "MAKING SPACE FOR GOD," the Seattle Archdiocese's Office of Marriage and Family Life has created some simple, weekly reminder sheets that we are sending home to each St. Louise family every week during Lent. The latest purple-colored sheet is being handed today to the youngest child in each family to bring home to mom or dad. Please be looking for it after school today.

The purpose of each week's sheet is for a family to MAKE SPACE FOR GOD by taking at least one day that week for everyone in the family to eat dinner together AND to turn off the TV, turn off the cell phones, and put away any other electronic devices or distractions. Now, in this distraction-free environment for 30(?) minutes, your family can read through the "conversation starters" on each week's sheet, talking about your Lenten journey.

The Office of Marriage and Family Life offers these weekly family sheets in hopes that Lent will be more than just giving up candy for 40 days, but will truly offer an opportunity to treat the season as the initiation of your family's faith life growing stronger through the fundamental family action of talking to each other. But again, this talking needs to be free of the distractions of technology and today's hectic lifestyle, so it's important that at least one family meal each week be 100% focused on only the people at the table - and on their thoughts, beliefs, hopes, worries, and questions.
It’s Time for March Madness with Charger Cards!
Through March 31, if you use your credit or debit card for purchases, there will be no ‘fee’ for transactions in excess of $100 on cards that produce over 3% in rebates.


How You Can Cash-In Using Your Credit Card
How much of your usual purchases can be funneled through Charger Cards first? Are you paying for everything this month with Charger Cards? If your family typically uses credit cards to pay for purchases, this month is your opportunity to buy your Charger Cards first and pay with your credit card for a “fee free” purchase! Get your frequent flier miles and support St. Louise!


Special Sales Day Next Week
The Charger Cards sales window in the original school building will be open for sales this Wednesday from 8:15-9:00 (due to no school next Friday).


20% Rebate Cards
Do you need to catch up on rebates? Are you working towards tuition credit for next year? Charger Cards has a number of cards available at 20% rebate! These cards are limited while supplies last so get yours now!     
  • Bai Tong
  • El Gaucho
  • John Howie Steak
  • Pomagrante Bistro
  • Purple
  • Red Robin
  • Wild Ginger
  • Regis Hair Salons (Hair Masters)
  • Trophy Cupcakes
  • Tutta Bella





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
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
No School Next Thursday and Friday
Remember that school is closed on March 12 and 13, with no Kids' Club. On Thursday the 12th, grade K-8 teachers will have online-learning assignments for their students. This will either be sent home on Wednesday or emailed to families by no later than Thursday morning. Thank you, parents, for making sure you set up a distraction-free area in the home (no TV, no cell phone, etc.) for your child to do their assignments. Some teachers might ask the completed assignments to be sent in virtually, while most will ask for it to be returned by hand the following Monday. These assignments are graded and will affect your child's 3rd trimester grades, so thanks for making sure they get completed on time.

All our teachers on March 12 will be taking a day-long theology class, learning more about the tenets of Catholicism. This is required annually or semi-annually by the Archdiocese.

On March 13, the teachers will be spending the day inputting final grades for the 2nd trimester and starting to write the comments on report cards. This is a time-consuming process that will take more than just this one day to complete, so teachers will also be doing report card work on weekends or evenings. Report cards will be sent home on March 27.
St. Louise Students Are Life-Long Learners
Student Learning Expectations - SLEs - are expectations that our students should know, understand, value, and be able to do by the time they graduate from St. Louise School. These 12 SLEs comprise four categories important to the development of a well-rounded student: an active Christian; a life-long learner; a well-balanced individual; and a community member. Each month, one or two different SLEs are focused on school-wide until the 12 expectations are covered by the end of the school year.
 
For the month of February, we have had this Student Learning Expectation focused on throughout the school: “A St. Louise student is a life-long learner who demonstrates a solid academic foundation while using problem solving techniques, technology, critical thinking, and study skills. (SLE #2.1).

Below are highlights from some of the classrooms on how they have been working during February – and/or all yearlong - on achieving this SLE.
 
Mrs. Walkers’ 7th grade artists demonstrated knowledge of the current SLE while creating a doodle for Google. Each year Google puts together a contest for students to create a Google logo based on a specified theme. This year’s theme challenged student to draw artwork that depicts how they show kindness. Each 7th grader used their laptops to look over the “Doodle for Google” rules, prizes, and archive of past images. The students brainstormed ideas and then put together plans for their doodles. For this assignment they were given freedom to create their doodle using a medium of their choosing. Along with creating a Google logo that depicts how each student shows kindness, they also had to fill out their entry form and write a doodle statement to describe their work. These submissions will be mailed to Google this week. Mrs. Walker knows we have some very strong pieces, including the ones shown above - the “princess doodle” by Veronica Gallardo and the “game pieces doodle” by Lucy Flaat.

Using technology, problem solving skills, and critical thinking, Dr. Cole’s 6 th grade computer class has been solving weekly coding challenges with the program, Scratch. The students are currently designing a maze game which will include problem-solving skills as they program a character to move through the maze successfully. Meanwhile, in Dr. Coles 7th and 8th grade science classes, students presented PowerPoint projects to report on a science current event. The junior high students chose a topic that interested them and had to augment the topic with background information. As they learned the topic for themselves, they uncovered new information which they were excited to share with the class.
 
Our 1st graders learned from Mrs. Howell and Ms. Helfen what each of the four different components are that help form a solid academic foundation - problem solving, technology, critical thinking, study skills. The students were then asked to draw a picture and label for each different part. Shown above is what Bianca Nartates drew.

Mr. Gallant’s 7th grade language arts class just finished reading the novel, The Giver , which is a fictional account of a utopian society in the future. The students took a final exam which included an extended-response question that required critical thinking skills, specifically assessing each student’s ability to discern whether elements from the novel are present in the modern world around us today.
 
Second graders participate in the “Mystery Science” program during science class, and in both 2A and 2B during the month of February, students were asked to use problem-solving techniques by determining ways to classify different kinds of animals, and determining the best design for a bird feeder. Also in the 2nd grade in February, Mrs. Woods’ students brainstormed in social studies the qualities of a good citizen of a community, state, and country. 
 
In 8th grade Spanish class, students are working on a technology-integrated project where they create in Publisher a six-panel travel brochure for a Spanish-speaking country. Mrs. Lux’s students must utilize problem solving skills to navigate through the technological aspect of the project, such as how to make the panels align properly, in order, and printing right side up.

Meanwhile, in 8th grade religion class, students demonstrated solid academic foundation and critical thinking skills when they recently wrote Human Life Essays. Each student researched an issue surrounding human life (such as abortion or euthanasia) and researched both Catholic and secular sources. Critical thinking skills were necessary as Mrs. Herridge’s students discerned what are the causes of the issue and how can one act to bring a resolution to it.
 
Finally, in Mrs. Bannick’s 6th grade math classes, students have been studying ratios, rates, and proportions, and learning about how proportions are used in scale drawings and models. A real life application of proportions can be found in using a good old map. So, they took a road trip! Sixth graders selected three locations within a state in which they would be traveling. Using the scale on the state map and measuring the distance, they set up a proportion and determined the estimated distance between their cities. (Remember when we old adults used to have to do this?) After they came up with the estimated distance, the students web-searched the exact distance. Students, such as the 6th grade girls in the photo below, were excited to see how close they came. This was a fun activity from Mrs. Bannick that allowed students to use an “old tool” along with our current way of determining distance between cities.
 
As we turn to March, schoolwide we’ll be focusing on two new Student Learning Expectations:
  • “A St. Louise student is a well-balanced individual who practices positive social skills by taking responsibility for one’s own actions and showing respect” (SLE #3.1);
  •  “A St. Louise student is well-balanced individual who develops mind, body, and spirit by experiencing the arts and participating in physical activity” (SLE #3.2).

Parents can assist their children in understanding and achieving these expectations by talking about the various ways kids show respect and accept responsibility, and by listing all the art involvement and athletics/fitness activities in which every family member partakes. 
24-Hour Prayer Vigil Begins Tomorrow
St. Louise Parish has scheduled a Prayer Vigil tomorrow, Friday, beginning with 9AM First Friday Mass until 12:00 Midnight. While the Church will be closed from midnight until 6AM, Benediction will be held at 8:45 AM followed by the Healing Mass at 9AM on First Saturday. It is our hope that parents (and families) will be able to join us for some prayer time for an hour or more. While focus of this year’s prayer time is silent adoration, the parish will offer a few opportunities for vocal prayer time. In order to aid you in discerning your prayer time, please note the following schedule:

March 6
  • 9:00AM - 10:00AM: First Friday Mass
  • 10:00AM - 3:00PM: Silent prayer (the following classes will be participating: 2A, 2B, 4B, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B)
  • 3:00PM - 11:50PM: Various forms of prayer happening every half-hour to hour
  • 11:50 PM–12:00AM: Reposition Blessed Sacrament

March 7
  • 12:00AM – 6:00AM: Church Closed
  • 6:00AM– 6:10AM: Reposition Blessed Sacrament
  • 6:10AM – 9:00AM: Various forms of prayer happening every half-hour
  • 9:00AM – 10:00AM: First Saturday Mass

A box for prayer intentions and a sign-up sheet has been placed in the Church Vestibule. You are able to place your prayer intentions in the box and sign up for an hour of prayer time. Your prayers will be used by participants to offer up intercessory prayers during the vigil. Please contact parishioner Dawn McIntosh with any questions.



FOR A LIST OF OTHER ACTIVITIES TAKING PLACE AT ST. LOUISE PARISH DURING LENT, PLEASE GO HERE .
Parents Invited to a Conference to Better Equip Themselves
The " Joy of Life Conference: Male and Female He Created Them " conference is being held this Saturday, March 7, at St. Brendan Church in Bothell. At this conference, parents will learn more about the beauty and importance of God's plan for gender and sexuality. High school children are also invited to this conference. To learn more about this conference and the impressive speakers lined up to talk, please go here . To register, go here .
Volunteers Needed
Looking for volunteer hours?

Mrs. Reynolds, our school nurse, needs five volunteers to help her with the vision and hearing scree nings of students taking place on Tuesday, April 21. Volunteers are needed from 9am-3pm, and no experience is needed. Contact Jane Reynolds if interested. 


Our Charger Cards program needs volunteers to help weekly on Friday mornings or every-other-week on Sunday mornings. W hether you want to start soon with joining the Charger Cards team, or if you just want to learn more and possibly start volunteering in the fall, Marsha Rampersad-Zope would love to talk to you. Please contact Marsha or find her on Friday mornings from 8:15-9:00 in the Charger Card sales office in the original school building. You don't need experience to work on the Charger Cards team; you just need a desire to want to help your child's school.
Saint of the Week
please read this with your kids

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