St. Brendan Weekly Bulletin

May 18th, 2022

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The mission of St. Brendan Catholic School, in partnership with parents and our parish community, embraces a Catholic Identity centered on the Eucharist to empower our students to act as Disciples of Christ, use their God-given gifts in service to the Church and community, and achieve academic excellence.
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Middle School students in the cross country elective on a run to Bothell Landing. Thank you, Elene Wahlin, for the picture and for being one of our amazing elective teachers. 

From the Principal

Dear St. Brendan Families,

 

This Friday we will be hosting Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day. We are thrilled to be able to host this cherished tradition once again, and to welcome visitors to our campus. Please read the important information listed in the bulletin below for more details about the logistics of this day. Please also share this link with attendeesThe health department does recommend Covid testing before large gatherings. We have sent covid tests home in the Wednesday Envelope. We are asking that students test Thursday night or Friday morning before attending school as an added layer of mitigation. We also encourage mask-wearing. Thank you for your continued commitment to the health and safety of our St. Brendan community! 


We are pleased to introduce our new staff members for the 2022-2023 school year:

Welcome Ms. Streicher, 4th Grade

We are excited to announce our new 4th grade teacher, Ms. Allison Streicher. Ms. Streicher grew up in San Diego, California. She attended Gonzaga University where she studied history and elementary education. At Gonzaga, she discovered a great love for C.S. Lewis, Zag basketball, and watercolor painting. After graduating and earning her teaching certificate in 2019, she moved to the west side to begin her teaching career as a third-grade teacher. She is excited to combine her love of the Catholic faith with her love of teaching. This will be Ms. Streicher's fourth year teaching elementary school and she will be teaching fourth graders at St. Brendan's!

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Welcome Ms. Bartra, Pre-K 

We are excited to announce Ms. Susana Bartra as our new pre-k teacher. Ms. Bartra is Peruvian-born and Washington raised. She comes from a Spanish-speaking home and has been part of St. Pius Parish for 16 years where she attended grade school. In her free time, Ms. Bartra enjoys reading and collecting books, spending half of her time at Barnes and Noble. She also has a passion for arts and crafts, making it so she spends the other half of her time in craft stores. She attended high school at Archbishop Murphy and earned her BA in Elementary Education at University of Washington Bothell where she also completed her teaching certification. With experience working in preschool and elementary settings, she will be a fantastic addition to our early education team.


Middle School Staffing Updates:

  • Ms. Sims will be transitioning to teach all of the middle school religion classes next year; she already has experience teaching all middle school grades so this will be a seamless transition for both her and for the students. Ms. Sims also has a thorough understanding of the curriculum and she has been instrumental in chairing our Catholic Identity Committee during the accreditation process. Most importantly, Ms. Sims is one of our biggest fans of our Middle School students. In addition, she will continue to serve as our music teacher.
  • Mrs. Wenzl will be our 6th grade homeroom teacher next year. She has previously served as the 6th grade homeroom teacher, and she is thrilled to take on this important role. Mr. Langston will be stepping out of the role as 6th grade homeroom teacher; this will allow him to focus on additional administrative duties as Assistant Principal. As Assistant Principal, he will remain heavily involved with supporting all of our middle school students and teachers, and he will also continue to teach 6th-8th grade science. He will still help out with a variety of 6th grade activities to ensure a smooth transition next year.  


Each year we ask our families entering K-8 to complete the Parent Volunteer Agreement. This greatly helps the Parent Club plan for events and activities for next school year. Please take the time to complete this form by this Friday, May 20th.  


Blessings,

Catherine Shumate

Catholic Corner
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St. Brendan the Navigator

Feast Day: May 16


St. Brendan was an Irish priest who founded a large monastery in Clonfert, Ireland. St. Brendan is most famous for his legendary sailing adventures, including landing on an island that was actually a big sea monster! There is also a legend that he sailed to America, and drove a demon out of a man.


On Monday, St. Brendan’s feast day, we celebrated his sailing adventures by having Boat Races! All students got the opportunity to blow a sail boat across the “sea”. The person with the fastest time in each recess group was the winner. Congratulations to our overall “Hot Air” award winner, Landon in 7th grade, with an amazing time of 11.59! Honorable mention goes to his pursuer, Mr. Langston, with a time of 11.81, so close! Our fastest boat in the K-4 recess group was blown by Rachel in 3rd grade with a time of 14.39, and our Preschool/PreK winner was Andrew in Mrs. Stevenson’s PreK with a time of 20.15. Thanks to all our participants, we hope you had a great time celebrating our Patron Saint’s feast day!


To learn more about St. Brendan, or any other saint, check out Catholic Online, a great resource for all things saint! http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=170

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Congrats to Landon in 7th, the overall winner! fastest time of 11.59!

Grandparents & Special Friend Day

Grandparents & Special Friends Day

Friday, May 20, 2022

8:30 AM - Mass

9:45 - 10:00 AM - Check-In and Refreshments

10:00 - 11:00 AM - Program

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM - Visit classrooms, book fair, take pictures

12:00 PM - Dismissal (no lunch at school and no extended care)



Grandparents & Special Friends will have the chance to see special presentations, meet the teachers and staff, tour the school and book fair, and spend time with their grandchild(ren) or student friend.

IMPORTANT GRANDPARENTS DAY INFO: If your child would like to sit with their grandparents/special friends during Mass, please have the child go directly to Mass with their guest rather than checking in at school. The guest can then walk the child to class after Mass. 

Parking for Grandparents Day

The school parking lot will be unavailable for parking as we will use it during recess. Please park in either the St. Brendan Church parking lot (10100 NE 192nd St) or in the Church of the Living God parking lot across the street (corner of 100th Ave. NE and NE 195th St.). 

We have a few spots reserved outside the main school office for handicapped parking for those guests who indicated the need. 

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Grandparents' Day Desserts

Kindergarten & 5th Grade Families


It is our tradition that the Kindergarten & 5th Grade families donate 2 dozen baked goods for Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day on Friday, May 20th.


Please drop off 2 dozen cookies, cupcakes, breads or pastries, etc. (with any potential allergens clearly marked - no nuts) in the school office the afternoon of Wednesday, May 18th or anytime on Thursday, May 19th. These can be store-bought.


Thank you for helping make this event special for the entire school and our grandparents and guests!

Spring Scholastic Book Fair May 18-20
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Our spring Scholastic Book Fair begins TODAY! A generous percentage of the proceeds returns to our school so that we can continue to update and improve our library collection.

 

Hours

The book fair will be open the following hours:

Wednesday, May 18: 2-4 p.m.

Thursday, May 19: 3-5 p.m.

Friday, May 20 (Grandparents' Day): 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

 

Volunteers Needed

We need help selling items on Wednesday, Thursday, and during Grandparents Day on Friday. The kids love shopping, so this is a fun volunteer opportunity. Please Click Here to Volunteer.

Covid-19 Dashboard

We will be using our weekly bulletin to communicate positive Covid-19 cases in our community.


Dashboard Update for the week of May 4 - May 11

Positive Covid-19 Cases: 7


As you may be aware, cases have been rising across the county. We are in close contact with the health department and Office for Catholic Schools. We want to remind you that layering additional mitigation strategies can help curb the spread:

  • wearing a mask 
  • screening for symptoms 
  • COVID rapid and PCR testing


While mask wearing is not a requirement, it is a way that can help curb the spread of COVID.  We, do however, REQUIRE symptom screening before sending your student to school. If your student has symptoms, do not send your student to school until they have been cleared to attend by ruling out COVID via a test. If your student has tested negative, we ask that you test again 1-2 days later to confirm the negative result. 


King County continues to be in the “Medium Transmission” level (over 200 new cases per 100,000 people over a 7-day period).


What Does the “Medium” King County Transmission Level Mean for St. Brendan? 

There are no new restrictions or requirements currently. However, it serves as a reminder for our community to remain vigilant and to continue to use easily accessible prevention measures recommended by Public Health – including monitoring for symptoms, rapid testing, and masking – to limit spread and lower our individual and community risk. For more information on the Medium COVID-19 Community level, see the related blog from King County Public Health. 


If Your Child Develops Symptoms, What Should You Do?

  • Regardless of vaccination status, keep your child home.
  • Students should have a COVID-19 test (rapid home test and/or PCR test) performed as soon as possible after symptoms present. The school can offer free testing to your child or provide you with at-home testing. Please call or e-mail Mrs. Murnane: secretary@school.saintbrendan.org to arrange for testing.
  • Siblings of students that develop symptoms, or test positive, are encouraged to wear a high-quality, well-fitting mask (KN95) to school to prevent any potential spread in others grades/classrooms until COVID test results are available.


St. Brendan School remains committed to ensuring a safe and healthy learning environment for our students, faculty, and staff. Please contact the main office if you have any questions or concerns.

Photo of the Month Contest Winner

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Animals are amazing because they help flowers and nature grow. 

Winner is Ceci Mayans, 7th grade


Next photo theme: "springtime on Display"

7th Grade to Lead Mass - May 22nd

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Our student-led Sunday Mass for the month of May will be Sunday, May 22nd. The 7th grade class will do the readings and will also sing at Mass with a student-only choir. 


May 22 – 7th Grade (note: this is also First Holy Communions)

 

Ms. Sims will prepare each grade to sing and the teachers will prepare the students to do the readings. 

Food Drive for St. Vincent de Paul hosted by the Student Council
The Student Council is holding a St. Vincent de Paul Food Drive. They are asking families to donate  non-perishable food items between now and May 31st. We are hoping for at least 2 items per student. Donations to St. Vincent de Paul drop after the holiday season, so they are in great need of food donations to replenish the shelves.
You can also invite guests for Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day to bring in an item or two to support the cause.

Donation Ideas:
  • Peanut butter
  • Canned soup
  • Canned fruit
  • Canned vegetables
  • Canned stew
  • Canned fish
  • Canned beans
  • Pasta
  • Rice
  • Cereal
  • Oatmeal

Donations can be dropped off in your child's classroom, in the school office, or in the gym during Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day.

Thank you for your consideration!

Art Walk

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Art Walk - May 11 - May 20

Our art teacher, Mrs. Marlize van Eeden, is hosting an Art Walk (grades K-8) on the lower level of the school building this week. Parents are invited to go and look at the 3rd trimesters work after school until 4:00 PM.


Here is some information about the projects:


The theme was Famous artists that inspire.


  • Kindergarten – Claude Monet – A frog on a lily pond. Students used oil pastels to create a lily pond with a frog inspired by Claude Monet’s work. This art work is located outside of the kindergarten classroom.


  • Grade 1 – Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers. Students took inspiration from Van Gogh’s sunflower painting to paint a vase with beautiful flowers on a table.


  • Grade 2 – Vincent van Gogh – Starry night. Students drew a rendition of Van Gogh’s Starry night painting with oil pastels.


  • Grade 3 – Vincent van Gogh – Clogs. Students used Vincent van Gogh’s painting of clogs to design their own shoe using a theme of their choice for example candy or sports.


  • Grade 4 – Pablo Picasso – 3 Jazz Musicians. Students collaged the 3 Jazz Musicians playing instruments inspired by Picasso’s work Jazz Musicians.


  • Grade 5 – Pablo Picasso – Old guitarist. Students used monochromatic hues inspired by Picasso’s blue period for their instrument and colored the complimentary hue, for the background. They also used cubism inspired by Picasso.


  • Grade 6 – Gustav Klimt – Lady Angela Broch. Students used scratch art to design a Gustav Klimt inspired frock and patterned background.


  • Grade 8 – Henri Matisse – Cat with the red fish. Students drew a pencil sketch of an animal and collaged a complimentary background inspired by Matisse’s collage work. 

Lego Robotics News

Just a reminder that there is no Lego Robotics this Friday, May 20th as it is a half day. Our next and last session for the term is Friday, May 27th


FIRST has announced the 2022-2023 Season Theme as Energize! “In the SUPERPOWEREDSM challenge, FIRST LEGO League teams will explore where energy comes from and how it is distributed, stored, and used – and then put their superpowered creativity to work to innovate for a better energy future.” Please feel free to share the video reveal below to your Lego Robotics student!

Congrats to the following Challenge Team students who have earned a promotion in the 1st Lego Robotics Level-Up Skills Exam! To advance up the ranks, students must complete progressively more challenging robotics tasks. With each rank, they earn a badge, which they can proudly display at team meetings and FLL/Robotics events. Following is a sample of some of those skills. Awesome work from these amazing students at our inaugural exam, and we look forward to their journey as they climb up to Level Black!


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Volunteers Needed

Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day Volunteers

We need many volunteers to make this GP & SF Day a success. Some volunteer we will need are:

  • Set-Up
  • Photographers
  • Check In Table
  • Refreshments Table
  • Selling at the Book Fair
  • Clean Up

If you are interested in volunteering for day-of activities, please Sign Up Here.


Scholastic Book Fair Volunteers

We need help selling items on Wednesday, Thursday, and during Grandparents Day on Friday. The kids love shopping, so this is a fun volunteer opportunity. Please Click Here to Volunteer.


Variety Show Coordinator

We are in need of a variety show coordinator. We have one parent (Kat Balagtas) willing to co-coordinate. Can anyone else join her?  The main tasks will be:

  • Collecting registration forms and creating the act order/line up
  • It is a variety show, so we should have some things like singing, dancing, skits, hula hooping, karate demonstration, etc.
  • Hosting the dress rehearsal on June 7th after school
  • Making sure costumes and music are appropriate
  • Running the show on June 9th

If you are interested in coordinating this fun event, please e-mail christenl@school.saintbrendan.org. 

ACTION REQUIRED FOR ENTERING K-8TH GRADES


Each rising K-8 family is required to complete the annual Parent Volunteer Agreement. This is a lengthy, but important, questionnaire to gauge volunteer interests for next school year. We thank you in advance for your time completing this agreement.

Parent Volunteer Agreement 2022-23

Wednesday Envelope Reminder

Are you spring cleaning this week? Please keep your eyes out for the Wednesday envelopes and return them every week. Our Wednesday Envelope Helpers thank you!

School Account Status

Please check the status of your school accounts. Report cards, diplomas, and transcripts will be held at the end of the school year if a student has any outstanding library book(s); library fees, damaged book fee, outstanding tuition and fees, lunch balance, or the parents are not in compliance with the church/school/Parent Club obligations as contained in the Registration Contract. Please check your accounts to make sure all balances have been paid prior to June 10, 2022.

St. Brendan Golf Tournament 2022
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Parents, parishioners, alumni, and friends of St. Brendan are invited to attend the 2022 St. Brendan Golf Tournament on Saturday, September 24th at the serene Golf Club at Redmond Ridge. 

18 holes with cart, shotgun start, bucket of range balls, professional scoring, putting contest, longest drive contests, closest to the pin contests, raffles, door prizes, and awards banquet. 
Upcoming Birthdays

May Birthdays

Happy Birthday to:

5/19    Luke Balagtas    1st Grade

5/21    Kara Davidson    5th Grade

5/22    Silas Mackin    5th Grade

5/22    Benjamin Phillips    1st Grade


More birthdays will be announced in the next Weekly Bulletin

Lunch Program

The lunch menu is located on the school website and will be updated monthly. You can reference it here: Lunch menu.


We are nearing the end of the school year. All lunch accounts must have a positive or zero balance at the end of the school year. Money left over in your student's account will roll over to next school year. Status letters will be coming out soon, but you can also check your balance online and plan for the rest of the school year.


Volunteers needed for Tuesday’s Breakfast for Lunch! We need at least 3 volunteers to help make this fun lunch possible. Please consider coming to partake in the fun, 11:20 AM-1:10 PM. Volunteers are also needed in general for Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get a jump on next year’s volunteer hours, this is a great way to do it!

*Product change notice: The French toast sticks are still not available however we will still have French Toast, just a different type. Sausages will remain the same!

To add money to your child's account, https://www.schoolpaymentportal.com/

Who do I contact for questions?  
Please contact Eileen Warner at: lunch@school.saintbrendan.org .
School Carnival Donations Wanted

On  Friday, May 27th, the 8th  grade class and their parents will hold the annual school CARNIVAL!


Parents & siblings are welcome and encouraged to join us!

This is a free dress day for all students!

 

We will have food and drink items available for purchase in the gym. Students may use game tickets as well as cash to purchase food.  There will be NO school lunch service the day of the Carnival.  Students may bring their own lunch if they wish.


Games will be 1 – 4 tickets to play. There will be games for ALL ages! The Carnival takes place in the gym, outside and on the field. The Garage Sale Table will be in the Gym with many items for sale! Tickets will be available for purchase through the Wednesday envelope. More information to come!


The money raised at the Carnival funds ALL the 8 th  Grade Graduation activities and adds to the Father Mike Schmitt Scholarship Fund. In years past, the class gift to the Scholarship Fund has been as generous as $2000.

Carnival Ticket Order Form
Donations Requested
The 8th grade students and parents are excited to host the Carnival on May 27th. Back by popular demand will be the kid “Garage Sale”, but we need your help! Starting in April, we’ll be collecting the following items: gently used books, new or gently used toys, games, art supplies, stickers, and small clean stuffed animals (Beanie Babies are a favorite). We will also collect items to use as prizes at booths (think party favors). We appreciate any donations for this fun school event. Donations can be dropped off in the carnival box just outside the main office by May 23. 

St. Brendan Variety Show - June 9th

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The annual Variety Show will take place on Thursday, June 9th from 1:15 pm to 2:45 pm in the school gym. The Variety Show has been a long-standing tradition at our school. It is a very enjoyable and entertaining afternoon for all students, staff, siblings, and parents. The show allows our students an opportunity to share their talents such as acting, skits, singing, dancing, gymnastics, comedy or playing a musical instrument (just to name a few).

Get ready and start practicing! It will be here before you know it. Sign up information is in the Wednesday envelope. Please limit acts to about 3-4 minutes.

CYO Sports

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CYO Fall Soccer Registration Opens Today

Early Registration 05/18/22 through 06/30/22 

$95.00

Standard Registrations 07/01/22 through 08/13/22 

$110.00

Late Registration 08/14/22 through 09/23/22

$125.00


PreK- Kindergarten will be in house and have practice/games once a week 

1st grade (Coed Micro Soccer ) 2nd- 3rd (Mini Soccer), 4th-6th (modified soccer), 7th-8th (regular) 


All coaches and players must registered through Team sideline: https://www.teamsideline.com/seattlecyo


One parent from each house with registered athlete(s) must take “Play Like a Champion Today” Parent Training Course.

Adult Softball

Regular Registration 05/05/22 until 06/17/22 $95.00


Season Starts June 7th and teams will play once per week (either Tuesday of Thursday)

This a Coed adult only (21+) so we encourage both men and women to registered

Season runs until tournament weekend Saturday August 13th.

Register on Team Sideline Site https://www.teamsideline.com/sites/seattlecyo/home

Report Volunteer Hours
Thank you to all our parent volunteers! Please remember to log your hours following service.


Each two-parent household is required to do 45 hours and each single-parent household is required to do 30 hours. If you need help finding volunteer opportunities, please contact the Parent Club. If you do not fulfill the volunteer hours, you will be assessed $20 per hour.
From the Parish

First Communion

On May 21-22, our second graders will celebrate their First Holy Communion. Please keep them in your prayers as they are coming to the end of their preparation. We ask our Mother Mary for her intercession and our Lord Jesus for his protection over them and their families.

FIRST COMMUNION REHEARSAL—May 18/Wed./6PM


Vacation Bible School

Mark your calendars for Vacation Bible School! Grades first through fifth will be involved in a Marvelous Mystery this summer, from July 11 through July 15.


Anyone wishing to register their child or get volunteer hours should contact Priscilla Finch at childfamilyministry@saintbrendan.org.

Annual Catholic Appeal

Your gift to the Annual Catholic Appeal supports the mission to help others encounter Jesus. From hospital and prison ministries to Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) camps and young adult programs, your gift to the Annual Catholic Appeal allows us to do together what one parish can’t do alone. Together, we can be Christ to Others! 


Thank you for joining us in supporting this year’s 2022 Annual Catholic Appeal.


To contribute to the ACA, please consider giving online at www.archseattle.org/GiveACA.

In the Community

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Dates to Note

Student Council St. Vincent de Paul Food Drive

Now - May 31


Spring Map Testing

May 16 - June 3


Scholastic Book Fair

May 18-20


Grandparents Day

Friday, May 20th

12:00 Dismissal. NO LUNCH and NO PM EXTENDED CARE.


Mass Uniform Weekend

May 21-22 (excluding students receiving First Communion that weekend)


First Communion Mass for the School Community

Monday, May 23

8:30 AM in the Church

First Communicants wear their clothes from First Communion


8th Grade All-School Carnival

Friday, May 27th

Non-Uniform Dress


Memorial Day - No School

Monday, May 30th


8th Grade Dinner Dance

June 6th; 6:00 PM


8th Grade Graduation & Reception

June 8th; 7:00 PM


Field Day & Variety Show

Thursday, June 9th


Last Day of School

Friday, June 10th; 10 AM Dismissal

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