School News for May 2-8, 2024

A Note from Mr. Fuerte

Dear Families,

St. Louise Parish School Parent Survey – Survey closes tomorrow.

St. Louise appreciates the confidence and trust you place in us to educate your child/children in a Catholic faith-based school. As partners in educating your child/children, your opinion can help us understand how satisfied you are with the educational services and programs that we provide. We are committed to providing the best possible experience for you and your child/children. So, please take a moment to complete this short survey. Your opinions are valued and will help us improve. All responses are confidential.

Thank you for all you do for St. Louise and God Bless!

Parent Survey

Walk-A-Thon – Friday, May 10, 2024

We are so excited to start Spirit Week on Monday and end the week with our annual Walk-A-Thon. The Walk-a-Thon is one of our required annual fundraisers and this year we have the goal of raising $45,000. The Parents' Club uses these funds to pay for student enrichment assemblies, curriculum additions, to sponsor parent education classes and family social events (that will be resurrected next school year!), as well as providing the faculty and staff with treats throughout the year. We can only meet our goal if every school family takes the time to contact friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers and ask if they can pledge in your student's name. Thank you for helping Parents’ Club support St. Louise School!

Spirit Week runs the week of the walk! – May 6-10. Each day has a different theme. More details for each day are in the Parent Information Packet you received in last week’s Thursday envelope.

• Monday, May 6 – Grade Level Colors Day
• Tuesday, May 7 – Wear Red, Black, and White Day
• Wednesday, May 8 – Poster Day
• Thursday, May 9 – Cheer Day and Mass
• Friday, May 10 – Walk-A-Thon Day - Be sure students wear the walk-a-thon t-shirt that was given to them by their teacher, good walking shoes, and a jacket (we will walk rain or shine). Please note that t-shirts CANNOT be cut.

Please read through the Parent Information Sheet if you have questions about how and when to go about collecting donations. There are some fun prizes for students and classrooms that raise the most money or walk the most laps!

The Walk-a-Thon is a fantastic event that raises funds, spirits, and heart rates! Thanks in advance for all of your support and participation!

All parents are welcome and invited to the fun event to root students on as they circle the track!!

Nominations still needed – Volunteer Extraordinaire

We have wonderful volunteers at St. Louise School, and each June we honor three of them with the Volunteer Extraordinaire Award. I am asking both you and the faculty to nominate volunteers to be considered for this award. Nominees should have a history of dedicated, positive volunteering for the St. Louise School community. Past recipients of the award (who are still current school parents) include: Rebecca Nightingale and Edna Hewett. Do you have a fellow parent(s) to nominate? If so, please fill out your nomination at the following link: 2023-2024 Volunteer Extraordinaire Nomination All nominations need to be turned in by May 15, 2024. Thanks for your help!

2024-2025 – Important Dates

Some of you have been asking about important dates for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. For the past few months, I have had the opportunity to finalize important dates such as Passport Day, Christmas Break, Mid-Winter Break, Spring Break, and Last Day of School. I will officially finalize the calendar in the next few weeks and will have the calendar set in May but here are some important dates you can put in your calendar now:

• Labor Day Holiday Weekend, Friday, August 30 – Monday, September 2, 2024 (School Office Closed)
• Passport Day (Drop off Supplies and Meet Teacher), Tuesday, September 3, 2024.
• First Full Day of School: Wednesday, September 4, 2024
• Thanksgiving Break: November 27– November 29, 2024
• Christmas Break: December 23, 2024-January 5, 2025
• Mid-Winter Break: February 17–February 21, 2025
• Easter Break: April 21-April 25, 2025
• Last Day of School: June 17, 2025

Have a Blessed Weekend,

Mr. Mike Fuerte

Mark your Calendar!

Announcements

Only ONE week till Walk-A-Thon Day and our AWESOME students have already raised over $11,000!

Be sure to get your donations in so we can beat our goal of $45,000.

Find out all the details on the Walk-A-Thon website here.

Thanks to Elaina Morris & Famous Dave's BBQ, you can purchase lunch (BBQ pork sandwich & chips) for $6.00 with ALL proceeds going to the school!

DEADLINE to order lunch is Tuesday, May 7.

Advocacy and Caring for Children Fundraiser

Register now for Cosmos for a Cause

The Father Mychal Judge Circle of ACC (Advocacy and Caring for Children) will be holding their 11 annual Cosmos for a Cause event at St. Louise School on May 19. Please join us! All are welcome and encouraged to attend this fun event which includes Hors d’oeuvres, cosmos, wine and desserts and features a silent auction of wonderful items! Every dollar raised goes to support agencies in the Seattle and Eastside area serving children and families living on the margins. The Father Mychal Judge Circle is made up entirely of St. Louise School alumni parents – we look forward to seeing you, celebrating, and supporting our community together!

Chargers C.A.R.E. - Friendzy Update

Charger Shout Out - Teachers for the Day & Yearbook Cover Finalists!

Sixteen lucky students got to be Teacher for the Day last week! They planned lessons for their class, ate breakfast & lunch in the faculty room, and had an all-around awesome day.

Thanks to their parents for buying this fun experience for them at the Auction last fall!

Congratulations Yearbook Cover Design Finalists!

Each year St. Louise students are asked to help design the cover for our school yearbook. The Yearbook Cover Contest is presented to our older students in Grades 4- 8. Students were challenged to design a cover that highlighted one of our SLEs, “A St. Louise Student is an Active Christian.” 

The students created incredible covers and it was a very difficult decision to determine the winning artwork for the 2023-2024 yearbook. After looking at nearly 200 yearbook covers, we are excited to announce the following students as Finalists.  

Yearbook Finalists

Alex I 4A

Telwin T 5A

Bianca N 5B

Luis A 6B

Brigid A 6B

Sophie D 6B

Alexis A 7A

Jane D 7A

Audrey P 7A

Ashley C 7A

Jane K 7A

Spencer F 7A

Robert O 7A

Lauren D 7B

Ysa E 7B

Leila M 8A

Maya W 8A

Leika K 8A

Claire C 8A

The cover that received the 2nd most votes by the staff at St. Louise and will become the back cover of the yearbook is Sophie D 6B. The cover that received the most votes and will become the front cover of the yearbook for the 2023-2024 school year is Claire C 8A. Congratulations to Claire and Sophie! 

The covers of the Finalists will be hung in the front windows of the lobby and on display for the month of May. Great job Artists!  

Parents' Club News - Charger Shop NOW OPEN!

We LOVE our Volunteers!

Thank you to the following people who helped at the Spring Saturday Spruce Ups:

Ana Gonzalez, Khanh Nguyen, Jennifer Nguyen, Yodit Kabreab, Con Nicolaides, Molly Price, Beau Price, Delphine Lemarchand and Cyrielle, Francisco Solares, Adan Cardona, Chad and Lauren Cavazzi, Mike Ellestad, James Martinez, and Zack Plude.

Notes from Fr. Gary & Fr. Nenahvej and Parish Happenings!

Dear Friends at St. Louise,

The pastors of the Archdiocese (that is, the appointed leaders of the parish families), Archbishop Etienne, I and other priests serving in the Chancery, met April 17-19 to prepare for the formation of the parish families beginning July 1. Loretta Sursely, the future Pastoral Coordinator and leader of our parish beginning July 1, participated with us. The parochial vicars (priests who are assigned to a parish assist the pastor, like Fr. Nehnevaj) joined the retreat on the final day. Below is the picture of the entire group of priests following the closing Mass:

There were many things that the Archbishop said in his talks and homilies. One point that he made very clear, and repeated at the Lay Ecclesial Ministry Day on April 25, is the importance of consultation. Gone are the days when one person makes the decisions for everyone; rather we must exercise fully what it means for parish leaders, the pastor or in our case, the pastoral coordinator, as well as the pastoral staff, to consult with the parish when making important decisions. Of course there will be many large and important decisions involved as each parish family determines how to become one parish and move into the future. He said, in no uncertain terms, that he is mandating that pastors and pastoral coordinators use the consultative process. He has lay staff to offer support and suggestions to our pastors in exercising their duty to listen carefully to the voice of their parishioners rooted in prayer, allowing the Holy Spirit to cleanse us of our preconceived notions and any sense of anxiety, so that we can better discern the will of God.

The depth of consultation that Archbishop Etienne is calling us to live will be challenging for our pastoral coordinator, for our priests and for the parish staff. In some ways, it would be easier and more efficient to make decisions on our own, without engaging in consultation with parishioners. Yet, important decisions made in isolation can fall short of how the Holy Spirit is calling us to live. The question of who the Holy Spirit is calling us to become is as important as what we do. Consultation demands more of parishioners as well. Consultation cannot happen if no‑one in the parish is willing to give their time to the prayer, the study of the issues, the careful listening to what each person has to say, and then discerning with the group what recommendation to make to the pastoral coordinator, parish staff person or priest. Yet, without the commitment of careful consultation, how can we truly say that we in our parish have done everything to listen to the Holy Spirit?

You will hear more about the future formation of a consultative body for our parish family after July 1.

Thank you for your prayers and support for both St. Madeleine Sophie and St. Louise – and for Loretta, Fr. Tom, Fr. Tony, yours truly, as well as everyone on both parish staffs – as we prepare to become one parish family.

Fr. Gary Zender



Frequently asked question number one regarding our parish family: With Loretta Sursely as our Pastoral Coordinator, will that mean that JT (Jonathan Taasan, our Parish Administrator) will no longer have a job?

Answer: No! There will be even more need for JT to stay on at St. Louise and work on finance and facilities. For that matter, the other staff positions will remain in place as well. Geri Hanley, our Director of Community Life, announced her retirement last week and we are actively seeking to fill her position. 

Ask Fr. Nehnevaj...

What parishes are you going to next?

I will be answering a number of shorter, related questions about my  next assignment. To start, I will be moving to Our Lady Star of the Sea and Holy Trinity parishes in Bremerton, WA. You might recognize Holy Trinity as the parish where Fr. Ben Bray is currently serving. He will be  moving to St. Thomas in Tukwila and St. Philomena in Des Moines.

When do you move?

While I will not start my next assignment until July 1st, my last day at St. Louise will be June 16th. The intervening time will be spent at Priest Days, the ordination of two friends down in Portland, helping at 

an Archdiocesan summer camp, and, hopefully, supporting my brother at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.

Are you happy about your next assignment?

I am very excited. I will miss St. Louise and the many people I have gotten to know over the past two years. However, I have always found new beginnings exciting: they are a chance to meet new people, ex-

plore new ideas, and learn new things. Times of transition can be difficult, but they are also a good time for evaluation, to look back and measure growth, to think about new ways to grow closer to Christ. And on a more particular level, I am familiar with Holy Trinity, having covered Masses for Fr. Ben, and I enjoyed both times I was out there. I have heard many good things about the parishioner engagement at 

Our Lady Star of the Sea, I have enjoyed all of the times I have crossed paths with Fr. Derek Lappe, my future pastor, and, of course, the peninsula is a beautiful part of the state.

Why do they move priests so frequently?

Most of the people asking this question are referring to the fact that myself, Fr. Ben, and Fr. Carlos (all recently ordained) were all moved from St. Louise after one or two years. Fr. Gary, after all, has been 

here for almost 10 years now, and I have noticed no‑one is asking why he is not moving yet! In the past it would not have been uncommon for even the newly ordained priests to stay at a parish for five years or even longer. Now, unfortunately, the simple reality is we do not have enough priests, and it is good for the newly ordained to experience multiple different parishes and pastors before taking on a parish of their own. Often this has meant shorter first assignments. One of the hopes of Partners in the Gospel is that we will see a return to longer assignments for the newly ordained. On the positive side, it speaks to the character of St. Louise parish that you were entrusted with the first few years of multiple newly ordained priests. And it can also be good for a parish to experience several different priests, since each priest is different, each with his own unique gifts and strengths. Each individual priest is going to speak to a different section of each parish in different ways and address different needs of the parish. This variety is a good thing! It reflects the variety present in the Church, while also helping us move towards a greater unity in Christ as priests and parishioners alike meet new people and form new relationships

What can we do to mark your departure?

Pray for me and pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Pray especially for the young men of St. Louise, that they will respond generously to God’s call to share their unique gifts with the people of God as priests of the Most High God.

In Christ, 

Fr. Nehnevaj 

Thank you St. Louise Sponsors!

Antezana Garvizu Family