Dear Families,

Auction Update!

What an amazing evening celebrating 61 years of St. Louise at the All the World is My School and All Humanity is my Teacher AUCTION! Huge thanks go out to Laura Bonner and Amy Colby and the many volunteers that helped make the evening such a success. The numbers are still coming in so stay tuned for our final total. The highlight of the evening was the frenzied bidding for the “Father Phil Endowment Fund” which raised over $140,000! Thank you to all the amazing supporters, whose attendance and generosity are a testament to their commitment to, and appreciation, of Catholic Education. 

Be sure to check out some of the fun pictures in the gallery below!

SLE of the Month – January (Class Updates)

1.1 Seeks to develop a personal relationship with God as demonstrated by living out gospel values and participating in liturgies, sacraments, and daily prayer.

2.1 Demonstrates a solid academic foundation while using problem solving techniques, technology, critical thinking, and study skills.

Both first-grade classes begin every day with prayer intentions and end everyday reciting either The Our Father, The Hail Mary, or The Glory Be from memory. In addition to the daily prayers, they have also learned that prayer is a conversation with God that can occur anywhere and anytime. They discussed all the ways we can pray and all the places we can pray. They learned that singing hymns is a form of prayer. The first graders were then given the opportunity to think of someone special in their lives they would like to pray for and make a bookmark letting them know they were praying for them.

3rd grade students have been working on breaking apart word problems into smaller chunks. They have been using techniques such as underlining the facts and circling the questions. The students are working on making note of what they already know and identifying what needs to be found. They are using math talk to work together to solve and explain their thinking. 3rd graders have also been practicing their study skills by diligently reviewing their multiplication facts every night. Doing multiplication fact timed tests show their mastery of facts.

Our fourth graders are learning about the 10 Commandments. The first three commandments help them to see that having a relationship with God is essential to their success in life. Each 4th grader chose a Person of Faith to research and find out facts that show us what a personal relationship using Gospel values looks like. They had a special reconciliation service during the month of December as part of their Advent readiness and will attend Friday adorations during the year. As they celebrated Catholic Schools’ Week, they discussed how important it is to be a part of a good school that helps us to problem solve, think through math and work to do their best in all subjects, as they use the assignment tablet and binder to help them be organized in their study skills.   

Volunteer Needed – Health Room help needed on Thursdays.

St. Louise School is looking for a volunteer with first aid training to work in the nurse’s office on Thursdays from 10:30am-1:00pm. Once or twice a month is needed and would be greatly appreciated. If interested please contact Mindy or Tracy at office@stlouiseschool.org or Jane at janer@stlouiseschool.org.

Parents’ Club Positions Available for 2023-2024

St. Louise School is looking to fill the following Parents’ Club positions for the upcoming school year - President-Elect, Social Chair, St. Nicholas Chair, and Walk-A-Thon Chair positions. More information about the positions are given below. Join us on our next Microsoft Teams, Parents’ Club meeting to learn more. Please logon tonight at 6:30pm at the following link: Click here to join the meeting.

Have a Blessed Weekend,

Mr. Fuerte

Principal

Announcements

Fundraisers

Parish

Dear Friends at St. Louise,

Even before the pandemic our parish staff had several discussions about the possibility of transmitting our Masses online, especially for our homebound parishioners. After the shutdown, we had to pivot overnight to offer remote instruction for our school students at home and remote Mass for parishioners who were sheltering in place. Now, our school instruction is completely in person (except for snow days), but our Masses online continue. You probably noticed in the parish annual report that people from 43 countries viewed the Mass at St. Louise last year!

Many people have expressed their appreciation for our continuing to offer Masses online. Just recently, a man who needed to be traveling in the Middle East on a Sunday, and so would not be able to attend Mass in person, expressed his gratitude that he will be able to view Mass at St. Louise from wherever he is. Numerous people who are homebound also appreciate that they can feel such a strong connection to the parish by viewing our Masses (they can also receive communion at home from a trained lay minister, deacon or priest). My own mother watches our livestreams at St. Louise. Her parish did not have the resources to continue offering Masses online once restrictions were lifted on the number of people who can attend Mass – and of course she likes to keep up on what her son is up to!

Remember that Mass is meant to be an in-person gathering of the People of God, and viewing Mass online is a substitute, a second choice, to be used only when needed. It might be easy for healthy people who aren’t traveling long distances, etc., to get in the habit of viewing Mass online out of convenience rather than real need. As we approach the Lenten season (Ash Wednesday this year is February 22), I want us all to be clear about the importance of attending Mass in person for those who are well or have no legitimate reason to miss Mass. The Mass is an active, communal celebration of thanks and praise to God. Much of the meaning of the Mass is embodied in the People of God gathered together, in person, to rejoice in our salvation and receive the very Body of Christ.

If you know someone who has been holding back from attending Mass from concern about getting sick, please let them know that at the height of COVID we installed an air filtration system that eliminates most contagions from the air in the church. In addition, we have maintained a generous “socially distanced” seating section in the church (in front of the Marian wall) – people who need or want to take extra precautions may sit in the socially distanced sections of the church, and everyone is welcome to wear face masks in any seating section if they choose.

If you know someone who is holding back from attending Mass, or even if you yourself have been hesitant to return, remember that our church building is a safe place to gather – and Lent is a good time to come back.

Fr. Gary Zender

“Father of mercy and God of all consolation, graciously look upon me and impart to me the blessing which flows from this holy Sacrament. Overshadow me with Your loving kindness, and let this divine Mystery bear fruit in me.”

– St. Blaise 

Our awesome library volunteer Danielle Condit, created this beautiful Makerspace sign with items around her home. Thank you!

Congratulations to our Preview Auction Winners.

On Friday, for catholic schools week, students enjoyed sports team theme day.

The Bellevue Police and Fire Department were thankful to receive all the wonderful letters from our STL students.

The CYO girls Basketball team made it to the playoffs on the weekend. Thank you to everyone who came out in support of our students.

Thank you to all of our wonderful auction volunteers.

Thank you for your generous support of St. Louise at the auction.

Click here to see all of the Photo Booth Pictures.

Widodo Karli Family

Morris/Herber Family

Antezana Garvizu Family



Coles Family