February 23, 2023

Dear St. Louis Families,

Happy Thursday! With the ashes we received yesterday we begin our Lenten season. Fr. O’Hare told the students the ashes are a visible reminder that we follow Jesus and that Jesus loves us. As I walked into the preschool classrooms yesterday, one of the Zebra students said, “You follow Jesus like me!” Even our youngest learners in the Monkey classroom could tell me they follow Jesus and proudly showed me their ashes. It was a gentle, loving reminder that everything we do is being soaked up by our students.

Throughout the classrooms, chatter is about what has been given up and what is being done to help others. For the next 40 days, our Lenten promises are committed to an increase in prayer, penance, and service. I am hopeful that in your homes, you are having these same types of conversations with your children about the meaning of Lent, why we don’t eat meat on Fridays and why we spend more time in prayer and almsgiving. I can remember with my own children debating about what to give up and if we thought we could really make it for the full 40 days, then the simple joy of choosing to eat or drink whatever it is we gave up on that Easter morning. There is something special about helping our children understand the meanings behind the practices and traditions of our faith.

As a school community, we are also committed to 40 days, 40 acts of love as a way to fulfill our mission to love like Christ. If there are things you are doing in your homes with your children over Lent, please share them with us. You can send photos to Mrs. Matheis (development@stlouisschool.org).

There are some upcoming events that I wanted to highlight for you---students in grades 5-8 will begin a vaping awareness class Feb. 27th. This program is free to us through the county and will meet 2 times a week for the next month. Vaping has become a growing health issue for our adolescents and we are hoping to provide important preventative information for student awareness. Additionally, we are lucky to host a presentation by attorney Mary Rice Hasson, Director of the Person and Identity Project, at St. Louis parish on March 20 at 7:00pm. The Person and Identity Project is an initiative that equips parents and faith-based institutions with resources to counter gender ideology and promote the truth about the human person. Please mark your calendar, this will be open to the parish and Good Shepherd communities.

Remember, where hope lives, joy grows—Be Joyful in Hope!

Blessings and Peace

Anne Dyke

Principal

OTC and Prescription Medications

Please update the clinic if your child has started taking a medication, either OTC or prescription. In case of an emergency, I need to be able to tell emergency services of any and all medications a student is taking. If your child has started a new medication, please fill out an updated confidentiality health update form. I have attached a copy here for you. This information stays in the clinic.

Seasonal Allergies

It appears that allergy season has already started this year! If your child takes daily medication for allergies, it may be time to start taking it again. I have been seeing a lot of red, itchy eyes, congestion and sneezing here in the clinic. Please contact your child’s pediatrician to see if starting treatment early is going to be beneficial.

Refillable Water Bottles

Please send your student in with a refillable water bottle each day. I run out quickly in the clinic and it is important for students to be hydrated. Especially, students who are suffering from seasonal allergies or getting over being ill.

A big thank you to Kerry Kaminski for serving as the PTO Volunteer Coordinator! Much of her work is behind the scenes and we are so grateful for her.

As a reminder - don't forget to log your volunteer hours! All St. Louis families are required to fulfill volunteer hours (18 for two parent families and 9 for single parent families). Please make sure to log your hours here so that we can give you credit.

Families that do not fulfill their volunteer requirements by the end of the school year will be charged at the end of the year ($25 per unfulfilled hour) via the FACTS system. Don't wait until the last minute - we have lots of opportunities coming your way! Questions? Contact Kerry Kaminski - stlouisvolunteercoordinator@gmail.com.

St. Louis families can use code STLOUIS for $50 off.