Parent Bulletin
January 16, 2020
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As school parents, you commit to participate in the Annual School Gift Campaign (ASGC) when you annually sign your Parent Tuition Contract. You should have just received in the U.S. Mail your ASGC pledge envelope – as part of the Annual Report we mailed to all parents, parishioners, and school supporters. (If you did not receive this in the mail, please contact
Cindy Wagner
in our development office immediately.) I ask that you please honor your commitment as soon as possible by sending in to us your donation to the 2020 Campaign – either as a one-time, lump-sum donation or as your first, smaller payment of a larger pledge if it’s easier on your family budget to spread out your payments.
Thanks for giving as much as you are able, after prayerful consideration of course. Remember, we created this annual fund raiser as a way to offer you a
tax deductible way
to help us fund the school, instead of simply raising tuition by another couple hundred dollars per student. Besides sending your tax deductible ASGC donation to the school, please take advantage of your company’s
matching gift
program, if applicable. Again, matching gifts would not be able to be utilized if we simply raised tuition in lieu of running the ASGC, since companies will not match tuition payments.
For your convenience, we offer many avenues through which you may donate to the Annual School Gift Campaign. If going the avenue of paying your ASGC donation by check, you may turn in a one-time gift paid in full. Or, as many families choose to do, a larger donation by way of a check is achieved by dividing your gift into four quarterly payments. Simply send in the first of four checks now, followed by three checks sent in April, July, and October. If going this avenue helps you give more, then by all means we will accommodate a gift in four-parts.
More convenient than writing a check for most people is to use your credit card for an online donation by going to our
school website here.
With a credit card, you can similarly give in one lump payment or break this up into monthly payments. Who knows…perhaps you can earn airline-mile rewards this way, and this whole donation-thing ends up a win-win. You win miles, and we win revenue.
If you have any questions about the best way for your family to give (or want to explain a special circumstance such as giving via stocks), please contact
Cindy.
.
I realize that this is a time that finds many of us in awkward financial situations. Maybe you’re still paying off your Christmas purchases you made last month, and money is tight now. Maybe you just lost a couple of hundred dollars on your bet that the Seahawks were going to be in the Super Bowl this year. It’s for reasons like these that we offer paying your donation with periodic payments or via a credit card.
Thanks for praying about your gift and giving what you are able to your child’s school.
The teachers, school staff, and I appreciate your support! Speaking of them, almost 100% of our faculty and staff already responded by the first week in January to an ask for donations to the 2020 ASGC! They believe so much in the importance of Catholic education that they wanted to display a cohesive show of support and be the first donors of the year. What a great group of employees I am privileged to work with!
Finally, as I mentioned, in that same postal mailing that contained the Annual School Gift Campaign information, you received our Annual Report. This document lists – and deeply thanks - the donors who gave to last year’s ASGC, along with acknowledging supporters of our Endowment Fund. As the name implies, it’s our annual method of reporting to you financial information, and I trust you’ll find it interesting reading. The document is a testament to what terrific supporters St. Louise has! Thanks for being a part of this!
(
I want to thank Cindy Wagner, Linda Bowers, Angie Ogilvy, Dan Kirby, and Julianne Read for all the time and spreadsheet-squinting they gave to make sure the report was accurate and appealingly presented information.)
Enjoy God's blessings today,
MR. FITZ
p.s.
The Info-Session for the Walk-a-Thon (originally scheduled for the 14th) will be held this comingTuesday morning the 21st at 8:30 in the lobby. Come find out how you could help with this spring's Walk-a-Thon.
p.p.s.
Thanks for your cooperation on Tuesday with our online-learning day during the snow day. This schoolwork your kids put in at home will allow us to not add another day of school in mid-June. Now that the kids have had fun in the snow for a few days, you can ask them to please stop praying for snow.
:-)
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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
Today
- Bake Sale originally scheduled for today has been moved to the 23rd
- School Commission meeting scheduled for today has been moved to the 21st
Friday, January 17
- Auction Lunch Day - for those students whose parents purchased this through the Auction; contact Julianne Read for more information
- Sign-Up deadline for grade 4-8 CYO Volleyball (see article below)
Monday, January 20 -
NO SCHOOL
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Holiday
- School and Kids' Club closed today
Tuesday, January 21
- Info-Session for Walk-a-Thon originally scheduled for the 14th) will be held this morning at 8:30 in the lobby; come find out how you could help with this spring's Walk-a-Thon
- School Commission meeting at 6:30PM in the faculty room; all school parents are invited to attend
Thursday, January 23
- "Principal for the Day"; 8th grader Uyen-Mi Vu will be "in charge" of the school this day - a privilege purchased for her at the Auction by her parents; your kids should be ready for a fun day with their new "boss"
- Bake Sale - proceeds benefit J.H. activities
Saturday and Sunday, January 25 and 26 -
Catholic Schools' Week Begins
- Students who attend any of the following Masses in complete school uniform (including red sweater/fleece) will receive a special bracelet from a teacher in the narthex; wear the bracelet to school on Monday the 27th and the student is entitled to wear Free Dress that day
- St. Louise Masses - 5PM, 7:30AM, 9:00AM, 11:00AM, 1:00PM, 6:00PM
- Mary, Queen of Peace Masses - 9:00AM, 11:30AM
- Holy Innocents Mass - 10:30AM
- St. Jude Mass - 9:00AM, 11:00AM
- Our Lady of Sorrows Mass - 9:30AM
- Thanks to our 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade students who will perform special functions at the St. Louise Masses
- Thanks to some 8th graders who will serve in ministry roles at the St. Louise Masses as well as will be reading personal essays about Catholic education
- Come to the school lobby after Sunday's 7:30/9/11 Masses to enjoy Coffee & Donuts, served by our School Commission and Parents' Club; while in the school, tour the halls to see student artwork displayed on both floors
Monday, January 27 -
Catholic Schools' Week Begins
- For Catholic Schools' Week, students who attended any weekend Masses noted above in complete school uniform (including red sweater/fleece) are entitled to wear Free Dress today, provided they show their teachers the special bracelet given out at the Masses
Tuesday, January 28
- Faculty Bake Sale! All the teachers and staff made homemade cookies, brownies, and rice crispy treats and are selling them to students at lunch time today for $1 each. All money will be donated to Seattle's Union Gospel Mission.
CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR
HERE
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Thank You for Completing Your Homework, Parents
Last Thursday's red envelope contained a yellow flyer and some postcards. We would love for you to spread the word about our January 30th Open House by distributing and/or posting these flyers. Thanks for your efforts to market our super school!
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If you have not yet received in the postal mail our Annual Report, a record of all the generous supporters of St. Louise in 2019, please contact
Cindy Wagner
in the development office.
Included in that mailing is information regarding our 2020 Annual School Gift Campaign (ASGC). The
ASGC
is a required fund raiser, expecting every school family to participate. Thank you for either sending in your one-time donation this month, or at least sending in a pledge to pay monthly or periodically through 2020. If you have questions about how the ASGC works or the various ways you can pledge and/or give, please talk to
Cindy Wagner
.
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Admissions Season Has Begun; Please Send a Prospective New School Parent Our Way
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On many Tuesdays in January and February, St. Louise hosts "Tuesday Tours" - a morning when prospective new school parents get to tour the school with an 8th grade ambassador, sit in on a class in session to observe a teacher, and get their questions answered in a meeting with Mr. Fitzpatrick.
Thanks for helping to
spread the word
about our awesome school, and the opportunity for those with upcoming 4-to-14 year-olds to tour our school and take in all the great things that happen at St. Louise during a typical school day.
Please note that our next Open House will be on January 30. Please encourage your neighbors, friends, and coworkers to come see for themselves why they would be smart to enroll their children in St. Louise for next fall. At an open house, they can meet all our teachers, explore our classrooms, and learn about after-school programs (mock trial, Girls Who Code, speech team, robotics, choirs, band, debate, etc.) and our cross-country, soccer, basketball, track and volleyball sports offerings.
Thanks for all you can do to spread the word regarding St. Louise School and our Open Houses! Don't forget to use your social media accounts. Please share our
Facebook page
and
Instagram page
.
*REMEMBER*
As a thank you for your help, we do have a referral bonus program:
ONE FREE MONTH OF TUITION for one child for any current school family who refers a newly-enrolling family!
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Time to Sign-Up for CYO Volleyball
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CYO volleyball registration is now open to all St. Louise School students and parish children in grades 4-8. To sign-up, please go
HERE
. Registration will close on January 17th. The registration fee is $75. Note that late registrations may be accepted depending on the size of existing rosters, but at the increased cost of $110. For more information, contact St. Louise volleyball coordinator,
Joni Hoffman
. Go, Chargers!
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We appreciate the time our altar servers give in ministry to their church. If you have a 5th-8th grader interested in becoming an altar server, please contact
Mary Herridge
.
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Save the Date for these Catholic Schools' Week Events
What is National Catholic Schools' Week? Since 1974, Catholic Schools' Week is the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. It starts the last Sunday in January and runs all week, which in 2020 is January 25-31. The slogan for National Catholic Schools Week 2020 is “
Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed
.” These are objectives we certainly see our own students achieve. Schools throughout America typically observe the annual celebration week with Masses, open houses, and other activities for students, families, parishioners, and community members. Through these events, schools focus on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to our church, our communities, and our nation. At St. Louise School, the following is our calendar of special events...
Saturday, January 25 -and- Sunday, January 26
We Love Our Parish
+ Catholic Schools Week Masses at:
- St. Louise: Saturday at 5PM; Sunday at 7:30AM, 9AM, 11AM, 1PM (en Español), 6PM
- St. Jude, Redmond: Sunday at 9AM, 11AM
- Our Lady of Sorrows, Snoqualmie: Sunday at 9:30AM
- Holy Innocents, Duvall: Sunday at 10:30AM
- Mary Queen of Peace, Sammamish: Sunday at 9AM, 11:30AM
All students who attend any listed Mass above - in full school uniform - will receive a “free dress bracelet” which, when worn to school on Monday, allows them a non-uniform day
+ Students from grades 1/3/5/8 assist with the St. Louise Masses as ushers, lectors, & ministers; selected 8th Graders read personal essays on the value of a St. Louise School Catholic education
+ Our Chorale choir sings at the St. Louise 9AM Mass (and sings again at the 11:30 Mass at Mary, Queen of Peace the following weekend – February 2)
+ Coffee & Donuts hosted by Parents’ Club & School Commission in the school lobby after the three morning St. Louise Masses; tour the school hallways at this time to see student artwork displayed
Monday, January 27
We Love Our Students & Parents
+ Free Dress Day only for bracelet-wearers who attended a weekend Mass in full school uniform
+ No-Homework Night for the entire school
+ Letter-Writing Activity - students write thank you letters to parents for sending them to a Catholic school
Tuesday, January 28
We Love Our Neighbors
+ Tuesday Tour of prospective school parents at 9:45 & 10:50
+ Faculty Bake Sale at lunch time - students buy homemade treats from the teachers and school staff, as they raise funds for Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission
+ Art Activity - students design prayer cards to be given the hungry/homeless at Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission
Wednesday, January 29
We Love Our Teachers & School Staff
+
Teacher-Appreciation Day
for our St. Louise faculty; parents encouraged to send notes of appreciation to every teacher who teaches their child
+ School & Parish Staffs treated to a lunch from Parents’ Club Hospitality Committee from 12-1, while parent volunteers supervise the classrooms
+ Gr.6-8 take their parents out to lunch from 11:15-1 (permission slip required)
Thursday, January 30
We Love Our School
+ Read-In for the entire school from 2:05-2:45
+ Open House of all Gr. PK through 8th grade rooms and specialists - 6:30 to 7:30; both current school families and prospective school families invited
Friday, January 31
We Love Our God
+ Schoolwide prayer outdoors to praise and thank God for Catholic schools; done in unison with the six other Catholic elementary schools on the Eastside
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January Is Great Time to Get Organized; Charger Cards Can Help!
Buy gas and grocery cards that are reloadable! Buy a plastic gift card from Charger Cards and use that same card to reload online! You can reload any day of the month online at your convenience! Register your bank account and pay online instantly or if you prefer to pay by check, you can STILL order online! Just select the “send check to school coordinator” payment option and send your check to the school office.
Reload options:
- Gas - Shell, 76, Arco
- Grocery - Safeway, PCC
- Starbucks, Subway, Papa Johns, Dominos, Panera Bread
- And many more options!
Organize your home!
- Container Store (9%)
- Fred Meyer (5%)
- Target (2%)
- Walmart (2.5%)
- Home Depot (7%)
- Lowes (4%)
Place a standing order for your monthly budgeted items:
- QFC
- Safeway
- Starbucks
- Papa Murphy’s, Little Caesar’s, Subway, Chipotle
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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
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
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Bingo Night Returns to St. Louise
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Save the date for the 2nd annual St. Louise Family Bingo
Night on Saturday, January 25,
in the Parish Hall. Doors open at 6PM (following the 5PM Mass). For just $2 per card buy-in, the whole family can have fun winning prizes. There will also be raffles, food, and drinks for purchase.
Proceeds benefit
Advocacy and Caring for Children
(ACC), a volunteer organization that provides caring, funding, and advocacy for Western Washington children and families in need. Family Bingo Night is brought to you by current and alumni St. Louise moms of ACC St. Therese Circle.
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Saint of the Week
please read this with your kids
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Register Now for the Upcoming Mass/March for Life
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Every year, the bishops and priests of the Archdiocese of Seattle strongly encourage their flocks (that's you!) to attend the Mass and March for Life in Olympia, our state capitol. Attending this event - this year to be held on January 21, from 8-2:30, is a tangible way to stand in solidarity, not only with our local church, but also with the most defenseless in our midst: desperate mothers and unborn babies. To make it easy for you to attend, St. Louise is sponsoring a bus for our parishioners.
Reserve your spot now here.
The bus will leave from the St. Louise parking lot at 8:00am on the 21st. The first stop is Sacred Heart in Lacey for the 9:30 Mass, and then heading to the Capitol for the March. There is not cost to you! Please bring a sack lunch.
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Church Pew Organizers Needed
We are in need of folks to help tidy up and organize our Church pews on Fridays. Folks don’t need to be there every Friday but twice a month would help a lot. This good work helps to make our sanctuary a welcoming space as we prepare the Church for our weekend Masses. This is a simple but wonderful way to be good stewards and as a plus also earn school volunteer hours if you need them. Please contact Nila Agostini at the Parish Office at
nila@stlouise.org
or 425 747-4450 if you’re interested. Thank you.
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Funeral Reception Servers Needed
Wondering how you’re going to cover those volunteer hours? Here’s a great opportunity! Join the joyful band of sisters who volunteer for funeral receptions! These ladies are welcoming, fun, and really enjoy their time of service together! This is not for the glum or serious. This ministry is a life-giving, sacred time of fellowship for all. You can participate by preparing food or serving at the reception. You set the day and hours. This is a flexible ministry that fits
your
schedule. Contact David Gehrig at the parish office
david@stlouise.org
or (425) 214-5466. Thank you.
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Skilled Power-Drill Users Needed
The parish is looking for folks who are skilled in using a battery powered drill to help us install replacement connectors to our church chairs and do minor repairs. We have two work days for this project:
Saturday, January 25 and Saturday, February 8 - both days from 9 AM to 12 PM in the Church
. Feel free to help out on both days or just one and also for the entire time or just part of the time. Please bring your own battery powered drill, one 3/16 and one quarter size drill bit and both flat and Phillips head screwdrivers.
Please mark your tools
. If you’re able to help out, please contact Paul Trussell at
paul@stlouise.org
or 425 445-0400. Thank you.
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