Parent Bulletin
October 22, 2020
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Our grade PreK through 5 parents have been enjoying having their children back in school, and all has been going well with lots of happy parents and children, and the students and teachers doing a super job of following the new procedures of face coverings, physical distancing, and hand washing…lots of hand washing!
Our grade 6 through 8 parents have anxiously been waiting for their children to return to in-person schooling, as their kids have been learning only remotely since last March! Fortunately, we are working on a plan to bring back these middle school students – with approximately half of each grade 6-8 homeroom returning for in-person school two days a week, and the other half learning remotely on a rotating schedule. We are aiming to begin this plan on November 2.
The reason grades 6-8 will be moving to this “hybrid” plan, instead of all the students returning for five days a week as grades PreK-5 did, is because our oldest grade levels have the biggest sized kids and the biggest sized classes. It is not as easy to move students’ desks 6-feet apart in these grade levels. So, this twice-a-week return of 50% of each middle school homeroom is the safer plan that will work at this time.
The Archdiocese, who in August out of an act of caution initially said they wanted no Catholic schools to bring back students in-person, has since announced that each individual school is to make reopening decisions that best fit their unique community (e.g., the local health conditions, the size of classes and of facilities, having a comprehensive, documented reopening plan.) Similarly, both the King County Health Department and the Office of Superintendent of Public Schools are allowing schools to choose for themselves if and when to reopen.
Besides our encouraging report with our own lower grades having reopened, we hear from nearby private Christian schools who have been open for their middle schoolers since the first days of September, and they are all doing well. Some local Catholic schools have already reopened their middle schools or are planning to reopen in the coming weeks. We look to these other schools as models for us, as they are more comparable to St. Louise School. The local public schools, who are reluctant to reopen any grade K-12 classes, typically have large elementary school class sizes and middle schools that can reach up to 1,000 students in each building. St. Louise averages 14 students in each of our grade PreK-5 classrooms, and our middle school is comprised of only 117 students. These numbers are obviously much easier to safely teach in school, especially being that in grades 6-8 we plan to bring back to school only half of a class on any given day.
Our reopening plan, that was first initiated in September for grades PreK-5 and is now updated to include protocol for grades 6-8, safely and deliberately creates an atmosphere that respects the novel coronavirus’s potential for harm. We know that vulnerability to death from COVID-19 is more than a thousand-fold higher in the elderly and infirmed than the young and healthy, which is why we certainly respect the decision of some school families to keep their children at home due to elderly or infirmed relatives living at their homes. We have learned these past months that, whereas the elderly are the most vulnerable to COVID-19, this coronavirus is less dangerous to children than influenza.
Our desire to have our school reopen for all ages is based on the belief that school-age children should be allowed to resume life as normal. While we worry about the negative physical-health effects COVID can cause to the elderly and others with comorbidities, we also worry about the negative mental-health effects COVID is causing to our children (and to healthy adults). Of course, while wanting our kids’ lives to resume as normal, we also must stress that “normal” now includes markedly practicing the fundamental hygiene measures of hand washing and staying home when sick. Parents of all grades PreK-8, please pay special attention to our procedures for how to handle illnesses and absences! Please err on the side of caution, and keep your child home if he/she is showing symptoms as listed in these procedures.
We will continue to monitor on a regular basis the positive-test numbers and hospitalizations due to COVID. What we currently see is that King County, being our state’s biggest county with the highest population density in the state and with over 2,300,000 citizens, has seen around 2,000 people test positive in the past 14 days. This works out to be only .08% of the population. That is not eight percent, but only eight-hundredths of a percent. You’ll see in the county’s statistics that the growing King County positive cases are primarily coming out of the south end, with cities such as Federal Way and Auburn reporting higher than normal numbers. Bellevue and our surrounding cities are not seeing the same expanding numbers.
It is also important to understand that we would expect the number of reported cases to rise since more tests are being run each month. For example, in July, King County tested per day an average of 4,000 people who thought they might have the coronavirus. Now in October, the county is currently seeing 6,500 tests for COVID on an average day. Meanwhile, the percentage of people who were suspected of having COVID, and so took a test, and then ended up testing positive, averaged 3.7% in July, but now is averaging 2.3%.
Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control admit that the detection of the coronavirus in a test (which is what a “positive case” is defined as) does not necessarily mean the infectious virus is present. In other words, a “case” or a “positive test” does not necessarily equal a “contagious person.”
Thus, instead of focusing on “cases,” St. Louise School’s approach to determining if it is safe for reopening in-person schooling is to focus on the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19. A rapid increase in hospitalizations would show us if things are reverting to the alarming times of last March and April. There is no increase in hospitalizations the past two months. In fact, when looking at the six cities around St. Louise in which we have most of our school families living, these are the COVID-hospitalizations that have taken place over the past 14 days:
- Bellevue – 3 hospitalizations – for a city with a population of over 145,000
- Redmond – 0 hospitalizations – 65,000 population
- Sammamish – 0 hospitalizations – 64,000 population
- Issaquah – 0 hospitalizations – 40,000 population
- Snoqualmie – 0 hospitalizations – 14,000 population
- Newcastle – 1 hospitalization – 13,000 population
With rarely any hospitalizations of adults, with even rarer hospitalizations here or nationwide of children due to COVID-19, and with the number of those ages 19 or younger dying from the virus in our state remaining at zero this entire time since the virus first arrived in Washington, it appears to be safe for most children to return to school. We say safe for “most children,” as we realize for a small minority of families, a child’s medical condition or a situation of an ill or elderly person living with the family may preclude a child returning to school. That is why our reopening plan allows for families to choose to return to in-person schooling or to remain at home.
We appreciate the support of our school parents! The teachers and I were thrilled when your younger children returned to in-person schooling. We are now getting excited to soon bring back some normalcy to your older kids’ lives and for our grade 6-8 teachers to be able to return to the type of teaching at which they excel and that can best educate their students.
Blessings on your day,
MR. FITZ
p.s.
Parents will be receiving a special email from me tomorrow. In it, I address our current enrollment numbers and our future class sizes. Please be looking for it in your in-box on Friday.
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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
Tomorrow
- Charger Cards sales-window open from 8:15-9:00AM.
Saturday, October 24
- Our last Saturday Spruce-Up of the season begins at 8:00AM; see the article below.
Wednesday, October 28 through Friday, October 30
- Grades 6-8 do not have online lessons for these three days; our middle school teachers are preparing for the return of in-person schooling, to begin the week of November 2
Thursday, October 29
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Open House for prospective new school families; please encourage your neighbors, co-workers, and friends with school-age children or toddlers to attend; have them go to our website, click on the "Open House/Trick-or-Treat" banner at the top, and they'll be able to register online for an assigned a time in the late afternoon or evening for a private tour of school and a chance to meet teachers...while their children get to trick-or-treat from classroom to classroom!
Friday, October 30
- Fun Dress Day - Halloween Costumes! Grade PK-5 students may wear costumes today; please see the article below for restrictions.
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Trunk-or-Treat event on the soccer field after school! All families welcome to set up their vehicle on the field from 2:15-2:45 and pass out candy at 3:00; if you are setting up your car, please RSVP HERE; students with their parents may walk the field at 3:00 to participate in Trunk-or-Treat; please see the flyer being sent home today
Tuesday, November 3 and Wednesday, November 4
- On these two days, approximately half of our grade 6-8 classes return on each of these two days, as in-person school reopens for our middle schoolers this week; half the students will be attending on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and half will be attending on Wednesdays and Fridays; on all Mondays, and on the two days when they are not at school. all grade 6-8 students will be learning remotely.
CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR HERE
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Final Saturday Spruce-Up of the Fall Is This Saturday |
If you would like to earn volunteer hours by helping with our next Saturday Spruce-Up, it will be this Saturday, October 24, from 8-11 AM. Please come prepared with gardening gloves, rakes and shovels, and wheelbarrows if you have them.
This will be our final Spruce-Up of the Fall; we will resume these events in the spring. However, if you like yardwork and would like to continue to earn volunteer hours throughout the year by helping spruce-up our landscaping, you don't need to confine yourself to these specific Saturdays. Our Adopt-A-Garden program is a year-round opportunity for St. Louise parents to choose a small section of the grounds to keep looking nice throughout the seasons. Please contact Jonathan Taasan if you would like to have you own area to tend to on your own time. |
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Friday, October 30, St. Louise School will hold our first ever Trunk-or-Treat event! Participating vehicles are to arrive between 2:15 and 2:45, setting up on the soccer field with their decorated trunks. Thanks for having your candy treats easy for children to cleanly grab from your trunk. Please RSVP HERE if your will be setting up your trunk.
- Only students ACCOMPANIED BY PARENTS will be able to walk the field (beginning at 3:00) and participate in getting candy.
- If you are not decorating your trunk and passing out candy, but you want to walk the field with your own kids to go "trunk-or-treating," please park in the south parking lot or basketball court starting at 2:45.
- Meet your child outside the school where your child typically exits or meet your child at the carpool waiting sidewalk at the 3:00 bell.
Thanks for everyone following health-safety guidelines during the event.
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Free Parenting Course Online |
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Kindering, a local non-profit neuro-developmental center, will be offering a free parenting course beginning on November 23. The classes will meet online on Zoom from 6-8PM for 10 weeks, and it's free of charge.
The parenting class is targeted to parents of typically developing children from ages 2-12. Basic parenting skills are discussed, such as: promoting healthy self esteem, effective communication, managing anger (both the parent’s and the child’s), children & media, and behavior management.
This free online course is a great opportunity for St. Louise parents to increase their parenting skills.
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We Might Not Hold Parties...but Yes...We Will Celebrate Halloween |
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All grade PK-5th grade students are allowed to come to school on Friday, October 30, wearing a Halloween costume. When helping your child decide what his/her costume will be, please take into account these guidelines:
- Costumes must be appropriate for an elementary school and as importantly, a Catholic elementary school; therefore, themes or dress that are disrespectful, impious, and/or too “adult” need to stay home.
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Violent themes are not allowed; this includes no weapons, no bloody makeup, and no costumes depicting devils, vampires, or evil characters such as “Scream”, “Freddy Krueger”, “Dementor”, "Chucky," etc.
- Mr. Fitz and Mr. Fuerte have the final decision on which costumes are inappropriate. If you wonder if your child’s costume will be considered appropriate or not, you may ask an administrator, or better yet — if you have to wonder, then the answer probably is you should choose another costume.
Thanks for keeping the “Happy” in “Happy Halloween” by making this a fun day with no hassles.
Please note that due to our COVID-precautions, students still have to wear a cloth mask with their costume. We recommend the costume not be so cumbersome that it creates difficulty for your child to safely keep the mask on or easily maneuver around the classroom and at recess.
Also due to COVID-precautions, we will not hold Halloween class parties this year. Instead, teachers will work with their room parents to have some treats and perhaps a game to play or video to watch at the end of the day that Friday as we celebrate All Hallows Eve.
Thanks for your cooperation, parents, as we try to get things as "normal" as possible for your kids, so they can ....be kids!
BONUS:
Any student whose costume on October 30th depicts a holy Saint is to come up to Mr. Fitz in morning carpool to show him the costume and name the Saint. Mr. Fitz will then have a theater-sized box of candy to give the student for being so creative and so "Catholic" on this "All Hallows Eve." Here are some ideas for Saint costumes.
Any
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Open House for Prospective School Families One Week from Tonight |
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St. Louise School's first Open House of the season for prospective new school families is set for next Thursday, October 29. If current school parents know of neighbors, co-workers, and friends with school-age children or toddlers, please tell them about our Open House. Prospective school parents are to please go to our website and click on the "Open House" event image on the top of our main page. They will be assigned a time in the late afternoon or evening next Thursday for a private tour of school and a chance to meet teachers.
Remember, we have a special referral program! If a current school family refers a new family to St. Louise, and that family ends up enrolling, the referring family gets one month's free tuition the following school year! For more information on our referral program or admissions, please contact our admissions dynamic duo, Mindy and Tracy.
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Charger Gear Unveils Brand New Friday-Wear Tops |
St. Louise Parents' Club oversees the CHARGER GEAR program, which consists of uniform and non-uniform items with the St. Louise logo, that are sold for the purpose of raising school spirit ... and at the same time, raising some funds for the Parents' Club.
This fall, CHARGER GEAR has unveiled some brand new items with more variety of styles, colors, and logos! We are teaming with SquadLocker.com to offer St. Louise families some great, new products!
- FRIDAY WEAR - St. Louise-logo hoody sweatshirts, track jackets, and other tops - may be worn by all students on Fridays during the school year in place of the regular school uniform sweater.
- ADULT WEAR - Moms, dads, and grandparents can purchase St. Louise-logo tops to wear at CYO games and around town.
- BAGS & PACKS - Great ways to carry sports practice gear or to hold your PE shoes/clothes.
Go HERE to order CHARGER GEAR and FRIDAY GEAR and see all the new fall 2020 styles!
Note that you can click on whichever available logo you want, as well as which color you want! Design your favorite top! Here are the easy directions for ordering:
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Open the St. Louise link for SquadLocker.
- Click on any selection. For clothing, if there is more than one color, select your color.
- Below color choices there are logo choices; select your logo.
- Most articles may have personalization and you can select the name you want to use.
- Purchases are made online and are sent directly to you.
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St. Louise Parish Shares their Annual Report |
St. Louise Parish has put together this video of Father Gary's "State of the Parish" report. In addition, if you go to the parish website, you can read our parish's 2019-20 annual financial report.
FYI: the school's annual financial report will be published in January
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Cross Country Team Reaches the Finish Line |
Congratulations to the 59 St. Louise students who finished the first ever (and hopefully last ever) virtual Cross Country season. Our CYO team won the CYO "Spirit Award" this year, awarded to the one Catholic school with the most enthusiastic runners and parent supporters.
We want to thank Amy Wilken and Lara Kierlin for coordinating this year's Cross Country team and timing runners. Some of our top Charger runners are listed below.
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Charger Cards Bonus*Fest When You Order Online in October |
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Earn Up to 20% During Bonus*Fest on ShopWithScrip.com
Celebrate the rest of October with 2-day bonuses every Friday and Saturday on shopwithscrip.com. Whether you’re updating your home, shopping for fall clothes, or stocking up on holiday gifts, you can earn up to 20% on your shopping list. All card types are included.
- Brands and bonuses change every weekend.
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Check every Friday on www.shopwithscrip.com so you don’t miss out.
What's New?!
Charger Cards have a limited stock of a few favorite brands at higher rebates:
- Amazon ($25, $100) – 3.25% rebate
- Bai Tong ($50)- 20% rebate
- Chilli’s/ Maggiano Little Italy ($25) – 17% rebate
- Daniel's Broiler ($50) - 20% rebate
- Gap/ Banana Republic/Old Navy/Athleta ($25, $100) – 18% rebate
Use Charger Cards for Halloween
Halloween night is coming! Whether you are trick-or-treating or not, use Charger Cards to make Halloween night a fun night
- Halloween Candy and Decorations – Target, QFC, Walmart, Safeway
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Pizza (for your kids at home while you are out or to fill their stomachs before they get a bag full of candy) - Pizza Hut, Dominos, Papa John’s, Papa Murphy’s, Little Caesar’s
Buy and Use Charger Cards from Your Phone
Learn how to use Charger Cards from your smart phone and increase your support for St. Louise! Our online website has an app and mobile website. The app makes it easy to purchase, use, and track online Charger Cards.
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Shop online using MyScripWallet.com or check out the online app on RaiseRight.com
- Login with your ShopWithScrip® online account (what we call your online account)
- Purchase ScripNow® and Reload brands
- Pay securely with PrestoPay™ or credit card
- Redeem right from your Apple or Android device
- Manage eCards and Reloads
- Keep earning rebates on the go!
The Friday morning sales window (in the central wing hallway of the original school) opens from 8:15-9:00 each Friday school-morning.
For more information on additional brands/cards available for purchase 24/7 please go to shopwithscrip.com.
Thank you for supporting St. Louise Charger Cards!
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Thursday's Theology: Eucharistic Adoration
(Adoration Will Take Place in St. Louise Church on November 2)
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