Parent Bulletin
March 11, 2021
|
|
Back in August, I wrote to you about how we were going to adjust some parent-requirements for this 2020-21 school year due to COVID-related restrictions and actions causing us to disrupt a typical school year.
To start, since we have had to limit our adults in the building to “essential” volunteers, and with most extra-curricular programs and sports being curtailed, a school family logging in the minimally required 40 hours of volunteering would be difficult. Thus, we announced we were changing our 40-hour volunteer “requirement” to a 40-hour “target,” with a minimum of 20 hours “expected” per family. Thank you for your work so far this school year with aiming for 40 hours of volunteering by June, but at a minimum logging in 20 volunteer hours by June. Thanks for logging those hours HERE. If you are trying to think of ways you can add more volunteer time, besides our Saturday Spruce-Ups this spring (March 27, May 1, May 22), you can contact Julianne Read and Kelly Miller, who will have some ideas.
We also announced last August that we were adjusting our requirement of how parents are to participate in the required Charger Cards fund raiser. Charger Cards is still required, but instead of asking your family to generate $125 in Charger Card rebates through June, 2021, we reduced the required minimum amount to $100. Our Charger Cards program chairperson, Marsha Rampersad Zope, sends out periodic statements to let families know how much in funds they have generated as a profit. If you would like to know your most recent profit/rebate amount, and how much more spending you will need to due to bring this figure at least to $100, please contact Marsha and our new co-chairs Erica and Tiffany.. Also, take advantage of "March Madness," and purchase $$$ of cards now during this no-credit-card-fee-month! See the Charger Cards article below for more information.
Three other fund raisers are still “a go!” and did not require any adjustments:
1. The Annual Fund (formerly ASGC) is going on now, and your one-time donation or monthly/periodic scheduled donation can be made HERE. Although there is no minimum monetary amount, we do need every family to please participate in the Annual Fund, giving the amount that you and your spouse prayerfully reflect on being appropriate. Of course, as you see in the Annual Fund article below, an added incentive to give to the Annual Fund is you might help contribute to the ability of your child silly-stringing Mr. Fuerte and me! Whether silly-string motivates you or not, please donate or make your initial pledge by no later than this Monday the 15th. Thank you!
2. Your 2020 Auction donations were already procured last spring or this past fall, so thank you for fulfilling that requirement. We had a mini-virtual-auction in November, and now the "big" auction will be one month from now – on Saturday, April 17. We have exciting news about our Auction! It will be a unique and fun event held in-person! It can only be successful with school parents joining in on the bidding! Please set aside that date on your calendar and be looking for information from Julianne on how to join in on the excitement and community spirit on April 17 (in a safe and healthy environment that we're setting up)!
3. We are holding our Walk-a-Thon the first week of May, and this, too, will be in-person this year! Immediately after Easter vacation, you and your kids will be receiving information on how the Walk-a-Thon will work this spring. We will be calling on each school family to procure minimum donations in the amounts of:
- $95 for 1-student families;
- $190 for 2-or-more-students families.
There will be Walk-a-Thon prizes given for both individual students and grade levels who bring in the most donations as well as run the most laps on the day of the event – which will be Friday, May 7. Earlier that week will be Walk-a-Thon-Spirit Week, with fun activities and free dress days, as we all get hyped for the big day! If you would like to help Jim and Cari O’Loughlin-Britt with some of the organizational and clerical needs of preparing info-packets and helping with prizes, please email Jim.
There are so many things one can point to that explain why we have such a great community here at St. Louise School! Your participation in volunteering and in fund raising are two key ingredients of our success! Thank you for all you do in these two areas, which are vital for us having the staffing and funding we need to continue to run an outstanding school!
* * * * *
We have begun the final trimester of the school year, and this is the time when personnel decisions for the upcoming year start to become clearer. Three such personnel-related news items to share with you is the sad announcement that Mr. Andrew Weiss, our junior high social studies teacher, Mrs. Paula Patterson, our sixth grade teacher, and Cherie McIntosh, our librarian and primary grade technology teacher, will all be leaving St. Louise after this June.
Here is Mr. Weiss's announcement:
"As some of you know, my wife is an OB GYN Resident at UW and will be finishing up her 4th year of residency this June. She has matched into a Fellowship to specialize in Gynecology Oncology at Fox Chase and Temple University in Philadelphia. We will be moving there in late June. Philadelphia is our hometown, so in many ways we are very excited to be moving closer to our family. However, it is hard to believe and sad to think that this will be my last trimester at St Louise. It has truly been an honor and a privilege to work here for these past four years. I am truly blessed to have been a part of this community where I have always felt valued, appreciated, and respected. St Louise has been my home away from home and I will miss the students, faculty, and families deeply."
Here is Mrs. McIntosh's announcement:
"I have been truly blessed to have been part of this wonderful community at St. Louise for 18 years. After much soul searching, I have decided that I will not be returning in the fall to teach. As I end the chapter on beating breast cancer twice, I have decided to make a change. It is now time for me to see what new adventures will be included in the next chapter. I will always carry with me fond memories of teaching kindergarten, second grade, and library and computer classes. The staff, the parents, and the students will always hold a special place in my heart. The support that I have received has gone above and beyond and will not be forgotten. Thank you for EVERYTHING and I will always cherish my time at St. Louise. I will see you in April to finish this school year."
Here is Mrs. Patterson's announcement:
"As many of you know, St. Louise has been a part of my life for over 30 years, starting in 1989 as a fresh, young teacher. After stepping away while our three children attended St. Louise, I returned in 2008 when our middle daughter, Amy, started 6th grade. The St. Louise community has been connected to our family for so long, it’s difficult for that to come to an end. However, while on Family Medical Leave, I’ve had a chance to reflect on my experiences and consider what the future could bring. Although I am sad to be leaving St. Louise, I will always be thankful for the people and experiences that have helped me grow as a parent and educator. I am grateful for your prayers and support and look forward to seeing you all next week as we finish the year together."
The job-postings for teacher applicants to apply to St. Louise will be posted HERE in the coming weeks. Please share the news of St. Louise looking for teachers with those you know who are interested in the specialness of teaching in a Catholic school to a great bunch of students in a terrific community.
Blessings on your day!
MR. FITZ
p.s.
Today and tomorrow, our teachers are not just needing two days off so they can work on completing report cards. They also are taking some virtual classes on various topics - from how to better teach remotely to how to help students with social-emotional learning. Thank you for your support of our teachers - the hardest working educators in King County!
|
|
CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
Today and Tomorrow, March 11 & 12 - NO-SCHOOL DAYS
Now thru Thursday, March 18
- Pray the 9-Day Novena to St. Joseph (see the article below)
Monday, March 15
-
Giving Day! Today is the deadline to turn in your Annual Fund donation if you want to help your child be a part of the silly-string event
Tuesday, March 16
- The "Silly-String Mr. Fitz & Mr. Fuerte" event will take place this afternoon; watch a livestream on our Facebook/Instagram pages
Wednesday, March 17
-
Fun-Dress Day: all may wear free dress as long as there is visible GREEN showing in honor of Saint Patrick
Friday, March 19
-
Mass on the Feast of St. Joseph; grades 3-8 attending 9AM Mass; grades K-2 viewing livestream; only a few spaces available in church for parents to attend Mass - RSVP here.
Tuesday, March 23
Thursday, March 25
-
Parents' Club Meeting - 7PM on Teams; email Karen Reed for a link to the meeting
- 5th and 6th graders go to the Sacrament of Confession
- Free Dress day ONLY for those who participated in the window-sticker/re-enroll contest; see names below
Friday, March 26
- Principal-for-the-Day is 3rd grader Elena Catorcini
Saturday, March 27
- Saturday Spruce-Up, 8-11AM
CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR HERE
|
|
We Adore You, O Christ, and We Praise You...Because by Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World |
|
On Tuesday, the entire school prayed the Stations of the Cross together, experiencing a different visual format than they have ever seen before. Mrs. Scruggs' and Ms. Crosby's 4th graders led the praying and also acted out each of the 14 Stations - in silhouette!
Thanks to Mrs. LB, Mr. Fuerte, Mrs. Sweeney, Mr. Maloney, and Mrs. Wilken for their assistance with preparing for and helping at this prayer service!
Praying the Stations of the Cross during Lent is a meaningful way to better understand Jesus's "passion" (AKA "suffering") when he was sentenced to death, crucified, and died on the cross - all occurring in less than a 24 hour time frame...and all occurring for us!
To pray your own Stations of the Cross as a family, you can always refer to last year's video Stations that Mr. Fitz prepared for all families who were quarantined at home on Good Friday.
|
|
We Will Have Spring Sports! |
The St. Louise Parish Athletic Board is pleased to announce opportunities for CYO Spring Sports. These sports will all take place in the coming weeks and months:
- Soccer for grades K-4
- Track for grades 4-8
- Kickball for grades 4-8
Our Athletic Board will need parent volunteers for coaching as well as to act as social-distancing coordinators. CYO has put social-distancing requirements in place and asks for masks to be worn at all times by participants and spectators.
In addition, another requirement is that one parent for each child will be required to take a virtual workshop - "Parent Like a Champion." If a parent has already completed the "Play Like a Champion" workshop for coaches, then it will not be necessary to complete the parent workshop. Registration for this workshop is done here: https://www.stlouise.org/cyo-sports
Soccer for Grades K-3
- $85 per student and will include new shirt that student will keep; registration deadline is April 2.
- Practices will be at the discretion of the coaches and field availability.
- Games will begin April 17, and will run every Saturday through June 5th (excluding Memorial Day weekend).
Kickball for Grades 4-8
- $25 per student; registration deadline is April 9.
- Practices will be at the discretion of the coaches and field availability.
- League Games will be April 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23.
- Divisions will be:
- 4th-6th Grade – National League
- 7th/8th Grade – American League
Track for Grades 4-8
- $55 per student and will include new shirt that student will keep; registration deadline is May 6.
- Track practices will begin on April 29th, and will be every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00-6:30pm at Highland Middle School in Bellevue through June 3.
- The CYO track season is virtual this year, so there will be no large track meets with other schools; instead, we will be having our own St. Louise track meet on Thursdays during our practice time.
- All races will be timed and field events will be measured and turned into CYO, who will post results from all schools on Athletic.net.
- The exception is the 8th Grade Pentathlon, which will be held in-person at West Seattle Stadium on Sunday, May 23rd
- St. Louise track meets at Highland Middle School will be:
- Qualifying Meet 1: Thursday, May 6th.
- Qualifying Meet 2: Thursday, May 13th.
- Qualifying Meet 3: Thursday, May 20th.
- Championship Meet: Thursday, June 3rd
We will need coaches for the soccer and kickball teams, and we will need many volunteers to help with track practices and meets! To sign up you child for a sport or two, and to offer your volunteer help, please visit: https://www.stlouise.org/cyo-sports.
|
|
|
Is Your Name on the List? |
|
Thank you to all who participated in our Car Decal Day, and also re-enrolled by the early deadline! Your kiddos are eligible for the Free Dress Day! It will be held on Thursday, March 25th! Please mark your calendars!
(If you have a grade 6-8 child who is not here on Thursdays, they will be able to use Wednesday, March 24th as their Free Dress day. Thanks for your flexibility on this!)
The families who have qualified are listed below. Please note they are listed by student last name. If you have any questions, please contact Julianne Read.
|
|
Acosta Gutierrez
Aitken
Akers
Ameen
Andrade
Antezana Garvizu
Avalos
Banic
Barros
Black
Blank
Brennan
Brown (Mia &
Maggie)
Bumatay
Cam
Caso
Castillo
Cermak
Chan
Charles
Chason
Chu
Colby
Condit
Coronado Barbeyto
Cotillo
Craig
Cuevas
|
|
D'Ambrosio
Dautricourt
D'Costa
DeBord
Delgado
Dickinson
Dogra
Doran
Doria-La
Eala
Ellestad
Ellis
Engel
Enke
Estrada
Flaat
Flores
Foot
Giltus
Goett
Gonzalez
Gonzalez-Diaz
Green
Hairston
Hale
Harris
Herber
Hewett
Hsi
Isaksen
Ivannikov
Jaster
|
|
Kehdy
Kenn
Kierlin
Kirsch
Kujath
Lacouture
Lagunero
Lau (Robin)
Lau (Germaine,
Serene, Renee)
Ledesma
Lewis
Lizotte
Lozada
Magnotti
Magnusen
Maloney
McCulloch
Mendes
Michael
Miller
Miller
Minotte
Mora
Muller
Munar
Nesbit
Neuman
Newton
|
|
Nguyen
Nieuwenhuis
Nightingale
Nowak
Ogilvy
O'Loughlin-Britt
O'Rourke
Osorio
Pacheco
Perez
Perreault
Podaca
Pokorny
Ponte
Rabon
Read
Reed (Benjamin)
Reed (Beckett &
Griffin)
Rivera
Roberts
Roets
Russell (Blake &
Lauren)
Russell (Vivian)
Sackmann
Salmon
Sequeira
Sharp
|
|
Shaw
Solares
Soto
St. Pierre
Sturgill
Sulaiman
Sullivan
Sweeney
Taasan
Tano
Towse
VanNoy
Veloz
Victor
Vimal
Walker
Wang (Winnie)
Wang (May)
Weber
Widodo
Wilhelm
Wilken
Wilkins
Wiseman-Scott
Wong
Wu
Zayas Collazo
Zevenbergen
Zope
|
|
|
Spring Is Arriving; Time for a Spring Spruce-Up |
|
On Saturday, March 27, Saturday Spruce-Ups return to our campus! We will be gathering with volunteers at 8:00AM to work on raking, weeding, and pruning the grounds of the school and parish. If you can give us 3 hours of labor, we'd really appreciate it! Hard-working kids are welcome to come with their parents. Please bring your own work gloves, weeding tools, and a rake. If you have a wheelbarrow, please bring it too.
We gather outside the north wing of the original school at 8, and we'll cleanup by 11. Thanks in advance for those who can volunteer in this gardening ministry!
|
|
Monday Is Final Chance to Earn a Can of Silly String |
|
|
|
Congratulations to 6th Grade! They are the first grade to reach 100% participation in Annual Fund donations and they have earned their Silly String for Tuesday's big event! Every 6th grader will be handed a can of Silly String for a chance to cover Mr. Fitz and Mr. Fuerte from head to toe.
During Monday carpool, we are collecting donations one final time to be counted for Tuesday's main event. Volunteers will hand out envelopes and treats. Simply fill out the envelope, include cash, a check or your cc info so your donation can be counted. Hand it back in at afternoon carpool!
Families who we do not have counted yet for this event will receive a separate email today to let them know that we do not have record of their donation.
Want to make your donation now? Click the button below. Want to pledge now and pay later? Send a note to Angie Ogilvy to set up your pledge!
Thank you so much for your support of the Annual Fund! To learn more about how your contribution makes a difference, click here.
|
|
Save the Date - April 17, 2021 |
|
It is with great excitement that we announce this spring's* auction will be held via livestream AND IN-PERSON here at St. Louise School! Please mark your calendar for Saturday, April 17th to join in on the fun!
Our committees and volunteers are well underway with planning this never-been-done-before event, so be watching the Red Envelope, Facebook, Instagram, and your email for all the important details. I would outline them here, but you should definitely get some sort of prize for getting this far into the Parent Bulletin this week - so much information!
We are always so grateful for the support of our generous and awesome families - we look forward to celebrating with you on April 17th!
*For new families, please know we usually only have one auction and it's in November. Our one and only 2021-22 school year auction will be this coming November.
|
|
Kelly Kenn is our current Charger Gear coordinator, but since next year is her last year here as a St. Louise parent, she is looking for a co-coordinator to join her and learn the ropes so to take over completely in 2022. This is a great volunteer position for someone who wants to set his/her own volunteer hours, and the time commitment is minimal.
The Charger Gear coordinator oversees liquidating the current Charger Gear inventory by holding a couple of sales days throughout the school year. He/she also takes care of running the online store, which includes keeping track of the sales in the store, as well as meeting the fundraising goals set by the Parents' Club. The store is already set up and run by outside company. The coordinator also attends a few Parents Club meetings to report the accounting numbers for sales and fundraising.
For more information, please contact Kelly.
|
|
It's Time for March Madness!
For the month of March (1-31), if you use your credit or debit card for purchases, there is no ‘fee’ for transactions in excess of $100 and cards with over 3% rebates!
You may choose to pay in-person at the window Friday mornings from 8:15-9:00 am.
Or you may choose to skip the window line and submit your order online, then pay by credit card online when we send you an invoice for payment. Here's how:
- Place your order on ShopWithScrip and pick “Pay by Check” instead of PrestoPay.
-
Then email chargercards@stlouiseschool.org to let us know you wish to pay by credit card.
- We will email you an invoice with a link allowing you to go online to enter your credit card payment.
Still another option is to return a paper order form to the Charger Card office by 9:00 am on the Monday the week you want your cards. We will enter your order and email you an invoice with a link allowing you to go online to enter your credit card payment. Cards are ordered once payment is received and delivered to you via kid mail by Thursday/Friday of that week, or you can collect your cards in the school office.
Think Spring and Plan Ahead
Do you have any travel plans for Easter break next month? If so, buy Charger Cards for your plans now, pay with your credit card (NO FEE!), earn your CC points AND support St. Louise at the same time! You can use Charger Cards for your Easter vacation needs such as hotels, gas, airfare, and rental cars. Charger Cards carries many cards useful for travel! Where will you be during Spring break?
· Hotels – Best Western, Clarion Hotels, Comfort Inn,
· Rental Cars – Avis, Budget
· Air – Delta, Southwest
· Travel – Disney, Princess Cruise, Celebrity Cruise, Carnival Cruise, Royal Caribbean
· Gas & Auto – Chevron, Shell, 76, Arco, Safeway, Jiffy Lube, Sinclair
For more information on brands/cards available for purchase 24/7 please go to shopwithscrip.com.
In-person sales every school-Friday from 8:15-9:00AM in the central hallway of the original school building.
Thank you for supporting St. Louise Charger Cards!
|
|
Time to Begin Your Novena to St. Joseph |
|
The Seattle Archdiocese is suggesting all Catholics join in a novena of prayer to St. Joseph just prior to his March 19th feast day – the Solemnity of St. Joseph.
A novena is nine days of private or public devotion in the Catholic Church to obtain special graces. When we pray a novena, we either pray the same prayer for all nine days or follow a list of prayers to be prayed for each day. Every novena is a bit different in the intention and formation of prayers. Our Archdiocese is suggesting the following prayer format and schedule, to begin on March 10 - but if you forgot to start it yesterday, you can still start it today and finish in time.
Here is the schedule of each day of the Novena to St. Joseph and the day’s suggested prayer intentions:
- March 10 - For a greater openness to God’s will for us, and the courage to follow wherever God may lead
- March 11 - For the “unsung heroes” who have kept us going during the pandemic, especially health care workers, teachers, and essential workers
- March 12 - For all who work, and for all who are unemployed or underemployed, that they may be treated with justice and dignity
- March 13 - For migrants and refugees, forced like the Holy Family to leave their homeland, that they may find safety and welcome
- March 14 - For our local Church, that we may proclaim the Gospel with integrity, and serve Christ in the poor and the afflicted
- March 15 - For the dying, that God may grant them the grace of a happy death, and give comfort and peace to their families
- March 16 - For all who have authority over others—bishops and priests, elected officials, teachers, supervisors, and parents—that, like Joseph, they may be examples of gentleness and fidelity
- March 17 - For husbands and fathers, that they may learn from St. Joseph to be gentle, loving, faithful, and courageous
- March 18 - For families, especially families in crisis, that they may draw strength from the example and intercession of St. Joseph and the Holy Family
The Novena prayer format that many will use goes like this:
1) Make the Sign of the Cross.
2) Read the Scripture Verse from Matthew 13:54-55 - “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son?”
3) Prayer Leader: “Let us pray. Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To you God entrusted His only Son; in you Mary placed her trust; with you Christ became man. Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father, and guide us in the path of life. Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage, and defend us from every evil. Amen.”
4) Pray the Litany in a Back-and-Forth Dialogue:
Leader: “Joseph most just…”
ALL: “Pray for us.”
Leader: “Joseph most strong…”
ALL: “Pray for us.”
Leader: “Joseph most obedient…”
ALL: “Pray for us.”
Leader: “Joseph most faithful…”
ALL: “Pray for us.”
5) Finish by making the Sign of the Cross.
Father Carlos has created this brief video to watch as a family : Year of St. Joseph Novena at St. Louise Parish - YouTube. If your family is participating in the novena for nine straight days or nights (began yesterday or beginning tonight), then our parish priests have something special for you - a certificate that you can print out at the conclusion of praying the novena, on Wednesday the 18th. (See Mr. Fitzpatrick's email on March 9 for an explanation of how to print out or receive a certificate for your family.)
Praying the Novena to St. Joseph as a family is a quick and simple, yet important way for you and your children to spend time in prayer and ask for the intercessory help of St. Joseph, the patron of our Church and a great model for families!
|
|
Thursday's Theology: Saint Joseph Is Not Just the Patron Saint of Fathers, He Is Also the Patron of the Church, of Workers, of Travelers, and of a Happy Death |
|
|
|
|
|
|
