Parent Bulletin
January 7, 2021

MR. FITZ'S BLOG
We all try to make sure our investments are smart ones that are producing the best results possible. Those people who invested in Apple iPhones made a smart decision; those who invested in Palm Pilots did not. When it comes to the smartest investment, however, nothing beats investing in your child’s future.

I’m not talking about investing by spending thousands of dollars in sports training and equipment, hoping your child will develop into the next Russell Wilson and be set for life in sports. That’s a risky investment because the chance of getting a million dollar pro contract through sports, let alone getting a college athletic scholarship, is slim. The better investment is in your child’s future in education and life in general. For this, you don’t sign him/her up with a personal sports trainer, or buy the latest in gear. No, you simply send your child to a Catholic school
…preferably St. Louise. :-)

You are all smart investors because you are paying Catholic school tuition and partnering with our teachers in educating your child with a rigorous curriculum, with high expectations in academics and behavior, and with an emphasis on faith development. You could send your child to a public school with a good reputation or invest in a private, non-denominational school - Lakeside is only $38K for one child’s tuition ;-) - and I’m sure they would provide excellent teachers and facilities. But they would not be able to affect one fundamental component of your child’s person – his/her faith. That’s how your investment in a Catholic school education for your child is paying off. We teach to the “whole child” because teaching about Jesus and Gospel values and helping form a student’s faith life develop an important part of your child.

Wouldn’t it seem strange to send your child to a school that never focused on numbers. No math classes would be taught, and numbers wouldn’t even be allowed to be talked about between the walls of the school. Oh sure, your child’s science knowledge may skyrocket through the roof and his/her reading skills may develop tremendously. But there would be a big void in your child’s development with no math training. This would be equivalent to sending your Christian child to a school where religion, God, and faith are not allowed to be integrated and discussed. Thus, an entire element of what makes up your child wouldn’t get nourished, educated, or even given the time of day.

So, getting back to my investment tie-in, spending the money to pay a Catholic school tuition is well worth the cost. For about $45 a day (using our in-parish tuition rate), your investment produces a well-rounded child who is not only well educated in all the core subjects but also is taught in daily religion class. And the added bonus beyond the subject of religion is the inclusion of Gospel values permeating throughout your child’s day in his/her classroom, on the playground, and, most importantly, out of the mouths of their teachers.

When you send your child to a school, any school, you are allowing the teachers of that school to act in “loco parentis.” No, this isn’t Spanish for “crazy parents.” It’s actually Latin, and it is used in legal dialogues to mean you are entrusting your children in the teachers’ care as the school acts as your child’s parents for the seven hours each day the school has them. It just is common sense that the teacher you would want acting as your child’s “parent” each day would be one who can express the same truths of Jesus and the same moral values as you do at home, who can recite the same prayers you say as a family, and who can deliver similar love and care that you provide.

When you pay your St. Louise tuition, I trust you realize this money is going to be well worth it. The payback may not be noticed until your child is in high school or college, or maybe not until they are parents themselves, but chances are this investment paying you back is as good a deal as being an original investor in Apple stock. For example, did you know that our Class of 2016, who graduated from high school this past 2020, are attending some incredible universities like Purdue, Dartmouth, Cal Poly, and USC? We also have recent alums who went to Harvard, Notre Dame, Duke, and various military academies.

Finally, I want to also mention that besides paying tuition, parents are investing by volunteering time and offering support to the teachers and school programs/events. This giving of your time and energy to St. Louise is also vital and greatly appreciated. It is also appreciated when you give to our Annual Fund, our Auction, and support other fund raisers. (By the way, thanks to all of you for supporting our virtual auction and donating to the teachers’ compensation! They have never received such a great Christmas bonus!)

We have a great thing going at St. Louise School, and on behalf of the teachers and staff, I want to thank you for trusting us to act in “loco parentis” and promise you that your investment in your child’s education is a smart one!    

Blessings on your day!

MR. FITZ

p.s.
As we continue to avoid burn-out of our teachers who have been having to work ridiculously hard this year to teach synchronously and follow COVID-protocols in the classrooms, we have another no-school day added to the calendar. Please note that Friday, February 5, will be a newly added "R & R Day for Faculty," and school will be closed that day. The teachers will have just worked until 7:30PM the night prior, hosting our 3-hour Open House on February 4, after teaching school all day. Thanks for your support of our outstanding faculty! We realize adding this no-school day can cause some families to scramble for childcare, and we are grateful for your supportive efforts!
CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

Monday, January 11
  • School resumes for ALL for IN-PERSON schooling (except for families who are remaining doing remote learning at all times)
  • Kids' Club registration for the 2021-22 school year opens to all current Kids' Club families; new applicants for Kids' Club before-school and after-school daycare may register beginning January 25 (please contact Maria Zambrano)

Thursday, January 14
  • School Commission meeting in the school library, 6:30PM

Monday, January 18
  • No-School Day: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday; school office and Kids' Club both closed

Wednesday, January 20
  • Required "Safe Environment" class for new school parents; 7PM via Zoom; see article below for registration information

Thursday, January 21
  • Sweet-Treats Sale; $1 items for sale at lunchtime, benefitting our junior high program

Friday, January 29
  • Flavorful Friday Sale; $1 ice cream treats for sale at lunchtime, benefitting the 5th graders' support of Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos orphans

January 31 through February 6 - National Catholic Schools' Week
  • Special fun-dress days during the week
  • Eighth grade student essays being read at the January 31st parish Masses
  • A week of Teacher Appreciation for Catholic school teachers

Thursday, February 4
  • Open House - prospective school families to sign up for a time between 4:30-7:30 to tour the school and meet the teachers

Friday, February 5
  • No-School Day: R & R Day for faculty; school office and Kids' Club both closed


CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR HERE


The Annual Fund Is Approaching
January is when we have always kicked-off our Annual School Gift Campaign. This required fund raiser will be different this new year in that we have given it a new name! From now on, the mouthful will be shortened to simply, the Annual Fund.

We rely on the generosity of you school parents, along with school grandparents, St. Louise Parish parishioners, school alumni families, and even our school staff to kindly give to the Annual Fund, which is a needed revenue source for our annual operating budget. We have budgeted to receive $190,000 in donations to our 2021 Annual Fund, allowing us to use these tax-deductible contributions in lieu of raising tuition.

Thank you in advance for your giving, and expect to receive more information on the Annual Fund in the coming days. If you have questions, please talk to Julianne in the development office.
Admissions Season Has Begun; Thanks for Sharing the St. Louise Story
January is when we really turn up the energy and excitement about admissions for the forthcoming school year. This month is when we start having new prospective school parents visit and start applying for their children to join St. Louise School in the 2021-22 school year.

We will need to have less visitors in our school touring, during this COVID-precautions period, but we still will be able to show off our beautiful building and impressive school community to prospective school parents in small-group-formats.

If you have a neighbor, co-worker, or friend who is searching for a school that not only teaches in-person when so many other school buildings are closed, but that also can teach to the whole child – including the eternally-important faith-formation component of a child’s development – please steer them our way. They can register HERE for our in-person Open House on the evening of February 4.

We love it when our current school families can send a new school family our way! Remember, we have a referral program that gives a current family a free month’s tuition if they refer a new family to us and that family ends up enrolling! Thanks for sharing the St. Louise story with those you know who have upcoming 4-to-14 year-olds.
Have You Joined Our Emergency Messaging Service?
St. Louise School uses the BrightArrow messaging-app as a notification system for emergency messages or important announcements, such as school closures. This system allows the school to send a text message and/or email message to the contact information the parent has on file with the school. You will not find St. Louise’s notifications regarding closures or late-starts on TV or radio stations; parents will only be notified via our group texting service through BrightArrow.com and/or through a group email from school.

School parents must opt-in to our emergency texting service by texting the word YES to 87569.

Only then, will parents be sure to receive texts from St. Louise during emergencies, such as if we have any upcoming "Snow Days" which cause us to have to cancel school.
Required Class for School Parents in 2 Weeks
If you are a school parent new to St. Louise this year, a required class is our "Safe Environment/Called to Protect" class. Please read more about this requirement HERE. This class explains about child abuse prevention and is required to be attended by all newly enrolled school parents as well as all newly hired school personnel.

Most new school parents completed this required virtual class either last June or August, but for those who are more recent school families and missed this class, the next training that is available is on Wednesday, January 20 at 7 PM. It will be a 2-hour class held via Zoom. To register, please send an email to safeenvironment@stlouise.org. This required class must be taken by both mom and dad of every school family when they initially join a Seattle Archdiocesan Catholic school. Thanks for your cooperation.
Keep Those Photos Coming
 
Here is the list of themes of photos we'd love to receive from you. Don't let this structure prevent you from uploading any pictures about anything at any time. These themes are a guide of what we plan to include in the 2020-21 St. Louise School Yearbook.
  • January – Winter or Wet Wonderland?
  • February - Very Very Valentine
  • March - Practically Prefect (Saint) Patrick
  • April – Spinning Skyball in the Spring
  • May - Fantastic Flipping Flowers
  • All year – Other Remote Learning
 
Here is how to upload photos:
1.     If you don't already have a TreeRing account, click HERE to create one.
2.     Load them into the Shared Photos section of Treering. Select Shared Photo Folders. All folders are there for the year. We encourage everyone to load throughout the year.
3.     You must have a Treering account in order to contribute photos.
4.     TreeRing has made it even easier for users to submit photos through their mobile phone! Check out the capabilities here: Capabilities on Mobile Devices (Android, iOS/Apple, Mobile Browsers)
 

To Purchase & Customize Your School Yearbook
 
Returning users who do not remember the email/password used last year for their TreeRing account can request a password reset here: https://tr5.treering.com/forgot-password
 
2) Enter St Louise passcode: 101439484318388
 
The yearbook will be published and distributed in June, 2021. If you have questions, please contact our School Yearbook Co-Editors, Janey Rabon and Penny Williams.
You Can Buy Charger Online or with Your Phone

Learn how to use Charger Cards from your 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!

You'll first want to create an online family account. See Online Registration Instructions here: https://www.stlouiseschool.org/chargercards.

You will need our enrollment code, so please email the Charger Cards office for this.

You can choose to either register for Presto Pay or pay by credit card. PrestoPay is our online vendor’s version of PayPal. Registering for PrestoPay allows you to pay online so you can get “instant” printable/phone usable e-gift cards.

If you add the Raise Right App, this is an optional way to manage your gift cards. This enables you to purchase from your phone while shopping and pay from your phone. The mobile site also tracks/stores your scrip so you know what you have available to use!

information on the various ways you can purchase Charger Cards - in-person or online - go to the Charger Cards webpage.

For more information on brands/cards available for purchase 24/7 please go to shopwithscrip.com.

For more information on Charger Cards and online ordering, please visit www.stlouiseschool.org/chargercards or email us at chargercards@stlouiseschool.org 

Thank you for supporting St. Louise Charger Cards!
Hot Lunch Making Adjustments
Our school lunch program - Lunch Ladies - offers an option for grade PK-5 students to order a school lunch on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays each school day throughout this school year.

Due to their hybrid schedule and early lunch time during these COVID-precaution times, Lunch Ladies is sorry to not be able to provide school lunches for grade 6-8 students this school year.

Lunch Ladies has individual, prepacked lunches both in hot and cold to reduce any unnecessary handling of food. Lunch Ladies' commercial-kitchen is meeting all of the new health department guidelines which includes masks, distancing, reduced number of staff in areas, and temperature checks on employees.
 
 
Click HERE for the information that grade PK-5 families will need to register for the on-line ordering system. Should you have any questions, please contact Wendy at Lunch Ladies: 425-444-9573; w-szabo@hotmail.com.
Kids' Club Enrolling for the 2021-22 School Year
Please note these dates for families to re-register or newly-register for before and/or after-school daycare using our Kids' Club program:

  • January 11 – 15: Re-registration opens to current Kids' Club members.
  • January 18 – 22: Registration opens to all school families currently on the waiting list for Kid’s Club
  • January 25 and after: Applications are accepted from all incoming new or prospective school families.

For more information, please visit our Kids' Club page or contact director Maria Zambrano.
Thursday's Theology: Creating Spiritual Habits for Your Family as a 2021 New Year's Resolution
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