Parent Bulletin
June 3, 2021
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One week from tomorrow - June 11 - we graduate the Class of 2021. This outstanding group of 39 students has shined in the classroom, on the stage, and on the sports field for the past nine years and will be greatly missed! They will continue the legacy of outstanding St. Louise alumni who move on to do extremely well in high school and beyond.
And of course, when we share how proud we are of our graduates, it's not all about academics and being "good students." We are equally concerned that St. Louise students leave us as "good people." Yes, it's important that our kids get into college...but it's more important that they get into heaven! With this year's graduating class, we believe we have some future saints!
We will miss the 8th graders after they graduate next Friday, and we'll also be missing some 8th grade parents. The following parents are graduating their last child from St. Louise on June 11, and we will certainly miss the spirit and support they've generously given our school over the past many years!
Farewell and thank you to:
- Ingrid and Chris Flaat (18 years as St. Louise parents!)
- Angela Fernandez and Ronaldo Fernando (16 years as St. Louise parents)
- Vanessa Gallardo and Randolf Gamboa (16 years as St. Louise parents)
- Kathy and Tom Brennan (15 years as StL parents)
- Jessica and Tom Loutsis (15 years as StL parents)
- Erin and Matt Aitken (13 years as StL parents)
- Grace Palisoc and Henry Mah (13 years as StL parents)
- Gretchen Gaylor and Rodney Thomas (13 years as StL parents)
- Annabelle and Matt Gegus
- Sarah and Chris Pierce
- Teresa and Modesto Estrada
- Susie and Jim Goett
- Jennifer and Jon Sharp
- Rebecca and Daryl Chu
- Natalie Remedios
- Carolyn and Patrick McHugh
- Julianne and Chris Read
- July and Phillip Kippen
- Eric Woelfl
- Kathy and Joseph Hueffed
- Mari McMenamin
- Sangeetha Kanicka Dass and Tarun Ratnam
- Monica and Cristian Mora
- Gladys and Eliseo Ponte
I also want to make mention of our graduating class from one year ago - the Class of 2020. When they left us last June, their parents donated a gift to St. Louise in the form of a statue of Mary. Because of various delays, it is 12 months later that we finally are able to unveil the statue at its permanent location directly outside the main entrance to our school!
This statue - entitled "Mary, Undoer of Knots" - will be unveiled tomorrow at a blessing ceremony at the end of the school day. Every day thereafter, as students, staff, and parents enter St. Louise School, they will be greeted by this image of our Blessed Mother, and reminded to say a prayer for her intercession.
When I was a kid, I would always turn to my mom as the person who could help me undo a tight knot in my shoelaces. Whether it was her perfected use of the tines of a fork or just the many years of experience of untying knots for my four older siblings, mom could always undo my knotted laces. (Oh, to be a kid again and have the biggest problems of my life being knotted shoelaces!)
Symbolic knots are the problems and struggles we face for which we do not see any solution. These can be knots of discord in our family which bring about the absence of peace and joy at home. These can be the knots of an addiction, of depression, or of unemployment. For over a year, we all have suffered the same knots that resulted from a pandemic which disrupted our lives and caused fear and despair. The knots in our lives beat us down and separate us from God.
Mary is the undoer of these knots. She comes with promises of solutions, victories, blessings, and peace. The Mother of God comes as the one who knows all about us, who has compassion for us, and quickens to rescue us, praying for each one of us to Her beloved Jesus.
This famous 320-year-old painting, Mary Untier of Knots depicts Mary holding two cords which have been literally untied. The painting was originally inspired around the year 200 by a meditation of Saint Irenaeus (Bishop and martyr) who made a comparison between Eve and Mary, saying: “Eve, by her disobedience, tied the knot of disgrace for the human race; whereas Mary, by her obedience, undid it."
This painting is typically on display permanently in a church in Germany; however, just this Monday, it was transported to Rome, where Pope Francis was praying a public Rosary to Mary with this image beside him. Maybe it's providential that the same week this famous image is in the news, we unveil our own sacramental image here! Our 2-feet-tall statue that we are unveiling tomorrow was constructed based on this famous painting and is shown below.
Why is a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of "undoer of knots" so appealing? It is because everyone has experiences when life is so tied up in knots that we feel paralyzed, helpless, and overwhelmed. We don’t necessarily require miracles to solve our issues. We simply need the patient, painstaking untying of these knots in our lives.
Mary the Virgin Mother walked this earth, and like us, was challenged by the complexities of life. She experienced the fright of having to flee from Herod wanting to kill her child, the shock for three days of she and Joseph searching for their lost child, the sadness of the death of her husband, and the horror of seeing her son crucified.
Today, some of our problems compare to hers, but often our issues are much smaller. But whatever the size and tightness of our knots, we can turn to Mary to ask her to pray for us to her Son and to help us resolve our knots. God has been at work through the Blessed Virgin Mary ever since her Immaculate Conception, and through her grace and intercession, and by her example, she can help untie the knots that discourage us, that frighten us, and that keep us from being united to God.
Just like my own mom 50-some years ago freed up my laces and allowed me to go back to playing as a kid, my spiritual mom in Mary can free up the problems I now have 50 years later.
There are different "Mary, Undoer of Knots" prayers, but I especially like this one:
Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots
Holy Mary, Mother of God, who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, to you who unties with a motherly heart the knots of our life, and in whose hands there is no knot that cannot be undone, I ask for you to undo this knot in my life that I am struggling with: __________. Take into your hands the ribbon of my life and see the snarl of knots that keeps me bound to sin, anxiety, and hopelessness. I beg you, Mother, by your powerful intercession and long fingers of love and grace, undo the knots in my life and in my heart. Free me to love as Christ loves.
Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.
In fact, I like this prayer so much that I bought a prayer card for each one of your children with this written on it. I will be handing the prayer cards to your kids tomorrow at the statue blessing, asking them to refer to this prayer (or a similar prayer in their own words) every day as they pass the statue of our Blessed Mother Mary when entering and exiting the school building.
Parents are invited to tomorrow's blessing ceremony at 2:45. It will be a brief 3 minutes involving Father Gary blessing the statue and all the students praying in unison the above Mary, Undoer of Knots prayer.
Blessings on your day,
MR. FITZ
p.s.
In reference to our diamond anniversary, last week I asked 3 trivia questions for you regarding St. Louise's 60-year history.
- Which 5 St. Louise Faculty Members were students themselves at St. Louise?
- A prefabricated building from what 1962 famous event served as our school's gym for our first 10 years?
- Which St. Louise Faculty Member was born the same year that St. Louise School began - 1961 - and also was one of the very first babies born in the then-recently-opened Overlake Hospital (which opened its doors just a few months before our school opened our doors)?
Only one parent emailed me with all the correct answers to all 3 questions. Wendy Blank won a $15 Charger Card for being so knowledgeable! (And no, just because Wendy' s boss is yours truly doesn't mean she was given any insider information.)
The correct answers are:
- Mike Fuerte, Chris Evans, Jane Reynolds, Angie Ogilvy, Tracy Brown
- The Worlds' Fair (held in Seattle)
- Dan Fitzpatrick
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Mary, Undoer of Knots, Pray for Us! |
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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
Today
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Parents' Club meeting, 6:30PM; contact Karen Reed if you would like the link to this virtual meeting
Tomorrow
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Blessing of Mary, Undoer of Knots statue outside main entrance at 2:45.
Saturday, June 5
- Saturday Spruce-Up, 8-11AM
Friday, June 11
- Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2021, 6:00PM
Tuesday, June 15
- Field Day: Fun Dress (active-wear) for all students; plus - bring a change of clothes
Wednesday and Thursday, June 16 and 17 - NOON DISMISSAL DAYS
- No PM Kids' Club
- Thursday's end-of-year liturgy is open only to grade 5 & 7 parents, due to space limitations
Monday, June 28
- Procurement deadline for all returning families for the November 2021 "Shine Bright" Auction
Tuesday, June 29
- Expect mailed K-8 report cards by today
Wednesday, June 30
- School office closes at 3:00 for July vacation; office reopens daily beginning August 2
CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR HERE
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Inspiration & Insights from Father Gary |
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Our pastor, Father Gary Zender, is writing a series of articles for our Parent Bulletins that help to explain to ALL St. Louise parents - Catholic and non-Catholic - the who / what / why / how of Catholicism. This is Father's FINAL article in his series.
Dear St. Louise School Families,
I wrote in last week’s column on “Human Love in the Divine Plan” St. John Paul II’s understanding of the human person as a composite of body, soul and spirit. We are our bodies and our bodies have a language, a language of love.
As Fr. Mike Schmitz says in this video that I referenced last week, we speak with our bodies either a false or a true language of love. We can do so with words from our mouths, our facial expressions, our hand gestures, an embrace, a kiss. (Do you remember when Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss? There is an example of a false language of love.) The most intimate expression of the language of love is that of sexual union reserved for matrimony.
Perhaps more in our time than in any other, there have been debates and civil decisions across the world to change the definition of marriage to include same-sex unions. Pope Francis recognized that the cultural questions are ones that people of faith also ask. He led the Church in an open discussion on marriage and family life and used a process called a “synod” which comes from the Greek word meaning “assembly.” “Synods” in the Church are assemblies of bishops who discuss important topics of the day openly and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The result of these intense discussions was Pope Francis’ 2016 Apostolic Exhortation called Amoris Laetitia or The Joy of Love. The Pope’s message is a source of encouragement in a challenging time.
There are many challenges to family life. and the Pope is aware of many cultural circumstances in different places in the world. He lists the challenges as poor communication, domestic violence, polygamy, pornography, cohabitation, addictions of various kinds, economic pressures that leave both parents exhausted, distractions with television (I would add social media). All of this and more has placed strains on the modern family.
What is the solution? The true language of love! Not just for some, but for all, single, married and celibate.
Pope Francis makes this very point in paragraph #306: “Fraternal charity is the first law of Christians.” (cf. Jn. 15:12; Gal 5:14) Let us not forget the reassuring words of Scripture: “Maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Pet 4:4-8)
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It is only in this context that Pope Francis affirms the traditional teaching of marriage as life-long commitment of one man and one woman, open to the transmission of human life. In that context, the nuptial language of the body, the full gift without reserve of one to the other “speaks” in the truest way. He wants us to not lose sight of the purpose of marriage and that by its nature for both the good of spouses and the procreation and the raising of children. Strong marriages create strong families into which children are born and strong families make for a strong society.
Pope Francis as a good pastor fully recognizes that there are many good people in “irregular” unions; relationships that fall short of the fullness of the teaching of Christ. No one is completely free of sin and there is good in everyone on which to build! Our place is not to judge individuals, to propose not to impose Gospel values in a pluralistic society, rather to accompany and to invite people to a greater appreciation the beauty of the teaching of Christ. He insists that we should never lose sight of dignity of the person and their unique struggle nor of the teaching to which Christ calls us to live.
I invite you to go deeper here and listen to Bishop Robert Barron’s 9-minute commentary on Amoris Laetitia.
God bless all of you as we come near to the close of our school year! Have a restful summer
Fr. Gary Zender
p.s.
This concludes the series on the Catholic faith for this year. I realize that it does not exhaust the richness of Catholic teaching nor does it answer every question. I am more than happy to speak with anyone in our school community about anything that I written. Contact me at FrGary@stlouise.org
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Are you new to the Catholic Church or interested in learning more about how to become Catholic? St. Louise Catholic Church is here to help!
RCIA is an acronym we use to describe the process of becoming Catholic. RCIA stands for Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. It is a journey through which seekers of faith are initiated into the Catholic Church through a process of investigation, prayer, conversion and ritual. Who is RCIA for?
- Non-Catholics who want to find out more about the Catholic faith;
- Those who have not been baptized and want to become Catholic;
- Those who were baptized in a protestant church and wish to become Catholic;
- Those who were baptized Catholics as infants but did not complete formation and the sacraments of Confirmation or First Eucharist.
If you have questions, we would love to walk with you. Please reach out to Katie O’Neill in the parish office at katie@stlouise.org or 425-214-5477.
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It's time for all our grade PreK-7th grade parents to choose the various school programs, events, and tasks you would like to volunteer for during the forthcoming 2021-22 school year! Please go online now to our Volunteer Sign-Up site..
Some volunteer jobs have limited spaces, so it would be smart to sign-up as soon as possible. You will be contacted over the summer by the staff member or volunteer parent in charge of each event/program in which you express your interest.
Remember, you are expected to volunteer for at least 40 hours from this July to next June. If you have questions about volunteering for next year, please contact Mike Fuerte at MikeF@stlouiseschool.org or the Parents’ Club’s Volunteer Coordinator, Marsha Rampersad, at Volunteeradmin@stlouiseschool.org.
Thank you in advance for committing to be a part of various school events/programs! Your assistance is vital and very much appreciated!
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Our 1st graders loved their root beer floats - a treat their parents earned for them by donating a large amount of bottles of wine for the auction. |
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Do You Have a Green Thumb...or at least...a Wheelbarrow? |
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Our final Saturday Spruce-Up of the spring is this Saturday from 8-11AM. All school parents and parishioners are called to come help us weed, prune, and spread bark. Besides bringing your weeding and raking tools, if you have a wheelbarrow, that's a great thing to also bring
Volunteers are asked to gather outside the original school building Saturday morning at 8. Children who like to garden can accompany you! Thanks in advance for this act of service for St. Louise!
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Final Days of Schools Will Include Liturgy, Yearbooks, and Farewell Gifts |
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The end of the school year is almost here, with Thursday, June 17, being our final day! On this last day, we annually hold an end-of-year liturgy, followed by an all-school picnic. We are going to have to scrap the picnic this year, but we still encourage all school families to get together in small groups immediately after the liturgy ends and school dismisses (noon dismissal day on the 17th). Perhaps families can find a nearby park or plan a party in someone’s back yard with a picnic lunch.
For the end-of-year liturgy earlier that morning, we are excited that all students in all grades (PreK through 7th) will be able to come together in church at the same time, after having to only allow piecemeal groups at school liturgies all year due to tight government restrictions. The recently lessened restrictions mean all the students will be attending the 11:00AM liturgy in the church on June 17.
Unfortunately, there will not be room for many parents to also have a seat in church at the end-of-year liturgy. We allowed our 5th and 7th grader parents to reserve the limited seats, as their children have the most part to play in our end-of-year liturgy. We apologize to the other grade level parents, and look forward to the fall when we expect to have all students and all parents welcomed to all school liturgies and events!
What we need ALL parents to do on this last day of the school year is to be aware school dismisses right after the liturgy - at 12:00! Your children will be bringing home their yearbooks (if you ordered them) and all their school supplies at noon. Clear space in your vehicles! Then head out after 12:00 to your chosen spot for lunch to celebrate the end of the most memorable school year ever!
By the way, the second-to-the-last-day - Wednesday the 16th - is also a noon dismissal day for all students. That afternoon, our hard-working teachers and staff will be treated to a lunch and hold their farewell party for the departing teachers.
If you would like to send your own "best wishes" to the departing teachers, you may drop off cards to the school office or directly email them. If you have any end-of-year gifts for your children's teachers and other faculty members, you may drop off them at the office too. Since the final days of school are very hectic, it's suggested you do this by no later than Tuesday the 15th.
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Auction Procurement is Underway for
SHINE BRIGHT!
There is a TON of information coming at you right now as we wind down the school year, so here are the four things you need to know about SHINE BRIGHT, our annual school auction:
One:
Mark your calendar for this fall's event - NOVEMBER 13th at the Westin Bellevue.
Two:
Procurement commitments need to be turned in no later than JUNE 28th. Fill out the form HERE or use one of the forms from the back of the Family Packet from last week's Red Envelope. Items are not due until September 14th
Three:
Your procurement requirement is $250, but please, don't stop there! Keep on going! Families who donate $400 or more will receive a Free Dress day for their kiddos on a date TBD in September.
Four:
Not sure what to donate? CLICK HERE. You'll find information on School Sponsorships, Wish List items, Registries (Amazon, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, and more!), Charger Cards, etc.! Or, if you'd like to help with Procurement, we have a huge list of businesses to whom you can reach out!
Thank you for all you do in support of St. Louise! Let's have another great auction! If you have any questions, please contact Julianne Read.
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We Want to Have School Band and Robotics Club Next Year |
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Two years ago, St. Louise was able to have Band instruction for grade 5-8 students and a Robotics Club for grade 4-8 students. Unfortunately, in the past year our former Band instructor has retired, and the Robotics Club volunteer co-moderators (parents) have moved on.
Maria Zambrano, our Director of Extracurricular Programs, would love to hear from you if you know of a candidate to be hired to teach Band (a part time, paid position) or if you are interested in learning more about co-moderating the afterschool Robotics Club (volunteer positions).
Band Instructor Job Opening – Paid Position
St. Louise Parish School is accepting applications for the position of Band Instructor to begin in September 2021. St. Louise Band program is an extracurricular club for grade 5-8 students, thus it's optional and available to school families at an additional cost. Compensation for this job will be based on the number of families who pay to participate in the program, with the starting rate at $100 an hour for approximately 2 hours per week. The candidate will not be considered a direct employee of St. Louise Parish School; thus, will not be entitled to benefits, vacation pay, or sick pay.
The Band Instructor is responsible for preparing and directing the school’s Band program. Qualified candidates should be skilled and have a passion to provide instrumental instruction. The successful candidate will be energetic, creative, and possess a desire to achieve success. Classes are held before or after school hours on 1 or 2 school days weekly - based on the Band Instructor's preference. The Band Instructor will be available for a few evening or mid-day hours for some band concert performances.
Robotics Club Co-Moderator - Volunteer Position
St. Louise School is seeking 2 or more parent volunteers to lead our Robotics Club. As a requirement, parents would simply need to know more about computer programming than grade 4-8 students. :-) Parents form the backbone of this fun club!
Co-moderators will be responsible for teaching 2 days per month (every-other-week) on their preferred day after school from 3:00-4:30PM. The Robotics Club season can last as little as a 3-month period (such as October-December or January-March). You are co-teaching a group of up to a dozen grade 4-8 students. This volunteer position will earn you at least 12 volunteer hours - more if you choose to lengthen the club's season.
The curriculum we are loosely following is based on the Lego Mindstorms EV3 products. The school has purchased these Lego products, and they are great at helping the kids learn some basic programming and mechanical design/physics concepts while applying them to creatively solve problems. As the adults, you will enjoy playing with good old Legos again! :-) For those of you who are familiar with it, the programming interface is very similar to Scratch. If you are interested in learning more about being a co-moderator of Robotics Club, please contact MariaZ@stlouiseschool.org.
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Thank You for Fulfilling Your Commitments |
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We appreciate the volunteering school parents have been able to do this year! Please make sure you log in at least 20 volunteer hours HERE. For those families who will not be able to log in at least 20 hours of volunteering by this month, the fee for unworked hours this year is $20.00. So, for example, if one family recorded 0 volunteer hours, the school expects them to pay $400. Whereas, if someone logged in 10 hours, the expectation is to pay $200. Please go HERE if you will need to pay a fee in lieu of fulfilling your volunteer hour commitment. We would appreciate the fee being paid before the final day of school.
Besides each school family's yearly commitment to give volunteer hours, school families also commit to supporting the Annual Fund, the Auction, and Charger Cards. Thank you for having 100% fulfillment of the Annual Fund by every family earlier this year! For the other two fund raisers, please note these two reminders:
Charger Cards is considered fulfilled if you have either chosen to "opt out" and pay the $250 fee or if you bring in a minimum of $125 in rebates/profit from your yearlong Charger Card purchases. To pay the fee, please submit a check or cash (no credit cards accepted for this fee) to "St. Louise Charger Cards." If you didn't opt out and will be bringing in at least $125 in rebates/profit, please make sure you take advantage of these final weeks to purchase as many Charger Cards as needed. Please contact Marsha, Tiffany, and Erica in the Charger Cards office if you need help in determining how far you are away from fulfilling your commitment.
All (returning) families will need to commit to their auction donation for Fall 21, by June 28th. You can fill out the procurement form(s) HERE! Actual items are not due to the office until September 14th.
Thank you again, terrific St. Louise parents, for your support in 2020-2
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Save the Date!
Grade K-5 students will be participating in our annual Field Day on Tuesday, June 15, with grade 7 students helping Mr. Evans run the games at each station. We need some parent helpers too! If you can help on the 15th, please email Mr. Evans.
Field Day is a free dress day for the entire school (PK-7). Dress for "athletic play" - and dress for the weather in case it's wet outside. In addition, because one of the stations involves water-spray, each student should bring a change of clothes just in case he/she gets really wet at Field Day.
One of the opportunities when participating in the various outdoor games on Field Day is to buy $1 treats at the "Refreshment Stop" station. The proceeds from the treat sales will go toward next year's 8th grade class.
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Returning Students Have Summer Learning in June/July/August |
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As you plan for all the fun adventures and exciting family trips your children will be having over the summer, please keep in mind that summer is also an excellent opportunity to keep inquisitive minds active and engaged! Research shows that summer learning loss equals at least one month of instruction. Knowing this causes parents and teachers to think about how to best keep academic skills sharp over the summer while also using the time to improve upon or master some lagging academic skills.
St. Louise Parish School RECOMMENDS certain academic work be completed on a regular/daily basis over summer vacation, and in some specific grade levels and/or subject matter we REQUIRE this work over summer vacation.
Please go to our SUMMER LEARNING page and click on the various topics on the righthand column to see what your child SHOULD or MUST complete throughout June, July, and August. Thank you for your support!
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Make Plans In These Final 2 Weeks to Complete Your Charger Card Requirement
With just TWO WEEKS until the school year ends, please make plans now to complete your Charger Card requirement! Last day to purchase cards is the morning of June 17th .
Please contact us if you would like help with ordering, planning, or understanding the program's requirements. We are happy to help you make a plan that will fit your family’s budget and habits.
Rebates reports for families who have not fulfilled Charger Card requirement will be coming home in the Thursday Red envelope.
The Charger Card's sales-window will be open only 4 more times for in-person sales, from 8:15-9:15AM on these dates:
- Friday, June 4
- Friday, June 11
- Wednesday, June 16
- Thursday, June 17 - FInal chance for in-person/in-stock card purchases
Charger Card End of the Year Checklist:
___Have you met your Charger Card minimum requirement?
- Purchase cards which earn a combined $100 rebates -OR-
- Buyout – Make a $150 donation (Send check payable to “SLCC” to main office, Attn: Charger Cards)
___Please return all Charger Card plastic envelopes to the main office
___Register online and sign up for Presto Pay so you can purchase cards over the summer!
___Use the RaiseRight App on your phone!
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For more information on brands/cards available for purchase 24/7 please go to shopwithscrip.com.
Please return Charger Card plastic envelopes to the main school office once you have received your Charger Card order.
Thank you for supporting St. Louise Charger Cards!
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Our School Calendar for Next Year Has Been Finalized |
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The school calendar for 2021-22 has been finalized, with a September 7, 2021 start date and a June 16, 2022 end date. All the school events, Masses, concerts, teacher conference days, and school holidays in between these two dates are now listed HERE.
We appreciate school families setting up their family vacation based on the school calendar. Please realize that next year you will NOT have the option of your child learning remotely via Teams if he/she is away on a trip when school is in session.
If you subscribe to our virtual calendar, you'll have every school event handily in your smartphone's/computer's calendar. Simply hit the “Subscribe” link on our Events/Calendar page: http://www.stlouiseschool.org/apps/events/.
If you would like to print out a hard copy of each individual month from August 2021 to June 2022, there are easy steps:
1) Click on “Calendar View" on the right side of this page;
2) Click on “Print” for each calendar month you scroll to using the arrows in the upper left corner.
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Our 3rd grade students are looking more mature as the long year comes to an end. |
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Thursday's Theology: Marriage
With June traditionally being the most popular month for weddings, it's fitting to talk about marriage at this time of year. The Catholic Church defines "Marriage" as a faithful, exclusive, lifelong union of a man and a woman joined in an intimate community of life and love. Instituted by God, Marriage is to be between a man and woman who are equal, yet created different from but made for each other. This complementarity, including a sexual difference, draws them together in a mutually loving union that should be always open to the procreation of children.
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