Parent Bulletin May 27, 2021

MR. FITZ'S BLOG In case you weren't aware until you read the 2021 Auction packet in last week's red envelope, 2021 is St. Louise School's 60th anniversary! The school began in the fall of 1961, and our diamond anniversary will culminate this fall with the start of our new school year! It's uplifting to think of the amazing history of St. Louise Parish School - starting with nuns (the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace) being the first teachers here and continuing into the 21st Century with the construction of our beautiful main building. You can read more about the history of our school HERE. I have 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)? The first parent who EMAILS ME with the correct answer to all 3 questions will win a $15 Charger Card! You'll notice I came up with history questions that you'll have an impossible time finding by simply searching online. But that's why I made the prize much bigger than my typical $5 ones! Good luck! Next Thursday, 'll give you the answers - and share the name of the winner ...if we get one. Shine Bright - playing off the 60th anniversary's "diamond theme" - is the theme of our November 2021 Auction. In last week's initial information on Shine Bright, it was noted that June 28th is the deadline for our returning grade PK-7 families to please turn in your Auction procurement forms. We appreciate you taking the next six weeks to go through the Wish List in last week's information packet and see what fantastic items you can procure/donate to the Auction. If you have questions, please contact Julianne Read. June starts next week, and in the Catholic Church, June is the Month-of-the-Sacred-Heart-of-Jesus. Parents might want to watch this 2-minute video to better understand the "Sacred Heart," and here is some information to learn so you can impress your children when they ask what this special monthlong devotion is all about. Blessings on your day, MR. FITZ p.s. The final new teacher position to fill for the coming 2021-22 school year was for our librarian. We are thrilled to announce St. Louise's new librarian will be DeAun Green! DeAun (dee - on) has been a reference librarian for the past 13 years at middle schools, high schools, and colleges. This will be her first elementary school librarian position, but she has previously done volunteer library work in her children's elementary school. The Green family attend Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Snoqualmie, where DeAun has been involved as a volunteer. She is excited to learn from Mrs. McIntosh these final weeks of the school year, and then take over as St. Louise's librarian in August.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS Monday, May 31 - NO SCHOOL Memorial Day Holiday - honoring the heroic sacrifice of those who died serving our country Kids' Club closed Tuesday, June 1 School Commission meeting, 6:30PM in the school library Thursday, June 3 Parents' Club meeting, 6:30PM; contact Karen Reed if you would like the link to this virtual meeting Science Showcase in parish hall; parents invited to tour - but only by RSVPing (see article below) 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 Monday, June 28 Procurement deadline for all returning families for the November 2021 "Shine Bright" Auction CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR HERE

Inspiration & Insights from Father Gary

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 second-to-the-last article in his series. Dear St. Louise School Families, Pope St. John Paul II gave a series of Wednesday Audiences (talks the Pope gives weekly in Rome) entitled, “Human Love in the Divine Plan.” These presentations, now known as “The Theology of the Body," help Christians to understand more deeply the meaning of our dignity as persons who have both a body and a soul. Theology of the Body explores what it means that we are our bodies, the nature of the sacredness of the body and our human sexuality. The Pope used a philosophical method called “phenomenology,” which places a high emphasis on the “phenomenon” of the human experience in the search for truth. He trusts that people are sincere in their search for truth and so does not impose his teaching on others but invites people to reflect upon his teaching in light of their experience. He also presumes that people are willing to seek truth objectively, rather than just subjectively. The honest search for truth is possible only with “perfect love, which is only possible if truth itself is a perfect person, Jesus. Truth is. Truth’s name is Jesus.” (The Theology of the Body Explained Christopher West, p. 43) In perfect love, Jesus gave himself in his body on the cross, the bridegroom who gave himself to his bride, the Church. What we do in our body matters.  Theology of the Body has its roots in the life experience of John Paul II who came of age during WW II in Poland. One could summarize the papacy of John Paul II as a fight against Communism and a fight against the sexual revolution. He saw that both objectified the human person. He and former President Reagan collaborated to bring Communism down in Eastern Europe. John Paul II spoke out boldly against Communism in Latin America, “Rationalism sees the body only as a biological reference point while the Church has always taught that the body is an integral part of the human person.” (West, p. 47) Theology of the Body is a response to an age that questions the values that society once presumed to be true. It offers support for the dignity of the human person and the beauty and true purpose of our sexuality.  St. John Paul II teaches that Christ who is both subjective (a man) and objective (God) is the only way for us to know fully our lived human experience and be free of subjectivism (seeing reality only from our own perspective or narcissism.) If Faith is “openness to the gift of God” then Jesus is the full expression of that gift in his divinity and his humanity. His humanity that has a body, as do we. Jesus saved us in our bodies with his divine power and through his bodily death and resurrection. Through our baptism, we become members of his body.     As members of his Body, God made our bodies us to communicate love. The body speaks a language; we communicate with our bodies. John Paul II calls this the nuptial meaning of the body - the one who seeks to be in union with the other. The desire of one with the other or “I –see--into--you” (intimacy) is the meaning of Jesus, the “Word made flesh." As St. Athanasius says, “Our salvation is in no way fictitious, nor does it apply only to the body. The salvation of the whole man, that is, of soul and body, has really been achieved in the Word himself.” (From a letter by Saint Athanasius, bishop, The Office of Readings, January 1, The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.)     I invite you to go deeper. Listen to this ten-minute video by Fr. Mike Schmitz here to learn six important points about Theology of the Body.   Blessings to all! Fr. Gary Zender Next week: The Meaning of Marriage

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.

Because of parents' and supporters' generosity at April's Auction, 100% of the Teachers' Wish Lists were funded in all grade levels! Many of our grateful and excited teachers have already made their wish list purchases! Above, our 3rd graders show off the "sit arounds" their teachers just bought with the Auction revenue. "Sit arounds" are cushions that give students a comfortable place to sit on the ground during story time or some small group activities. Also regarding the successful auction, because every grade level was able to fulfill the Premium Wine Bottle Donation contest, every student will get to enjoy an ice cream sundae on June 7! Thank you, awesome parent donors!

Students Show Off at Science Showcase

Our annual Science Showcase returns this year, with June 3 the date for our grade K-8 "scientists" to display what they have learned in science classes in 2020-21. The Parish Hall will be set up with each grade level having either one group display or multiple individual displays of experiments and/or science projects. Classes set up their displays the afternoon of June 2 or the morning of June 3, and then each grade level will have an assigned time to walk through all the K-8 displays. In the precaution of not having too many people in the Parish Hall at one time, parents will have two set times for them to be able to enter the Hall and walk through to view displays. Please sign up HERE with Signup-Genius to sign up for a 30-minute viewing time. Space is limited! If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Fuerte. If you have questions about your child's class's Science Showcase display(s), please contact your child's science teacher directly.

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, I have a huge list of businesses you can reach out to! Thank you for all you do in support of St. Louise! Let's have another great auction! If you have any questions, please reach out to Julianne Read.

We Want to Have School Band and Robotics Club Next Year

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.   Interested candidates may complete and submit a cover letter and resume to MariaZ@StLouiseschool.org.    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.

Thank You for Volunteering 20 Hours or More this Year

For this "different" school year, we have asked all school families to set a minimum goal of volunteering at least 20 hours to St. Louise School and/or Parish, since it has been more difficult to earn the typical 40 hours due to the many canceled CYO teams, school and parish events, and extra-curricular programs.   We appreciate the volunteering school parents have been able to do this year - from helping with the Auction, to joining Saturday Spruce-Ups, to coaching spring sports! Please make sure you log in at least 20 volunteer hours HERE by June. For those families who will not be able to log in at least 20 hours of volunteering, 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 by June. 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 the first week of June at the latest. Some available volunteer positions for the final weeks of the school year include: Saturday Spruce Up - June 5 from 8-11AM, volunteers are needed to week and spread bark; please contact J.T. Taasan with any questions. Our Auction Team is looking for some fun people to breathe some new life into our procurement planning. Please reach out to Julianne Read to jump on board! New Family Mentor - We would love current school families to greet and mentor newly enrolled 2021-22 families on the ins & outs of being a St. Louise parent; please let Mindy Morgan and Tracy Brown know if you can be a mentor - a volunteer job that you can mostly do on your own time from home and will involve a summer playdate with the new student and family. Field Day - this annual event will take place on June 15, and Mr. Evans will need lots of help much of the day.

Will You Have Completed Your Fund Raiser Commitments by June?

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: All 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. 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.

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. This 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.

Returning Students Have Summer Learning to Complete in June/July/August

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!

Charger Card End of the Year Checklist: The last day to purchase cards is the morning of June 16! Don’t delay! Please contact us if you would like help with ordering, planning, or understanding the program and your requirements for purchases. We are happy to help you make a plan that will fit your family’s budget and habits. ___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 online registration form for step-by-step instructions. ___Use the RaiseRight App on your phone!  Have You Planned to Purchase Charger Cards for Upcoming Events? Get Charger Cards that you can use for: Memorial Day weekend barbecue Teacher gifts for the end-of-year: see the Teacher Wishlist Graduation gifts  Father’s Day gifts Summer Plans - Gas, Hotels, Disney gift cards, Cold Stone Creamery, restaurants, etc!) Uniform purchases and school supplies for the fall * * * * * In-person sales are every school-Friday from 8:15-9:00AM in the central hallway of the original school building. Orders made online or drop-off forms received at the school office by 9am Monday will be delivered Friday of that week. 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  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!

Our 8th grade track team did a fantastic job at the CYO Pentathlon last Sunday. Competing against 70 athletes from various other other Catholic schools, St. Louise had some top finishers - Annie Wilken came in 2nd overall for the girls, and Ethan Read came in 5th overall for the boys! All the athletes had to run the 100m, 400m and 800m races, throw the shot put ,and jump the long jump. Pictured above are the 8th grade Chargers, including coaches Mrs. Cervantes and Ms. Crosby. Other coaches this spring were Lara Kierlin, Juan Gonzalez, Elizabeth Kaukl, Sheldon Sequeira, and Julie Sturgill. There is one CYO track meet left of the season for the entire grade 4-8 Chargers team. It's on Thursday, June 3, from 5:00 - 7:00 at Highland Middle School.

Thursday's Theology: June Is the Month We Devote to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

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