WEEKLY BULLETIN - March 24, 2022
From the Desk of Mike Fuerte
Dear Families,


Pre-K Expansion for Fall of 2022

During the admissions season we have had overwhelming requests from families to enroll their child in Pre-K. After discussions with the Archdiocese of Seattle, Father Gary, JT, Mrs. Blank and I have determined that a 2nd Pre-K classroom is needed for the additional families and students that will be coming to St. Louise. In order to expand to two classrooms and meet licensing requirements, we will move the entire program into the St. Louise Room, transforming it into a new, improved space. We are planning to have the project completed and ready to kick off for the 2022-2023 School Year this Fall. We will be kicking off the expansion of the Pre-K program at the auction with a “Fund the Future” fundraiser during the Live bidding. More information will be sent out by Laura Bonner, our School Auction Chair. What an exciting time and opportunity for the St. Louise community to grow for years to come. 

Register to Attend Now! – Saturday, April 9th, 2022 – St. Louise “Shine Bright” Auction

The school auction is less than 3 weeks away and we are so excited to have the auction live and in person at the Westin this year. Auction Chair, Laura Bonner and her auction committee have been working hard in preparing for our fun event to help raise money for our school. If you have not signed up for the auction, we would love to have you join us and sign up NOW at the following link: Auction Sign Up . Thank you for your support of our school, faculty, staff, students, and families. We look forward to seeing you on April 9th. If you have any questions about the auction, please contact Laura Bonner at auction@stlouiseschool.org

Update on School Personnel

I would like to announce that we have hired a part-time Development Director. Her name is Amanda Adkins and she will be closely working with our Auction Chair, Laura Bonner and the school administration team. She will be working hard the next few weeks between the auction office and development office getting accustomed to her new role in our school. Please stop by either office to introduce yourself to her. Below is some background information about Amanda Adkins:

Amanda Adkins hails from New York City and has lived in Seattle for the last 8 years. Her experience is in marketing, advertising sales, and project management for both traditional and digital spaces. In recent years, she has worked as an event marketing consultant for Microsoft's exclusive executive summits. Amanda has worked for companies such as MTV, A&E Television Networks and the luxury resort Canyon Ranch. Over the years, Amanda has volunteered many hours to her children's Catholic school in Wallingford, Seattle and believes in the power of a Catholic school education. Amanda is excited to step into the role of Development Director and apply her experience to build and strengthen the community at St. Louise. In her free time, Amanda enjoys spending time with her husband and her three kiddos, Ainsley (12), Sienna (10) and James (4). 


Realizing we still have over three months remaining in this current school year, it's time to make some plans for the upcoming 2022-23 school year. With that is the realization that as I start at this time to re-sign teachers and staff to return next year, I also start receiving disappointing news from a few employees who have to put in their notice that they won't be returning. Even though getting word from faculty members that they are moving on or moving elsewhere is a typical, annual occurrence, it is still always upsetting. 

Two of our teachers have already notified me of plans for 2022-23 that unfortunately will not involve working at St. Louise School. Here is how Dr. Karen Cole, our Junior High Science Teacher and Mrs. Val Cervantes, our 5th grade teacher for the past 6 years, would like to inform you of their departures, effective this summer:

Karen Cole:

“I am writing to you with a grateful heart and to announce that I will be leaving St. Louise at the end of this school year to start a new chapter in my life—Retirement!

Little did I know when I started teaching at St. Louise in 2001 where that journey would lead and the many wonderful students, parents, and colleagues I would have the privilege of knowing.  

There have been several turns along the path as my teaching duties shifted from the early years as the K-5 Computer Specialist to my current role as 7th & 8th Grade Science Teacher and 6th Grade Technology Specialist. The challenges of this road have taught me much about creativity, flexibility, and resiliency as well as strengthening my admiration and appreciation for the wonderful fellow educators and administrators who supported me along the way.  

Another special memory that will always remain close to my heart was leading the St. Louise Chorale. Hearing the voices of our students raised in songs of prayer and praise touched many other hearts as well. Although Covid paused that activity, I am hopeful for the return of this ministry opportunity once it is deemed safe. 

St. Louise has become my 2nd family and while it will be difficult to leave this job, I plan to remain part of the school community as a substitute teacher and volunteer. So, I won’t say good-bye, but “See you soon”. – Thank you and many blessings to all, Karen Cole"

Val Cervantes:

“As many of you know, my husband and I are expecting our first child this upcoming September. Words cannot describe the level of excitement and joy this news has filled us with. However, after a lot of prayer, we have decided that the best choice for our family is to move back to Iowa. This is where we are both from and our families still live. It is such a bittersweet decision to leave Seattle and this amazingly supportive and caring St. Louise community. After six years of teaching fifth-grade, St. Louise has truly become my second home and it will be difficult to leave this blessed place. I look forward to my next chapter, but St. Louise will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you for all of your prayers, love, and support throughout the years.” - Love, Mrs. Val Cervantes

We will greatly miss these two wonderful teachers! We'll recognize them at our end-of-year liturgy in June. I will soon be publicly posting the openings for their positions, in the hopes of continuing our tradition of bringing quality instructors and caring Christians on our faculty. If you know of qualified teachers, please have them contact me.



Nominations Needed
      
We have wonderful volunteers at St. Louise School, and each June we honor 3 of them with the Volunteer Extraordinaire Awards. I am asking both you and the faculty to nominate volunteers to be considered for this award. Nominees should have a history of dedicated, positive volunteering for the St. Louise School community. Past recipients of the award include: Rebecca Nightingale, Joni Hoffman, and Ingrid Flaat. Do you have a fellow parent(s) to nominate? If so, please send your nomination to Mr. Fuerte, along with an explanation of why the person deserves to be considered. Thanks for your help!

Blessings for the Lenten Season!

Mike Fuerte
Upcoming Events
March
25
Friday

  • Shine Bright Auction Registration - Sign up at Afternoon Carpool and be entered to win a glassybaby!
March
28
Monday
  • NO School or Kids' Club (Teacher Theological In-Service Day)
March
31
Thursday
  • Parents' Club Meeting - 6:30 pm
  • Used Uniform & Charger Gear Sale 3-4pm
Father Daughter Dance Returns June 4th
SAVE THE DATE!
CHARGER GEAR & USED UNIFORM SALE - MARCH 31
Congratulations to Emry Baker!


St. Louise Kindergartener, Emry competed “for” St. Louise in the Cascadia Dragon’s Lair Chess Tournament this past weekend. It was 5 rounds - he won 3 and drew 2, getting a total score of 4 points for the day. 

He was one of 17 (and only kindergartener) in the K-1, U800 division and he tied for 2nd/3rd place!! The winner had 4.5 points so he was so close!!

He will now be competing in the Washington State Elementary Championship tournament at the end of April. 
Summer Camp & Booster Bunch - Sign up Now!
Summer Learning for Students

Help prevent “summer slump” by signing your students for these two special programs in August running here at St. Louise:

Summer Booster Program: Join our Booster Bunch in August 2-4 to help your students get a head start on September’s classes. St. Louise teachers will design fun lessons to minimize summer learning loss and put students on the fast-track to fall academic preparedness. Booster Bunch students entering grades 1-5 will receive instruction on material from the recently completed school year - a terrific opportunity for more practice to confidently begin a new grade level.

For additional information or to register to Booster camp, please visit Summer Booster Program

Chargers Summer Camps (Weekly August 1-26)

All aboard as we embark on epic One-Week summer camps filled with fun, discovery, and excitement. Anchored in strong character and faith, we'll set a course for grand adventures as we blast through scientific discoveries, art exploration, outdoor games, and more!

For additional information or to register, please visit Chargers Summer Camps

Limited spaces are available in each of these programs. Please email MariaZ@stlouiseschool.org if you have any questions about these Summer programs.
Student Learning Expectation (SLE) for March
Student Learning Expectations (otherwise known as SLEs) are expectations that our students should know, understand, value, and be able to do by the time they graduate from St. Louise School.
March's SLE is:

A St. Louise Student is An Active Christian Who…

1.2 Knows Roman Catholic teachings and traditions and
has a working knowledge of the Bible.
1.3 Actively participates in the service for which God calls us

FRIDAY APRIL 1ST
St. Louise Knights of Columbus FISH FRY
REGISTER NOW
SHINE BRIGHT AUCTION - APRIL 9, 2022

UPDATES FROM THE AUCTION OFFICE:


The school auction is just a couple of weeks away! Please purchase your tickets if you have not already done so: Registration (ejoinme.org). Volunteers will be at carpool to help you register for the Auction on Friday afternoon. Sign up with them and be entered to win this year’s glassybaby designed by Mrs. Walker. You can make a night of it and stay at the Westin at a discounted rate Book your group rate for St. Louise School Auction.

If you are not able to attend, you can still participate by purchasing raffle tickets and bidding on silent auction items during Preview Week (April 4-8).

As always, the auction depends on volunteers. Angie Ogilvy, Erika Mervin and Annie Nesbitt have been creating beautiful decorations for the auction. Jen Newton, Joni Hoffman and Peter Newton have been hard at work creating the auction catalog. Sara Gopsill has been helping Mrs. Walker document the creation of the grade level art projects. Kimberly and Russell Valentine and Nancy Franco have helped the PreK students create a beautiful art project. If you would like to volunteer please contact Laura in the Auction office: auction@stlouiseschool.org

Finally…we are pleased to announce the winners of the Premium Wine Contest. 2A had the highest percent participation--3A collected the most wine—so both classes get a donut party! Congratulations 2A and 3A and a big thank you to everyone who donated wine.  

Please reach out to Laura Bonner at auction@stlouiseschool.org with any questions!
BOOK FAIR RETURNS - Volunteers Needed!
St. Louise Parish Lenten Season 2022
More School News

Mark your Calendars for these upcoming events:

  • March 28 - NO SCHOOL OR KIDS' CLUB
  • March 30 - Grade 3-4 Confessions
  • March 31 - Used Uniform & Charger Gear Sale - 3-4:00 pm
  • March 31 - Parents' Club Meeting 6:30 pm
  • April 1 - Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament - Grades 2-8
  • April 2 - Saturday Spruce Up - 8-11:00 am
  • April 4-8 - Auction Preview Week & Silent Auctions
  • April 9 - Shine Bright Auction - 6:00 pm at the Westin Bellevue
PARENTS' CLUB
CHARGER CARDS
Stop in Tuesday afternoon from 2:45-3:30pm or Friday morning from 8:30-9:15am for all your gift card needs!

The BIG winner of the Charger Card Pot of Gold Drawing is………Ricardo Coronado! Ricardo won a $25 Charger Card of his choice.

Thank you to all that ordered Charger Cards last week!

Charger Cards will be running a promotion for the month of April.

All rebates earned, both online and in person, will qualify towards your child’s class. The class that earns the MOST REBATES in April will earn a “Sweet Treat Party” in May!

Party will take place on a date decided by the teacher. Get your orders in, earn your rebates, fulfill your STL commitment, and WIN your child a sweet treat!


Need more info about Charger Cards? Check out their website here.


PARENTS' CLUB MEETING

Parents' Club Meeting - Thursday, March 31st at 6:30pm

Click here to join the meeting via Teams
VOLUNTEER CORNER
Thank you to all of our amazing parent volunteers!
Help Needed!

Do you still need to fulfill your 40 hour Volunteer Commitment?

We need help delivering Welcome Bags to our newly accepted families! If you have a few free hours and don't mind driving around the area to drop off these fun goodies - please call or email Mindy or Tracy in the School Office - 425-746-4220 or office@stlouiseschool.org.
If you know of a volunteer doing great work and want to recognize them, simply email their name and what they do to socialmedia@stlouiseschool.org.

Want to volunteer - check out available opportunities here!
The Pastor's Message
Dear Friends at St. Louise,

March 25 is nine months before Christmas Day, and Catholics celebrate it in a big way! For us it is the Solemnity of the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would be the Mother of God. For this special day we set aside the penances of Lent, sing the Gloria, and bring out flowers! The only hint that it’s still Lent is that the Alleluia is not sung – we have to save something to celebrate the day of Mary’s son’s resurrection!

During this March, in the shadow of war, Pope Francis consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, at a special reconciliation service in Rome. Especially since the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917, the Church has invoked the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in times of war. Pope Francis asks all of us to be aware of this tradition of turning to Mary for her help, and to put it into practice, so that the weapons of war will soon give way to negotiations for peace.

The message of Our Lady of Fatima, of the Divine Mercy, and of many of the saints, is to pray and to fast for peace. We can feel helpless in the face of what we read and hear and see in the news. Yet prayer and fasting are powerful spiritual weapons for peace.

At weekday Mass I have been inviting the assembly to join me in praying a Hail Mary, and a brief litany, for peace in the world and especially in Ukraine. I invite you to do so as well. If you can, please pray one Hail Mary, or a decade of the rosary, or an entire rosary, each day, for peace. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zenlenskyy has made many powerful appeals to nations and governments for their help. Our Pope is asking us also, as individuals, to do what we can to help using the time-honored prayer of the Most Holy Rosary. Let’s unite in that effort, for the good of Ukraine and of the whole world.

This is our time, to live our faith and to do it boldly.

Fr. Gary Zender

p.s. It was fun to have Fr. Tom at the Masses in English last weekend – and I sure enjoyed visiting at St. Anthony’s too. Fr. Frank Rouleau from Outreach to Haiti will be at St. Anthony’s this weekend for his annual visit, and with us at all the Masses next weekend. Fr. Frank will also speak to St. Louise School students on Monday, April 4. We look forward to learning more about what it will mean for our parish and school to join in St. Anthony’s covenant relationship with Ste. Anne de Hyacynthe Parish and School in Haiti.
GALLERY
Thank you to Betty and Bill Connor (grandparents of Emry and Evan Baker) for sharing their amazing talent on St. Patrick's Day - The Irish music was awesome and a great start to the day!
133 156th Avenue S.E., Bellevue, WA 98007
Phone: (425) 746-4220
Fax: (425) 644-3294