School News for May 9-15, 2024

A Note from Mr. Fuerte

Dear Families,

A Blessing for Mothers

Loving God,

As a mother gives life and nourishment to her children,

so you give life and care for your Church.

Bless these women, as we celebrate this day in their honor.

May they be strengthened as Christian mothers.

Let the example of their faith and love shine forth.

Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honor and appreciate them with a spirit of profound respect.

May the example of Mary, mother of Jesus, inspire them to live their vocation as Christian mothers and call their children to faith. Guide and protect them in challenging times and help them to continue to trust in you all the days of their life.

Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers and please enjoy your special day! God Bless all mothers and grandmothers.

Walk-A-Thon – Friday, May 10, 2024

We have had a fun Spirit Week with Colors Day, St. Louise Colors Theme Day, Poster Day, and Cheer Day. We look forward to a beautiful day for our Walk-A-Thon tomorrow. The weather should be great with temperatures in the 70’s. The Walk-a-Thon is one of our required annual fundraisers and this year we have the goal of raising $45,000. As of Wednesday, we have raised __________________The Parents' Club uses these funds to pay for student enrichment assemblies, curriculum additions, sponsor parent education classes and family social events (that will be resurrected next school year!), as well as providing the faculty and staff with treats throughout the year. We can only meet our goal if every school family takes the time to contact friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers and ask if they can pledge in your student's name. Thank you for helping Parents’ Club!

Please read through the Parent Information Sheet if you have questions about how and when to go about collecting donations. There are some fun prizes for students and classrooms that raise the most money or walk the most laps!

The Walk-a-Thon is a fantastic event that raises funds, spirits, and heart rates! Thanks in advance for all your support and participation!

Tomorrow is the last day to contribute to our Walk-A-Thon. It is a great opportunity to ask sponsors from your neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers! Help support St. Louise School!

All parents are welcome and invited to the fun event to root students on as they circle the track!!

Update on Mr. Mike Fuerte

I would like to thank all the families and the St. Louise community for your support this year and during my tenure as Principal of St. Louise Parish School. It has been an honor serving as your principal and for being part of such a great community for the past 23 years. As many of you know, I started out as an afterschool supervisor for Kids’ Club, became a Kindergarten Instructional Assistant, 5th Grade Teacher, Vice Principal, and now Principal. All of you have made a difference in my life and I appreciate each and every one of you. I wanted to inform all of you of the next chapter of my journey and I would like to announce that starting this Fall, I will be taking the position of 4th grade teacher at Sacred Heart School in Bellevue. I have always wanted to go back to teaching, and this was a great opportunity for me to get back into the classroom. I will continue to attend Mass at St. Louise and I would like to still support the school and parish by attending the school auction, support Standing with Haiti, staying involved with New Bethlehem Programs, and be involved in the Filipino Ministry. Thank you so much and I look forward to finishing up my final months working with your children and the St. Louise community. St. Louise will always be in my heart. I am wishing all of you the best for the transition of a new middle school program and new administration at St. Louise Parish School. God Bless all of you and for your support throughout the years.  

Have a Blessed Weekend,

Mr. Mike Fuerte

Mark your Calendar!

Announcements

Only ONE day till Walk-A-Thon Day and our AWESOME students and faculty have already raised over $32,000!

Be sure to get your donations in so we can beat our goal of $45,000.

Find out all the details on the Walk-A-Thon website here.

Don't forget that EVERY student gets Chocolate Milk after walking!

Advocacy and Caring for Children Fundraiser

Register now for Cosmos for a Cause

The Father Mychal Judge Circle of ACC (Advocacy and Caring for Children) will be holding their 13th annual Cosmos for a Cause event at St. Louise School on May 16. Please join us! Ladies are welcome and encouraged to attend this fun event which includes hors d’oeuvres, cosmos, wine and desserts and features a silent auction of wonderful items! Every dollar raised goes to support agencies in the Seattle and Eastside area serving children and families living on the margins. The Father Mychal Judge Circle is made up entirely of St. Louise School alumni parents – we look forward to seeing you, celebrating, and supporting our community together!

Chargers C.A.R.E. - Confirmation & Pre-K Giving

Congratulations to the following students who were confirmed last week:

Christopher A, Laelah A, Ysa E, Allan G, Jeronimo G, Mika H, Xavier P, Hope R, Blake R, Jaden S, Bodie S, Maya W.

A representative from New Bethlehem Place stopped by PB today to collect the money that was given during Lent, from the kids doing extra chores. They were able to give them over $48 to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables.

Charger Shout Out - Library Superheroes!

Parents' Club News - Charger Shop NOW OPEN!

We LOVE our Volunteers!

The Library is in need of volunteers during the last month of school, between 1.5 to 3 hrs on either Mondays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. This is specifically for the inventory process and no experience is necessary – volunteers are simply scanning barcodes of every book in the library.

The St. Louise Chess Club is looking for parent volunteers to manage the club next school year.

Chess club has partnered with Excel with Chess who provides coaches and are responsible for all activities during the session. As manager for Chess club the main activity is to coordinate with Excel with Chess to setup the dates for upcoming sessions, and to support before/after chess class with students check-in and check-out directly or through parent volunteers. Parents need to be present 10 minutes before class starts at 1:50 p.m. and stay until last student is check-out, typically about 15 minutes after class ends around 3:15 p.m. No chess knowledge is required.

Please reach to chessmanager@stlouiseschool.org if you are interested and you will be contacted by one of our chess managers for an information session.

Notes from Fr. Gary & Fr. Nehnevaj and Parish Happenings!

Dear Friends at St. Louise,

As we continue to prepare to begin forming a parish family with St. Madeleine Sophie Parish, there are many questions that have come up. Beginning with last week’s bulletin, I will include each week a “frequently asked question,” based on the listening sessions I’ve had with parishioners and the school staff. Some of the questions relate directly to the two schools in our parish family.

Frequently asked question number 2: Will the two schools merge, or will one close?

Answer: The operation of the two schools will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future. Our two parishes are planned to become one parish in three years, but any change that might come in the future for the two schools will be at a more gradual pace than that. It will be up to the parish family to discern over those three years and recommend to the Archbishop whether it makes sense to have two parish campuses or not. And even if we end up with only one site for parish Masses, it might be possible to continue with two sites for the schools. Truthfully, there are too many unknowns to say for sure. We do know that St. Madeleine Sophie School has a unique mission, among all the Catholic schools in the Archdiocese, in that it is able to serve students with different learning needs – they have some students with Down Syndrome, for example. So by its nature, it needs to be a small school; and so, at least in my mind, the merging of our two schools into one is less likely than in other parish families that have multiple schools with the same mission. At the same time, the possibility for creative cooperation between our two schools might be a real opportunity.

Time will tell, and we rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us! Whatever changes may happen in the parish or school, we promise that there will be consultation and transparency before any decision is made. The photo below is Fr. Tony Bawyn and me at the St. Madeleine Sophie Auction Dinner on April 27. He received the St. Margaret Castello award for his generous service in the school. And I won a prize at the Bingo game, which was a ton of fun!

The two staffs were on retreat together on May 2, which was a great opportunity to get to know each other better. Next week I will share about the meeting that Loretta Sursely, Jonathan Taasan (JT) Fr. Tom Belleque, Fr. Tony Bawyn, and I had on May 6. We are making real efforts to prepare well for July 1 when the new assignments begin. Just as a reminder, for our parish family, Loretta was appointed by Archbishop Etienne to serve as Pastoral Coordinator, Fr. Tom will be the full-time parish priest, based at St. Louise, and Fr. Tony will continue as parish priest, based at St. Madeleine Sophie, as well as full-time at the Chancery with the Tribunal Office. I will be full-time as Vicar for Clergy for the Archdiocese, and in residence at St. Louise. I will still be here to assist Fr. Tom with Masses and other sacramental needs.

Thank you for your prayers and support as we continue the journey toward becoming a parish family.

Happy Mother’s Day! I am aware of how important mothers are in our human formation, and I know that is true for both Fr. Nehnevaj and me. My mother, Lenore, is a registered nurse, and Fr. Nehnevaj’s mother, Tracy, is a college-level math instructor. Our mothers help to nurture us in the healing and teaching gifts that we have as priests. I am sure that, on one level or another, each of your mothers did the same for you. May God’s richest blessings be upon all our mothers, both living and deceased!    

With gratitude,

Fr. Gary Zender

Ask Fr. Nehnevaj...

How can we encourage vocations to the priesthood?

One simple way to foster vocations is taking the young men in your life to priestly events, like Ordination Masses, where men become priests, or Masses of Thanksgiving, where the newly ordained celebrate their first Masses, giving thanks to God and to those who supported them. These events help normalize the priesthood as a possibility for the future. To that end, here is the schedule of upcoming ordinations and Masses of Thanksgiving here in the Archdiocese of Seattle. Even if you do not know a young man to accompany to these Masses, I would still encourage you to go, to pray for those ordained and to show your support for our newly ordained and those preparing for ordination. You may even know some of the young men preparing for ordination.

• Saturday May 18, 10AM, Diaconal Ordination of Joseph Tapia‑Beeman at St. Stephen the Martyr in Renton, WA
• Sunday May 19, 8:30AM and 11AM, First Masses preached by Deacon Joseph Tapia‑Beeman at St. Stephen the Martyr in Renton, WA
• Saturday June 1, 10AM, Priestly Ordination of Deacon Kyle Rink and Deacon Max Muñoz at St. James Cathedral in Seattle, WA
• Saturday June 1, 5PM, Mass of Thanksgiving of Fr. Max Muñoz at Holy Spirit in Kent, WA (Spanish)
• Sunday June 2, 11AM, Mass of Thanksgiving of Fr. Kyle Rink, All Saints in Puyallup, WA
• Sunday June 2, 11AM, Mass of Thanksgiving of Fr. Max Muñoz at Holy Family in Kirkland, WA (English)
• Sunday June 2, 7PM, Mass of Thanksgiving of Fr. Kyle Rink at St. Patrick in Tacoma, WA
• Friday June 7, 7PM, Mass of Thanksgiving of Fr. Max Muñoz at Sacred Heart in Tacoma, WA (Spanish)

There were a few follow up questions from my article about my upcoming assignment

Is there a Catholic school in Bremerton?

There is a PK-8 parochial school at Our Lady Star of the Sea and an independent classical education high school renting space at Holy Trinity.

What is your brother doing at the Olympic Trials?



Last I heard he is not certain he will be at the Olympic Trials, but it is very likely he will be competing in the 20,000 meter racewalk, which is about the length of a half-marathon.

Gallery - Rock Climbing with Mrs. Jaster

Three lucky students got to go rock climbing with Mrs. Jaster! Thanks to their parents for purchasing this awesome outing at last fall's Auction!

Students got to learn about the Ferry Foundation and their work to bring a Marian Shrine to the Seattle Area. You can read more about the project here.

Thank you St. Louise Sponsors!

Antezana Garvizu Family