School News for April 25-May 1, 2024

A Note from Mr. Fuerte

Dear Families,

Walk-A-Thon – Friday, May 10, 2024

We are so excited to be kicking off the Walk-A-Thon this week! The Walk-a-Thon is one of our required annual fundraisers and this year has a goal of raising $45,000. The Parents' Club uses these funds to pay for student enrichment assemblies and curriculum additions, to 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 make this goal if every school family takes time to contact friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers and ask if they will donate in the student's name. Thanks for helping your child do the asking, as it creates more of a buy-in with the child and is more impressive to the donor.

A fun part of the Walk-A-Thon is Spirit Week which runs the week of the walk – May 6-10. Each day will have a different theme with some days having free dress and others a fun Walk-A-Thon Activity. More details for each day are listed below and also in the Parent Information that you will receive in today’s Red Envelope.

Monday, May 6 – Grade Level Colors Day

Tuesday, May 7 – Wear Red, Black, and White Day

Wednesday, May 8 – Poster Day

Thursday, May 9 – Cheer Day and Mass

Friday, May 10 – Walk-A-Thon Day!!

Please read through the packet and details on the website here so you understand the how's & when's to go about collecting donations. You'll see that there are some fun prizes set up for those kids and classrooms which do the best job in raising funds and/or in running loops around the playground.

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

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

St. Louise Parish School Parent Survey

St. Louise appreciates the confidence and trust you place in us to educate your child/children in a Catholic faith-based school. As partners in educating your child/children, your opinion can help us understand how satisfied you are with the educational services and programs that we provide. We are committed to providing the best possible experience for you and your child/children. So, please take a moment to complete this short survey. Your opinions are valued and will help us improve. All responses are confidential.

Thank you for all you do for St. Louise and God Bless!

Parent Survey

Staff Updates

I would like to announce that we have hired a Middle School ELA teacher replacing Mr. Gallant. Ms. Erin Harvey will be our new Middle School ELA teacher. Erin went to school at St. Louise from Kindergarten through 4th grade. Erin has a bachelor’s degree in English and teaching certificate from Washington State University. Currently, she is a General School Assistant at Newport High School. Erin will be coming a couple of times this spring to shadow Mr. Gallant. Let’s welcome Ms. Erin Harvey to the St. Louise community.

Have a Blessed Weekend,

Mr. Mike Fuerte

Mark your Calendar!

Announcements

Get ready for WALK-A-THON 2024. Watch your email tomorrow (4/26) for your student's personalized link to start collecting pledges! More info coming in today's Red Envelope and on the Walk-A-Thon website here.

Thanks to Elaina Morris & Famous Dave's BBQ, you can purchase lunch (BBQ pork sandwich & chips) for $6.00 with ALL proceeds going to the school! DEADLINE to order lunch is Tuesday, May 7.

Save the Date

Parent Education Night

St. Madeleine Sophie, May 2

Help the 8th grade raise funds to help offset the cost of

graduation activities!

Calling all 6th through 8th graders - Don't miss out on the CROWD Finale - May 3

current 5th grade students are invited to join too!

Chargers C.A.R.E. - 5th Grade Paper Cranes for Stephen

Over the last month, fifth-graders made a goal month to make 1,000 paper cranes for Stephen Dogero, who has been in the hospital for several months battling a rare cancer. 

Fifth-grade drew inspiration to make the cranes from the book they read for lent, “Sadako.” As the story goes, Sadako's friend tells her that the crane, a sacred bird in Japan, lives for a hundred years, and if a sick person (or loved ones of that sick person) folds 1,000 paper cranes, then that person would soon get well. After hearing the legend, Sadako decided to fold 1,000 cranes in hopes that she would get better.

While fifth-grade regularly prays for Stephen and has made him cards, the students weren’t satisfied. They set their minds to folding 1,000 cranes and reached that goal! 

Stephen's parents wanted to thank all of those at STL for their prayers, especially the fifth-grade! 

Charger Shout Out - Matilda Cast & Crew!

Congratulations to Mrs. LB and the cast & crew of Matilda for putting on two AWESOME shows last week!

Parents' Club News - Charger Cards

We LOVE our Volunteers!

SATURDAY SPRING SPRUCE UP!

Saturday, April 27 8:00-11:00

Do you love gardening?

Bring your family and help spruce up the St. Louise grounds!

You can earn volunteer hours for each member of your family that works.

A Note from Fr. Gary & Parish Happenings

Dear Friends of St. Louise,

Easter Peace to you! With the change of leadership, I just realized that I will have only nine more bulletin columns to write before my assignment as your pastor ends on June 30! Please forgive me, those of you for whom the information I am sharing here is repetitive for you. Repetition will be helpful for many who are still processing what the model of our parish leadership will mean.

Most of you know that, beginning July 1, I will be full-time as Vicar for Clergy (which is HR for priests, essentially) and in residence here at St. Louise. I will celebrate Mass in our parish family of St. Louise and St. Madeleine Sophie most of the time, as I am available. Sometimes I will need to be at other parishes. I won’t be on the parish staff per se, but I will still visit the school, faith formation classes, youth groups, etc. as I am able. Those are some of the things that I love the most about being a priest, and it fills my heart with joy to know that I will still get to still minister at St. Louise.

As you know, Fr. Tom Belleque, who served as pastor at St. Louise at from 2002-2014, will now serve as our parish priest for our parish family. That means that he will be serving full time at St. Louise and occasionally at St. Madeleine Sophie. He will do all the things that every priest does, especially preaching, teaching, celebrating the sacraments and pastoral care. He will not be the pastor, so he won’t have any administrative duties. Fr. Tony Bawyn has been the parish priest at St. Madeleine Sophie for a number of years now and will continue in that role, and will occasionally be here at St. Louise. He will also continue in his role at the Tribunal as the primary canon lawyer for the Archbishop. All three of us priests are assigned to the parish family as a whole, not for just one or the other parish.

Our parish family will be under the leadership of Loretta Sursely as pastoral coordinator. A pastoral coordinator is a deacon or lay ecclesial minister who is assigned by the Archbishop to oversee all the administrative and pastoral work of a parish, or in our case, the parish family as well as both schools. Loretta has been pastoral coordinator at St. Madeleine Sophie Parish since 2018. When St. Madeleine Sophie did their listening sessions last fall for Partners in the Gospel, the parishioners said that they wanted both Loretta and Fr. Tony to stay! That gives you a good indication of the kind of ministry that both of them have provided, and Loretta in particular, given that Fr. Tony has that full-time job at the Tribunal.

Thank you to everyone who came to the listening sessions or has given written comments or questions about this new model of leadership for us at St. Louise. We will use that feedback to develop a list of frequently asked questions. The most frequent comment was to keep the communication coming, which we will do. And after that, the most frequent question was, “When do we get to meet Loretta?” That will happen soon, and we will let you know as soon as a date is set.

Thank you for your support and prayers. We are blessed!



Fr. Gary Zender

Please join school & parish families for a prayer and discussion hour about Partners in the Gospel on May 1 at 6 pm in the Church.  

Contact Katie O'Neill with questions or for more information. katie@stlouise.org

Thank you St. Louise Sponsors!

Antezana Garvizu Family