St. Louise School Weekly Bulletin

School News for March 7-13, 2024

A Note from Mr. Fuerte

Dear Families,

As we continue with our 3^rd week of Lent, I look to prayer to help me with my day. Examples of some short prayers for the upcoming week:

“God may Your light guide my day, and Your spirit bring me peace. Amen.”
“God may my sacrifice of today of (state your Lenten sacrifice) remind me of my dependence on You for all the blessings I enjoy. Amen.”
” May I stand in solidarity today with all my brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering. May we be united in Your love, and may I work to build Your kingdom here on earth.”
“Heavenly Father, I’m truly sorry for the moments today where I missed the mark. I ask for Your forgiveness and the strength to better follow Your call tomorrow. Amen.”
” God, I lift up (name of the person you’d like to pray for) today. I ask that You bless them abundantly today and throughout Lent. Amen.”
“Oh Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything. Amen.

Accreditation Visit – March 11-13

Next week from March 11-13, the Accreditation Team comprised of teachers and a Principal will be visiting St. Louise Parish School. They will be talking to students, parents, and staff, attending our Stations of the Cross Silhouette, and observing classrooms. As you know, since August of 2022, our school faculty has been working on a self-study process as part of the accreditation process all Catholic schools undertake every six years. The goal is to receive a six-year-term of accreditation by the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA), and also to assure our stakeholders (school parents and St. Louise parishioners) that our school undergoes evaluations and works at creating both short-range and long-range plans for improvement. Although the majority of the research and writing of our self-study was accomplished by our dedicated teachers and staff, the just-completed 15 month self-study process included an assist from parents completing surveys last year.

We look forward to the visiting Accreditation Team joining us next week during their three-day evaluation of our school. At the end of their visit, they will present the faculty with a “Report of Findings”. It is that same report they will present to the WCEA's board of commissioners, and by this spring we expect to hear back from the WCEA on our accreditation results.

SLE of the Month – March

A St. Louise Student Is…

1.2 An Active Christian Who Knows Roman Catholic teachings and traditions and has a working knowledge of the Bible.

1.3 An Active Christian Who Actively participates in the service for which God calls us.

2024-2025 – Important Dates

Some of you have been asking about key dates for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. I will be completing the calendar in the next few weeks and will share with you the following events: Passport Day, Mandatory Student-Teacher-Parent Conferences, Christmas Break, Mid-Winter Break, Easter Break, and Last Day of School. The official 2024-2025 calendar will be prepared by May. Thank you for your patience.

Stations of the Cross Silhouette Prayer Service – March 11

The 4th graders will be leading a special Stations of the Cross Silhouette Prayer Service on Monday, March 11th in the Parish Hall. Grades PK-3 students will be attending at 11:00AM and Grades 5-8 students will be attending at 1:05PM. Parents are invited to attend.

Annual Fund

As we kick off our Annual Fund this week, we ask that you prayerfully consider your participation and what St. Louise School means to your family. As you know, we work very hard to keep our tuition as accessible as possible for our community, yet we need to compensate our teachers for all their hard work providing the excellent education we have come to expect. Through fundraisers like the Annual Fund, we are able to make up the difference between the tuition we collect and the cost of educating our students. This year we are operating in a deficit because for the past 3 years St. Louise was able to get support from EANS Federal Government Funding for COVID to cover the costs of technology, licenses, laptops, and other technological needs. The costs have increased and we need your support. For you, the bonus is you get a tax deduction for your gifts to the Annual Fund, instead of paying more in tuition.

Our goal this year is to raise $170,000. While we need each family to donate or pledge by the end of the school year, we are hoping to “Bridge the $6,000 Gap” with 100% participation of families this month. To the 66 families who have already made a donation to the Annual Fund, “Thank you for your generosity and leadership!” Please pledge or donate by Friday, March 15, 2024. Also, please look into matching gift programs or stock donations.

Send in your check today or click here to contribute now.

https://www.osvhub.com/stlouiseschool/funds/annual-fund

Have a Blessed Weekend,

Mr. Mike Fuerte

Principal

Announcements

Preschool Survey

Our administration is engaged in long-term planning and is contemplating incorporating a 3-year-old program into our existing Pre-K, to better support the needs of our families. Kindly fill out our Preschool Survey to share your opinions on introducing a program for 3-year-olds at St. Louise.

Complete the Preschool Survey Here

Tuesday Testimonials

Be sure to follow St. Louise School on Facebook and Instagram, then like and share our Tuesday Testimonial posts for a chance to win a limited edition glassybaby, or charger card!

Help us spread the word about St. Louise School!

Give to the Annual Fund

THE WAR IS ON! Send your last PENNIES tomorrow as we wrap up the competition!

Only 2 spots left in Cooking, 7 spots in Science, and 10 spots in Wacky Water!

Chargers C.A.R.E. | New Bethlehem Lent Drive

Charger Shout-Out - Library Superheroes & Gymnastics Champions!

Congratulations to 4th graders Germaine L. and Serene L. who competed last weekend at the Washington Cascade Team Challenge. Germaine placed 1st on vault, 2nd on floors and bars while Serene placed 2nd on vault and 3rd on bars! Germaine qualified to compete in the finals on vault and was crowned champion! Way to go girls!

Parents' Club News - Charger Cards

Mark your Calendar!

March 7 - Standing with Haiti Mass 9am (Gr 4-8)
March 7 - Grades 7/8 Standing with Haiti Lunch
March 9 - Standing with Haiti Fundraising Dinner 6:00 pm
March 11 - Stations of the Cross 11:00 & 1:00
March 11-13 - Accreditation Visit
March 13 - NOON DISMISSAL (NO Afternoon Kids' Club)
March 15 - NO SCHOOL & NO Kids' Club

Subscribe to the School Calendar Here

We LOVE our Volunteers!

HELP NEEDED WITH VISION & HEARING SCREENINGS ON TUESDAY, MARCH 19!

Tuesday, March 19th Vision and Hearing screening will be conducted by our school nurse, Mrs. Reynolds and parent volunteers on students in grades K, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7.

Looking for volunteer hours? We need 5 volunteers from 8:30-12:20 to help with screenings. No experience needed. If you are interested, please email janer@stlouiseschool.org

A Note from Fr. Gary - New Principal Update!

Dear Friends at St. Louise,

Most of you know that after over two years serving as our St. Louise School principal, Mike Fuerte has discerned that God is calling him to return to the classroom. He let me know early in this school year, which put us in a strong position to post the position with good timing.

I am delighted to announce that we have a new principal! His name is John Black, he currently lives in California, and he comes with a wealth of experience. He will officially begin on July 1, 2024. Here is an adapted version of what he shared with the school community:

John began his career as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching mathematics to high school students in a little village in central Africa. He returned from that experience fully committed to a career in education. In the decade that followed, he completed his Masters and Doctoral studies while teaching at Catholic and international schools in the United States and Honduras, before becoming a principal at a Catholic school in central California. His leadership career continued at Catholic, independent, and international schools in the United States, the Middle East, and Asia. In total, he has more than 20 years of leadership experience.

John is originally from Massachusetts, born to an Irish Catholic mother and a Lutheran father. His wife was born in the Philippines and grew-up in a staunchly Catholic household. They have been blessed with five children, all of whom are now in college or beyond. Their oldest is married and soon to start his own family.

John describes his leadership style as collaborative and relational. He looks forward to partnering with everyone in the parish and school as we take St. Louise Catholic School to new heights of excellence, while continuing to ensure its strong Catholic identity.

John notes that in education these days, we hear so much about the Whole Child, about how important it is for schools to meet not just the academic but the social and emotional needs of every student. But this is where Catholic education has its greatest advantage. At schools like St. Louise, we can also meet the spiritual needs of each child, regardless of their faith background. In doing so, we are giving our children the strongest of foundations upon which to build their lives.

In the years to come, John looks forward to collaborating with everyone in our community to give the students of St. Louise Catholic School an education that prepares them to be lifelong learners, forever grounded in the values of the Catholic Church.

Thank you for your prayers for St. Louise School in this time of transition.

Fr. Gary Zender

Thank you for your kind words of support after I shared with the parish, two weeks ago at Mass, that we are currently operating with a $50,000 deficit. The 16% growth in attendance at Mass has not been matched with the growth in financial contributions, while expenses that are beyond our control continue to increase. As I said at Mass, I have faith in God, and I know that you do too! I am confident that together we can overcome this challenge to ensure that we have a vibrant parish in the future. Thank you! Fr. Gary

See What Happened this Week - Gallery

Thank you to the incredible volunteers who made our Father Daughter Dance possible! The night was filled with joy, laughter, and cherished memories.

Amanda Standley, Harry & Yulieta Sanchez, Ana Gonzalez, Liz Huerta, Shirley Wu, Michelle Taylor, Amavilia Muñoz, Marian Zappala, Maria Harvey, Tomas Niño, Viviana Bernal, Reah Kurian, Jorge Soto, Ana Maria Niño and Fr. Nenavajh.