School News for May 16-22, 2024

A Note from Mr. Fuerte

Dear Families,

Walk-A-Thon – What a Great Success!

We had a fun Spirit Week with Colors Day, St. Louise – Red, Black, and White Day, Poster Day and Cheer Day. What a beautiful and warm day we had on Friday during our Walk-A-Thon. I would like to thank Jim Britt, Cari O’Loughlin-Britt, Matt Blackburn, Chris Hairston, and their wonderful volunteers for making the Walk-A-Thon a success. Next year, Matt and Chris will take over as this is Jim and Cari’s last year. As of today, we have raised $51,711 and we will have additional matching funds that will increase our number. Stay tuned for a final tally! Prizes and Class winners are listed below!

For families who have not contributed to the Walk-A-Thon this is a reminder that this is one of our four required fundraisers, so if you didn’t already give ($100 for one student or $200 for families with 2 or more students) you can complete your commitment using this link to the 99 Pledges Walk-A-Thon website.

Pay Outstanding Walk-A-Thon Balance Here 

Auction Theme for 2024-2025 – A Night Under the Big Top – Saturday, November 2, 2024, at The Hyatt Regency Lake Washington

We are so excited to kick off the Fall Auction - A Night Under the Big Top. Procurement is underway and as a reminder all families must procure a minimum of $250 by June 14. If you have questions about procurement, please email procurement@stlouiseschool.org Save money and purchase Early Bird tickets for $125 now!  If you would like to sign up to help with this fall’s Auction, please contact Andrea Assouad at auction@stlouiseschool.org

Accreditation – Executive Summary of the Report of Findings

This spring an accreditation visiting team comprised of a principal and teachers from the archdiocese visited our school to learn about St. Louise. In the executive summary, it states that at St. Louise we successfully completed the Standards of Excellence (SE) accreditation process. Please read the report on our website here. 

We will know the final status of our accreditation at the end of May.

New Family Orientation – Mentor Families Needed.

This Monday evening, we will welcome many new families who will begin their St. Louise journey in the fall. We are looking for families who would be willing to mentor a new family for the upcoming school year. We will pair you with a family in your child’s grade level and would ask you to reach out as soon as possible and welcome them to St. Louise. We would also like you to schedule a playdate or get together with some other classmates over the summer. Throughout the school year, we would ask you to reach out periodically and see if they have questions and remind them of upcoming events. If you are interested and willing, please let Tracy and Mindy know, office@stlouiseschool.org

Staff Updates

I am happy to announce that Mrs. Kelly D’Ambrosio will now be our new Pre-K teacher working aside Mrs. Wendy Blank. To assist Mrs. D’Ambrosio, we will have Mrs. Lavina Goveas as her new full-time assistant in PA. Mrs. Lavina will leave her post as Assistant Director for Kids’ Club and help Kelly in the PA classroom. 

Hopefully, I can announce a new Grades 6-8 Spanish Teacher and Middle School Science Teacher soon as well - I’ll keep you posted.

Have a Blessed Weekend,

Mr. Mike Fuerte 

Mark your Calendar!

Announcements

🎪 Step right up to the greatest show in town, November 2! 🎪

Join us for a spectacular evening "Under the Big Top" at our annual auction event.

Snag early bird tickets at a discounted price. Hurry, this special offer won't last long (regular ticket prices return June 14). Get ready for an evening of magic and wonder.

June 14th is the deadline to fulfill your procurement commitment, ensuring your contribution helps make this event a roaring success! 

Please be sure to join us for an All-School Mass to celebrate our retiring and outgoing staff - May 22 at 1:00 with a reception to follow.

Chargers C.A.R.E. - A Note from Mrs. Smith

May is Mental Health Awareness month! It’s a time to recognize and raise awareness around Mental Health! 

While mental health matters every month of the year, this month serves as a powerful reminder to prioritize the mental well-being of not only ourselves, but others in our community. It so wonderful that St. Louise supports Social-Emotional Learning and Mental Health, and I am so grateful to be your school counselor! 

Mrs. Smith

Charger Shout Out - Walk-A-Thon Update & First Communion!

Congratulations Chargers on an AWESOME Walk a Thon! Together we raised over $51,000! Below are the individual and class winners - way to go!

Congratulations to all of our St. Louise students who received their First Eucharist this past weekend!

Parents' Club News - Charger Card Fee Free Friday & Parents' Club Board Openings

The St. Louise Parents' Club is looking for some new members! If you are looking for a meaningful way to get involved at St. Louise, consider one of the board positions below. Reach out to parentsclub@stlouiseschool.org with questions or for more information!

President-Elect:

• Represent PC on STL School Commission 
• Plan Parent Education Workshops
• Shadow and support President in order to take over the position the following year
• Take meeting notes publish to the web

Volunteer / Enrichment Grants Coordinator:

• Connect STL parents to a variety of volunteer opportunities
• Answer miscellaneous questions about volunteer hours
• Help administer the school-wide Sign-Up Genius account
• Coordinate the Enrichment Grant Applications in the beginning of the school year

Committee Liaison:

• Manage fundraising goals and budgets for Committee Chairs
• Check in with each Chair to understand “what’s working and what’s not” and work with PC to discover solutions

St. Nicholas Chair:

• Spearhead the St. Nicholas school community gathering. Fun event that centers around pastries, coffee, hot cocoa, and pictures with St. Nick. This past year students were invited to set up tables and sell holiday gifts! Fun event that you can bring your own creativity to the table and make your own.  

Social Chair:

• Help support the Parents' Club by coordinating a couple of outings throughout the year.

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 Mrs. Jaster 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 in Christ,

Happy Feast of Pentecost! This is the second most important day in the Church year, after Easter Sunday, the day of the Lord’s resurrection. Both occur on a Sunday, which is why we call Sunday, “the Lord’s Day.” Pentecost completes the 50 days of the Easter Season because it completes the message of the Paschal mystery of Jesus: his suffering, death, resurrection, ascension and sending of the Holy Spirit.

The meaning of Pentecost is rich and we could never fully exhaust the depth of its message for us. There is a powerful contrast that is made in the Bible itself. The story of the human attempt to get to heaven by building the tower of Babel resulted in the confusion and division of the human family symbolized by the many languages that have since been spoken. Metaphorically, this speaks to the division that results when we cannot or do not strive to understand one another.

Pentecost, on the other hand, is the powerful story of how the Holy Spirit came, with wind and fire, to heal the division of Babel. At Pentecost the apostles became able to speak in the languages of all the various people who had gathered. They spoke and the people were given the gift to understand each other.

Pope Francis has called for us to live the message of Pentecost by being a Church that listens and walks together. The Synodal process calls us first to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit through prayer, and then to listen deeply to each other. The goal is not to change Church teaching, but to come to a better understanding of how to apply it in our time. Pentecost is a message that is meant to be lived daily, even as we take time each year to celebrate the feast with great faith and joy.

Archbishop Etienne recently spoke to the reality of conflict that happens in our families, in our society and sadly, even within the Church. He pointed out that for instance, there are Catholics who hold passionately to the social teaching of the Church, that all are created in God’s image and likeness, that we are called to love others as Christ as loved us and without condition. Then there are those who hold just as passionately to the moral teaching of the Church and the high standards that teaching holds for us. He said that both have meaning and both are incomplete. Therein lies the tension – and this is where true dialogue needs to happen.

Some may feel that the Archbishop is falling short of his duty to teach us what to do and what to believe. But another way to understand his approach is that hearts are not changed by an archbishop simply telling us what we should believe in the face of what can seem to be conflicting truths. Rather, when Catholics who disagree on important truths are able to step back from their own understanding, look objectively at all the teachings of Scripture and of the Church, take that in prayer to the Holy Spirit, and then listen deeply and without commentary to each other, then the possibility for the Holy Spirit to change hearts can happen. We might not always agree, but we can come to a deeper understanding of each other. Babel can be overcome with Pentecost.

Come Holy Spirit, come!

Fr. Gary Zender

Frequently asked question number three: Will there be a committee of some kind to oversee the transition of our parish family of St. Louise and St. Madeleine Sophie becoming one parish in three years?



Answer: Yes! Soon after Loretta Sursely begins as Pastoral Coordinator of our Parish family and Fr. Tom Belleque arrives as the parish priest for our parish family on July 1, we will put together a committee of representatives from both parishes to help our communities with the process. (One person made this very recommendation in our parish listening sessions).

Ask Fr. Nehnevaj...

Is it forbidden for a priest to wear his watch during Mass?

No, there is no rubric, or directive, from the Church for the priest to remove his watch while celebrating Mass; but one altar server noticed that I always remove my watch before Mass starts. During my time as a seminarian a number of priests commented on watches being a potential source of distraction. “Oh, I wonder what time it is?” And there is a certain truth to this “avoiding distraction” thought process. But for myself, I have found that the removal of my watch is a reminder that during the Mass, we are operating on God’s time.

During the Mass we are celebrating the day of Resurrection, sometimes called the eighth day. Dr. David Fagerberg writes “on the eighth day, the new aeon irrupts: it bursts in, breaks into, forcibly enters the methodical, calendar tabulated death march in which we find ourselves.”¹ The time measured by my watch, constantly ticking forward second by second towards the inevitable end, gives way to God’s time, the eighth day, the day of resurrected life which knows no end. In the Mass “God shares his vision with us,” a vision where “what we describe as yester and yore, he sees as hodie (today)” and “what we describe as future and forthcoming, he knows as a liturgical hodie.”²

When we celebrate the Mass, we are given a brief glimpse of heaven. We are formed in seeing the world as through God’s sight, a sight that no longer distinguishes between past sacrifice on the altar of the cross, present offering at the altar of St. Louise, and future worship before the heavenly altar of the Lamb on His throne – it is all one. In such a frame, clocks and watches have no place; how can they, when God “overshadows time and pulls us from chronos to kairos”³? Chronos is the measurement of time, while kairos is time lived and experienced in moments. When we celebrate Mass, the measurement of time into hours, minutes, or seconds is meaningless. Instead, God is permitting us a reprieve from the measured methodical death-march of chronos and inviting us into kairos, where we can truly experience life as originally intended by God the Creator.

Thank you St. Louise Sponsors!

Antezana Garvizu Family