Weekly Bulletin - November 10th, 2022

Dear Families:

Emergency Preparedness

Emergency Preparedness is something we take very seriously here at St. Louise, and over the last few weeks, students and staff have been practicing for many types of emergency situations that could happen. Please take a minute to read more below about what parents can expect, including how we will communicate with you in the event of an emergency.

Giving Season is Upon Us

The coming holiday season is a perfect time to reflect on and be thankful for all the gifts with which God has blessed us. Sharing our gifts with those who may be in need during this time is just as important. St. Louise students and families can help those in need in two ways this Thanksgiving and Advent time of year. First, by donating a nonperishable food item to the Thanksgiving Basket Collection in their classrooms. Second, by donating to our Annual Advent Collection Drive for New Bethlehem Programs. You can read more about both collections below.

Trunk or Treat Winners

Congratulations to our Trunk or Treat Winners:

1st Place – Trunk #2 (Mermaid) – McDonald Family

2nd Place – Trunk #20 (Spider) and #21 (Popcorn) – Pokorny Family and Little Family

3rd Place – Trunk #10 (Poke a Pumpkin) – Hewitt Family

Christian Theme - #24 (Pokémon) – Bumatay Family

Thank you to everyone for all the creative trunks and for a great and successful event.

November Conferences

You should have received an email on Monday about signing up for your preferred date and time for upcoming Parent-Student-teacher Conferences. The conference dates are Monday, November 21^st and Tuesday, November 22^nd. We require every family to have a conference with the teacher each November. If you are out of town during our Thanksgiving-Week conference days, we have one optional day on Friday, December 5th, 2022, after our noon dismissal. You will need to coordinate your conference with your child’s homeroom teacher. Thank you for partnering with your child's teacher!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mr. Mike Fuerte

Principal

Announcements

Mass

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH

7:30 AM - 8 AM

Families are invited to attend Mass.

School Commission Meeting

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH

6:30 PM - 8 PM

Treat Sale

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH

First Trimester Ends

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH

No School: Teacher Workday on Report Cards and Kids Club Closed

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18TH

Thank You

Thank you to the many people who helped with last week’s Open House. From posting Open House signs in the area to being greeters the night of, we couldn’t have had such a successful night without the following people: Chris MacDonald, JC Renners, Ashley Wojnarski and her hospitality team, Ana Maria Nino, Vivana Bernal, John Dogero, Silvia Macias, Ashley Dickinson, Laura Bonner, Kami Coles, all of the students who help in specialist classrooms, and of course our student ambassadors.

CYO Basketball

GAMES BEGIN NOV. 19TH

REGISTRATION FEE: $135

CYO indoor basketball is here and registration is open. There is a lot of excitement around basketball this season!

We are also looking for volunteer coaches.

Questions? Reach out to Coach JC Renners, CYO Basketball Coordinator at jcrenners@gmail.com.

Reported COVID Cases

St. Louise had 0 reported COVID case this past week.

Emergency Preparedness Update

Over the last few weeks, we have been able to practice our emergency procedures here at St. Louise with all students and staff. They have been able to participate in fire, lockdown and earthquake drills, which I’m sure you heard all about at home. We wanted to take a moment to give you a bit more information about what things would look like for you, in the event we had an emergency that would require us to evacuate the building.

Our first priority is of course, the safety and well-being of our students and staff. We evacuate everyone to the basketball court where we immediately work to ensure we have everyone safely out of the building and accounted for. While this is happening, a team of staff members is working to secure the campus so no non-emergency vehicles can enter. We rope off the 156th Street entrance and begin setting up an area to reunite students with their parents or authorized pick up person. This is where we need your help to make this process run as smoothly and quickly as possible. An emergency of this magnitude is obviously a very stressful time for all, and after we know everyone is safe, our top priority is to reunite students with their parents.

Please opt-in to our emergency text program by texting YES to 87569. As soon as we can, a text will be sent to parents notifying them of the emergency. Additional texts will be sent with updates, and instructions for picking up students if necessary. This may be the only way we have to communicate with you, so please opt-in if you haven’t already.
Because you will not be able to drive your car onto campus, please take a few minutes to think about parking options in the neighborhood that will allow you to walk onto the property.
Please review your Authorized Pick-Up Contacts. We absolutely will not release your child to ANYONE other than their parents or the people listed as people authorized to pick them up.
Please be sure that you have sent an emergency comfort letter with a family photo to school for your children. In the case that an extended period of time passes before parents can pick up their children, these letters make for an important connection to you. If you haven’t sent a comfort letter to school, please plan to do so in the coming days.

We know this isn’t something any of us want to think about, but the safety of the students at St. Louise is a top priority for our staff. We appreciate you taking the time to review the procedures above, opting into receiving emergency texts, and talking to your children about the fact that if there were to be an emergency here, they would be safe and well taken care of until you can get here to pick them up.

Emergency Texting reminder

OPT IN for emergency texts. It’s how we will notify you if there is a weather delay or closure.

Events

Veterans Day Mass

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH

9 AM

If you or anyone you know is a Veteran or an Active Duty Military Member, thank you for your service. We would like to invite you and your family for a special blessing.

RSVP HERE

Parenting with Confidence: Building your Parenting Toolbox

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH

6:30 PM - 8 PM

PARISH HALL

Back by popular demand, Melissa Benaroya, a licensed therapist with more than 20 years working with children and families, will hold a workshop on one of her MOST popular topics:

* End conflict, avoid power struggles & stop nagging

* Learn to parent without fear, confusion, or anxiety

* Create a stronger relationship with your child

* Respond calmly with clarity and intention

* Reduce crying, whining, and tantrums

This workshop offers parenting strategies that result in children who want to be in partnership with their parents. Melissa blends Positive Discipline and Gottman techniques in her approach to helping take the power struggles out of our day-to-day interactions with our children. Melissa will share specific discipline strategies that foster respectful loving family relationships and teach self-discipline. The content presented is based on her book The Childproof Parent.

Save the date! Our guest speaker, Melissa Benaroya is a parent coach, speaker, and author. You can find out more information on her website at, Melissa Benaroya, LICSW - Parent Coach, Speaker & Author

Donations & Drives

St. Louise Charger Cards

ONE WEEK LEFT!

Charger Cards Promotions:

Class that earns the most rebates from 10/1- 11/16 will win a pizza party
Each family that purchases at least $250 worth of Charger Cards, will automatically be entered in a drawing for ONE auction ticket!

App for online purchases:

Download and use the RaiseRight app 24/7 on your phone to make e-card purchases and physical cards that can be sent directly to your home.

Note: Online purchase fee is only $0.15 when you use your Bank info.

To enroll – see here

Enrollment Code: 24B7587912L17

Or Scan the QR Code:

*Note: If you need Charger Cards outside of the above time window, please contact Kami, Ashley and Marta at chargercards@stlouiseschool.org.

*Rebate amount required for 2022-23 school year is $150.

Note: We take check, cash or credit cards (4% fee for all credit card orders)

Advent New Bethlehem Programs Supply Drive

DEADLINE: DEC. 12TH

DROP OFF LOCATION: ST. LOUISE SCHOOL LOBBY

With Thanksgiving and Advent upon us, so is the season of giving. Please help us support families in need this year by donating to our two giving drives. Students were assigned a nonperishable food item to bring for the Thanksgiving Basket Drive that will help a St. Louise family with a holiday meal. Thank you to all who have already brought their item and if you haven’t, please send that to your homeroom class by Monday, November 14th. We are excited to be supporting New Bethlehem Programs this year by collecting some of their most needed items as listed below. New Bethlehem Programs offer day center and shelter services for families that are experiencing homelessness.

2022 Glassybaby Designs

COST: $100/EACH

These will sell quickly, so plan to pre-order yours now while supplies last! They make excellent gifts and will arrive in early December. Thank you for your generous support of St. Louise.

Looking Up celebrates our auction theme.

Charger Welcome commemorates our expanded pre-k program.

PRE-ORDER NOW

Food Drive

Please help us provide a meal to St. Louise Parish Families this year. A flyer with more detailed information will be sent home with your child.

Volunteer Opportunities

Hospitality

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST

3:30 PM

Hospitality is looking for some volunteers to help with our Teacher Supper on Monday, November 21st at 3:30 pm.

It is a great way to earn volunteer hours and to provide dinner for our wonderful teachers after a full day of conferences. We are looking for volunteers to drop off homemade (or store bought) soups, salads, and more.

If you have any questions about this event- please reach out to Meghan Green (meghan.h.green@gmail.com) or Ashley Wojnarski (ashleywojnarski@gmail.com).

Standing with Haiti – Committee and Liaison

THE STANDING WITH HAITI committee from St. Louise Parish is looking for a couple of parents interested in joining their committee as a School Liaison. This is a great opportunity to work with committee members from the parish in help organizing and supporting Standing with Haiti.

If you are interested in becoming a school liaison and joining the committee, please contact Principal Mike Fuerte at mikef@stlouiseschool.org

St. Louise Auction Volunteers

Interested in volunteering for the auction? We want to hear from you.

Contact the auction chairs at auction@stlouiseschool.org for more information.

St. Nicholas Event Chair

PARENTS' CLUB

Did you like our St. Nicholas Breakfast event in the past? Would you like to see an event like this one, this year?

Parents' Club is looking for someone to step up to the plate and lead this event.

Reach out to parents' Club at: pc@stlouiseschool.org.

Social Chair

PARENTS' CLUB

Parent's Club is looking for a organized parent to help out. The Social Chair will oversees all social events connected to Parents' Club. They will work with the chairs of individual events such as the St. Nicholas event and the Father-Daughter/Mother-Son events.

Are you willing to help out? Reach out to parents' Club at: pc@stlouiseschool.org.

Carpool Director Still Needed

MONDAYS: 1:50 PM - 2:20 PM

AND/OR

TUESDAYS - FRIDAYS: 2:50 PM - 3:20 PM

Please contact Vice Principal, Joellyn Jaster at joellynj@stlouiseschool.org if interested in carpool directing.

Do you love your career and would be willing to share it with the Junior High School students?

THURSDAY AND/OR FRIDAY AFTERNOON

We are looking for parents who want to share their enthusiasm about their jobs with the 7^th and 8^th grade. This will create a connection with the learning students do in the classroom with the community around them. Help us strengthen our engagement with the SLE 2.3 “Exhibits enthusiasm for learning, including the ability to connect learning with life experiences” by speaking to our students. If you are interested in helping or know someone who would be a great fit, email taram@stlouiseschool.org.

A Message from Father Gary

Dear Friends at St. Louise,

“The loyal heart must praise the Lord.”

I find these words from Morning Prayer (and based on Psalm 33) to be a source of encouragement and challenge. Encouragement because when I read them, I am praying! They remind me that, in that moment, I am being loyal to my baptismal call to praise God each day. They are challenging because they also remind me that sometimes I am not as loyal as I wish I could be. I too often miss praying Midday Prayer, which I promised to pray on the day of my ordination, and I can find myself praying those prayers at night, instead of at the proper time of day. None of us lives perfectly the call to be loyal to the Lord – but that does not mean that we give up! With the encouragement that Jesus constantly gives us, we can take two steps forward after that one step back.

What does it mean to praise the Lord with a loyal heart? For Catholics, it means first of all to keep holy the sabbath by attending Sunday Mass, the source and summit of all Christian activity. Any community group could put together an event like the wonderful Bingo Night our parish and school held on November 5, where about 250 people enjoyed fellowship and BBQ and raised money to assist children in need. But we do it because we love Jesus – and the best way for us to be one with Jesus is when we eat his body and drink his blood in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is how we become both physically and spiritually one with him who is our salvation.

We can see that people are slowly coming back to Mass here, reestablishing regular attendance at our weekend liturgies after the isolation and danger of COVID these last two years. In fact, based on our annual October Mass count, we are averaging over 200 more people at our Masses each weekend than last year! Yet, we also know that we have not returned to pre-pandemic numbers. While attendance is not everything – engagement is also important – as your pastor I am acutely aware that I need to remind everyone in our community of the importance of living with “loyal hearts” that “must praise the Lord” – which means coming to Mass every week, unless you are unable due to sickness or some other serious reason. It’s at Mass that we truly become one with God’s love incarnate, our savior Jesus Christ – the very best thing that can happen to us, ever.

May the Lord continue to convert our hearts!

Fr. Gary Zender

Gallery

"Let us pray to the divine goodness for one another that His mercy may pour out on us His blessings of grace and light so that we may glorify Him eternally."

— St. Louise de Marillac

Smiling facing in KA