Principal Update

Dear STC Parents,

As we continue our Lenten journey, our students and staff have embraced opportunities for reflection—considering ways to grow spiritually and support others through acts of service. It is inspiring to witness their commitment to making this season meaningful.

At the same time, we are actively preparing for the 2025-2026 school year, and we are thrilled to be welcoming a significant number of new families to St. Catherine. A heartfelt thank you to those of you who have referred these wonderful families to our school! There is no better way to share the spirit of our community than through your personal experiences, and we are grateful for your support in spreading the word about STC.

As we approach the end of Trimester 2 this week, I encourage you to take a moment to check in with your child—celebrating their progress and identifying goals for the final stretch of the school year. Whether it’s strengthening friendships, refining study habits, or finding new ways to get involved, this is a great time for reflection and growth.

Spring is off to a fantastic start, and we look forward to the many opportunities ahead to come together as a community. We hope to see you at the school musical, Irish Pub Night, Grandparents & Grandfriends Day, the auction, Field Day, and more!

Wishing you a blessed Lenten season and a wonderful start to spring.

Kindly,

Kathy Cox
Principal

We are thrilled to announce that we exceeded our fundraising goal for this year’s Jog-a-Thon! A heartfelt thank you to all of you for encouraging and supporting your children in reaching this milestone. This year, we emphasized student participation—because it truly takes a village to achieve our goals!

A huge shoutout to our amazing parent volunteers who dedicated their time, energy, and creativity to making this event a success. From the awesome new spirit Jog-a-Thon t-shirts to the festive Mardi Gras theme, hype-filled dismissals, and the encouragement shared along the way, our volunteers and Parent Club went above and beyond to create a fun and memorable experience for our students. We are so grateful for your support!

To help celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Seattle, our community is excited to

join Catholics across Western Washington to volunteer together as the living Body of Christ

through the Season of Service from March to May 2025. During this time, let’s come together to contribute to volunteering 175,000 hours to recognize our legacy of faith – and demonstrate our commitment to serving others.

This past Friday, our teachers dedicated the morning to advancing our accreditation self-study, focusing on the final stages of our mission revision. In the afternoon, we had the privilege of volunteering at the Ballard Food Bank, where we not only assisted with essential tasks but also gained a deeper understanding of the many ways they support our community beyond food assistance. During this season of service, it was a meaningful opportunity to give back and contribute to the greater community.

We are excited to share two wonderful additions to our team!

Megan Gottfried has joined our Preschool PM Pandas program as an after-school care employee for the remainder of the 24-25 school year. This week, she is spending time getting to know our staff and students and will officially begin in PM Pandas on Monday, March 17th. Please be sure to give her a warm welcome when you see her!

Additionally, we have hired a new Tigers PreK teacher assistant for the 2025-2026 school year. We are thrilled to welcome Ella Payne, daughter of our middle school science teacher, Lissa Payne! Ella brings a wealth of experience in early learning, particularly with prekindergarten students. She is also pursuing her master’s in early learning while starting at St. Catherine this fall. For any preschool students attending our summer camp, Miss Ella will be a familiar and friendly face in our program once again this summer.

Please join us in welcoming both Megan and Ella to our school community!

• ParentEd Talk with Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart: Harmony at Home:
  Successfully Navigating Parent-Child Differences | Mar. 20, 2025 12:00 PM-1:00 PM
• ParentEd Talk with Joe Newman From Chaos to Calm:
  Compassionate Discipline for Spirited Kids | Apr. 12, 2025 12:00 PM-1:00 PM

As part of our mission to help students understand their role in the broader community and foster a sense of service and responsibility, middle school students are required to complete community service hours each trimester. Sixth-grade students complete three hours per trimester, seventh-grade students four hours per trimester, and eighth-grade students five hours per trimester.

Service is defined as giving one’s time to support those in need. Hours may be earned through parish, school, or community service outside of the school day. We recognize that finding service opportunities at this age can sometimes be challenging, so for the 2025-2026 school year, we are developing a service hub with local opportunities to make it easier for students to find ways to get involved.

If you know of any community service opportunities that we could add to this resource, please send them to me at kcox@stcatherineschool.net. Thank you for helping us connect students with meaningful ways to serve!

No updates at this time.

St. Catherine of Siena Parish School is a welcoming, Christ-centered community, rooted in the Catholic faith and inspired by Gospel values. As an extension of the parish and with Jesus as our model, we are dedicated to lifelong growth in faith, love, and learning.

We recognize that the care and education of the child begins with the family and that parents are the primary educators of their children. In partnership with parents, we work to promote our students’ achievement and spiritual growth. Together we are committed to developing responsible, ethical leaders who think critically, act justly, communicate effectively, and serve willingly.

We are committed to providing a faith-filled, inclusive, and welcoming learning environment for all our students. Through our rigorous academic programs, our students will gain the cognitive, technological, and social skills necessary to become ethical, innovative leaders who successfully navigate the complex challenges of today’s world.