Back to School Newsletter

The summer has flown by and we are less than 2 weeks away from the first day of school! St. Catherine Teachers & Staff have begun their work to prepare for the students' arrival and we are so excited to see everyone on the first day of school on Tuesday, September 3rd!

We'd like to extend a warm welcome to all our new families - we are very happy to have you join our St. Catherine community!

Please be sure to read through the rest of this newsletter for lots of important information about the start of the school year. Don't hesitate to reach out to Kathy Cox, Amanda Lucero or Charlotte Van Hollebeke if should you have any questions.

We look forward to a great school year!!

Blessings,

St. Catherine School Teachers & Staff

Please join us at our annual Back to School BBQ on Thursday, August 29th!

We are so excited to welcome everyone to the 2024-2025 school year. A few details are below:

• The BBQ will run from 5:00-7:30pm at St. Catherine School in the plaza
• Teacher Meet & Greet: Classrooms will be open from 5-5:30pm to say hi to teachers and drop off school supplies (please no food or drink in the school buildings)
  
• Parent Club will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, sides, cookies, and beverages
• 8th Grade will be hosting the bar to raise funds for their DC trip
• Used Uniform Sale & Drop-off: There will be a used uniform sale set up at the BBQ & gently used uniforms will be accepted for drop-off (plaid items and sweatshirts only)

Below you will find volunteer opportunities - take a look and get started on your hours!

• Back to School BBQ: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0849ACA82AA1FEC16-50449089-back
  
• Welcome Back Coffee: we will reach out to all bakers on the baking list. If you would like to join the baking list, please fill out the volunteer interest form below!
• Volunteer Interest Form: https://forms.gle/PnDQwybZYUep1TJ2A

Using your FinalSite Parent Portal, please complete the following back to school forms by Friday, September 13th:

• Family Handbook Agreement
• Preschool Handbook Agreement (Preschool families only)
• Technology Agreement
• Acceptable Use Consent
• Media Release Form
• Walking Field Trip Form
• Family Income Survey
• Extended Care Registration (if your K-8 child/ren needs before or after school care)
• Milk Form (if your child/ren wants milk for the school year)
• Student Walker Permission Slip (Grades 5th-8th)
• Field Trip Chaperone and Driver Agreement
• Volunteer Driver Form

We look forward to welcoming you and your children on August 26th, and again on September 3rd for the start of the year.

FOR STUDENTS ONLY: August 26th 9:00-11:00 AM - Drop your preschool child off at the door for this opportunity to meet their teacher and friends, and to familiarize themselves with their classroom.

FOR PARENTS ONLY: August 26th 6:00 PM - Preschool parents join the preschool staff in the main building's Learning Commons (enter through stairs at the rear of the building). Hear about the ABCs of preschool, the curriculum, and ask any and all questions you might have. **Childcare available with pre-registration here.

SCHOOL STARTS: September 3rd 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM - Drop your kiddo off for their first day of school. *Note: Noon Dismissal/No PM Pandas

REST OF THE FIRST WEEK: September 4th-6th

Normal School Schedule: Tigers 8:30 AM-3:10 PM & Lions 8:30 AM-12:30 PM

Slow Start: Cubs 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM

First Day of School: Tuesday, September 3, 2024 (Noon Dismissal)

Preschool Last Day of School: Thursday, June 12, 2025 (Noon Dismissal)

K-8 Last Day of School: Friday, June 13, 2025 (10:30am Dismissal, after Moving Up Mass)

The full calendar for the 2024-2025 school year, as well as the specific Preschool calendar, is available to print by clicking on the appropriate button below. Please note that dates are subject to change and any changes will be communicated in the Weekly Newsletter.

In an effort to maximum our use of space on campus, three classrooms have been relocated:

• 8th Grade HR classroom has moved to the church basement: Students will line up along the church wall in the plaza, but not in the stairwell, during morning drop-off
• 6th Grade HR classroom has moved to the MS portable (former 8th Grade classroom): Students will line up between the main school building and the MS portable during morning drop-off
• Spanish classroom has moved to the main school building on the second floor (former 6th grade classroom)

Registration for fall CYO soccer is now open! You can register your child by using this link: https://www.teamsideline.com/sites/seattlecyo/current-programs

Practices will be starting soon. First games are the first weekend of school so get registered today!

Calling all Tiger Cross Country Runners! Registration is now open on the CYO website ... click on the link below and scroll down to Cross Country:

Seattle CYO Athletics (teamsideline.com)

Practice this year will take place on Monday's right after school at Maple Leaf Park starting September 9th. The last practice will be the famous Slurpee run on October 7th. Practices will last from 3:20 until 4:20pm. Pick up and drop off from extended care will be available. We will have a second optional practice Wednesday evenings from 6pm - 7pm for 3rd - 8th graders.

Meets are on Sunday afternoons (time TBD depending on our pool) and will NOT interfere with CYO soccer games. Kids need to run in at least one of the first two meets in order to compete in the Ribbon Run/Championship Meet on October 6.

Meet 1 – September 22, 2024
Meet 2 – September 29, 2024

Meet 3 – October 6, 2024, K-3 & 4-8 Championship

Please get in touch with Dave Mayer at dmayer25@hotmail.com if you have any questions or are interested in helping to volunteer coach!

Summer is a great opportunity for students to relax, recharge...and review! Summer 2024 Learning Expectations for students currently in grades K-7 can be found here! If you have any questions, please email Ms. Elsner.

All summer work on IXL should be completed between June 15-September 2.

If your child/ren will be absent from school, please notify the school office at attendance@stcatherineschool.net, as well as your child's homeroom teacher, no later than 8:30am on the day of the absence. Advanced notification of the absence (2-3 days before) is also greatly appreciated. The safety of our students is our number one priority and the office will call home to verify the student's absence if a parent/guardian has not called or emailed.

If you know your child will be tardy due to a medical/dental/personal appointment, the office must be notified. A parent/guardian must accompany a tardy student in to the school office to sign them in for the day.

If your child/ren will be absent from school for 2 or more days of school, please complete a pre-planned absence form and send it to attendance@stcatherineschool.net at least 2 weeks prior to the absences.

Regular attendance is important to the success of our students. Normally, illness, medical appointments and family emergencies are the only acceptable form of excused absence.

It is a requirement that all students are up to date with their immunizations by the first day of school. You can find out about how to check your child's immunization records here. If you have any questions please contact Charlotte Van Hollebeke at cvanhollebeke@stcatherineschool.net.

Immunizations Exemptions Policy: The policy issued by the Office for Catholic Schools, which falls under the umbrella of the Archdiocese of Seattle, does not allow St. Catherine (and all other Catholic schools in the area) to accept immunization exemptions due to religious, personal, or philosophical reasons. The only exemptions we are permitted to accept are those for medical reasons, which must be authorized by a licensed physician.

Mission & Philosophy

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.

Vision

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.