Principal Update

Dear St. Catherine Families,

As we move through these first weeks of school, it’s clear that this has been a time of many significant events—locally, nationally, and around the world. Whether it's challenges close to home or larger global concerns, we are reminded of the power of prayer and our call as a Catholic community to lift others up in their time of need. I encourage all of us to keep these intentions in our hearts, and to pray together as a school and as families for peace, healing, and God's grace for those affected by these events.

May God bless our school community and those we hold in prayer.

Kathy Cox

Principal

Dear St. Catherine Families,

Last week, I shared this information with our 4th and 6th grade families, but would now like to share with our entire community so as to collectively support and lift up the Tubb family.

It is with a heavy heart that I share some very sad news with you. Last week, Miles (4th) and Lily (6th) Tubb, two of our students, lost their father suddenly. For some time, their dad, Nik, struggled with depression and mental health and on Wednesday, October 2nd, Nik was found deceased from an accidental overdose.

We are deeply saddened by this loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Tubb family during this incredibly difficult time.

While we want to respect the family's privacy as they grieve, we also understand that this news may be difficult for children to receive. If you decide to share this information with your child, we know each child processes grief and loss differently. Tom and I have listed a variety of suggestions that may be helpful in talking with your child about grief and loss:

*In a situation like this, school can act as a sanctuary of normalcy and routine. To that end, as best as your child can, treating as they normally would will be helpful when they return to school.

*It is fine to express sympathy. Doing so in a way that does not require a response is best - i.e. "I'm sorry about your loss" as opposed to "How are you feeling?," so they don't feel like they have to respond.

*Your child may grieve too. If your child has experienced loss, this event may bring up memories of previous grief. This is normal. Things that might signal your child needs additional support: intrusive thoughts during the day, difficulty sleeping, or any pattern of behavior that is atypical for them.

*Creative expression is a great way for kids to process difficult situations. This could be through a preferred medium - drawing, writing, even singing a song that has meaning to them. Perhaps it is making a card or drawing for the children.

*Your child may express uncertainty or worry about something like this happening in your family. Assuring them that your family is safe is the answer they are looking for.

* Answering questions with transparency is helpful - kids generally are more able to process mature responses to difficult things than we give them credit for. (This includes saying "I don't know," if that is the case).

In the days ahead, we will be providing support for the Tubb children when they return to school, and we are committed to being there for them and for peers and their classes as a whole as they navigate this experience. In addition, Tom will be available for students to support them as that is needed. We hope the suggestions above will offer guidance and comfort during this challenging time for other students as/if needed.

As Christine Tubb is a teacher at St. Louise School, we have collaborated with them in facilitating a Go Fund Me for the Tubb family. We will be in touch in the coming weeks if there are other collective ways we can support the Tubb family as a community. In the meantime, please continue to hold this family in your prayers.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or Tom if we can support your child, your family, or you in any way.

Warmly,

Kathy and Tom

I’m excited to share that our school has been actively working in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI=B). Through the collaboration of our Parent DEI=B Committee and staff representatives, we are planning a new and exciting event on February 6th: "Love Your Community!" While we are still in the early stages of planning, this event will offer students, families, and staff the opportunity to host booths celebrating their personal diversity.

In addition to these efforts, our classes have been celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15). During this time, our 8th graders have been sharing morning announcements, highlighting notable Hispanic individuals and their contributions. Across all grade levels, students have been learning about various cultures and traditions, and our younger students have been enjoying a range of books to help bring these stories to life.

This past spring, our staff also participated in a Justice and Belonging Audit for Catholic Schools, where we examined key standards of equity and inclusion. The audit focused on eight areas, including school policy, climate, staff development, and curriculum. This fall, our Leadership Team is analyzing the audit findings and creating actionable steps to ensure continued growth in each of these areas. Our goal is to keep fostering a community where all students, families, and staff feel respected and supported.

We hope to honor and highlight the many cultures, faiths, backgrounds, and even neurodiversity that make our school community so special. In the coming months, we’ll be sending out an interest form for families and students to reserve a booth and share their unique stories and traditions with our community. We look forward to coming together in celebration of what makes each of us beautifully unique!

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you for your generous contributions to the Tiger Fund! As the first of our three annual fundraisers, your support is truly appreciated, and we are aiming for 100% participation. These fundraisers play a crucial role in the operations of our school, helping us continue to provide an excellent education and enriching programs for our students.

Additionally, thank you to all who completed our parent accreditation survey. In the coming months, we will begin reviewing the survey data, which will guide us as we embark on the first steps of our year-long self-study process. Your input is invaluable in helping us strengthen and grow as a school community.

• Anti-bullying Speaker: Jodee Blanco (will be speaking with K-8 students @ St. C on October 9th)
• St. John - October 7th 7:00 PM (in the church)
• St. Luke - October 8th 6:30 PM (school auditorium)
• Anxious Generation Parent Ed Talk: October 15 12:00-1:00 PM (sign up here Code: STCATHSCH)
• Justice & Belonging Speaker: Dr. James Knight (will be speaking with students @ St. C in grades 4-8 on the same day)
• St. Catherine - November 14th 6:00 PM (Victoria Hall)

This past spring, you may recall I put out a request for interest in joining a joint school/parish facilities committee. I passed the names along of those interested to our parish Director of Operations, Torrie Smith. As she is working on getting this committee up and running, we'd love to have a few more school representatives on this committee. If you have an interest and perhaps any related knowledge or skill sets, please reach out to Torrie tsmith@ollseatle.org. Thanks!

After some recent parent conversations and feedback, we took the opportunity to reexamine our uniform infraction policy and procedures, and we have made some adjustments. The updated policy will be posted in this week's school newsletter. Our goal is to streamline the process, ensuring that students are not subjected to repeated warnings for a single infraction and improving communication with parents, who purchase the uniforms.

Going forward, if a student has a uniform infraction that can be corrected in 30 seconds or less (such as removing a non-uniform sweatshirt or hat), staff will simply remind the student to take off the item. However, for infractions that cannot be immediately corrected (such as wearing a skirt that is too short, pants or socks of the wrong color), parents will receive a notice from our new uniform policy email address. The first email to a student's parents will serve as a warning, and a second communication, if necessary, will issue the infraction. This same email address will also send a reminder to a student's parents if a student will miss an upcoming non-uniform day due to the infraction.

We appreciate your support in holding students accountable while ensuring they don’t feel uncomfortable or singled out when infractions are issued during the school day. We believe these changes will help make the process clearer and more effective for everyone. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

No updates at this time.

The parish has been in the process of a much needed sound system upgrade in Victoria Hall. This system is widely used by the school for events such as the Christmas program, Curriculum Night, community speakers, and the school musical, to name a few. The work on this upgrade will be completed at the end of this month, slightly delayed from its original timeline due to supply chain issues with the company doing this upgrade.

We appreciate your patience and support for this upgrade and are excited for this improvement!

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.