Weekly Newsletter

This weekend only!! STC Drama is proud to present our 2024-2025 Musical, Newsies Jr.! Our 4th-8th grade students have been working hard to prepare this production for you. Jump back in time to 1899 and follow Jack Kelly and his band of "newsies" on their epic adventure, inspired by the real life Newsboy Strike of 1899. We hope to see you there!

We're excited to continue the tradition of celebrating our graduating 8th graders at STC! You can volunteer to "Adopt-an-Eighth Grader" for the last few weeks of school. Each eighth-grade student will be paired with a K-7th-grade family who will provide three special gifts, including a special lunch.

We will accept the first 29 people who email Tammy Matusak requesting participation. We'll send you the name of your adopted 8th grader, their likes & favorites, and a calendar so you know when to deliver three surprise gifts. Each gift should be at most $15 for a total of $45. Every 8th grader will be participating.

The deadline to sign up is April 11th. We'll email you with additional information after the April 11th deadline. Thank you for participating in this great tradition!

#thetigerway

The middle school students have been working to prepare for the upcoming annual St. Catherine Science Fair. For this event to be a success, we need judges! Judging will happen all day on Tuesday, April 8th between 8:30am and 3pm, and in the morning on Wednesday, April 9th between 8:30am and 10:45am. Experience or science background is optional and judges are not asked to be there the entire day. Rather, come when your schedule allows and judge one project or twenty. Please consider helping us out. If you can be a science fair judge, please contact Lissa Payne at lpayne@stcatherineschool.net.

Also, Wednesday, April 9th between 11am and noon is when the projects will be on display for public viewing. Please mark your calendar and stop by to peek at all the hard work these students put into their investigations.

The 7th grade has participated in a study of missionary discipleship and is hosting “Summer Needs Drive” for the Friday Feast charity as their end-of-the-year project. We need your help in donating essential needs for the less fortunate. We need men’s XL and L tee shirts, men’s shorts, body wipes, and sunscreen. Our drive will be held on April 2nd, 3rd, & 4th and all items can be dropped off in the classrooms or in the office. Let's do our part and help the community!

First Day of School: Tuesday, September 2nd 2025 (Noon Dismissal Day)

Last Day of School for Preschool Students: Thursday, June 11th 2026 (Noon Dismissal for only Preschool Students)

Last Day of School for K-7th Grade Students: Friday, June 12th 2026 (10:30am Dismissal, after Moving Up Mass)

No School Days

10/30-10/31/2025: Preschool-8th Grade Fall Conferences (K-8 only)
11/7/2025: Archdiocesan In-Service Day
11/11/2025: Veteran’s Day
11/26-11/28/2025: Thanksgiving Holiday
12/22/2025-1/2/2026: Christmas Break
1/19/2026: MLK Jr Day
2/6/2026: Archdiocese In-Service Day
2/13-2/17/2026: President’s Day Break
3/6/2026: Curriculum Development Day
4/6-4/10/2026: Easter Break
5/25/2026: Memorial Day

Noon Dismissal Days

9/2/2025: First Day Of School Early Release

9/12/2025: Grandparents/Grandfriends Day

10/8/2025: Accreditation Work Day (K-8 only)

10/29/2025: Fall Conferences (K-8 only)

12/3/2025: Teacher Report Card Prep (K-8 only)

12/19/2025: Christmas Break Early Release*

2/12/2026: Accreditation Visit Day*

2/25 & 2/26/2026: Spring Conferences (K-8 only)

3/18/2026: Teacher Report Card Prep (K-8 only)

4/3/2026: Good Friday*

5/22/2026: Memorial Day Weekend Early Release*

6/3/2026: Teacher Report Card Prep (K-8 only)

*No After School EC, Full Day Preschool or PM Pandas Program

The full school calendar with events dates will be released later in the Spring, and made available here in the Weekly Newsletter and on our website. Please note that dates are subject to change and any changes will be communicated via this newsletter.

The countdown is on! Soaring to new heights, a spectacular evening of celebration, honoring the past & inspiring the future, like never before!

Get your tickets today!

On May 10th you will be able to enjoy some incredible auction items such as:

Vacation getaways, Dinner parties with a premiere chef and much more!

Cocktail hour & Silent Auction @ 5:00pm

Live Auction to follow

Victoria Hall, St. Catherine School

https://stcatherineschool.ejoinme.org/auction2025

Thank you for your generous donations!

If you donated an item, please drop it off to the school office as soon as possible so the auction team can complete the catalog.

If you still need to fulfill your cash donation obligation, you can fill out a donation form here.

Need to fulfill your 5 auction volunteer hours?

Check out the sign-up genius here.

You can also bake or purchase a delectable dessert for the Dessert Dash that counts towards volunteer hours. Check out the Dessert Dash sign-up here!

Questions? email us auction@stcatherineschool.net

We are putting the finishing touches on the yearbook and we are in great need of pictures for the following pages: Harvest Festival and Ski Bus. Please send these and any other photos you think would be good for the yearbook to yearbook@stcatherineschool.net by Friday 4/4. Thank you!

Order forms for the 2024-2025 school year are now available in your FinalSite Parent Portal under the Optional Checklist section. Yearbooks are $30 each and you will be charged at the time of your order. All orders must be received by Friday, April 11th.

Graduating 8th Grade students do not need to order a yearbook, as it is included in their graduation package.

We’re so sorry, but the event has now reached full capacity, and ticket sales are officially closed.

We truly appreciate your interest and support, and we understand this may be disappointing. Thank you for understanding.

Join us for a fun Mother-Son Tail'date event on Saturday, April 12 at Victoria Hall! Tickets include dinner, drinks, dessert, inflatables, mother-son kickball games, crafts and more! There will be activities for ages 3 and up. Tickets are $40 for mother and son, and $10 for each additional son. See you there!

LITTLE CODERS: INTRO TO ROBOTICS
Grades K-2
Tue, 3:15 PM-4:15 PM
Apr 29 - Jun 3
$159 / 6-week session

In this course, students use visual programming to learn computational thinking and core coding concepts, such as code structure, variables, and loops. Engaging activities boost problem-solving and creativity. They code robots for tasks like navigating mazes, detecting obstacles, playing music, and more.

REGISTRATIONS: www.codingwithkids.com/session/73765

PYTHON CODING
Grades 3-5
Thu, 3:15 PM-4:15 PM
May 1 - Jun 5
$159 / 6-week session

Join us to explore Python, a widely used programming language. Beginners get a user-friendly introduction, covering essentials like variables and functions. Returning students delve into advanced topics like Arrays, while all students create various fun games, including a custom space invaders game.

REGISTRATIONS: www.codingwithkids.com/session/73766

QUESTIONS? Email Coding with Kids at info@codingwithkids.com

This is a friendly reminder that all families with students in grades K-8 are required to complete 40 volunteer hours between July 2024 to June 2025. 5 of the total 40 hours are required to be given to the annual auction.

To help us keep track of your contributions, we kindly ask that you submit any completed hours after each trimester. Please fill out the Volunteer Hours Reporting Form and send it to cvanhollebeke@stcatherineschool.net.

Sunday, March 30th, plan to stop by the St. Catherine Esperanza Coffee Hour after 10:30 am Mass supporting this summer's service trip. Celebrate Mexican culture with music, Cafe de Olla, and churros (in addition to regular coffee and donuts)! There will be tamales for sale, $5 each, chicken or pork. To pre-order, contact Katie Fleming or 206-354-5161

A new opportunity for kids and their loved ones. Email Jennifer Kowalewski for more details and to sign-up: jkowalewski@st-c.org

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.