K-5th Grade: Thursday, September 12th @ 6pm

6th-8th Grade: Tuesday, September 17th @ 6pm

We are excited to invite you to our upcoming Curriculum Nights. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to learn more about the exciting educational journey your child will be embarking on this year.

Please arrive at the gym by 6pm to start the night with Ms. Cox and Ms. Elsner, then parents will be dismissed to classrooms for class specific presentations.

Your involvement is crucial to your child’s success, and we look forward to partnering with you to make this a fantastic school year. We hope to see you there!

Fall MAP Testing begins Wednesday 9/18 and goes through the first week of October. Makeups will take place throughout the testing period. Students in 2nd-8th grades will take these tests in reading, math, and language. Data from MAP tests is important for monitoring student progress, assessing growth, and providing instruction that continues to meet individual student needs.

Please help make sure your child gets a good night's rest the night before each test and a filling breakfast that morning. Please see testing dates below. Please let your child's homeroom teacher know if your child will be absent, late, or leaving early on any of these days. Please let Ms. Elsner (celsner@stcatherineschool.net) know if you have any questions.

Math - Wed 9/18 and Thu 9/19

Reading - Mon 9/23 and Tue 9/24

Language - Thu 9/26 and Fri 9/27

Please read the family handbook at the start of each school year.

It is expected that each student and parent/guardian read the handbook and will make a sincere effort to comply with the regulations, and will support the values of St. Catherine School.

Once you have read the handbook with your child/ren, please log into your Parent Portal and complete the verification form for each of your children. This verification is to be completed by Friday, September 13th.

All Preschool families are also required to read the Preschool Parent Handbook and sign the appropriate handbook agreement in their Parent Portal.

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

Order your St Catherine Spirit Bag now! Please complete the Spirit Bag order form below and return it to Tammy Matusak. We need just a few more bags to complete the minimum number required!

Picture day information, online ordering, and the Dorian customer advocate team are all at your fingertips. Visit mydorian.com, search for "St. Catherine School - Seattle, WA", and click on the green order button or yellow help button associated with the September 17th picture day. Paper order forms are also available in the school office.

Parent Club will be offering large cheese or pepperoni pizza slices for $3 a slice on Tuesdays from Zeeks Pizza and it's time to sign up!

This sign up is for the first half of the year (17 weeks) and will start on Tuesday Sept 17th. Please have your orders in by September 13th. We will have a second sign up for the remaining half of the school year towards December/January. A friendly reminder that your child may need some sides to go along with their pizza - we don’t want any hungry kiddos.

Click here to sign up: https://st-catherine-parent-club.square.site/product/pizza-tuesdays/59

Looking forward to being your pizza lady this year! Email Priscilla Fellows if you have any questions

Come Join us on Friday, September 27th at 6:00 p.m. for the kickoff parent event of the school year. It is a great way to meet everyone and hang out with the St. C’s community. The cost is $40 per person, and includes drinks, spaghetti dinner, and snacks.

Bunco is a game that takes no skill. Plus we teach you the rules that night. There will even be some St. C’s trivia thrown in as well. So get you babysitters lined up, as this is an adult only event.

We look forward to hanging out and rolling dice!

Does your student need a quiet space to focus or the gift of time to complete homework?

St. C Study Hall for grades 4-8 will be held on Tuesdays & Thursdays in the church basement this year. Ms. Kelly will supervise and support.

Please turn in the attached form ASAP to reserve your spot! First session is Tuesday, September 17th.

Contact Ms. Kelly with any questions at hkelly@stcatherineschool.net.

From now until Friday, September 22nd, please log into your Alma parent account and review your contact information. If you need to make changes, please do so now to ensure that the information on file is accurate.

Once logged into Alma, click on your initials in the upper right hand corner, and select "My Info." From there, you can update your contact information - phone number(s), email(s) and address(es). Please also verify, and update (if necessary) your child's emergency contact information.

Alma Directory: By opting into the directory in Alma your information will be shared with other parents who have also opted in, and you will be able to see theirs. In "My Info," you can toggle the little button in the section below your contact information to share your information with other parents.

LITTLE CODERS: INTRO TO CODING
Grades 1-2
Tue, 3:15 PM-4:15 PM
Oct 8 - Dec 10
$259 / 10-week session

Tailored for early readers, this course helps students boost their computational thinking while having fun with friends! Beginners learn coding basics like Loops and Conditions. Returning students tackle new challenges, such as debugging. All students build exciting games, stories, and animated characters.
REGISTRATION: www.codingwithkids.com/session/68915

ROBOTICS: INTRO TO CODING
Grades 3-5
Tue, 3:15 PM-4:15 PM
Oct 8 - Dec 10
$269 / 10-week session

In this course, students use visual programming to learn computational thinking and core coding concepts, such as code structure, variables, and loops. They apply these concepts to tackle mission challenges like obstacle avoidance, path following, and maze navigation.
REGISTRATION: www.codingwithkids.com/session/68916

AI: INTRO TO MACHINE LEARNING
Grades 6-8
Thu, 3:15 PM-4:15 PM
Oct 10 - Dec 12
no class on Oct 31, Nov 28
$209 / 8-week session

Discover how AI works by learning key AI and ML concepts such as neural networks, computer vision, and image recognition. You'll learn how to use modern AI tools effectively, like DALL-E, for tasks like generating images. You’ll create your own AI models that will be used to build Scratch projects, including video filters and touchless games.
REGISTRATION: www.codingwithkids.com/session/68917

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

Saturday, September 14th

After 5:00 PM Mass: Welcome Event & Ministry Fair

Join us in Victoria Hall for beverages, light fare, and a chance to meet Fr. Bill and Fr. Duc. Reconnect as a community and explore opportunities to get involved in parish ministries.

Sunday, September 15th

After 10:30 AM Mass: Coffee Hour & Ministry Fair

Enjoy coffee and donuts while learning about parish ministries. It’s time to get our campus buzzing again and bring our ministries back into full swing!

Registration is now open for enrolling children in First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion preparation for the 2024 – 2025 school year. To register, please complete the form found at https://stcatherineparish.net/first-sacraments-form-page.

Please contact Anakaren in the parish office at reception@stcatherineparish.net with any questions.

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.