Weekly Family Communication

The mission of Holy Rosary School is to help each child discover and fully develop their God-given talents. As a Catholic School community, we strive for excellence in our students’ spiritual, academic, physical, mental, aesthetic, and social-emotional growth. It is our intention that those who attend this institution mature into active citizens leading a committed faith life and reaching out to help others locally, nationally, and internationally with their wisdom, time, talent, and financial resources.

Dear Holy Rosary Families,

This Friday our staff will join with the staff of Our Lady of Guadalupe for our annual Catechetical Certification retreat. This retreat will allow staff to focus on modeling and teaching the Catholic faith to our students, and is required of all of our Archdiocesan Catholic grade schools. We are looking forward to learning with our parish family school OLG!

Conference sign-ups went out yesterday and I want to encourage you to find a time that works for your family to conference during conference week. These days are counted as student contact days in the master calendar and are set aside in particular for student-led conferences (except in preschool and kindergarten). We are looking forward to celebrating our students during this special time!

Finally, during this time we give thanks, our school is supporting our neighbors most in need in our West Seattle community. You can find information in this eFC for items most in need, thank you for supporting these causes as you're able.

Have a blessed rest of your week!

In Christ,

Anna

• Nov 8th - No School, Teacher-in-Service
  
• Nov 11th - No School, No BASE
• Nov 15th - 8th Grade Pizza Lunch
• Nov 22nd - Noon Dismissal
• Nov 25th-27th - Parent/Teacher/ Student Conferences
• Dec 5th - Open School Commission Meeting (6pm)
• Dec 19th - Christmas Program (6pm)

December 10th have a dinner at Talarico’s with funds going to help fund the DC trip for 8th graders.

This week for Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in 5th-8th grade we did our #winatsocial lessons on Disagreeing Respectfully Without Resorting to Insults or Personal Attacks. It was a joy to see the students demonstrate critical thinking skills and have energy arguing for their assigned perspectives.

November 11 – Feast of St. Martin of Tours (Martinmas)

November 11 is Veterans’ Day, a day our nation gratefully remembers everyone who has served in the military. It is also the feast day of St. Martin of Tours who was a soldier and bishop. St. Martin’s faith permeated every part of his life, even his military service. The most famous story about him is the day he approached the gates of the city of Amiens on his horse. He met a scantily clad beggar. The beggar asked for help in the name of Christ, so Martin took out his sword and cut his military cloak in two and gave half to the beggar. That night he dreamt he saw Christ wearing the half of his cloak he had given away!

Ideas on ways to honor the feast of St. Martin of Tours in your home:

*In the spirit of sharing his cloak with a beggar, take the time to go through your coat closet. Donate or give away any extra items you no longer need.

*In some parts of Europe, it is tradition for children to carve lanterns out of beets for Martinmas. In a similar way, you can do an evening lantern walk. You can make a lantern out of paper, tissue paper-covered jars, punched tin soup cans, or simply get out a flashlight, or camping lantern and stroll around your neighborhood. It’s dark by 5pm now, so you don’t have to go out too late!

*Serve cookies for dessert with the caveat that you must break each of your cookies and give half of it away.

Thank you to all who participated in the Annual Fund Fall Drive. We saw an unprecedented impact - exceeding our goal by raising over $200,000 and underscoring the power of this community. With success, there were also learnings – thanks for your feedback which will be taken into account as we work towards improvements. Please don’t forget to apply for matching funds to maximize the impact – check here to see if your company will match your donation and then submit the paperwork.

The Annual Fund success wouldn’t have been possible without the leadership and guidance from our Annual Fund Co-Chairs, Renee Kurdzos and Jordan Pomeroy. They’ve both served on the School Commission the past couple of years and have been fiercely committed to evolving our fundraising strategy and efforts. Huge thanks to them for driving the campaign and inspiring us all with the impact we can make towards our children’s education and the greater HRS community.

As we enter November, our key fundraising and volunteer efforts shift towards the Tree Lot and Auction:

• Tree Lot: The Tree Lot opens the day after Thanksgiving and will run through December 17. This is a great event to meet others and get fundraising volunteer hours. Most importantly, West Seattle relies on our tree lot, so let’s show up for the community and represent Holy Rosary well with fully staffing our shifts. Sign up for a tree lot shift today!
• Auction: Auction planning and procurement also picks up this month, and the Auction Committee needs Business Procurement volunteers. This is a unique opportunity to engage with local business owners and earn hours on your own time. If you can help, please reach out to Bente Madtsen: (bente.madtsen@outlook.com).
• 
  

The School Commission hosts several meetings a year that are open to the HRS community. If you are interested in attending, mark your calendar for the next open School Commission meeting on December 5th at 6:00pm in Room 7B. Hope to see you there!

Katie Townsend

School Commission President

Hope Lutheran North (the building behind Holy Rosary) has finished its patio outside of their main building. The patio is their property and they have asked us not to congregate on the patio space. Likewise, they have asked that we not gather/wait on the walkway between our gym and their school. They do understand that we may need to use either as a passageway/walkway; they've just asked us not to linger in either of the spaces. A good waiting space is outside of the back kindergarten doors on the asphalt, which is our property. We're striving to be good neighbors with one another, thank you for your help!

October Lost and Found is out in the hall waiting for owners to claim. We have uniforms, jackets, lunch boxes and water bottles. All items do not have a name on them. All items with names have been pulled and will be returned to it's owners. Please come and take a look as all items will be donated on Friday Nov. 15. If you are looking for something specific, please email Karla in the office at klawson@holyrosaryws.org.

School Band (gr. 6-8) is hard at work preparing for the Christmas concert, December 19. We look forward to sharing the beautiful sounds of the season!

Dennis Uniforms announced plans to close its business last week. They are working to address current outstanding orders. Holy Rosary has already been in discussions on a new source for our MacBeth plaid and will have a vendor in place for 2025/26. Please make sure to utilize our Pre-owned Uniform Closet.

Our teachers are looking forward to meeting with all of our school families. Conferences will take place Monday through Wednesday, November 25th-27th. Please sign up for a conference time with your child's homeroom teacher. 1st through 8th grade students are required to attend the conference with their parents.

Preschool/K (preschool teachers - please confirm with me if you're offering conferences the week prior)
Grades 1/2
Grades 3/4
Grades 5/6
Grades 7/8

During this month of giving thanks, let us remember those most in need in the community around us. Catholic Social Teachings remind us that we have an obligation to care for those most in need and Jesus tells us "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40). This November we are partnering with three groups to provide much needed items that go directly to those in need in our greater West Seattle community. We encourage families to participate throughout November and support as you're able. Tables for drop off can be found inside the school entry.

1) St. Vincent de Paul Food Drive- Support those in our West Seattle community facing food instability. Items most in need include:

Peanut Butter (16oz)

Canned Vegetables
Canned Fruit
Boxed Cereal
Boxed Oatmeal( instant packets)
Canned Chicken
Canned Tuna
Macaroni and Cheese
Rice, Rice a Roni,
Knorr Rice Sides
Instant Mashed Potatoes
Chili
Canned Pasta with Meat
Hearty Soups

Please remember to check the expiration dates if things are coming from pantries at home.

2) WIN (Westside Interfaith Network) is a group of local faith communities (including Holy Rosary) who host the Welcome Table each Saturday from 12 to 2 at Body of Christ Church in White Center across from Steve Cox Memorial Park. They provide a hot meal, food pantry, clothing, and hygiene supplies and more for homeless, low income, and no income people within our community.

They always need basic hygiene items which include toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, disposable razors, chapsticks, travel size items, bandaids, cough drops, mens socks and underwear, hand warmers, men's hats, and men's gloves.

3) We will also support a local women's shelter partnering with St. James Cathedral. Items most needed include toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, chapsticks), women's underwear, women's socks, and other female hygiene items.

We are still collecting Thriftway receipts to earn a percentage of your shopping back for Holy Rosary School through their ongoing Receipt Program. You can drop off the receipts in the school office. There is a box placed on the shelf behind the door. Thank you for your continued support.

Holy Rosary School has the opportunity to join other local Catholic schools to host a Japanese exchange student for one week in March between their academic years, from March 22nd - March 30th. Last year we had three students join, who were hosted by Holy Rosary families. It was a wonderful experience for everyone! The students joining us will likely be in sixth, seventh or eighth grade, and families receive a small stipend to offset the expenses of hosting a student for the week. The students would then attend classes here at Holy Rosary School during the week. If you might be interested in learning more about this opportunity, and possibly hosting a student for the week, please email principal Anna Horton at ahorton@holyrosaryws.org.

The priority application period for parish members & current school families ends November 15th for the 2025/2026 school year. If you have a new student who would like to apply to Holy Rosary School, please complete our online application at: https://holyrosaryws.org/applynow/. Re-enrollment occurs in January. Any questions, please contact: admissions@holyrosaryws.org

Next school year, our Preschool offerings will change to all 5-day a week classes. Full-time Pre-K class (M-F 8:30am-3pm), Part-time Pre-K class (M-F 12:05pm-3:05pm), and Part-time Preschool 3s (8:30am-11am). For new students Apply now if interested!

Contact Ellen Voelker at ellenvoelker@gmail.com to request uniforms in your child's size.

November means it’s time for the Tree Lot, a Holy Rosary tradition for over 40 years. The lot opens Friday after Thanksgiving and will close December 17th. Volunteers are crucial for the success of this event. Please sign up here. It is a great way to earn hours and meet other HRS families. There are also slots for Junior High and High School volunteers. All volunteers over age 18, even students, need to be Safe Environment cleared.

As a reminder, each K-8 family is required to complete 50 volunteer hours this school year, 10 of which must be fundraising. Working the tree lot is a fun way to knock those out.

In case you want to get a jump on purchasing your auction donation, the auction web site is open. Donations must be entered into the link below no later than 12/6. Actual items/gift certificates will be collected in January. Please do not bring the donation to school until instructed to do so. Remember all families are required to contribute a minimum of $225 to the auction in the form of cash, gift certificates or tangible items.

Make your CASH DONATION here.

Make your ITEM DONATION here.

Ideas for donations may be found on our auction web site. We encourage partnering with other families to create a unique item. Or if you have a talent you'd like to share (baking, floral arranging, photography, etc.) reach out to our family procurement coordinator Jun Ren (Gangon) with your ideas and questions.

Business Procurement Team Member

Goal: Connect with local businesses to help secure funding to support the Holy Rosary Auction!

How: Become a procurement team member and run your own Neighborhood Zone. Send procurement letter, email, walk-in, etc. to local businesses asking for their support to donate to the HRS auction. Follow up and provide tax documentation to each business. Track progress and confirm procurement. Auction items can come in various forms i.e. gift cards, wine/beer/liquor, art, cooking classes, merchandise, etc.

When: Procurement will take place now – January.

Hours Earned: 10-20+ hours (Fundraising)

Contact: Bente Madtsen: (bente.madtsen@outlook.com) or Jenna Cohen: (jenna.cohen.jn@gmail.com)

Thank you to all the families for participating in the Annual Fund. A 95% participation rate is HUGE! This will help when we apply for grants down the road as granting organizations will see that we have exhausted our internal resources.

You can help even more by applying for MATCHING FUNDS. Let’s turn that $200,000+ into even more. Unsure if your company matches? CHECK HERE.

The TOP 4 FAMILIES, based on # of donors, receive a gift card to Mission Cantina. Congratulations to the following families: Curtis (PreK), Lenssen (4th), McAndrews (5th) and Reynari (1st)

ALL DRESS PASS PRIZES WILL BE SENT HOME NEXT WEEK!

We are looking for help with school lunches. Thursdays lunch and milk duty. Shifts are every Thursday from 10:45-12:15 through the 2nd trimester starting after Thanksgiving. Please contact Britnie O'farrell if you are interested at brofarrell@yahoo.com.

Volunteer Opportunities for Youth (6th grade-high school) & Adults at our Holy Rosary Advent Celebration

Looking for a fun way to volunteer? Need Youth or Adult Holy Rosary Volunteering Hours? Join us by volunteering at our festive Advent Celebration on November 24, 2024 in the School Hall. There are setup slots on Friday evening, November 22, 2024 as well as different time slots for helping with Advent activities and Coffee and Donuts on Sunday, November 24. For Signup use this link https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4AA5A82AA02-52907709-holy.

Take a few minutes to log into your Safe Env account and check your status. You may need a 20-minute refresher. Checking your status now will save staff time in contacting you before you can volunteer.

New families: Please complete your background checks and SE training before volunteering! If you haven't set up a volunteer log-in yet to record hours, here is the link! One parent must be the main account user, a 2nd parent can be added to the account as a sub-account. Instructions will be on the main account user’s page on how to add a sub-account.

Save the Date...Advent Celebration, Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 9:30am-1:00pm, School Hall

All are welcome to our fun and festive Advent Celebration on Sunday, November 24, 2024 in the School Hall. Stop by after Mass or anytime between 9:30am-1:00pm for Advent activities and crafts for children and adults, Coffee and Donuts, decorating cookies and more! Come prepare for Advent and celebrate the "Reason for the Season"! For questions, please email Deyette at Dswegle@holyrosaryseattle.org. See our flier here.

Advent Wreaths and Candle sets for sale at Holy Rosary’s Advent Celebration on November 24, 2024

• Purchase Advent candle set for $5.00 and a Brass Advent wreath for $10.00.
• Advent candle set and wreath sold together or separate. Cash or Check only.
• Available for purchase at our Advent Celebration on Sunday, November 24, 2024 in the School Hall from 9:30am-1:00pm.

Altar Server training is now available! Training is required for all new and current altar servers. Girls and boys in grades 5, 6, 7, 8 and High School can serve the holy people of God during Mass. When we join in the Mass, we remember Jesus and give thanks and praise for all the good things that God does for us.

Altar Servers | Holy Rosary Catholic Church | Seattle, WA (holyrosaryseattle.org)

• More information: Check out our flier for more information.
• Register: https://holyrosaryseattle.org/wwp-registration

GiveACA - 2024 - Archdiocese of Seattle (archseattle.org).

7th and 8th grade https://holyrosaryseattle.org/youth-confirmation

See our Flyer for more information.

https://holyrosaryseattle.org/infant-baptism-registration

srstella@holyrosaryseattle.org

srstella@holyrosaryseattle.org

https://holyrosaryseattle.org/rcia-adults.

We offer Children’s Liturgy of the Word year round at Sunday 10:30am Mass.

• Parish Children’s Choir YouthChoir! (Grades 3-6) | Holy Rosary Catholic Church | Seattle, WA (holyrosaryseattle.org)
• Altar Serving (5th -High school)–email Paul Dolejsi at Pdolejsi@holyrosaryseattle.org for more information.

https://holyrosaryseattle.org/adult-confirmation-1