Weekly Newsletter
March 19th 2025
St. Catherine School Presents...Newsies Jr!
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!
Get Ready for Buoy’s Trivia Extravaganza!
Hey St. Catherine School!
Mark your calendars and get your trivia brains ready because Buoy, the Seattle Kraken mascot,
is coming to our school on March 24th, 2025 for the ultimate trivia showdown!
Buoy will be hosting an exciting Trivia Extravaganza just for our Tigers! It's going to be a fun-filled
day full of questions about Hockey, Health, and Fitness!
Don’t miss the chance to show off your knowledge while meeting the one and only Buoy! So, start thinking of those trivia answers and get ready for a day full of fun!
Get pumped!
Sign up to Adopt-an-Eighth Grader
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!
2025-2026 Calendar
Key Dates for the 2025-2026 School Year
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.
St. Catherine School Auction
Tickets are flying fast! Don't miss out on this year's Soaring to New Heights auction!
The item donation window has closed.
Thank you for the generous homes, tickets, experiences and more!
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
CYO Track & Field
Calling all Tiger Track and Field athletes ...
Track and Field Registration is open for 2025! When registering you will have the option between picking K- 3rd Grade or 4th - 8th Grade for St. Catherine. Seattle CYO Athletics (teamsideline.com)
Our first practice will take place right after school on Monday, March 31st at Maple Leaf Park. We will practice on Monday right after school through June 2nd, with no practice on April 21st and May 26th. I understand that some students may not be able to start on March 31st due to other activities. We are happy to have them as soon as they are ready and it works in your families schedule!
4th - 8th grade will have two additional practice opportunities each week at the Roosevelt High School Track with our friends from ASB, OLL and St. Matthew. We have confirmed that one of those two days will be Thursday's at 7pm. I am still working to confirm the second day.
The 4th - 8th grade Track and Field Meets will take place on the following days - Times TBD - will send as soon as they are determined.
- Preliminary Meet: Saturday, May 3rd - Renton Memorial Stadium
- Qualifying Meet #1: Saturday, May 10th - Renton Memorial Stadium
- Qualifying Meet #2: Sunday, May 18th - Highline Stadium
- Championship Meet: Saturday, June 7th - Renton Memorial Stadium at 12:00pm
CYO does not do meets for K-3, but we will host three K-3 intramural meets at our Monday practices throughout the season so the kids can continue to see their improvement.
Please contact Dave Mayer at dmayer25@hotmail.com with any questions or to let me know that you are interested in helping out at the practices ... No experience required!
2024-2025 Yearbook
Order Yearbooks Now!
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.
Attention Parents!
The Yearbook staff needs your help. Please send any pictures you take throughout the school year to yearbook@stcatherineschool.net to be included in the yearbook. As always, we need your help documenting out of school events like CYO Sports, Harvest Festival, the Ski Bus and the Christmas Program. Thank you for your help!
Parent Club News
Grandfriends Lunch
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.
Mother Son Tail'Date
It's back! Save the date for St. Catherine's first Mother-Son event since 2019! Saturday, April 12 at Victoria Hall. Ticket link coming soon!
Parent Map ParentEd Talks
Harmony at Home with Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart | March 20th @ 12pm-1pm
Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart is a pediatric psychologist, parent coach, wife of 23 years and mom of two kids, with over 16 years of experience in her field. She serves as a parent coach for families of kids and teens with behavioral and emotional regulation concerns, those diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety, and highly sensitive kids, with a focus on helping parents adjust their mindset about parenting. Dr. Lockhart helps overwhelmed parents get on the same page and better understand their kids and teens.
Dr. Lockhart has spoken nationally at schools, conferences, online podcasts, summits and corporate workshops for topics about ADHD, anxiety, executive functioning, emotional dysregulation and racism. She is a freelance writer for PBS Kids for Parents and PureWow, and a contributor for The Gottman Institute and 1N5. Dr. Lockhart serves as a board member for the Verywell Review Board and Dadditude.
After School Enrichment
Coding with Kids
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
Volunteer Hours Reporting
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.
Parish News
Join Family Choir!
A new opportunity for kids and their loved ones. Email Jennifer Kowalewski for more details and to sign-up: jkowalewski@st-c.org
Archdiocese of Seattle News
Holy Names Academy Summer Camps
Holy Names Academy offers summer camps for young women entering Grades 4 through 9. HNA is happy to offer a variety of sports and specialty camps, so campers can explore new interests or improve existing ones!
Visit https://www.holynames-sea.org/admissions/2025-summer-camps/ to sign up for a camp this summer.
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.
