Weekly Newsletter
2.14.2024
Calendar Reminders
Friday, February 16th
No School for All Students - President's Day Break
Monday, February 19th & Tuesday, February 20th
No School for All Students - President's Day Break
Thursday, February 22nd
Spirit Day - Wear your Tiger Gear!
Spirit Gear Store is Open!
YOUR ONLINE SPIRIT GEAR STORE IS LIVE! ORDER TODAY.
* DON'T FORGET TO ORDER YOUR GRANDPARENTS' SWAG FOR THE GRANDPARENT LUNCH ON 3/22/24
* NEW ITEMS FOR TRACK AND FIELD, COACHES AND MORE.
The St. Catherine Spring Spirit Gear Store will be open for two weeks. Don’t delay! Place your order today. https://collegehill.com/collections/st-catherine-school
Online Store Close Date: 2/20/2024 at 10:00 AM
This is when your online store pre-sale will end and items will no longer be available for purchase.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Tammy Matusak at tmatusak@stcatherineschool.net.
From the School Office
2024-2025 Enrollment & Registration
Enrollment and registration for the 2024-2025 school year kicked off this week with the State of the School. Our Principal, Kathy Cox, & Vice Principal, Cailtin Elsner, shared in their video message the school's latest accomplishments and notable events of the last year. They also talked about the required commitments for each family and shared the tuition rates for the 2024-2025 school year.
Each family has been given access to the enrollment checklist in your Parent Portal, which will include your student's 2024-2025 contract. Please check your inbox for your family's enrollment & registration kick-off email.
Reconciliation Mass | February 22nd @ 7pm
St. Catherine School and Parish invite you to enter more deeply into Lent this year with our Family Lenten Mass with Confessions. This will be students' annual opportunity to go to confession. Catholic Parents are invited and encouraged to also participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confessions) in preparation for Easter.
Mass begins at 7:00PM on Thursday, February 22nd, and individual confessions will follow. Baptized Catholics are eligible for Confession, and everyone, Catholic or not, is invited and warmly invited to participate in the Mass.
Optional Spring Conferences
On February 28th and 29th, we will have optional conferences available for parents. Conferences will be 20 minutes in length, and available from 12:45 PM-4:00 PM both days. Please email any teachers you would like to meet with to schedule a time. Your child's teacher(s) may also contact you if they would like to meet with you. Again, these are optional.
Study Hall Announcements
There will be no study hall (4th-8th grades) on the following dates in February due to noon dismissals/in-service days/school holidays on the surrounding dates: 2/8, 2/15, 2/27, & 2/29.
Order Yearbooks Now!
Order forms for the 2023-2024 school year are now available in your SchoolAdmin/FinalSite Parent Portal under the Optional Checklist section. Yearbooks are $30 each and you will be charged at the time of your order.
Yearbook Photos Needed
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. This year, we are excited to include a Summer Adventures page! Please send us pictures of your student or family during the summer of 2023. As always, we need your help documenting out of school events like CYO Sports, Harvest Festival, and eventually things like Ski Bus and the Christmas Program. Thank you for your help!
Career Day!
This will take place on the afternoon of May 31st, 2024. The goal is to demonstrate to kids a variety of career paths that have been taken by members of the community. There will be stations for adults to occupy in the gym, to showcase their careers. Kids will come through as a class and explore the stations. We will also host presentations for older kids in the Learning Commons.
If you are interested in participating in our annual Career Day, please click the link below. Service hours are available!
DAZZLE: St. Catherine School Auction
Coding with Kids - Winter Session
LITTLE CODERS: INTRO TO ROBOTICS
Grades 1-3
Mon, 3:15 PM-4:15 PM
Feb 26 - Apr 22
no class on Apr 1
$210 / 8-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/61825
QUESTIONS? Email Coding with Kids at info@codingwithkids.com
Parent Club News
Grandfriends Lunch | March 22nd
Save the date for Grandfriends Lunch on March 22! Grandparents or grandfriends are invited to join children in Victoria Hall for a catered lunch. Invite your Grandfriends to come visit our school and community. Sign up here to help run the event and earn volunteer hours. Link for ticket purchase coming soon!
Volunteering at St. Catherine School
Safe Environment Program
The Archdiocese of Seattle requires all school volunteers to take part in the Safe Environment Program, through VIRTUS, in three ways. In order to be a Safe Environment approved volunteer you need to:
- Register at http://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/
- Read and approve policies
- Complete a background check
- Take the Introductory class, Protecting God's Children
All components of the Safe Environment Progam MUST BE COMPLETED before volunteering in any capacity at St. Catherine School.
If you have any questions about the Safe Environment Program or the requirements, please contact Charlotte Van Hollebeke at cvanhollebeke@stcatherineschool.net
Parish News
Esperanza Coffee Hour & Tamale Sale
Sunday February 25th after 9:30am Mass
Join us for a special Mexican themed coffee hour and support our Esperanza group's summer service trip by purchasing delicious tamales. They will be ready to eat or you can take them home and freeze them. Chicken or pork $5.00 each.
To preorder, or if you want to learn more about our trip, email or call Katie Fleming at 206-354-5161 or kjfleming1239@gmail.com.
Stations of the Cross | Dinner + Movie March 1st @ 5PM
St. Catherine of Siena Parish is sponsoring dinner and a movie after a family friendly Stations of the Cross, all in Victoria Hall. Please join us to gather together in prayer and fellowship! We will be serving cheese pizza along with fruit, veggies, and drinks and showing a movie after Stations.
Sign up for the event here so we know how much pizza to buy. Sign up to volunteer here and get volunteer hours for school! Bring blankets and stuffies for the kids to sit on while they watch! For questions email fshammami@gmail.com.
Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW)
Volunteer Opportunity for Parents During the 9:30am Mass
Children's Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) is a way for our children to experience the Liturgy of the Word at their own pace and to gain a better understanding of Scripture.
We need parent volunteers to assist our wonderful teachers.
CLOW happens during Mass. Children up to 5th grade and their teachers process to their classroom right before Mass readings start and come back to Mass for the Offertory and the Eucharist. They do the readings in their classroom in an interactive and playful way.
Volunteers do not miss any part of the Mass!
If you are interested in volunteering in this wonderful ministry, please contact Francine Shammami at fshammami@gmail.com or Olaf at faithformation@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.