May-June Dates for 4th grade

• We read another realictic fiction selction called “Bad Dog, Dodger” and focused on the concept of being responsible pet owners. This class has a wealth of experience with pets! The skills we worked on were identifying plot and theme, using I and me appropriately, spelling consonant pairs with a silent letter, and identifying cause and effect. We also enjoyed reading in the sun with our 7th grade reading buddies.
• The kids enjoyed our new geometry unit in math. We learned how to identify right, acute and obtuse angles in shapes. Then we learned about geometric solids such as spheres, pyramids, and rectangular prisms. Students had to identify the number of faces, edges and vertices, as well the the plane shapes of the faces.
• We continued our social studies unit on history by identifying the names of landmarks around the country. We learned about specific monuments and memorials, and read about many of the heroes these are modeled after. We focused on the skill of reading map grids with an I Spy game of scenes from books.
• Our three painted lady butterflies hatched out of their cocoons…one during our mass! They’ve been flying around, drinking nectar, and keeping us perfectly distracted all week! We discussed the waste that dripped out of the cocoon and looked like blood, as well as the new needs as adults.
• In religion, we researched saints in the computer lab to make a class book of saints. We also watched a movie about the true story of Fatima.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! Happy Mothers Day to all of you amazing moms…I hope these kiddos spoil you rotten!!

Congratulations to all of the students who participated in the AMHS Juried Art Show! Saint Catherine School was represented by over fifty students.  Thank you to all the families who journeyed north to Everett to view the exhibit and support our school.  The following students won awards and will have their work displayed in the Seattle Art Museum from May 22nd through July 31st with an opening reception on June 1st from 1-2 PM.

Naomi Mulate – 3^rd place in Sacred Art Painting K-3 grade

Dan Pruin – 1^st place in Printmaking 4-8 grade

Lily Zyskowski – 1^st place in Painting K-3 grade

Sarah Eckhart – Honorable Mention in Painting K-3 grade

Katie Figueroa – Honorable Mention in Painting K-3 grade

Owen Jennings – Honorable Mention in Cultural Arts K-3 grade

We are so proud of all of our art students here at St. Catherine and the wonderful work they produce!

Volunteer Hours are due next Wednesday, May 15^th!

Thank you to every family who volunteers and helps around the school, we could not operate without you!  With that said…..please be sure to return your bright yellow volunteer reporting sheet into the office by next Wednesday.  Families who have not turned in their hours will be billed $25/hour for any hours not served.  If you do not have your yellow sheet, white copies are in the packets today. THANK YOU!

Safe Environment Reminder

Those of you who have received notification to renew your safe environment certification, you must complete the online class by Monday, May 20^th. Go to www.seattle.setanet.org to complete the online class and remain compliant.

Easy Fundraising Opportunity – ZAW PIZZA – week 2

Order dinner from zaw pizza on Tuesdays or Wednesdays in the month of May; mention St. Catherine and zaw will donate $5.00 to our school for every purchase of $20 or more.  Also when you mention St. Catherine you’ll receive a scrumptious, big bake at home cookie.

Spring Photos

The end of the year is near! A great way to remember this year is by having your photo taken. St. Catherine’s is offering free dress photos again (students having their photo taken may come to school in Free Dress) on Tuesday, May 14^th. Order forms were sent home in last week’s packet. If your child would like their photo taken (students may take photos with friends and/or siblings too) please fill out the order form, include payment in the envelope, and send it to school with your child on the day of photos. Teachers will collect the forms. Photos will only be taken for those students who have a form and payment. Please contact Leslie Bartlett at lbartlett@stcatherineschool.net if you have any questions.

School Supplies for 2013-2014 Available Now!

Would you like to cross school supplies off your summer to-do list? Order your school supplies by June 7th and you will not have to drag your children through the stores with the crowds in August. We have switched companies to SchoolKidz, a Staples company. The prices are reasonable and the quality and supply lists have been teacher approved.

Ordering is EASY!  Order forms will be in your Thursday envelope. There should be an order form for each child in your family. There is also a BULK list for grades 3rd through 8th, containing required items that you may or may not already have, such as flash drives and dictionaries.

You can also order ONLINE!  Go to www.shopttkits.com and enter account number 67636.  You will also have to pick your bulk items online if your child is entering the 3rd through the 8th grade.

If you have any questions, call Cindy Kimmel at 206-554-1346 or email at ckimmel@gmail.com.

AUCTION

The Fiesta was fabulous and we sold almost every item!
Here are a few “school-related” items that are still available:

• Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Party…11 spots left at $30 per guest (check payable to St. Catherine Auction)
• Free Dress for the remaining Fridays of this school year…$15 (check payable to St. Catherine Auction)
• BUNCO (September 27th, 2013)…unlimited spots at $40 per guest (check payable to St. Catherine Auction)

Please contact Amy Jeffries agjeffries@me.com or call at 206.459.5134, first come, first served.

CYO

Soccer 2013

Soccer registration forms for the next school year are enclosed or can be found online at  http://cyo.stcatherineschool.net/forms.

Please fill out a form for your child if he/she would like to participate in CYO soccer.  We would like all forms turned in by June 7, 2013.

Please turn in your forms by the deadline so we can determine how many students will be participating, how many teams must be registered for and if we need to combine with another school to form a team.

If you have any questions please contact our soccer coordinator, Sean O’Connor, at irish007_us@yahoo.com

SCRIP

Scrip One-Time Order:

Scrip one-time and online orders are being placed this week. Please submit your paper order forms to the school office, or your online order to www.shopwithscrip.com by FRIDAYat 3:00pm.  Your orders will be available next Thursday.

If you have not fulfilled your $1000 ($250 for preschool) scrip obligation you will be getting a letter in your Thursday envelope. There are 3 more one-time orders left in the school year so please don’t wait, get your orders in NOW! If your obligation is not fulfilled you will be billed.

We will also be having a SCRIPALOOZA on Thursday May 30^th from 2:45 – 3:30 in the school plaza. Credit cards will be accepted.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Chaperones needed for Middle School Dance Friday May 17th.

If you are available to help please contact Chris Burr or Katie Flemingkjfleming@comcast.net

Volunteers Needed for Used Book Sale

We need volunteers to help set-up the Used Book Sale after school on Wednesday, May 29^th and to help clean-up after the sale on the afternoon of Friday, May 31^st. If you can help, please contact Leslie Bartlett at lbartlett@stcatherineschool.net

EVENTS

St. Catherine Day at Safeco Field is this Saturday night, May 11^th!

Don’t forget to purchase your tickets online by Friday night to get the group rate of $11.00 per ticket.  To purchase tickets, go to www.mariners.com/schools and type in the promo code: stcatherine0511.

Plant Sale, Wednesday May 15^th 2:00 p.m. in the Plaza

Extra plants were ordered so there will be extras for sale.  Take a look at pickup!

Final week to register for the Golf Tournament!!

Sponsor OTW  – Gent Components –Amorette and Greg Gent

Registration form attached and enclosed in packet.

PARISH NEWS

SAVE THE DATE – SUNDAY JUNE 30^th

Going Away BBQ and Potluck Celebration for Father Tony!

Following 10:30 a.m. mass, parish will provide hamburgers and hot dogs.  Details to follow.

A Word from Victoria

For at least 5 years, (and probably longer), I have anticipated that my term at St. Catherine would end. In 2003, Archbishop Brunett wrote that he would be replacing me in July 2004 with a priest pastor. In 2009, the archdiocese conducted a pastoral review, which is usually the prelude to a change in leadership.

Now, in 2013, the change in beginning.

Fr. Tony and I announced last week the changes that we face as a community in the coming year. The Archbishop has assigned Fr. Tony as the Priest Minister at St. Anne Parish beginning July 1 of this year; this is the same position Fr. Tony has served here at St. Catherine for the past ten years. At St. Anne, he will work with Ron Ryan, who is the Pastoral Coordinator at St. Anne and has the same position that I have here.

I will remain at St. Catherine for one more year, continuing to serve as Pastoral Coordinator. A priest will be assigned for one year to provide liturgical and sacramental ministry.

The current plan is that on July 1, 2014, a priest pastor will be assigned to St. Catherine.

We are both sad at the thought of leaving you. Fr. Tony and I have been with you for ten years and fourteen years, respectively. You are our companions in faith; you are our home. At the same time as we grieve, we also know that there is gift in new leadership. A new priest pastor will bring new gifts and new strengths and new vision.

We have two months before Fr. Tony leaves for St. Anne Parish. On the last weekend of his time with us, June 29-30, we will have a celebration for him.  There will be a reception after the 5pm, coffee hour/reception after the 8:30am mass, and a barbeque/potluck after the 10:30 mass. Please mark your calendars now; more details will be forthcoming.

For my part, I look forward to this final year with you.  It will be a year to savor our time together and to prepare for the transition. I will admit now that I will live this year with a bit of denial. I don’t want to be grieving the whole year. Instead, I want to celebrate the gift that has been and to rejoice in this gift of a final year.

Change is never easy, but perhaps the Easter season helps us to navigate change in general and this change in particular. The season itself is about the fundamental change from death to life. In Jesus’ resurrection, death is overcome, not only for Jesus, but for all of us. In these Easter days, we celebrate that great gift, and we also accompany the disciples as they are prepared for Jesus’ departure. The promise that sustains them is that Jesus will be with them in the power of the Holy Spirit. Today’s gospel promises that Jesus and the Father will come and make their home with those who believe and love. It is this gift of Jesus presence with us that will carry us through this year of change—with gratitude, hope, joy, and peace.

May 9, 2013

Dear Families,

Thank you to each and every volunteer for making last Saturday’s “Fiesta de la Noche” a huge success. Our auction chairs Beth Jaculewicz and Amy Jeffries orchestrated a beautiful event; they even made sure the weather was perfect. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to Beth Swanson, Maria Ewing, and the Decor Committee for transforming the Hall, the parent volunteers, sponsors, faculty, staff, Father Tony, Victoria, alumni, friends of St. Catherine, Master of Ceremony, Graig Sifferman, and our auctioneer, John Hamel. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful community. Muchas Gracias.

All are welcome to attend the Auction Wrap meeting, Monday, May 13^th at 7:30 p.m. in the School Cafeteria. Please let us know if you would like to attend. We are eager to get fresh, constructive feedback of ALL KINDS!

I would like to publicly thank all of our St. Catherine teachers. Teachers and staff enjoyed a special lunch on Tuesday and free dress in honor of Teacher Appreciation Day. Our school community is blessed to have such a bright, dedicated, creative, hard-working, caring, and collaborative group of teachers and staff. Thank you.

Ms. Acosta and the National Honor Society  want to thank St. Catherine Students for participating in Tuesday’s free dress day. Together, we raised $318.20. All of the donations will go directly to Camp Seymour’s Strong Kids Campaign. This scholarship fund is distributed based on need. It allows children to be able to attend camp who otherwise would not be able to afford it. Thank you for making a difference.

Anyone interested in joining the School Commission please contact the principal. We will have a Commission Discernment on Monday, June 11th at 7:00 p.m. The School Commission is a consultative group that advises and supports the Pastoral Coordinator and the Principal in developing a strategic plan for the parish school. The School Commission has responsibility in the following areas:

• Strategic Planning
• Policy Development
• Preparation of School Budget
• Engaging in Public Relations

Members of the School Commission are selected through a discernment process each spring. Commitment ranges between two and four years.

All students will have free dress next Tuesday, May 14th.

Finally, a reminder that Volunteer Hours are due next Wednesday, May 15th. If we do not receive your hours we will assume that you have not completed the required number of volunteer hours and you will be billed. We have included a copy of the Volunteer Hour Summary Sheet in today’s packet just in case.

Have a wonderful end of the week. Enjoy the sunshine!

Blessings,

Mary Helen

Scrip one time order

SHANKAPATOMUS V v1

Just a few updates for calendar. Students continue to work hard and doing their best to focus.

Graduation Events and Times:

Graduation Dinner: 6:00PM, WEDNESDAY JUNE 5TH.

Good-Bye Assembly: 9:00AM, THURSDAY, JUNE 6TH. Students will be wearing caps and gowns.

Graduation Mass and Graduation: 7:00PM, THURSDAY, JUNE 6TH.

Ethics Paper rough draft due this Wednesday, the 8th.

Final for Ethics paper due Wednesday, the 15th.

May 13-16, Eighth Grade Finals Week

Please mark this very important week on your calendars. I would ask that you try not to schedule any appointments during this week. It would be very difficult for both the students and teachers to find regular class times to make up finals. The following week students will present R.O.P.E.S (Rite of Passage Experience) and then we leave for D.C. Thank you ahead of time for your cooperation.

Friday, May 17, St. Catherine School’s Annual Talent Show!

And…Friday, May 17, the final dance for the eighth grade class.

Tuesday and Wednesday, May 21 and 22, R.O.P.E.S presentations.

Thursday, May 23, Leave for D.C., returning on May 27, Monday evening.

Wednesday, May 29th, eighth grade Service Day.   

Tuesday, June 4, Final Retreat

Wednesday, June 5, Graduation Dinner in Victoria Hall at 6:00PM.

Thursday, June 6, students will report to school for Baccalaureate/Graduation Mass, this will not be a full day of school for eighth graders. I will let you know the exact hours as soon as possible.

Thursday, June 6, at 4:00, Graduation!