Monday News, 4/30

“It’s only by accepting God’s unconditional love

that we become capable of showing that same love to others.”

~ Christopher West

Message from Principal Angie Krauss:

Dear Families,

I can’t believe five years has gone by and we are now gearing up for another accreditation in the Spring of 2019.  The accreditation process occurs every six years, and the Western Catholic Education Association sends a team of educators to our school to assess our ability to educate the whole child.  They examine how we teach, nurture and care for the students academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. I am excited to share with them all the ways our talented staff fulfills our mission statement on a daily basis.  

A piece of this accreditation process is surveying our students and parents.  The students have begun the survey in grades Kindergarten through eighth grade and will finish them this week.  I ask that each parent take a moment to complete the survey by clicking on this link: Accreditation Parent Survey.  This information is valuable and helps us understand our strengths and areas that need improvement.  I thank you ahead of time for filling this survey out for us by Friday.

Also, we have some openings on our Parent Advisory Board for the upcoming year.  We are looking for people with experience and skills in law, equity and inclusion, early childhood and faith formation.  If you are interested, please fill out the attached form and return it electronically to [email protected] or turn it into the front office by May 14th.

I hope you all enjoy the beginning of May and more sunshine is on the way!

In Christ’s Peace,

Angie Krauss

Be Like Christ Awards: Patrick Manfred, Jenna Kraut and Christian Preti

Message from ELC Administrator Julie Simmons:

Greetings ELC Families!

Hope you have been enjoying our glorious, warm, sunny weather!  Even a rain shower here and there is most welcome!

I’m so happy to introduce two new staff members to our ELC community.  Please join me in welcoming Kristy Stewart and Valerie Anderson to our team.  Kristy, a St. Al’s parent and friend of the community, comes to us with a long history of work in service to others and is helping as a substitute teacher across our center.  Valerie was most recently working at Cataldo Catholic School, and will be joining the Tigers PreK classroom. She has tons of experience working with children, has wonderful ideas around hands-on engaging curriculum, and will be such a welcome addition to our community.

Another exciting development…beginning in May we will be partnering with Eastern Washington University  for screening of early literacy skills of our kiddos heading to kindergarten in the fall. We have  been working with Lesli Cleveland, Professor at EWU for Communication Sciences and Disorders (and Montessori mom), throughout the year to see if we could bring her assessment team downstairs to our PreK classrooms to help provide the PreK and kindergarten teachers with more information about the kiddos’ literacy/reading skills upon entering kindergarten.  I’m so excited about the potential this information can bring to our teaching & learning downstairs, and the great information this will give our kindergarten teachers as we prepare for the transition this fall. PreK parents will be receiving more information from classroom teachers, and participation in the program is voluntary.

Have a wonderful week!

Blessings,

Julie

ALL-SCHOOL: Mark your Calendars:

May 10:  Living Rosary – 10:15am @ St. Als Church

May 11:  Teacher in-service Day- No School/ELC Open

May 17:  8th grade Hero Presentations

May 18:  Marian Mass – 10:15am @ St. Als Church

May 22:  5th & 6th Grade Awards Assembly – 8:45 in Garco Gym

May 25:  7th & 8th Grade Awards Assembly – 8:45 in Garco Gym

May 28:  Memorial Day/Holiday- No School/No ELC

June 1:   Fund Run!

June 7:   8th grade graduation 5:00 PM @ St. Als Church

June 13:  Field Day and Talent Show – more information to come

June 14:  Last day of school! Mass at 9:00am St. Al’s Church

Important Notes & Reminders:

2018 All City Parochial School Track & Field Meet:  Wednesday, May 16 at Gonzaga Prep – events start at 3:30 sharp, The Meet is open to all parochial students.  This is a great opportunity for students grades 1-8 to try some different events in this great sport.  See the attached flyer for more information.

Lost and Found:  Please make sure you check the lost and found for your child’s belongings.

4oz Baby Food Jars:  Montessori is in need of 45- 4oz baby food jars, by May 4th.

Mission Advancement:

Capital Campaign—Cross The Phase 2 Finish Line:

You should have received a proof of our capital campaign donor list last week. Is your name on the wall??? GIVE NOW! Together we can Cross The Phase 2 Finish Line!!!

Follow the link below to give! For more information, please contact Cami Carlson at 489-7825 x238 or [email protected].

https://forms.donorsnap.com/form?id=d12688f4-decc-4152-91a1-1739f210d503

Also, watch for upcoming opportunities to help provide educational toys and supplies for our new ELC classrooms!

Fund Run 2018:

• THANK YOU to all of our volunteers last week who aided in the letter folding and mailing process of the 2018 Fund Run letters!  1300 letters were either mailed or distributed for hand delivery!

• 2018 Fund Run Corporate Sponsors: Thank you to Yost Gallagher Construction, Walt’s Mailing Service, Goodale & Barbieri, and FroYo Earth! We are so grateful for our Fund Run sponsors! If you would like to be a Fund Run sponsor, please fill out the attached 2018 Fund Run sponsor form and return it to school with payment by this Friday, May 4. Feel free to share this info with any other business/individual that you think might be interested!

• There are are students who have still not turned in their Medical Release/T-shirt size form.  Your child will NOT be able to participate in Fund Run without one. There are copies at the Front Desk and attached here.

• The first Fund Run Assembly will be Thursday, May 10th!  This will begin the first round of weekly pledge sheets and TRIPLE ticket week begins!

If you have any questions, please email Brianna Barbieri, Fund Run Coordinator, at [email protected].  

Fund Run Volunteering:

Fund Run has MANY other volunteer opportunities also! Please follow the google link below to sign up. If you have not completed the Virtus online training you must do so to volunteer for the day of Fund Run.  If you have any questions, please email Brianna Barbieri at [email protected].

Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TS1IzQzPlJFGQVX7X6mf3F-pF8xejFfJjI-ndGQHL60/edit?usp=sharing

Fund Run Volunteers 2018 docs.google.com Sheet1 Fund Run Letter Stuffing on Tuesday, April [email protected] 9am until finished Name, Email Address, Phone Number, Time Frame Available 1), bonny tenbrink, 599-5265 2), Chandra lowry, 598-0079 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) Fund Run Letter Stuffing on Thursday, April [email protected] 9am until finished …

Please watch for more information on ways you can volunteer!

This Friday, May 4th at 12:00-3:00pm we will be assembling Fund Run prize packets and cutting bandanas.  Please contact Brianna Barbieri at [email protected] if you are interested in volunteering.

CAST of CHARACTERS DRAMA CAMP Info:

Back by popular demand, this two-week intensive camp inspires Spokane’s youth to be creative and imaginative. Within two weeks, campers will put on a full musical production, complete with improv and choreography, as well as having a blast while doing it. Originally brought to Spokane by Andi and Sean Kane, CAST has been around for over a decade and still going strong! CAST is located at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, WA and run by Cataldo Drama Director Jenna Solberg as well as Yours Truly (along with a host of wonderful high school-aged counselors).

CAST runs from August 6-17, Monday-Friday, 9am-3pm. Registration costs $250, but we do have some scholarships available (please contact Mr. Barfield if you’re interested). CAST is open to all students going into grades 4-9, and it’s not just for St. Al’s kids. Know an All Saints actor who’d be interested? Forward this along! But hurry before it’s too late! There are a limited number of spots this year.  Follow this link to Prep’s website to register: https://goo.gl/sy7cpo

Send Us Your Pictures

Thank you to all the families that have shared photos with me to use on our web and social media postings.  Feel free to email me photos of sporting events, field trips, or social justice projects your family worked on together, email to

[email protected]

Follow us on Instagram @ st.alsgonzaga  Share your photos and St. Al’s stories with Anne Hesler at [email protected].

Follow us on Facebook “St. Aloysius Gonzaga Catholic School Spokane”

Please “like” and “share” our stories on Facebook.   

Volunteer Opportunities:

Baking for Volunteer Hours:

This Friday, May 4th will be another staff luncheon. If you would like to participate in this volunteer opportunity, please follow the Meal Train link listed below. If you have any questions, please email Aleisha Webb at [email protected].

https://mealtrain.com/7ll2n1

Potluck for Cinco de Mayo taco bar (Click Here) mealtrain.com A Potluck is active for Cinco de Mayo taco bar. Click above for easy ways to participate

Furniture building:

Thanks to the generosity of our wonderful school and Parish community, all of the cribs purchased for the new building will be delivered this week! We are looking for volunteers that are willing to help us put these cribs together. Volunteers are needed on Friday, May 4th and possibly Monday, May 7th and this will be an ALL DAY opportunity. Time frames are flexible so please make sure to put in when you are available. Please know that *This opportunity will require some lifting and you will need to be handy with tools. To sign up for this opportunity, please follow the link below. Please email Aleisha Webb at [email protected] with any questions you may have!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-Yc2PFXEh1EtwgMhgjTcUAPPHCiLp7N26rU0PC7ruus/edit?usp=sharing

Crib Construction Volunteers docs.google.com Sheet1 Crib Construction on both Friday, May 3rd from 9: 00-3: 00 and potentially Monday, May 7th from 9: 00-3: 00. We will need multipe volunteers during this time frame to comple the construction of all 16 new cribs. * This opportunity will require some lifting and you will need to be handy …

Amazon Smile:

If you have not yet signed up for the Amazon Smile Program, now is a great time!  Go to smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1433780 or smile.amazon.com every time you shop online, and Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchase to St. Al’s School.

STAG Pride/Kudos/Prayers:

• For today, resolve to be open to the unexpected ways that God appears in your life.

• Lord, help us to recognize the less-obvious gifts you’ve given me and put them to good use.

• Celebrate the spirit of spring by making a fresh start today! Forgive someone who needs grace.

  Kelli Kelly

  Administrative Assistant

  St. Aloysius Gonzaga Catholic School