In this week’s news, you’ll find a reminder to nab your spot at the auction, a reminder to get your BBQ dinner orders in by Friday, an invitation to our open house next Sunday for you and a friend, the remaining celebrations planned around Catholic Schools Week, how ACS is supporting Sumas Elementary replace their much-needed books, when to expect re-enrollment to be ready and an invite to this year’s State of the School meeting, a reminder about when you can catch the Variety Show this week, clarity on some DOH guidance for returning to school, another source for rapid antigen testing for your family, a call for Playground Angels all month, this week’s School Mass schedule, and upcoming calendar items. Thanks for reading!
The first part of our video this week is a message from Mr. Anderson to parents.
The Growing Great Kids Auction and Gala is less than a month away and there is something for everyone and every budget! NOW is the time to go to the auction website to register for the online auction and to buy your tickets for the event! RSVP by February 11th at https://charityauction.bid/growinggreatkids2022
PTC News
LAST CHANCE to order your BBQ Take & Bake Dinner! Order forms will be accepted through this Friday, Feb 4th. You don’t want to miss the chance for a delicious, made from scratch dinner on a weeknight, prepared by someone else! Food tastes even better when you just get to eat it.
Thank you in advance to our PTC leads and volunteers for all their work to prepare these meals that support our school.
ACS Open House
We will be holding an open house on Sunday, February 13th from 2-4 pm. All current families are encouraged to invite a friend. Student work will be showcased and there will be an interactive scavenger hunt for all! Friends will have an opportunity to meet the teachers and find out what makes our school the best choice for education in Whatcom County. All usual health protocols will apply.
Last week we sent home an invitation meant to be shared. Thank you for helping to spread the word about all that Assumption has to offer!
CSW- Honoring Students and Alumni
We hope your family is enjoying the fun events and themes celebrating Catholic Schools Week!
Here’s a schedule recap for the remainder of the week:
Thursday, Feb. 3rd– We will be celebrating students. Students can dress up in pajamas and/or college swag. They will receive a treat at the end of the day!
Friday, Feb. 4th– We are celebrating our Distinguished Alumni at the school Mass. All students should wear their Dress Uniform.
Book drive for Sumas Elementary
Our students have adopted classes from Sumas to replace so many of their books destroyed in the Fall flooding.
Many thanks to Mrs. Sidhu for compiling a wish list that makes it simple for families to donate! Order a book through the link and it will automatically be removed from the “wanted” list. The default delivery address is the school, but families can also choose to ship to their own house and bring them in. As books arrive, they’ll be added to the bookshelf in our entryway.
Thank you for helping us support another school in our great community!
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19USCBBX3OPSN?ref_=wl_share
Re-enrollment Information for 2022-2023 and State of the School
Thank you to everyone who returned their intent forms for the upcoming school year. This information is used to prepare our budget with a projected enrollment and to set tuition for the upcoming year. For the past two years, we haven’t waited until the State of the School to announce this tuition information and instead have provided it in a letter to families during the last week of January (which would be this week).
However, this year, we are adopting a new billing and admissions program called School Admin to be consistent with the rest of the Archdiocese. The implementation of this new program is taking more time than expected and re-enrollment forms for current families will not be available until Wednesday, February 9. Thank you for your patience in this process.
The State of the School address, scheduled for Wednesday, February 9 at 7 pm, is a chance to hear from Mr. Anderson about successes in the current school year- facilities, fundraising, curriculum, and staffing. It also provides context for our expenses and illustrates comparisons around salaries and tuition with other schools in the county. The presentation usually takes about 45 minutes and at least one parent should plan to attend. Unfortunately, childcare is not provided for this event. Please mark your calendar and arrange to be here, if possible. Information about re-enrollment will also be given this evening.
There will be two performances for the Variety Show on Friday, February 4th. The first is the “dress rehearsal” just for all current students and teachers starting at 1:30 pm. The evening performance at 7 pm is for ANYONE who would like to come. We look forward to some great performances!
Health Protocol clarification
The latest K-12 school guidance aims to bring children back to school as soon as possible when they are required to isolate or quarantine due to COVID illness or exposure. We found we need to be more clear about what the “5-day rule” means for returning to school.
After five days isolation in the event a student is positive for COVID, “they may return to school but must continue to wear a well-fitting mask both in and out of school, at home and in the public, including during extracurricular and sports activities, to prevent potentially exposing others through day 10.”
After five days of quarantine after being in close contact with a positive person and receiving a negative test no sooner than day 5, “a student should continue monitoring for symptoms and wear a well-fitting mask around others through day 10 (days 6-10) both in and out of school, including during extracurricular and sports activities.”
In both scenarios, parents have two choices for returning to school:
- Follow the above guidance, returning on day 6. Children will be provided extra space in the classroom for snack and lunchtime when masks are removed. (They will not need to go to the library or hallway, but can just sit further back from their classmates.)
- Parents always have the choice to keep their children home for a full 10 days, following all usual health protocols when returning to school.
The link from the state, regarding vaccine mandates for children, may not have worked for you to provide feedback. This is a new link that has been sent and the survey closes today (Wednesday, February 2).
Free LOCAL rapid tests
Bellingham Fire Station 1 (1800 Broadway St) is distributing rapid antigen COVID-19 test kits. While supplies last, 2 boxes (4 tests) are available per family. These tests kits are available Monday – Friday, 9am to 4pm. Please limit one person at a time during the pick-up. If the sign is up out front, they still have tests to distribute.
Please DO NOT park in front of the big blue garage doors. Parking there, even for a moment, can interfere with emergency response. Thank you!
Playground Angels
WE ARE IN DIRE NEED OF VOLUNTEERS THIS MONTH! Please consider signing up for a recess shift or two. Angels help keep our students safe on the playground, which we are so grateful for and cannot offer recess without. Thank you in advance for your help!
School Mass this Friday
This Friday, February 4th, we will celebrate our Distinguished Alumni Award recipient at our all-school Mass with first grade leading. Parents of First Graders are welcome to join and all students should wear dress uniforms. We ask that visitors sit in the north transept instead of with the students. Masks are required of everyone, regardless of vaccination status. For the next 2-3 weeks, 1st graders and Kindergartener will sit in front of their buddy classes rather than with them in the same pew so that we are not mixing cohorts.
Upcoming calendar items:
January 30th – February 5th– Catholic Schools Week
February 4th– Variety Show includes a 1:30 pm dress rehearsal and a 7 pm evening performance
February 9th– State of the School, 7 pm
February 10th– PTC BBQ Dinner To-Go! (orders due Feb 4th)
February 11th– NO SCHOOL, Teacher work day
February 13th– ACS Open House, 2-4 pm for all CURRENT and NEW families
February 16th– Early Release @ 11:45 am, casual uniform
February 21st– NO SCHOOL, Presidents Day
February 26th– Growing Great Kids Auction and Gala!
February 28th– Pizza Lunch