In this week’s news, you’ll find great news about last weekend’s auction, including financial success, gratitude for volunteers, and ways you can still offer support, a reminder to re-enroll, the upcoming Kids Heart Challenge information, a way you can be part of beautifying our school, Lenten activities at school and from Catholic Relief Services, PTC news including fundraising efforts and volunteer opportunities, as well as some wonderful events planned for this Spring, pending updates and changes to our health and safety protocol, a need for support to our Girls’ Volleyball team, a call for help to ensure safety at recess, a request for your personal photos to fill our yearbook, a reminder about no Mass this Friday, and upcoming calendar events. Thanks for reading!
Auction update
The numbers are still being finalized and we won’t know all expense totals for a few more weeks, but the Growing Great Kids Auction was a huge success this year! The total amount raised so far is over $178,000. This includes “Fund the Need” which raised $26,000 for the gym roof this summer. We are so grateful for the work of so many this year, especially our chairs Tiffany Schuman and Lisa Twining, who did an amazing job creating a fabulous hybrid auction! We also want to thank Angie King for running the sign-in and check-out process, and a special thank you to Connor McGreevey (Assumption alumnus) from Litzia Technology Services and Shannon Zebrowski for going above and beyond in their extra work that evening.
The PTC would like to extend a HUGE thank you to the entire team of volunteers who played a role in this year’s auction. We would especially like to recognize Veronica Vincent and Katherine Deets for the hours they put in on decor and sponsorship for the event. This event would not come together without the support and efforts of our wonderful Assumption community. Thank you volunteers, bidders and attendees!
Enrollment Information for 2022-2023
Enrollment is now open for families new to the school for 2022-2023. If you haven’t re-enrolled yet using the new SchoolAdmin system, please let us know so we can re-send you the link to the parent portal. All forms are now digital which used to come home as paper in the “summer packet.” Registration fees are $325 per child and there is a $35 administrative fee to enroll in School Admin.
Get ready! Kids Heart Challenge is kicking off on Monday, March 7th! We’re excited to learn about heart health and emotional well-being while having FUN and SAVING LIVES. Sign up today so you don’t miss out! http://www2.heart.org/goto/assumptioneagles
The pledge and informational sheet went home in today’s envelope. Pledges are due by March 25th!
Interior design and architecture for building restoration
Do you know anyone who has expertise in restoring old buildings to their original architecture? We are looking for parents or friends of Assumption who will help us plan a new design for the floors, hallways, and stairwells of the school. Specifically, we want to know if it’s possible to return the school to its original look from the early 1900’s starting with the first floor. This will likely be a long-term 2-3 year buildout, but we hope to start something this summer. Please contact Sharon Newbold at sharonduc@yahoo.com (or (206) 300-7678) if you have an interest in these things or know someone who can help us with this design.
Rice Bowls
Join our school community- and many thousands of Catholic communities across the United States- in a life-changing Lenten journey of encounter with CRS Rice Bowl. Your child’s CRS Rice Bowl is included in this week’s envelope. Look for weekly reflections throughout Lent. During the 40 days of Lent, as companions on the journey, we will encounter our neighbor.
Lenten Almsgiving
BRING YOUR PENNIES! Each week during Lent, we will focus on bringing a different coin to fill our school’s Lenten Almsgiving Jar (this is separate from your family Rice Bowl). You may want to give coins to your child in a small envelope or Ziploc for transporting to their classroom. Our first week will be pennies! This money will be given to the Rice Bowl, which benefits Catholic Relief Services, reaching families all around the world! We will be collecting pennies until Monday, March 14, when it switches to nickels.
First Week of Lent -Pennies
Second Week of Lent -Nickels
Third Week of Lent -Dimes
Fourth Week of Lent -Quarters
PTC News
Were you unable to attend the auction or missed out on winning an item? We still have a few things up for grabs! A few class projects still have items available. Sixth and seventh grade families bottled some of our favorite Take and Bake salad dressings. Eighth graders made an awesome piece of commemorative art. There are even seats available on our Crab Cruise! See details on the flyer in today’s envelope!
Don’t miss out! The order deadline for our Bristol Bay Salmon Sale is this Friday March 4th. See the flyer in your envelope and turn in your order when you return your Wednesday envelope! Pickup and payment will be on March 10th.
Are your kids’ uniforms getting a little too tight or a little too short? You’re in luck; our Used Uniform Sale is happening March 4th from 9 am to 3 pm in the gym. Bring all those short/tight uniforms to the office prior to the sale so that they can be loved by another family!
Assumption Catholic School will be hosting coffee hour after the Sunday morning masses at Assumption this weekend! All students are encouraged to attend and wear their Assumption uniform!
We are so grateful that the health forecast for spring is looking up! We are anticipating some fun community events! Stay tuned for the return of Movie Night, an in-person multi-cultural event on April 22nd, and Missoula Children’s Theater May 16-21. Mark your calendars!
Health and Safety Protocols- changes to mask mandates
Governor Inslee announced on Monday that the statewide indoor mask mandate will end on March 12 (11:59 pm on Friday, March 11th) instead of March 21. The Washington state Department of Health (DOH) is working to update its guidance for schools as quickly as possible, followed by the Whatcom County Health Department. We will communicate with staff and families about these changes as soon as they are shared and hope to include an update in the Wednesday Newsletter on March 9th.
Starting Monday, March 14, students, staff, and volunteers may choose to wear masks at school based on their individual and family health needs. As we’ve said before, it’s important to respect the decisions of individual families, teachers and staff. Wearing a mask doesn’t imply fear and not wearing a mask doesn’t communicate indifference. Each family has their own unique experience of COVID. Teachers and staff will continue to work with students in these conversations and help students to enter into this next phase.
We have also been given permission from the health department to allow for rapid antigen tests if students are experiencing symptoms. Until now, we have required a negative PCR test for students to return to school at Assumption if they had COVID-like symptoms. Starting on Monday, March 7th, this will be our new protocol. Please keep us informed if your child is experiencing symptoms according to the Symptom Decision Tree and if you will be testing your child at home. Additionally, if a child develops symptoms at school, we will need your consent to test the child at school using one of our rapid antigen tests through the Test to Stay program. We still want to keep students healthy, so even if it isn’t COVID please keep your child home until symptoms improve.
Lenten Practice Idea from Fr. Moore
For Lent, would you be willing to go to bed and wake up 45 minutes earlier one day a week? That is all that is required to attend daily Mass. The Wednesday and Thursday 7:15 a.m. daily Masses at Assumption are specifically scheduled so that students will be in line for school between 7:45 and 7:55. If you have ever wanted to try to attend daily Mass once a week, Lent is an excellent time to start.
Volleyball volunteers
Calling all volunteers! Fun and easy opportunities are available with the Girls’ Volleyball team to earn school volunteer hours! We need line judges and scorekeepers for the remaining two home games this season. These are easy and fun ways to support the school and team. No experience necessary, and no knowledge of the game needed. We will show you what to do. Check out the signup genius below for dates and times and claim your spot today!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090B49AFA723A7FB6-volunteer
Playground Angels
WE HAVE A GREAT NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS! Spring is waiting around the corner. In the meantime, our students need the outlet of playing outside each day! 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!
Contribute to the ACS Yearbook
This year, we have a wonderful new yearbook leader, Kelly Segal. We’d love to support her with lots of content to build us a great collection of memories. We’ve been so blessed with a return to having school events and activities and want to fill up those pages!
If you’ve taken photos that you’d like to contribute to this cause, please send digital images to Mrs. Dennis (ddennis@assumption.school). Thank you!
School Mass
Since we celebrated school Mass together for Ash Wednesday, there will be no additional Mass on Friday, March 4th.
Upcoming calendar items:
March 4th– Used Uniform Sale, 9 am – 3 pm in the gym
March 7th– Pizza Lunch (rescheduled from February 28th!)
March 10th– Volleyball assembly, 10 am
March 11th– NO SCHOOL, Regional Curriculum Day
March 16th– Early Release @ 11:45; Casual uniform
March 21st– Track & Field season begins
March 28th– Pizza Lunch
April 4th – 8th– Spring Break
