WEDNESDAY PARENT NEWSLETTER 1.11.23

 “I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

In this week’s newsletter there is an Annual Fund update, Catholic Schools Week activities and information, Distinguished Alumni Award nominees, health updates, Archery, Boys’ Basketball, new preschool staff, January and February Playground Angels, Growing Great Kids Auction and Gala, PTC information, a mothers and children group with Deacon Larry, Variety show, the saint of the week and much more! Thank you for reading.

Remembering Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

“Holiness does not consist in not making mistakes or never sinning. Holiness grows with capacity for conversion, repentance, willingness to begin again, and above all with the capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI (May the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.)

Distinguished Alumni Award during Catholic Schools Week

During Catholic Schools Week each year, we honor an alumnus/alumnae from Assumption who has continued to be a leader in the community and a supportive member of the Catholic church. If you know someone who graduated from Assumption in the year 2005 or earlier, please fill in the attached Microsoft Form with his/her contact information and we will vote as a staff on January 17. https://forms.office.com/r/nrfWi2NiwZ

Mothers and Children Group

There is a new group for mothers. We meet in the Stafford Room on the first and third Fridays of each month at 9:00 am, immediately after the 8:15 school Mass. Please join the group for a casual time of support and fellowship. We will visit and share our experiences of raising our children in the faith. If you have little ones not yet in school, bring them along. 

Catholic Schools Week

Faith Community Scholarships

Please see the attached letter about applications from the parishes regarding Faith Community Scholarships. If you remember from the November tuition letter, these will now take the place of the “in-parish subsidized” rate for tuition and amounts will now be decided by individual pastors. Letter here.

New tuition amounts will be published at the end of this month and announced at the State of the School Address on Wednesday, February 8 at 7 pm in the gym.

More Playground Angels Needed!

Thank you for all our volunteers on the playground. We still need help for January.

See the link below and find a time to see your children, they love it!

January sign up link

February sign up link

Growing Great Kids Auction Updates: Donations Due January 27th

Only 16 days left until your auction donations and funds must be turned in! All donations, classroom projects, and sponsorships are due to the office by Friday, January 27th. Thank you to all the families and businesses that have already donated. If you need more time or have questions about a specific item, please reach out to Lisa or Torry at growinggreatkidsauction@gmail.com

NEED FUNDRAISING HOURS!  Don’t forget, you may still donate funds for wine at the gala and earn fundraising hours. For every $20 donated above your auction commitment, you will earn one fundraising volunteer hour. (Please make sure you label or use the designated envelope for your wine donation)

Growing Great Kids Auction and Gala invites go out next week! We hope you all can attend this exciting community event!

For more information visit https://assumption.maestroweb.com 

Development News

 Thank you to our community of supporters! We’ve surpassed our goal for the 2022-23 Growing with Grace Annual Fund. From the staff and administration, we are beyond grateful for your selflessness, sacrifice, and belief in our mission!

Please note that any dollar amount above our budgeted goal will help to cover the cost of replacing our 100+ year-old windows this year and we will not have to pull from our savings to do so. We also want to share that because of the success of the Annual Fund and increased enrollment, we were able to provide a significant bonus for teachers and staff this past December. They are the heart of our school- it was such a gift to be able to show our appreciation through your kindness and generosity.

Your support is invaluable to us; thank you again!

Catholic Schools Week- Welcoming First Responders at an assembly

Co-Curricular Programs

Winter Ride

This month our middle school students will get to experience skiing on Mt. Baker or ice skating at the Sportsplex.  Here are the remaining Tuesday dates: Jan. 17, 24 and 31^st.

Please email Miss McIntosh with any questions at amcintosh@assumption.school

Boys Basketball Season

Their games are at 4pm. Home games are in bold.  Please come and support our team!  Families are most welcome.

Here is the schedule for the season:

January 11: 4:00 PM Home VS Lynden Middle School

January 19: 4:00 PM Home VS Blaine

January 23: 4:45 PM Away @ Mount Baker Junior High School

January 25: 4:00 PM Home VS Vista Middle School

PTC CONNECTIONS

SWAG SALE – on January 20^th, Friday, the PTC will be selling items such as hats, jackets, tumblers, water bottles and scarves.  Look for a table under the cross before and after school.  Come see what we have. Cash and checks accepted. 

PIZZA LUNCH – the next pizza lunch will be Monday, January 23^rd.  Look for the order form in next week’s envelope.

GENERAL PTC MEETING – Mark your calendar for the general meeting on Wednesday, 1-25-22, at 7pm. It will be via ZOOM with the hopes for great attendance while you sip your wine from the comforts of your couch or while you prep dinner and assist with homework. Your attendance will gain your child(ren) free dress the next day! We will provide you with updates on business, upcoming PTC events and a quick reference for local summer programs.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK – This fun filled week is approaching at the end of the month, 1-28-23 thru 2-3-23. Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities that we will highlight in the next couple weeks of newsletters.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES – Continue to check the school volunteer website for volunteer opportunities. I know it’s cold outside, but we still need to keep the children safe, and we need our Playground Angels!  Link here

Missoula Children’s Theater  

Missoula Children’s Theater will be back at Assumption this spring!  Mark your calendars for the week of May 1^st, 2023.  We are still looking for two host families for the guests to stay with during that week.  If you are interested, please contact Tia Entrikin at duttontia@gmail.com.

Other News from School

Preschool Assistant Teacher has been hired!

After meeting with a few candidates and going through the interview process, we have hired a preschool assistant teacher for the remainder of this school year. Jacalyn Stephens, who has been a substitute and EDP staff member, will be moving into this new role starting on January 23. She will still be working in the afternoons with students in other classrooms but will be a preschool teacher from 8-12:30 pm each day. We are so grateful that she has agreed to take on this position and we know she will be a wonderful addition to that program. Veronica Flores will be missed, but this is a great continuation!

Variety Show is Coming in January

We need your talents to shine for the show.  Remember it is open to all students and registration forms are due January 9, 2023.  If you have any questions, please call, or email the school office or Mrs. Whelan awhelan@assumption.school  Thank you.   

Walking in Holiness With the Saints

We hope that you will enjoy learning about how saints are a great example of holiness, strength, and courage one day at a time. Below is a description of a saint but his/her name is withheld. See if you can guess who the saint is and get your name put in for a prize drawing.  See Mrs. Michele King if you have a guess.

Last week: St. John Vianney, Cure of Ars

Congratulations ……. John Vianney in Mrs. McClurg’s room! and Baylen Richmond in Mrs. Thomas’ room!

New Saint: I was born in Spain in 1504.  When I was 24, I met St. Ignatius of Loyola, who often repeated to me the Word of Our Lord: “What profit is it to a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his soul?”.  Wherever I went, I lived with the poorest people sharing their food and shelter.  It took all my energy caring for the sick and the poor, especially to lepers.

I also had a great devotion to Mary, the Mother of God.  For whatever grace I wanted, I asked the Mother of God to intercede for me.  Because of this intercession, I had a great devotion to Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception.  I considered it an honor to show that I was the servant of Our Lady by praying the rosary daily.  It was through the rosary that Mary made miracles happen. 

Throughout my life I was able to baptize and teach catechism to many children and adults in India, China, Japan, and the Malay Archipelago. Some historians estimate that 30,000 people were baptized by me. 

This saint is the patron of foreign missions. 

Who is this saint?  ________________

Upcoming calendar items:

January 16^th – No School this Monday

January 17 – February 3^rd – MAP Testing

January 23^rd – Pizza Day

January 24^th/25^th – Hearing and Vision Screening Days

January 23^rd – Principal’s Coffee

January 25^th – PTC meeting on Zoom 7pm   

January 27^th – Last Day of the Semester / Early Release (A) Day

January 29^th – School Choir at 10am Mass at Assumption Parish

January 29^th to February 4^th – Catholic Schools’ Week (calendar of events TBD)

February 8^th– State of the School Address from 7 pm to 8 pm in the gym. (At least one parent is required to attend this event in order to receive enrollment information for the 2023-2024 school year. Updates for the current year and financial picture for the school will be provided.) Survey for childcare here

February 12^th– Open House for all NEW families 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Current families are welcome with a friend and to show them around.