“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)
We hope you all enjoy our all-school video tribute to
Mr. Anderson in honor of Principal Appreciation Day!
In this week’s newsletter you will read about the FUN RUN coming soon, Track and Field celebrations, popsicle sales on Friday, LOST AND FOUND, Playground Angels for May and June, the saint of the week, Volunteer of the Year Award, ACS “Night of the ARTS” and Multicultural Potluck next Friday, employment opportunities at school, Volunteer Appreciation, Agape Service Project, Pizza Monday, upcoming events and much more!
Thank you for reading.
Night of the Arts and Multicultural Potluck
Another cherished school event returns! Our Night of the Arts and Multicultural Potluck will take place on Friday, May 19th, 5-7 pm. Assumption is filled with amazing artists and musicians, whose work will be exhibited and performed. Come see a showcase of what your children have been working on all year!
The ACS community is blessed to have a rich and vibrant cultural heritage! We are still in great need of volunteers to bring food items to share, preferably from your family’s culture (link here). Please present your item in an easy, grab-and-go fashion, served up like an appetizer.
Popsicle Sale!
This Friday is looking like a great day for a cool treat after school! Come support our current 7th graders as they kick off fundraising efforts for their own trip to Washington D.C. next spring!
Look for these entrepreneurs under the cross outside at pick up on Friday, May 12th. A variety of ice cream and popsicle treats will be available for the whole family to enjoy!
Lost & Found
Mrs. King will be putting all current lost & found items on display outside this Friday. If your child is missing any items, please walk in to have a look at our collection, either at drop off or pick up. We have lots of sweatshirts and jackets to be claimed!
Boxes Needed
The school needs approximately 12-15 small moving boxes for storing books from one of the classrooms this summer. If you have boxes to drop off, please email the office first (so we don’t get too many) and let us know. Thank you!
Help on the Playground!
Our children’s safety is a top priority!
Your help in keeping recess fun and safe is so appreciated!
Student Ambassadors for 2023-2024
An email was sent to all parents and students in grades 5-7 with an invitation to apply to be a Student Ambassador for the upcoming school year. You can find the invitation here and applications are due on Monday, May 15th. Student Ambassadors help with Open Houses, lead assemblies, and help to coordinate Spirit Days throughout the year. They also make the announcements in the morning and are our “leaders” in the school to help with events. We encourage all students in grades 5-7 to apply.
The Sweet Countdown to the End of the Year!
Celebrations and special days make the end of the school year light and bright. For new and veteran families, here are endnotes on the fun, final school days at Assumption.
Week of May 8-12
Primary school days! Starting on Monday, May 8, the middle school students will be away from school for their overnight field trips. Sixth grade will be at Camp Hamilton from May 10 to May 12; seventh grade will be in Portland from May 9 to May 12; and eighth grade will be in Washington D.C. for the whole week. Please pray for safe travels for all of our middle school students, teachers and chaperones during this busy time.
Parents of the primary grades, come be a Playground Angel. Or, if you haven’t been able to make a Friday School Mass, consider attending. You do not have to be Catholic to come to Mass! See Mrs. Jane Town’s second-grade greeters, readers, and gift-bringers lead the Friday, May 12, 8:15 Mass.
Thursday, May 18
A favorite school tradition, 1-3 pm: the 38th Annual Ellen Anderson Memorial Fun Run. Cheer on your favorite athlete.
Friday, May 19
It’s worth posting twice: Night of the Arts and International Potluck! Experience the amazing arts program at our beloved school, in exhibits and student performances. Sign up to help volunteer or bring a dish to share. (link here) Please present your food item in an easy grab and go fashion, served up like an appetizer. You don’t have to cook for forty, just bring a small batch of your favorite finger food from your cultural background. Include a small sign indicating the name of the food and the country of origin. This can be as simple as olives, cheese, and crackers or as extravagant as egg rolls, samosas, lumpia, or empanadas. It can be sweet or savory. Many small batches will make for a lovely buffet to enjoy while experiencing the Art Walk in the gym on Friday May 19 from 5-7. Please join us!
Friday, May 26
After the 8:15 school Mass, come to the Volunteer Appreciation & Award Reception at 9:15 am. This celebration is for ALL parents because all parents generously give time as school volunteers. Enjoy baked goods, coffee, and tea, provided by teachers and staff. (Teacher Farewell for Mrs. Whelan and Mrs. Smith), has been changed to the last day of school.)
Thursday, June 8
Graduation rehearsal from 10-11:30 am in the church (graduates only).
Graduation luncheon for eighth graders and their parents, hosted by the current seventh-grade students and parents (seventh grade helpers and eighth graders only).
Eighth-grade graduation will be in the church, 5-6 pm. While graduates and families will fill all the front pews, all Assumption families are welcome.
Monday, June 12
Last day of PreK.
Tuesday, June 13
Last day of preschool.
Wednesday, June 14
Last day of school for K-8. On the official last day of school, the End of Year Prayer Service, Teacher Farewell & Moving-up Ceremony at 10:30 am, presented in the church, is perfectly scaled, providing a fitting endpoint for this year as well as a new harbor for the year ahead. Come to the church (with Kleenex!), as your child says good-bye to this year’s teacher and moves up, greeted by the next teacher for the coming year. Don’t miss this lovely, wrap-around, Catholic-Christian send-off to summer. EARLY RELEASE at 11:45 am, following an end-of-year slideshow in the gym that all are welcome to attend.
The Preschool/PreK End-of-the-Year Picnic is also on Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
FUN RUN 2023!
We are getting excited for the big event! The Fun Run is only one week away! Please encourage students to get those pledges in as every little bit helps! We want to help our school get to their fundraising goal of $20,000! We have some really great raffle items the students can win by placing their raffle ticket earned into the designated raffle boxes outside of the school office.
The T-shirts will be delivered to each classroom next week!
5th grade remains in the lead with $1200.00 as a class total!
Can they keep their lead? Pledges earn 1 raffle ticket for every $10 raised!
Here is the link to the pledge sheet if needed. Pledge Form Here
We would like to give a big SHOUT OUT to everyone that has signed up to help with the Fun Run!
CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAMS
Track and Field at Mount Baker, Qualifiers (May 2)
Well, with 7th and 8th gone during League, this was our last meet.
Taylor Rush (1600, 100 Hurdles, Javelin), Daliah Strutz (400, 800), Ngansi Atem (200), Cameron Faria (Shotput), Baynes Machinski (1600), and Grace Driscoll (Shotput, Discus) each qualified.
Congratulations to our student athletes who set new school records this year!
Taylor Rush—1600, 100 Hurdles, and 800 (the previous 1600 record was intact for 14 years!)
Daliah Strutz—400
Thanks for a great season. Good luck graduating 8th graders!
Coach Rush
Coach Costanza
Please return your uniforms and shoes (if borrowed) ASAP to Mr. C.
PTC Connections
Missoula Children’s Theater: Thank you to all who helped make this year’s production of “Rumpelstiltskin” possible, especially Jessica Sidhu, Susie Anderson, and Jessie Lane! Our talented students did a fabulous job with their performances on Saturday, and it was wonderful to enjoy as a community. Thank you for supporting this enriching, fun experience!
Volunteer Appreciation: We will be celebrating our school volunteers on Friday, May 26th!
That means YOU! Every parent (and grandparent, sibling, friend volunteer, etc.) plays a vital role in our school community, and we’d like to honor each and every one of you. There will be a special blessing at our Volunteer Appreciation Mass and a reception with refreshments to follow at 9:15 am in the gym.
Pizza Lunch on Monday May 15th
Yes, it is coming…Monday will be pizza lunch and parents can relax for one lunch meal and the students love it!
OTHER NEWS FOR YOU
Catholic Lifesaver Corps part of Living Works
The Archdiocese of Seattle was highlighted in a story on EWTN (the Catholic network) regarding an innovative new suicide prevention program that is led by peers in the high schools. We invite you to watch the short video to see how this program has really taken off and been a great ministry for our Catholic schools.
Cutting-Edge Suicide Prevention Program in the Archdiocese of Seattle | EWTN News In Depth
Graduation School Choir
Our School Choir is singing for Graduation Mass on Thursday, June 8th at 5:00 p.m.
All students in Grades 3-7 are welcome to participate.
There will be a rehearsal on Thursday, June 8th at 3:00 p.m.
Light food will be provided at 3:00 p.m. before the rehearsal begins.
What to wear for Mass: School Dress Uniform
For questions: drmabalot@assumption.org
We still have employment opportunities for 2023-2024!
The school has been interviewing for some of the following positions, but they haven’t been filled yet. Please continue to pass the word if you know anyone qualified and interested in: Spanish K-5, Physical Education/EDP Director, Part time Preschool Teacher’s Aide, and full time Elementary Classroom Aide. LINK HERE
The Agape Service Project is Calling for Our Help!
Assumption has been asked to help the Agape staff prep and run their first Food Bank of the summer as their youth groups don’t arrive to help until the following week. Prep help is needed on Tuesday, June 20th from 9:30-11:45 am and Wednesday, June 21st from 8:30 am-6:30 pm. We are seeking any Assumption Alumni or rising middle school students to help with this extremely rewarding service project. Parents are also welcome to pitch in!
- Please go to http://archseattle.org/registration
- In the drop-down menu under ‘Required Forms’ please download and fill out the following:
o Youth – Parent/Guardian Consent Form & Liability Waiver
o Youth – Code of Behavior & Norms
o Adults – Release of Liability/Medical Release
o Adults – Code of Behavior & Norms
Please send all forms and questions to Sara Rush at sara.m.rush@gmail.com (360-556-2271). More information to follow after signing up!
Bellingham Chamber Chorale Performance
Led by Dr. Mabalot, our School Choir teacher and Assumption’s Music and Liturgy Director, Bellingham Chamber Chorale’s 2022-2023 season draws to a close on June 10 (8PM) and June 11 (5PM) in our church. They will perform Bach’s virtuosic motet for double choir “Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied” (Sing to the Lord a New Song!), performed with a 9-piece instrumental ensemble of strings and wind instruments, along with other deeply moving choral pieces. See the flyer for more details! Tickets are available here or at the door before each performance: https://www.bellinghamchamberchorale.org/tickets
WALKING 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. Please remember that your name and guess of each week’s saint needs to be in by Tuesday afternoon. The drawing of all correct answers happens on Wednesday morning. Thank you to all the students submitting their answers.
Last week: St. Athanasius
Congratulations: Evelyn White
New Saint:
When he was born in Tremelo, Belgium, in 1840, few people in Europe had any firsthand knowledge of leprosy, Hansen’s disease. By the time he died at the age of 49, people all over the world knew about this disease because of him. They knew that human compassion could soften the ravages of this disease.
Forced to quit school at age 13 to work on the family farm, he then entered the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary six years later, taking the name of a fourth-century physician and martyr. When his brother Pamphile, a priest in the same congregation, fell ill and was unable to go to the Hawaiian Islands as assigned, this saint quickly volunteered in his place. In May 1864, two months after arriving in his new mission, he was ordained a priest in Honolulu and assigned to the island of Hawaii.
In 1873, he went to the Hawaiian government’s leper colony on the island of Moloka’i, set up seven years earlier. Part of a team of four chaplains taking that assignment for three months each year, but he soon volunteered to remain permanently, caring for the people’s physical, medical, and spiritual needs. In time, he became their most effective advocate to obtain promised government support.
Soon the settlement had new houses and a new church, school and orphanage. Morale improved considerably. A few years later, he succeeded in getting the Franciscan Sisters of Syracuse, led by Mother Marianne Cope, to help staff this colony in Kalaupapa.
This holy priest contracted Hansen’s disease and died of its complications. As requested, he was buried in Kalaupapa, but in 1936 the Belgian government succeeded in having his body moved to Belgium. Part of his body was returned to his beloved Hawaiian brothers and sisters after his beatification in 1995.
When Hawaii became a state in 1959, it selected him as one of its two representatives in the Statuary Hall at the US Capitol. Damien was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009. May we be as brave as him in living our lives for the love of Christ.
UPCOMING CALENDAR ITEMS
- May 1-18th – MAP TESTING
- May 8th– 12th – 8th grade class in Washington D.C.
- May 9th -12th – 7th grade class in Portland
- May 10th– 12th – 6th grade class to Camp Hamilton
- May 14th – Happy Mother’s Day!
- May 15th – Pizza Lunch Day
- May 17th – Early Release Day @ 11:45 am.
- May 18th – 39th Ellen Anderson Fun Run @ 1:00 pm
- May 18th – Choir practice for grades 3-8, after school (3-5 pm)
- May 19th – “Night of the Arts” and multicultural potluck from 5-7 pm, gym
- May 25th – Fun Run pledge money due
- May 29th – NO SCHOOL, Memorial Day
- June 9th – Early Release Day @ 11:45 am
