“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 you will read about the FUN RUN winners and update, Playground Angels for June, Ellen Anderson Volunteer of the Year Award, Buddy Families still needed, Sacrament Registrations open for 2023-24 school year, Agape Pre-help in June, Agape service week in August, Catholic family summer weekend in Anacortes, new student ambassadors, Care Solace program, school choir for graduation, Last Pizza Monday coming, the saint of the week, upcoming events and much more!
Thank you for reading.
FUN RUN Results 2023!
Congratulations and many thanks to a job well done. We surpassed our school goal and raised $23,837.71!!!!!!
Thank you to all our students for running or walking. We are grateful for our parent volunteers but especially our chairpersons for the Fun Run this year: Jen Sheafor, Eloisa Townsend and Jhoanna Antonio.
Winners for the Raffle Prizes
- $50 Amazon Gift Card: Kennedy Schuman
- Large Art Kit: Lily Kim
- Yoda Lego Set: Kate Nuetzman
And the class that raised the most money and will receive a sub sandwich delicious lunch is Miss Copeland’s 5th grade!
Finally, the student that raised the most money in the whole school is Toby Stimson in 5th grade! As the winner, he was able to draw the winners for our raffle.
Don’t forget the following Fun Run t-shirt days coming up….
- June 1st – Fun Run Tshirt Day
- June 5th – Free Dress for all students that brought in more than $100 in pledges.
- June 12th – Free Dress for all students that brought in more than $100 in pledges.
Registration Open for Sacraments 2023-24
Registration Now Open for First Reconciliation & First Holy Communion Prep at Church of the Assumption. All ACS families who are parishioners at Assumption and have a child/children who are baptized Catholic and will be in grades 2-6 in the 2023-2024 school year, are welcome to register for sacramental prep. (If you attend a different parish, please contact that parish directly about their first reconciliation & first holy communion prep process.)
Or if you are interested in exploring a Catholic baptism for your child in Pre-K through 8th grade, please contact Gina DePalma at ginad@assumption.org with any questions. Thank you!
Congratulations, Student Ambassadors for 2023-2024!
Congratulations to Finley Twining, Morgan Veldman, Ilse Stark, Hailey Abbey, and Dominic Petz for being accepted as next year’s Student Ambassadors. These rising sixth graders (and seventh grader) will work with the current Ambassadors to learn about morning announcements, school assemblies, Open House events, and Spirit Days. It’s a great opportunity for leadership within our school and we are so grateful for their interest in helping to promote our school. Please join me in congratulating them on this important role.
Ellen Anderson Volunteer of the Year Award
Last Friday, we were able to celebrate all of our volunteers at a reception in the gym hosted by the staff and teachers. Our Ellen Anderson Volunteer of the Year recipient for 2023 is Doug Banner. Mr. Banner has been a part of the photography club since 2018 and continued to help with Mrs. Evans when it became an elective for seventh and eighth graders in 2021. He received the award in combination with his two colleagues who have since passed away- Gloria Harrison and Ham Hayes. We were grateful to honor Mr. Banner at the school Mass and again at the reception with his wife, Lynn.
We also thanked our outgoing PTC members at the reception: Jennifer Harbick, John Acord, and Courtney Twining for all of the work they’ve done this year and in previous years with the PTC.
Care Solace- Mental Health services starting in 2023-2024
Assumption is now contracting with an organization called Care Solace starting on June 1, 2023 that provides mental health and substance use care coordination for ALL students, staff, and families connected to our school 24 hours a day / 365 days a year on behalf of schools for their students, staff, and families.
- All levels of need from individual therapy to medical / residential treatment services.
- No limits on number of or types of care that are coordinated.
- Appointments within 1-2 weeks of referral (the Care Solace national average is 5 days).
- Help for families with insurance navigation and appointment booking; specializing on cultural and language needs aligning them with care that fits their family needs.
- A robust provider pool – all of which go through a quarterly verification process with Care Solace.
- A school dashboard that tracks student progress – counselors or admin have a timeline of student appointment times and attendance to allow for more impactful conversations and outcomes.
- Follow-up with family for assurance of satisfaction with their provider.
- Option for anonymity if families want to use the service without the school knowing.
- Multiple languages are available if translation is needed.
Once the service begins, we will share the phone number and website with all of our families and staff members to access right away, as needed. The contract is for one year at this time, with the chance to renew.
We Still Need Buddy Families!
We are blessed to be supporting many newly enrolled families for the 2023-24 school year! We need the help of our current families to make them feel welcomed into our warm and caring community. This is an easy way to get volunteer hours and a great way to connect with new families. We are looking to fill this need at all grade levels. Please click the link here and fill out the online survey to share your interest and be contacted in mid-June.
Let’s show our newest community members the supportive and loving “Assumption Way”- thank you!
Join Us on the Playground Helpers!
There are many spots open during the next two weeks of school!
Our children’s safety is a top priority!
Thank you for keeping recess fun and safe!
PTC Connections
INTERESTED IN BEING AN EVENT CHAIR? We will need Event Chairs for the 23-34 school year for the following events. Don’t be shy! You will have the support of the PTC and the Volunteer Coordinator to get the job done in the best way possible! Please email jrharbick@comcast.net and susiemoore18@hotmail.com if you are interested!
1) Missoula Children’s Theater
2) Multicultural Potluck
3) Movie Night coordinator
4) Talent Show parent assistant
5) SWAG
This is just to name a few. We would be happy to give more details if you have any questions.
School Choir(3rd-7th) will be at 8th Grade Graduation
Our School Choir is singing for Graduation Mass on Thursday, June 8th at 5:00pm. All students in Grades 3-7 are welcome to participate. There will be a rehearsal on Thursday, June 8th at 3:00pm. Light food will be provided at the beginning of practice before rehearsal begins. School Dress uniform is required for the graduation.
For questions, please email drmabalot@assumption.org
The Sweet Countdown to the End of the Year!
Monday, June 5
This is the last Pizza Lunch Day for the school year! Thank you to our consistent, dependable helpers who organized this for the students and families.
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 Mass will be in the church, 5-6 pm. The school choir will also be present and help celebrate with song at the Mass. While graduates and families will fill all the front pews, all Assumption families are welcome.
Friday, June 9
Remember this is an Early Release Day @11:45 “A” Day
EDP will be open only for a limited time. The hours are 11:45 to 5:00 pm. To provide for the correct number of staff needed, please use the link, and let us know if you plan to send your child on this Friday. Here is the link: https://forms.office.com/r/SJiJtfQfJN
Monday, June 12
Last day of PreK.
Tuesday, June 13
Last day of preschool. And Field Day for K-8.
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.
OTHER NEWS TO LEARN ABOUT
Please Help: 8th Grade Slide Show Pictures Needed
Eric and Aimee Bachmeier need your help to put on the traditional slide show for the graduating class at the Graduation Luncheon June 8th.
People can share photos at https://photos.app.goo.gl/13wAUmhXA7UiHGAeA
Or email them to laptopcartone@gmail.com
The deadline for sharing photos is 11:59 pm on Sunday, June 4th.
Thanks, Eric and Aimee
The Agape Service Project Needs Help Preparing Food Bank!
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! See the flyer Here!
- 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!
The Agape Service Week
There are still five spots open for this summer’s Agape week for the Assumption/ Sacred Heart youth group. Would you like to be a part of something “life changing”?
Agape Service Project encounters the farmworker community of Whatcom County, facilitates weeklong middle and high school service-immersion, and empowers young adults to be servant leaders. Through service-learning experiences, participants learn about human dignity, issues affecting farmworkers and why we as Catholics are called to serve. Through our food bank, community support and time spent with the migrant families, we have the ultimate goal of building personal relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Assumption and Sacred Heart youth group will be participating in the Agape Service Project 08/06/23-08/10/23. This is for 6th-12th grade. We still have five spots left for this week. There is a link below that will take you to a place to sign up. We need $50.00 from everyone now. The rest of the amount $350.00 will be due before the end of May for a total of $400.00 (Scholarships are available). Please send money to Assumption 2116 Cornwall Ave Bellingham, WA 98225 in care of Daniel Prenosil. Checks may be made out to the Church of the Assumption. If your child would really like to go, but there is a problem financially or you have any questions please contact me at daniel@assumption.org . Do not hesitate in signing up, space is limited, and it is first come first serve. To sign up use this link https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040549AAA92FA6FE3-agape.
Bellingham Chamber Chorale Concert
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
Welcoming Another Beshara Grandchild!
It is always a blessing to have a new baby in the family. This time we are excited to share with you our Preschool/PreK teacher’s joy. Mrs. Lorri Beshara’s newest grandson is Luca Vito Beshara, born May 21, 8 lbs. 5 oz., 21 inches. 🙂 Congratulations to Mrs. Beshara and the whole family.
Catholic Family Weekend in August
Save the Date August 11-13, 2023
Faith on Fire Catholic Family weekend. August 11-13, 2023, at St. Mary in Anacortes. To start off the weekend on Friday, the Finkbonners, a local family will speak about Jake’s hospitalization and healing from St. Kateri Tekakwitha. This is a whole family event in the summer. Families can commute each day or camp there all weekend. More information to come. The keynote speaker is Sarah Swafford. We would love to have as many Assumption School families as possible this year. Faith On Fire (stmaryanacortes.org)
Parish phone number is 360-293-2101.
This is the Last……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 to submit your answer to the office by Tuesday.
Last week: St. Joan of Arc
Congratulations: Baylen Richmond
New Saint: This saint never ended his quest for religious truth even when he converted to Christianity after years of studying various pagan philosophies.
As a young man, he was principally attracted to the school of Plato. However, he found that the Christian religion answered the great questions about life and existence better than the philosophers.
Upon his conversion he continued to wear the philosopher’s mantle and became the first Christian philosopher. He combined the Christian religion with the best elements in Greek philosophy. In his view, philosophy was a pedagogue of Christ, an educator that was to lead one to Christ.
So, he is known as an apologist, one who defends in writing the Christian religion against the attacks and misunderstandings of the pagans. Two of his so-called apologies have come down to us; they are addressed to the Roman emperor and to the Senate.
For his staunch adherence to the Christian religion, he was beheaded in Rome in 165.
Reflection
As patron of philosophers, this saint may inspire us to use our natural powers—especially our power to know and understand—in the service of Christ, and to build up the Christian life within us. Since we are prone to error, especially in reference to the deep questions concerning life and existence, we should also be willing to correct and check our natural thinking considering religious truth. Thus, we will be able to say with the learned saints of the Church: I believe in order to understand, and I understand in order to believe.
UPCOMING CALENDAR ITEMS:
June 1st and 2nd – Eighth grade Retreat
June 1st – Fun Run t- shirt Day
June 2nd – Donuts and Dads (5th gr) and Library field trip (1st gr)
June 5th– Eighth grade “farewell” assembly. Eighth-grade parents are invited. 10:30 am in the gym
June 5th – LAST Pizza Lunch Day! And 4th grade field trip!
June 8th Eighth-grade rehearsal at 10 am, luncheon at 11:30 am, and graduation Mass at 5 pm. All families are invited to graduation!
June 9th – Early Release Day “A” Day @ 11:45am
June 9th – Roller Skating Bash Fourth Grade 6-8pm
June 10th – Roller Skating Bash Third Grade 6-8pm
June 13th – Field Day K-8th @ 12:45pm
June 14th – Last Day Of SCHOOL! Early Release @ 11:45!
