In this week’s newsletter you can read about our Growing Great Kids Auction tickets, Auction procurements due soon, Auction Sponsorships open, boys’ basketball schedule, Playground Angels, Chess Club, PTC news, guest speaker at the PTC meeting, carpool opportunity, volleyball for moms, yearbook pictures, volleyball registrations, wrestling team registration, Parent Surveys needed, school reenrollment timeline for 2024-25, Super Bowl party, the saint trivia and much more.
Thank you for reading!
Parent Survey- Last Chance!
We only received 33 responses to the K-8 Parent Survey before Christmas, so we are hoping to try this one more time! We need at least 70 families to respond. FOR EVERY FAMILY WHO RESPONDS, ALL CHILDREN IN THAT FAMILY WILL RECEIVE A FREE DRESS PASS to be used on a day of their choice. Please click the link and respond to the satisfaction survey no later than Friday, January 19th at 3 pm. We’ll also send a text message this weekend as a final reminder. This is important feedback and helpful for the Commission with strategic planning. Thank you! https://forms.office.com/r/UWLUrx7DKP
School Mass is a Funeral on Friday, January 19th
A beloved member of our school community and former interim principal, Bill Attebery, died peacefully on Friday, January 5th. We would like for all teachers, staff, and students to be able to attend his funeral. Therefore, all students will participate in the funeral Mass at 10:30 am on Friday, January 19th. (This will take the place of the school Mass at 8:15 am that day.) If you do not want your child to attend the funeral, staff will be available to supervise students in the library during that time. Please email your child’s teacher no later than Tuesday, January 16 and Mrs. Michele King in the office (mking@assumption.school) if you do NOT want your child to attend the funeral.
Playground Angels Schedule for January!
We understand it is cold outside! Thank you for supervising the playground!
Calendar Updates for January
Please note the following items are changed on the recent January 2024 calendar.
- No MAP testing this month.
- Winter Ride on January 8th is changed to February 6th.
- January 19th Mass is changed from 8:15 to 10:30am for Bill Attebery’s funeral.
- Reenrollment begins on January 26th for the 2024-25 school year.
Enrollment Deadlines for 2024-2025
January 17– Faith Community Scholarship applications will be available in the Wednesday Envelope and online next week.
January 26– Re-enrollment begins for current families and applications for new students begin to be accepted.
February 7– State of the School at 7 pm in the gym. Hear from Mr. Anderson about the school’s financial status and learn about projections for 2024-2025 expenses.
March 1– Re-enrollment deadline for current families. Non-refundable registration fees are due. This is a hard deadline so we can open spaces for new students.
March 1– Faith Community Scholarships are due to parishes.
April 3– Families receive a tuition assistance letter from the school (in the Wednesday Envelope) with awards for 2024-2025. This includes Fulcrum Foundation, tuition assistance from school, and Faith Community Scholarships. Appeal requests are due by April 20.
(Note: Registration fees may be refundable after March 1 if tuition assistance and scholarships are not sufficient to keep tuition affordable.)
Growing Great Kids Auction News
Invitations go out next week and ticket sales open next Wednesday!
Auction contributions are due January 26th and remember to fill out a Procurement Form with each auction item. Every family contributes an item, cash donation or service valued at $200, preschool or single parent families are $100. Those who selected to be charged for their contribution will see that reflected on their February statements. Forms are available in the office or here: https://school.assumption.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Procurement-Form-2023.pdf
Growing Great Kids Auction Sponsorship:
Thank you to all our sponsors! Sponsorships are open until January 26th, please send your logo to growinggreatkids@assumption.school https://assumptionschool.ejoinme.org/sponsor
Auction Timeline:
- Ticket sales open Jan 17th
- Class Auction Projects due Jan 26th
- Family Contributions due Jan 26th
- Sponsorships close Jan 26th
- RSVPs due February 14th
- Auction & Gala on March 2nd
Auction questions? Email Torry Dechert at growinggreatkidsauction@assumption.school
Carpool Opportunity
We were blessed to welcome a new family to our school (and Bellingham), and they are interested in putting together a carpool for both morning drop off and afternoon pick up. If you live in the Whatcom Falls area and would like to explore this option, please contact Jorge: jogumarquez@yahoo.com. Thank you!
PTC News
General Meeting: This Wednesday, January 10th, is the Parent Teacher Club’s General Meeting! We are thrilled to be hosting equity and inclusion strategist, Dr. James Knight as our guest speaker. He will be speaking on the topic of “cultural humility.” For parents who need it, childcare will be available in the school library. Please join us in the gym at 7:00 PM for light refreshments and snacks as we sit together and listen to this exciting talk. Note: All parents who attend receive one free volunteer hour. Please remember to sign-in at the event to ensure you receive credit.
Volunteer Opportunities:
- Attention chefs! PTC is looking for someone who has experience cooking in a restaurant. We are seeking individuals who would be willing to help us a facilitate a fundraiser for a Take-and-Bake meal. Please email: volunteer23@assumption.school if you are interested.
- Gym Storage Cleanup: PTC is hosting a gym storage cleanup event during Catholic Schools Week on Saturday, February 3rd from 10AM-2PM. During these hours we will be sorting and cleaning the storage room above the stage where many items from some of our school events are kept. In a show of appreciation for the facilities provided to our school, we would like to encourage parents to help with this cleanup effort.
Upcoming Events
- Catholic Schools week – Jan 29 – Feb 2
Each day of the week will celebrate a different group of our school community. There is no school for families on Monday, January 29, so this will be a teacher appreciation day. More information will follow in January. Please remember to wear your uniform to Mass and receive a free dress pass- all county parishes on the weekend of January 27 and 28, and Church of the Assumption on February 3 and 4.
- Used Uniform Sale – Please donate your gently used uniforms to the office to ensure we are well-stocked for our upcoming winter sale in February. You won’t want to miss out on our large inventory of heavily discounted uniform items. Our Used uniform sale will be held on Friday, February 23rd. Time is TBD.
Co-Curricular Activities
Boys’ Basketball &Schedule
January 10 Away vs. Mt. Baker
January 17 Away vs. Meridian
January 18 Away vs. Lynden Christian
January 22 Home vs. Lynden MS
January 24 Home vs. Vista
January 25 Away vs. Franklin Academy
Come and support our basketball program at the home games 4pm and 5pm in the gym. And if you need volunteer hours, please ask a coach on how you can help at the home games. We generally need help at the score table and announcing. Concessions will be available for drinks and snacks. Go Eagles!
Volleyball, Wrestling and Chess Club are taking registrations NOW!
In the Wednesday envelopes this week are registration forms for middle school volleyball and wrestling. Please note that wrestling teams in the county schools include girls but here at Assumption to participate we would need at least 2 girls registered for this to happen. And if you are interested in wrestling please stop by the office and pick up a form for the girls’ team. Thank you.
Chess Club is open for 2nd through 8th grade and right now limited to 12 players. We will not be competing statewide but practicing and learning and having fun.
We are thankful for the coaches and volunteers to make these extra activities available for our students. Registration forms are in this week’s Wednesday Envelope.
Yearbook Needs:
The yearbook team is looking for photos of anything during fall and winter activities! Please send your photos to: acsyearbookphotos@gmail.com
Women’s Volleyball Club/Team
Attention Assumption Catholic School moms and friends! Join us for the women’s volleyball night every Monday starting at 7:15 am. For any questions, please contact Lisa Twining at (360)-393-5004.
“Walking with the Saints” Trivia Here!
If you think you know who this saint is below, then write your name, grade, and guess on a piece of paper and turn it in to Mrs. King in the office. This is a great way to learn about saints and their lives. Each saint is unique, just like each one of us. And maybe one or two saints may inspire you as you grow in your relationship with Christ.
Last Week: It was St. Anthony the Great. Evelyn White is the winner. Congratulations!
New Saint/Blessed:
Sickness and weakness dogged him from birth. He was the eighth of 12 children born to a French-Canadian couple near Montreal. Adopted at 12, when both parents had died, he became a farmhand. Various trades followed: shoemaker, baker, blacksmith—all failures. He was a factory worker in the United States during the boom times of the Civil War.
At 25, he applied for entrance into the Congregation of Holy Cross. After a year’s novitiate, he was not admitted because of his weak health. But with an extension and the urging of Bishop Bourget, he was finally received. He was given the humble job of doorkeeper at Notre Dame College in Montreal, with additional duties as sacristan, laundry worker and messenger. “When I joined this community, the superiors showed me the door, and I remained 40 years,” he said. In his little room near the door, he spent much of the night on his knees. On his windowsill, facing Mount Royal, was a small statue of Saint Joseph, to whom he had been devoted since childhood. When asked about it he said, “Someday, Saint Joseph is going to be honored in a very special way on Mount Royal!”
When he heard someone was ill, he visited to bring cheer and to pray with the sick person. He would rub the sick person lightly with oil taken from a lamp burning in the college chapel. Word of healing powers began to spread. When an epidemic broke out at a nearby college, this saint volunteered to nurse. Not one person died. The trickle of sick people to his door became a flood. His superiors were uneasy; diocesan authorities were suspicious; doctors called him a quack. “I do not cure,” he said again and again. “Saint Joseph cures.” In the end he needed four secretaries to handle the 80,000 letters he received each year.
For many years the Holy Cross authorities had tried to buy land on Mount Royal. This saintly brother and others climbed the steep hill and planted medals of Saint Joseph. Suddenly, the owners yielded. Then he collected $200 to build a small chapel and began receiving visitors there—smiling through long hours of listening, applying Saint Joseph’s oil. Some were cured, some not. The pile of crutches, canes and braces grew. The chapel also grew. By 1931, there were gleaming walls, but money ran out. “Put a statue of Saint Joseph in the middle. If he wants a roof over his head, he’ll get it.” The magnificent Oratory on Mount Royal took 50 years to build. The sickly boy who could not hold a job died at 92.
He is buried at the Oratory. He was beatified in 1982 and canonized in 2010. At his canonization in October 2010, Pope Benedict XVI said that Saint ……?… “Lived the beatitude of the pure of heart.”
Multiple Choice this week:
- St. Andre Bessette
- St. Jerome
- St. Fabian
Upcoming calendar items:
Jan. 10th – PTC General Meeting @ 7pm with Speaker Dr. James Knight
Jan. 15th– No School – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observed
Jan. 16/23/30 and Feb. 6th – Winter Ride for Middle School
Jan.19th – Funeral Mass/School Mass for Bill Attebery at 10:30am
Jan. 19th – Fulcrum Celebration of Light at 5pm in Seattle
Jan. 22nd – Pizza Lunch
Jan. 29th – No school/ Teacher Workday for end of semester
Jan. 30th – Volleyball and Wrestling begin after school
Feb. 2nd – Chess Club begins 3:15-4:15pm
Feb. 4th – Open House for prospective families in 1st-8th grades
Feb. 7th – State of the School with Mr. Anderson starting at 7 pm in the gym
Feb. 11th – Superbowl Party Fundraiser 2-8pm in the gym
Feb. 13th– Red,Pink and White Day, Valentine’s Day celebrated today!
Feb. 14th– Ash Wednesday, School Mass at 12:30 pm
Feb. 16th – No school/ Curriculum Day for staff
Feb. 19th and 20th – No school for President’s Day and Midwinter Break
Feb. 23rd – Used Uniform Sale
