“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
In this newsletter you can read about our upcoming Science Fair, Faith Community Scholarships extended, Growing Great Kids Auction Wrap-Up, playground angels always needed, School Commission applications, Latino Summit, Land’s End uniform sale, Heart Healthy event, Stations of the Cross with the school, 175th Archdiocese volunteer celebration, Northern Deanery High School news, Saint question of the week, and more upcoming events below!
Thank you for reading!
LENT HAS BEGUN!
Amazing News From the Auction!
Thank you for your support of the 25th Annual Growing Great Kids Auction & Gala! We’re delighted to report that this year’s auction was a great success! The gross proceeds from the evening incredibly came in at over $270,000! Of this total raised, we are thrilled that nearly $100,000 will go towards our Fund the Need initiative, far surpassing our goal to remodel our science classroom. This will allow our school to continue remodeling classrooms, get 6 new smart boards, and so much more! We want to give our deepest thanks to our master of ceremonies, Dan Anderson, and auctioneer, Jeff Ziels, for their great energy and continued support of our school. We know we could not have accomplished this without the generosity and support of our wonderful sponsors, donors, parish community, parents and volunteers. Thank you!
Please enjoy our amazing Fund the Need video created by the Middle School Drama class here: https://vimeo.com/1061917829?share=copy
For those of you who missed the chance to take home your lovely student portraits around the room, you will now find them available for purchase in the school office. Let us know if we missed getting a photo of your student.
It was an honor to celebrate together, you have blessed our school immensely. We hope to see you all there next year on March 7th, 2026!
With deep appreciation,
Auction Chairs Krissy Abbey and Jessica Rosetta
Calling Playground Angels!
Thank you for coming to be here and help the kiddos play safe!
Faith Community Scholarships Extended!
If you are a member of a Whatcom Catholic parish, please read Fr. Moore’s letter to school families about the process for Faith Community Scholarships. If you have questions, please email Mrs. King at mking@assumption.school.
These applications are due by March 7, 2025. Extra paper forms will be in the office.
Enrollment Deadlines for 2025-2026
- March 7th– Faith Community Scholarships are due to Assumption School office. English FCC and Spanish FCC
- Early April – Families receive a tuition assistance letter from the school with awards for 2024-2025. This includes Fulcrum Foundation, tuition assistance from school, and Faith Community Scholarships.
Save the Date! Science Fair is Thursday, March 20th
Science & Engineering Fair returns to Assumption the evening of Thursday, March 20th– 6-7:30pm
Volunteers are needed: Click here to sign up.
Bring some “bytes” to eat and share with other attendees. STEM themed food is encouraged but not required. We also need help with set up, decorating, and teardown. Thank you!
The fair will take place in the gym and feature individual projects from all ACS middle school students. Younger grades work as a class or in small groups to complete projects as well. Mark your calendars for an evening of science fun!
MIDDLE SCHOOL FAMILIES: THE BOARDS HAVE ARRIVED!
Please send $7 cash or check to the school office and then your student can pick one up. Do not purchase elsewhere because we selected a specific size for the Fair this year. This will allow for all the boards and projects to fit.
School Commission News
NOTE 1:
On Wednesday, January 21st, Chair of the School Commission Basi Rodriguez, Principal Karen Evans, Facilities Manager Brenna Sebens, Former Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo, and Community Engagement Bellingham PD officer Jon Knutsen met to walk through the campus.
We walked the entire perimeter of the campus, evaluating everything from safe grounds coverings to fencing. BPD officer commended us for our efforts in keeping our grounds trimmed and safe. A few minor changes were suggested, but they were all things we had planned for come spring. There are a few outdated cameras that monitor the parking lot that we would like to update and increase if funds are available.
Officer Knutsen walked the interior of the school, and Principal Evans gave a description of the procedure for our lockdown protocol. Officer Knutsen seemed happy with our procedure but also informed us that there is a new protocol that schools are starting to adapt to. Luckily, the training and materials for this are offered by a nonprofit for relatively inexpensive, and transitioning to this new system shouldn’t be difficult. At the end of the meeting, Officer Knutsen said that he doesn’t often give places a glowing report, but we are one of them. A few minor changes will be added to the docket. New cameras were quoted out, and if you wish to donate to that fund, please contact Mark Wheeler, lead of the non-tuition committee at the Commission, via email at bediende.mark@gmail.com.
NOTE 2:
The School Commission is seeking new members for the upcoming school year. If you have expertise in finance, marketing, or fundraising—or if you believe you can make a valuable contribution to our team—we encourage you to apply. To receive an application form, please contact Commission Chair Basi Rodriguez at casaventuraimp@gmail.com.
Land’s End Uniform Sale!
Co-Curricular Activities
- Chess Club is meeting regularly on Mondays. This program is growing and will be bigger next year, so stay tuned.
- Archery had a great season. The state competition for them was on February 8th. And tomorrow is their last day of the season.
- Academic Decathlon has been working hard all season on a variety of subjects to compete this Saturday against other Catholic middle schools. We wish them a safe drive to Seattle and many joyful moments during the day!
- Track and Field is starting in a few weeks. Please remember to turn in your registration forms by March 14th.
- Volleyball and Wrestling are in progress now. Look at the March calendar for home games. Go Eagles!
Alternative to Public High School
Are you looking for an alternative to public high school after graduating from Assumption? The Fairhaven Program offers two years of instruction in Ancient Greek, history, mathematics, literature, art, and more. Without screens or politics!
Click here to learn more or call/text (360) 230-8012 to schedule a tour.
WHATCOM CATHOLIC AND OTHER NEWS
ACS Bilingual Student Stations of the Cross
ACS is responsible for hosting Friday, March 28th Bilingual Student-Led Stations of the Cross at 6:00.
Please consider signing up your child for a part. Needed: English and Spanish speakers, cross and candle bearers, Singing a transition. Students would need to be at the church by 5:45. There will be a quick rehearsal on Tuesday, March 25th right after school in the church. (3:15pm – 4pm) It is a great way to bring Lenten faith practices in your family. We need students! Please go to this link to sign up. Questions: paulamz@assumption.school
| March 28th ACS Bilingual Student Stations of the Cross
Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you! www.signupgenius.com |
Archdiocese of Seattle’s 175th Anniversary Celebration
Today in your Wednesday envelopes, you received a flyer with a QR code to upload your volunteer time with the archdiocese. The Archdiocese of Seattle is celebrating its 175th anniversary! We are all invited to join Catholics across Western Washington to serve others together as the loving Body of Christ through the Season of Service, which runs from March to May of 2025.
You can participate by serving and logging in your hours. Together we are trying to log in 175,000 hours! You can join service opportunities at your parish, school or ministry. Additionally, there are more than 50 volunteer opportunities that you can sign up for on the archdiocese website: https://archseattle.org/seasonofservice
Northern Deanery High School Update
Title: Top 10 reasons parents would enroll kids
in a new Catholic high school
English version:
We continue our biweekly series sharing findings from the Northern Deanery High School 2024 feasibility study.10
Choosing where to send children to school depends on many factors and can be deeply personal. Our spring 2024 feasibility survey asked Northern Deanery parents why they would choose to enroll their children in a new Catholic high school. Here are the top 10 reasons we heard:
- Caring and concerned teachers
- Safe/secure environment
- Moral and character development
- Inspirational & motivating faculty
- Academic rigor
- Teachers with subject area expertise
- Catholic faith instruction & values
- College-prep curriculum
- Reputation of the school
- 10 Enrollment/class size
Parent feedback is crucial as we shape this exciting project. We look forward to sharing more about what we learned from families in future posts. Interested in the Northern Deanery Catholic High School? Visit our website at https://ndhighschool.org/
Versión Española:
Continuamos con nuestra serie quincenal en la que compartimos las conclusiones del estudio de viabilidad 2024 de Escuela Prepatoria Católico del Decanato Norte.
La elección de dónde enviar a los hijos a la escuela depende de muchos factores y puede ser profundamente personal. Nuestra encuesta de viabilidad 2024 de primavera preguntó a los padres del Decanato Norte por qué elegirían matricular a sus hijos en un nuevo instituto católico. Éstas son las 10 razones principales que escuchamos:
- Profesores atentos y preocupados
- Entorno seguro
- Desarrollo moral y del carácter
- Profesorado inspirador y motivador
- Rigor académico
- Profesores expertos en la materia
- Enseñanza de la fe y valores católicos
- Plan de estudios de preparación para la universidad
- Reputación de la escuela
- 10. Número de alumnos por clase
La opinión de los padres es crucial para dar forma a este apasionante proyecto. Esperamos compartir más sobre lo que aprendimos de las familias en futuros posts.
¿Interesado en el Northern Deanery Catholic High School? Visite nuestro sitio web en https://ndhighschool.org/
Please Help St. Joachim Work Party!
Mass Next Friday, March 14th!
Benediction begins at 7:45am
Mass reminders: 6th grade will be the leaders this week from Mr. Costanza’s class.
Altar servers will be:
Maggie Harbick, Finley Twining and Elodie Wolf
EMHC’s
H2- Mrs. Eusebio
H3-Dominic Petz
Chalice- Mrs. Martin Zender
New opportunity at 7:30am on Fridays: If your son or daughter who has been serving at school masses would like to also start serving at Benediction, this is a commitment from 7:30am to 8am on Fridays with Benediction. For more information or to sign up, please email Mrs. King in the office at mking@assumption.school (good chance for middle school students to earn service hours)
Youth Group News
Hello Middle School Families,
During Lent, our usual Middle School Nights will be replaced with special Friday gatherings to connect with parish events. Here’s what to expect:
- No Regular Middle School Nights – Due to other church events on Fridays.
- Friday Lenten Gatherings at Sacred Heart (except April 11th at Assumption):
- 5:00–5:45 PM – Lenten Bible Study in Sacred Heart Hall, focusing on upcoming Sunday readings.
- 6:00 PM – Stations of the Cross at both Sacred Heart and Assumption. Families are encouraged to attend together.
- Reconciliation may be available on some Fridays.
- Post-Stations – Soup dinner in the hall. Youth will help with clearing tables and acts of service.
- April 11th at Assumption – Same schedule with slight variations.
- Holy Week & Beyond – More details to come, including our Race to Midnight Easter retreat.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks!
Daniel Prenosil
ACS alumnus, Genevieve Whelan, is hosting a heart healthy impactful event at Sacred Heart Hall. All are welcome to come.
Bellingham Chamber Chorale: Come for a time of beautiful music and songs!
Saint of the Week Question:
Answer to last week: St. Agnes of Bohemia
She was a medieval Bohemian princess who chose to live a life of poverty over luxury and comfort.
She was the cousin of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary and friend of Saint Clare of Assisi.
This wonderful saintly woman also founded a hospital and lived her life in a cloistered monastery.
Juliette Stamberger is the winner this week and
can come to spin the wheel for a prize!
Topic Question: Why do we have ashes or put ashes on our heads each year?
**Please submit your answer by the office near the Disciple bulletin board.
Upcoming calendar items:
March 5th – Ash Wednesday- Start of Lenten Season 12:30pm Mass
March 10th – Pizza Lunch Day
March 17th – St. Patrick’s Day—Green and White Dress Day
March 20th– Science Fair and Engineering Exhibition 6-7:30pm
March 24th – Pizza Lunch Day
- Casual dress every Wednesday. Assumption tee shirts, jeans or uniform pants, leggings under a skirt or dress. Swag can be worn on Wednesdays.
- Scouts may wear uniforms on meeting days.
