Welcome back! I hope you had a relaxing, yet fun filled time with your children last week. It was nice to have a week off but now we are heading into a sprint toward the end of the year.
Just before our Easter break, we had the opportunity to celebrate the Tridiuum with three special events. On Holy Thursday, Steven Nolan Shafer, led us through a symbolic Passover meal (Seder) and explained the history and traditions behind the various foods and customs. Then on Good Friday we had a Simple Meal of ramen, crackers and water in a quiet setting to remember all of those throughout the world who struggle with hunger and/or thirst for clean water. At the end of the day, we celebrated the Passion of Christ through the Living Stations of the Cross presented by the 5th and 8th graders. They did a wonderful and reverent job of performing and narrating each Station. Our day ended with a silent dismissal to recognize the hour that Jesus died on the cross.
I can hardly believe that we only have 7 weeks left of school. This year has flown by! It is always hard, as a school year comes to an end, to say good-bye to staff members that we have grown to love over the years. They can never quite be replaced. After 16 years here as everything from a 6th, 7th and 8th grade homeroom teacher, to technology coordinator, and middle school resource teacher, we say good-bye to Mrs. Shannon Schuler. We’ve shared her life as she started her teaching career, got married and had children. Now comes a chapter in her life where she can spend more time with her family and branch out on her own as an Educational Consultant. We will miss her tremendously! Also moving on is Mrs. Sara Stewart who has been an amazing 5th grade teacher with us these past two years. Mrs. Stewart holds an endorsement in ELL (English Language Learning) and would like to use her skills in that area. She attended a job fair for Seattle Public Schools to measure interest and was offered a job on the spot. We will miss Mrs. Stewart but we are happy for her and wish her good luck in her adventures ahead.
We have been lucky in finding two marvelous teachers to join our staff next year. Mrs. Selina Innes will be our Technology Coordinator and Middle School Resource teacher. She holds two Masters degrees (one in Technology) and has years of experience at the middle school level. Most recently, she was the Principal at St. Alphonsus School in Ballard before staying home with her young family for the past six years. We are so lucky that her skills match the position so well. Also joining (re-joining?) us in 5th grade is a familiar face. Last spring, we were so sad when we had to say good-bye to Mrs. Traci Sauvage as she moved to Arizona to teach 5th grade. How fortunate for us that she is returning to Seattle and we can have her talents back on our staff as our 5th grade teacher. We are very excited to welcome her back “home”.
Our “Hollywood Nights” auction numbers are in! We grossed over $425,000 and after expenses, our net for the school’s operating budget for next year, is $172,268! That does not include the additional $172, 300 raised for Fund It! A fantastic job that helps off-set costs and keeps tuition increases to a minimum! Thank you once again to our chairs, their team of parent volunteers and all involved for making our “weekend with the stars” so very successful!
Finally, If you have not had a chance to complete the Parish Engagement survey, please do so today! It will provide critical information to our Parish leadership on ways to encourage involvement. The survey will be closing on May 15th. Please let your voice be heard.
Have a great week!
Mary
