I am sure that you heard about the letter read by Ron at the Masses this weekend regarding the changes in parish leadership that are taking place on July 1st. It will be so hard to say good-bye to Ron Ryan, who has been with us as our Pastoral Leader for the past thirteen years. His leadership, commitment to improving our parish and his spiritual guidance has been a gift to our community. He has been a tremendous support and advocate for the school and I have so enjoyed working with him. We also say good-bye to our Parish Priest Fr. Tony Bawyn. Fr. Tony will spend the next year on sabbatical studying at the Catholic University of Louvain in Leuven, Belgium. He will receive a new assignment upon his return in summer of 2020. Change is always hard but we know the Holy Spirit is at work and we truly thank Ron and Fr. Tony for their tremendous service to our parish over the years. They will be missed!
I am looking forward to meeting and working with Father Colin Parrish who will begin his term as Priest Administer on July 1st. He is currently serving as Parochial Vicar at St. Luke Parish in Shoreline and as Campus Minister at Bishop Blanchet High School. A native Seattleite, Fr. Colin attended St. Catherine School, graduated from O’Dea High School, served for five years in the Navy and attended the seminary at Gonzaga University and Mundelein seminary. We have heard wonderful things about Fr. Colin and I look forward to getting to know him as we begin working together this summer.
Just a reminder that there are no classes tomorrow as students and parents participate in our third annual Learning Celebration. Please arrive at your assigned time and respect the appointment period reserved for you and your student. These conferences will be student-led, with time for teacher check-in as you and your child review a portfolio of learning growth over the course of this year. Also, this is an scheduled school day so attendance will be taken and recorded. Students are welcome to come in free dress.
Congratulations to the upper level after-school drama club! Little Mermaid Jr. was a hit! After months of rehearsals the show finally opened on Thursday night to a packed house, with additional performances on Friday and Saturday nights. The students did such a great job transporting us to adventures under the sea. Many thanks to parent producers, Beaven Walters, Lisa Orup-Smith and Coreen Kiefer for excellent organization and to Mark Jones and Jim Vanderslice for a fabulous set and back-drop. So many parent volunteers worked on many aspects of the show helping to make our students shine. Fantastic job by all involved.
Special thanks to all of the parents who made Teacher Appreciation Week so special. From daily treats to small gifts to a delicious luncheon, our teacher felt truly spoiled. Huge kudos to Kristi Street who managed all aspects of the luncheon. There was a delicious taco bar, marvelous desserts, festive decorations and gifts of a plant and candle for each staff member. Best of all, they had an entire hour to eat, a once-a-year occurrence and welcome change from their usual fifteen-minute lunch time!
The Development Office would like to remind you that your Annual Fund payments are due and they can now be paid through FACTS. For more information and to sign up for this option click here.
You may have noticed that the American flag is not flying above our school each day. Last month, the rope that raises the flag became a casualty of years of exposure to the elements. It frayed, snapped and fell from the top of the flag pole. It will take until summer to get a company out to rehang the rope and perform some maintenance on the pole.
Have a great week!
