PRINCIPAL’S & PASTOR’S MESSAGE
Dear Holy Rosary Families,
Yesterday, Governor Inslee issued strong recommendations regarding schools and when it is safe for schools to resume in-person instruction. The Office for Catholic Schools issued a follow-up statement (see attached), indicating that the Archdiocese of Seattle Catholic Schools will follow the recommendations of the Governor and/or the local health department as a minimum standard. Because of this, Holy Rosary School along with other Catholic Schools in King County will begin the 20-21 school year in a remote learning environment. Though we had planned for–and were hoping for–an in-person start, we are learning that the landscape of COVID-19 is changing frequently. We need to be prepared to pivot and adjust as the health and safety data deems necessary. The health and safety of staff and students is of paramount importance.
Holy Rosary teachers, staff, and community members also spent the summer putting together a plan for a remote start, carefully reviewing the feedback you provided on our June survey, in case we couldn’t open in person. We knew all summer this was a possibility, and we have a high quality plan in place for the fall that builds upon our spring learning experience, incorporating your feedback in order to ensure a successful start of the school year for all students. Holy Rosary will follow the schedule of the school day closely in the remote learning environment this fall, providing high levels of structure and support for students, and striving to meet the needs of families working from home. Each day of remote instruction will begin at 8:30am with prayer and follow with synchronous, live instruction. We will provide as much live instruction as possible, based on the developmental abilities of students. To support families, we will have a whole school lunch/recess each day from 11:30 – 12:30, with synchronous and asynchronous instruction to follow, including time each afternoon for small group/individual instruction, and support time for students. Friday afternoons we will shift to primarily asynchronous instruction to allow for collaborative planning time as teachers prepare for the following week.
Tonight, we will review all of the details of our remote learning plan with the School Commission. More details will be shared with families in the eFC next week, specifically regarding our K-8 school. A separate communication will be forthcoming regarding our preschool. The K-8 school is still set to begin on August 31st. One important change to note is that we will now spend the first week of school as a time for teachers to meet individually with families and students (in a socially distant way) to establish a relationship, to gather materials, and to learn all about how the specific grade level remote classroom will be set up. We believe this meeting time to be essential in establishing a strong working relationship between teachers, students, and families given the nature of this remote start. Families will sign up for these meetings as we do for November conferences using Sign-up Genius. Additionally, class letters and class lists will be mailed the week of August 17th. Live remote instruction will begin on Tuesday, September 8th at 8:30 am.
We intend to follow the health and safety data in King County very closely, and plan to slowly return students to campus, based on guidance from the Office for Catholic Schools, OSPI, and the Department of Health, when King County’s infection numbers enter the “moderate” range and remain there for at least two weeks.
Though starting school this way is not how we had hoped, this is an important time for us to pull together as a community and support one another. We are grateful for you, our school families! Our children will learn flexibility, perseverance, resilience, and independence through this time. We will continue to grow in strength as a school community, and we will all grow personally through this time, knowing that we had a role in ensuring the health, safety, and well being of one another.
It is important to acknowledge that the need to begin the school year in a remote learning environment will likely bring forth a range of emotions- with our students, staff, and with our families. Our students will follow our lead as adults when learning about this information, and stress and worry may arise as to why they can’t return to school yet. Remaining reassuring, positive, and calm as adults will help children manage their emotions. It is especially important to impart hope to our children, especially that this is not permanent!
Again, we do hope that we will be able to open our school in person in the near future using a phased approach as health and safety data deems appropriate and we will keep you apprised on our plans to do so. In the meantime, you have our commitment and the commitment of the entire Holy Rosary School staff to do all we can to support your family in launching a successful start to this school year. Thank you for your partnership and for your continued commitment to our school community.
We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Phillipians 4:13
Yours in Christ,
Father Matthew Oakland, Pastor
Anna Horton, Principal
NOTES & REMINDERS
Books Of Interest
As your librarian, I would like to share a list compiled of (mostly contemporary) children’s books featuring Black protagonists created by a fellow archdiocesan librarian. This list is by no means comprehensive, nor is it designed to educate students about racism, though anti-racist education is vital for all age groups. Rather, this list aims to connect families with children’s literature that centers and affirms varied Black experiences. Children of all racial backgrounds need to see Black people as protagonists, and not just during Black History Month.
Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop said that books can serve as mirrors and windows. “Mirror” books reflect our identities and experiences back at us. “Window” books show identities and experiences that differ from our own. Children need both mirrors and windows in order to see their lives and others’ as unconditionally, equally important.
Whether they serve as mirrors or windows, these hopeful, tender, adventurous, funny, and magical books are for everyone to enjoy. If you have questions or thoughts you’d like to share, feel free to connect with me by email.
Sincerely,
Sara Weythman
Librarian
sweythman@holyrosaryws.org
Subbing In Catholic Schools!
Have you ever considered subbing in our Catholic Schools? Subbing can be a great way to work part time! More information can be found here:
https://mycatholicschool.org/for-catholic-schools/personnel-policy/substitute-management/frontline-absence-management-overview-for-substitutes/
Holy Rosary School Is Hiring!
Sadly, our beloved instructional aid in Kindergarten, Mrs. Madsen, has decided it’s time to make a change. Mrs. Madsen, we will miss you and thank you for all you’ve done for our school!!
In this light, we are currently hiring for two positions:
Preschool Aid and Kindergarten Aid. More information can be found here:
https://www.applitrack.com/seattlearch/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Student+Support+Services
School Supplies
School supplies will be purchased by the school again this year. A supply fee of $50 will be charged per child via FACTS in the fall. We will still ask that a few supplies (headphones, calculators, and comfort kits) be handled at the family level. Your child’s teacher will advise you of any additional supply needs in August. We ask that in addition to the above items, you also supply your child with a cloth face mask to be warn each day.
Address Changes
Please remember to notify the office of any address, phone or email changes in order to have the most up-to-date information in our school directory for next year.
ACTION ITEMS
Lunches of Love and St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry Need Your Help!
SVDP has requested the following items to re-stock their food pantry which is in high demand right now. Please remember- items need to be in the original, sealed packaging. Shelf stable items only. No restaurant-sized cans/boxes as these are difficult to find homes for please. Thank you!
(Items can be left inside the church in the marked boxes during open hours which are currently Mondays and Wednesdays, 12-4, and Saturdays 12-2.)
Peanut Butter
Proteins
Granola Bars
Tomato/Pasta Sauces
Canned Fruit/Jams (not homemade)
Chili/Stew
Cereals
Crackers
Canned Veggies
Lunches of Love
Do you miss making school lunches? If so, “Lunches of Love” needs your help. Right now, there are several local groups that SVDP is passing out lunches to, but they are running low. If you can help, it would be greatly appreciated. Please note that brown bag lunches should be non-perishable only. Items that make good lunches include nuts/trail mix, fruit cups, protein bars, individually packaged chips/crackers, Vienna sausages, jerky, ritz cheese/crackers (shelf-stable only), and a plastic spoon/fork. WATER is the drink of choice. Please bring non-perishable lunches to the school office, Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm (starting on August 10th).
Room Parent Recruitment
Be a room parent for the 2020-2021 school year! If you enjoy planning and attending classroom parties, parent’s nights out, and spoiling the teachers with birthday gifts, then this job is for you! Room parents fill such an important role in each class and help take a little weight off our teacher’s shoulders. This time spent also goes towards your family commitment hours. If you are interested in being a room parent during the 2020-2021 school year or would like more information on room parent responsibilities, please contact Joellyn DeRonghe at joellyn17@hotmail.com. Thank you!
Summer Reading Challenge
Here is our challenge to each student, parent, teacher, and staff member at Holy Rosary School: make reading a part of your daily schedule this summer by reading for at least 20minutes each day of summer vacation! Use this calendar to keep track of your reading time by coloring in each day you read. You may have up to 10 free (blank) reading days. Return the completed calendar by Friday, September 4th and you will receive your invitation to our “Summer Reading Challenge Pancake Breakfast”. Challenge calendar will be sent home in students’ report card envelopes. More information and resources for summer reading can be found on our Library web page.
https://library.holyrosaryws.org/summer-reading-challenge/
** IMPORTANT NOTE: Students may have 10 free days for the summer reading challenge. Meaning they can have up to, but no more than 10 books/dates not colored on their sheet and still will be able to participate in the Summer Reading Challenge Pancake Breakfast in September. **
Summer Math Challenge
Summer is all about fun and relaxation. It is a time to spend time with family and friends and recharge between school years. We hope that you can find some time for math this summer, too! To meet the Summer Math Challenge, you need to complete 15 hours (or 900 minutes) of math over the summer. Hope you all have a wonderful summer! Math Sheets
EVENTS & FUNDRAISING
Development Directives
GOOD NEWS FOR AMAZON APP USERS: Do you shop on Amazon through their app? Now all purchases make money for your favorite nonprofit (HRS). It is really easy to set up. Follow the steps below on the mobile app:
- Join the Amazon smile program
- Download the mobile app
- Go to settings on the app (bottom right 3 lines, next to the shopping cart), find AmazonSmile in the drop down menu. Click and follow the instructions to register.
No charge to you and HRS receives a small percent of all your purchases.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Fall CYO
Holy Rosary Parish has made the difficult decision to not participate in Fall CYO sports. Based on the guidance we received from the CYO office, fall sports would not be able to compete until King County enters Phase IV. Given the likelihood that we won’t be in Phase IV soon, meaning students wouldn’t be able to compete, we feel it is therefore prudent to minimize risk that would be associated with practicing. We will re-evaluate prior to Winter sports beginning. We encourage families to utilize the time students would have been participating in fall sports to engage in healthy physical activities and to spend time together as a family.
PARISH NEWS
2020 – 2021 Youth Confirmation Registration Now Open!
Are you a baptized Catholic in the 7th – 12th grade and have not yet been confirmed? Then the Holy Rosary Youth Confirmation Program invites you to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in the year of 2020 – 2021.
Click here to register: https://fs10.formsite.com/HRParishws/form22/fill
Visit our website more information about the 2020 – 2021 program: https://holyrosaryseattle.org/youth-confirmation
To help us prepare a meaningful program for our middle school and high school students, please register no later than August 9. If you are able, please be ready to upload a copy of your child’s baptismal certificate at the moment of registration.
Payment
The payment for the program includes the curriculum, a teen bible, and a journal. If we are able to host a retreat, an additional retreat fee will be added.
Regular Fee: $120 (Until August 9)
No family or young person should be deprived of the graces of the sacrament of Confirmation. If your family needs financial assistance of some sort, please reach out to Bridget Bicek at PAYouth@Holyrosaryseattle.org, and together, can we can figure out the best financial plan for your family’s needs.
Contact Bridget Bicek at PAYouth@Holyrosaryseattle.org with any questions about the 2020 – 2021 Confirmation Program.
Called to Accompany: Seeking Youth Confirmation Volunteers!
Do you desire to come closer to God and His Church?
Do you want to give back to your parish community?
Do you want to walk with young people on their faith journey?
Holy Rosary Youth Confirmation programThen God might be calling you to serve in the Holy Rosary Youth Confirmation program. This summer, join our online adult volunteer training program, “Called To Accompany” and learn how to evangelize, mentor, and teach middle school and high school students in the Holy Rosary Youth Confirmation program.
Online trainings will be on the following Sundays from 4:30 – 6:00 pm:
August 9
August 23
If you’re interested in learning more contact: Bridget Bicek at PAYouth@Holyrosaryseattle.org or complete the Volunteer Interest Form: https://forms.gle/DcnZ3cwv1Cc6qidk6
RCIA For Children And Adults
Is Your Child Interested in Becoming Catholic and is older than Age 7? Are you interested in learning about becoming Catholic?
Holy Rosary Church welcomes all children no matter their age to a life with Christ. The Church prepares older children (age 7-18) and adults for all three sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Those children who have never been baptized will participate in the RCIA process adapted for children and celebrate their sacraments at the Easter Vigil.
RCIA is a special journey for children ages 7-18 along with their families to prepare for Initiation into the Catholic community. For more information or questions about RCIA for Children, please contact Sr. Stella. For more information and questions regarding Adult programs, please contact Robert King and for Baptism for children from birth up to age 7, please contact Deyette Swegle.
Baptism for Children under age 7
Registration Link: https://fs10.formsite.com/HRParishws/form1/index.html
Email: Deyette Swegle at dswegle@holyrosaryseattle.org
RCIA for Children (ages 7-18)
Registration Link: https://fs10.formsite.com/HRParishws/wzvwmsugs3/index.html
Email: Sr. Stella at srstella@holyrosaryseattle.org
RCIA for Adults
Registration Link: https://fs10.formsite.com/HRParishws/form24/index.html
Email: Robert King at evangelization@holyrosaryseattle.org
USCCB On A Coronavirus Vaccine
The USCCB is encouraging everyone to advocate for an ethical vaccine for COVID-19. Bishops recently sent a letter to the FDA Commissioner expressing strong support to develop an effective, safe, and widely available vaccine that “ensure that fundamental moral principles are followed in the development of such vaccines, most importantly, the principle that human life is sacred and should never be exploited.” Read more here and encourage your parishioners to take action here.
Free Online Resource For Parents And Kids–FORMED
FORMED is like Amazon Prime for Catholic content! Find videos, audiobooks and podcasts, ebooks, and other inspiring content!
Find daily Lenten reflections, video series on Confession or the Eucharist, or stories of the saints. There are options for adults, kids, or the whole family!
Formed is FREE to Holy Rosary parishioners! If you haven’t signed up for Formed, follow these steps:
- Go to www.formed.org in any web browser
- Click the “Sign Up” button in the middle of the screen
- Click the “I belong to a Parish or Organization” button
- Search for Holy Rosary Seattle or 98116, then click on “Holy Rosary 4139 42nd Ave SW Seattle WA” to select our parish; click the “Next” button
- Enter your name and email address in the boxes; click the “Sign Up” button
- Check your email at the address you gave; you should have a message from Formed with a link to confirm your registration; click the link
This will bring you to the home page of Formed. In the future, just go to formed.org and click on the “Sign In” link for instant access.
Once you have signed up for FORMED on the website, you can also download the Formed app for your smart TV, smartphone or tablet from your app store.
This will give you access to the full range of Catholic content wherever you go!
COMMUNITY NOTICES
Little Free Pantries
Our family has used some of this time amid the stay at home order, building Little Free Pantries. The idea, modeled somewhat on the Little Free Library concept, is simple: The pantries are filled by people in the community, and those in need are encouraged to come by and take what they can use. We’ve had one in our yard for years and it’s not only introduced us to neighbors to whom we may have never otherwise met but has helped many who are food insecure. Food insecurity hits many in our neighborhoods, most of whom are housed and with the aftermath of COVID19, the numbers are quickly increasing. These little boxes are not intended to replace the work of food banks but a way to support a neighbor or who may be in need of a meal.
We have a few Little Free Pantries remaining which need a good home. They need sealing or painting before they are installed but do come with a mounting post. If you need support installing we are happy to help here too. If you’d like to place one in your yard please email me at mkharmon2@gmail.com. Thanks! Molly Harmon and Dave Wilton
Helping The Hungry In This Time Of Need
Catholic Community Services (CCS) has been hard at work, trying to care for many people experiencing homelessness who have no place to go. In particular, there is a great need at the day center they operate in Federal Way. They welcome up to 75 people a day, many who come for both lunch and dinner. CCS is reaching out to local parishes and schools for support. They would prefer donations of hot casseroles, although cold sandwiches are also appreciated. Meals can be brought on Tuesday mornings to St. James Cathedral, which will handle delivery. If interested, email/text/call Patrick Barredo (pbarredo@stjames-cathedral.org | 206-619-2879).
Helping To Support Each Other
Holy Rosary Families- let’s support one another during this difficult time. If you own a small West Seattle business that is open to serve others during this time, please send a brief description of hours and information to Kristin Bentler (kbentler@holyrosaryws.org). We’ll run it in our community section so we can all help support each other during this difficult time.
The Grove West Seattle Inn & Alki Lumber
Both The Grove and Alki Lumber currently remain open as essential services during our normal business hours and we’d appreciate the support. We follow guidelines for sanitation and distancing and Alki offers will-call with curb side pick up (customers do have to sign in person for credit card purchases) and local delivery options are available.
Alki Lumber The Grove West Seattle Inn
M-F 6:30 to 4:30 206-937-9920
206-932-7700 Grovewestseattle.com
Alkilumber.com 3512 SW Alaska St.
4422 36th Ave SW
Counseling For Children, Adults And Families
I am a licensed mental health counselor. I provide mental health counseling to children and families and adults. In response to COVID-19, and the social distancing protocols I am providing my services to patients using zoom, Skype, FaceTime. This includes new intakes. Please note if finances are a barrier to accessing counseling services please let me know as I offer sliding scale.
Thank you,
James Bederaux-Cayne, MA, LMHC
3618 California Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116
Office (206) 898-9366
Fax (888) 506-5242
jamesebc@comcast.net
www.emersoncounselingandconsultation.com
Doyle’s Automotive Service
4607 37th Ave SW Seattle, WA 98126 (206) 935-2600
We are open as automotive repair is an essential service during the stay at home. Our lobby is temporarily closed, for the safety of everyone. Our hours will be M – F, 8am – 4:30pm
Shug’s Soda Fountain & Ice Cream
Add a little sweetness to your time at home with an ice cream sundae making kit!
www.shugssodafountain.com Instagram: Shug’s Soda Fountain
We appreciate you supporting our small family business.
The Good Society Brewery & Public House
The Good Society Brewery & Public House offering our beer in 32 oz crowlers to-go or for West Seattle delivery! We also have glassware, shirts, and gift cards. We are open 3-7 PM Monday through Friday, 12-7 PM Saturday and Sunday. Follow us on social media (@goodsocietybeer) or visit our website at https://www.goodsocietybeer.com for updates and new beers being tapped! As always, we are so very appreciative and often overwhelmed by the community support we have received. A heartfelt thank you for that. Let’s keep it rolling.
West Seattle Grounds Neighborhood Coffee Shop
West Seattle Grounds Neighborhood Coffee Shop is open for To-Go Service! We serve Caffe Umbria’s coffee and organic teas for beverages as well as fresh local pastries & sandwiches! Our address is 2141 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116
Monday – Friday 6AM – 4PM
Weekends 7AM – 4PM
We are so grateful to our community and all the wonderful people in it who have supported us & our neighbors through this strange time. We are working extra hard to ensure that when you visit our establishment you and your families feel at home and safe. Order online for pick-up with the Joe Coffee App ( https://joe.coffee/ ) or text ‘coffee’ to 474747 to download the app and find our shop to get the delicious coffee that you crave without having to wait! Questions? Call us at (206) 708 1018 or visit our website https://www.westseattlegrounds.com/
Fertility Education & Postpartum Doula Services
Holy Rosary School parent Ann Baker is a trained Symptopro Fertility Educator (Natural Family Planning method) and a DONA trained doula specializing in postpartum care. Visit www.yourchangingseasons.com or contact Ann at nfpdoula@gmail.com (206)880-3455 for more information about classes and doula services.
