PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Dear Holy Rosary Families,
What a great week we’ve had around here! 
For the first time since Christmas break we’ve had all of our staff here and our student absence rate is starting to decline.  I’m hoping this is a reflection of the lower COVID levels within the greater community and that this pattern continues!  As a reminder, not only can we administer a rapid COVID test on site for students ages 4 and over (post exposure or symptomatic) we can do the same for family members of our staff and students as well.   We have posted the updated isolation/quarantine guidance to our website from public health and ask that you remain in close contact with our office if anyone in your family tests positive, especially since there are often nuances to individual quarantine situations based on family circumstances.   This week we also, on the urging of public health and the Office for Catholic Schools, applied to public health to utilize the Test to Stay protocol when we have ample rapid tests on site to administer serial testing.  This would allow us to support close contacts of a positive case in school to remain in school after an exposure, if certain criteria are met and we’re able to test regularly past the exposure.   You can learn more about Test to Stay in the DOH schools’ guidance which is linked here.  The goal of all of this is for these collective tools to work together to maximize in person instruction and to limit potential exposures inside of the classroom.  
In more exciting news, next week is Catholic Schools Week!!!  This fun-filled week is an opportunity for us to celebrate our school and Catholic Education.  I encourage you to bring your children to Mass this weekend dressed in their uniforms.  The schedule of all of the fun filled events is below.  
Finally, you will notice in our development section a date change to our Auction this year.  Our auction is our biggest fundraiser of the year and an incredibly fun event.  We plan to hold an in person auction this year, so when the opportunity opened up last week to move our date to May 7th, we took advantage of it.  This date will hopefully see us well past the winter COVID surge and allow us to maximize our attendance.  Mark your calendars now!
In Christ,
Anna

COUNSELOR’S CORNER

In this edition of counselor’s corner I will continue to discuss techniques and strategies to help booster your child’s self-esteem. 
Please reach out if your child needs social-emotional support during this time – lsamson@holyrosary.org. Blessings, Lauren Samson Continue reading

UPCOMING DATES

• January 30th-February 5th – Catholic Schools Week
• February 11th – No School (Teacher In Service)
• February 18th – Noon Dismissal
• February 21st – Presidents’ Day – No School
• February 22nd – Winter Break – No School

NOTES & REMINDERS

CYO Is Looking For Volleyball Coaches! 

Catholic Schools Week! 

Holy Rosary students are Rooted in Christ!
Saturday/Sunday:  Rooted in our Faith Community-  Students are encouraged to wear uniforms to Mass.
Monday:  Rooted in our Parent Community-  Students can wear Gator Gear/CYO Gear/Athletic gear.  Show your school spirit!  This will be a no-homework day so students and families can spend extra time together and a family treat will be coming home.  We’ll play all school bingo for the last hour of the day over the intercom.  
Tuesday:  Rooted in our Greater West Seattle Community-  All classes will engage in a service activity this day and all students will plant a primrose around our campus.  Students can wear jeans or another free dress option appropriate for service.
Wednesday:  Rooted in Honoring our Grandparents and Special Friends–  Perfect Uniform, a special message will come out for Grandparents and Special Friends.
Thursday:  Rooted in Appreciation of Lifelong Learning and Staff-  Comfy/cozy free dress day, all school read-in, each class in the school will celebrate a special staff member, and students will have the chance to check out the different projects on display.
Friday:  Rooted in Appreciating our Students-  Whole school spirit day, theme is “Wild West.”  We will have a modified spirit assembly and staff versus student volleyball game, livestreamed to the classrooms with smaller groups of students participating in the gym.  
Saturday/Sunday:   Appreciating our Parish Family-  Conclusion of Catholic Schools Week, 8th graders will speak at all Masses to thank Parishioners and there will be a Father Mallahan Endowment Presentation at the Masses.  

Isolation/Quarantine Guidance

We have posted the most current guidance under the COVID-19 tab on our website.

COVID Cases

If ANYONE in your household test positive for COVID 19, please contact the school office immediately. Likewise if your student comes in contact with anyone who is currently positive for COVID 19, contact the school office immediately. You’re efforts help us to keep our school open for in-person learning.

Zoom Instruction

As a reminder, Zoom instruction is primarily available for students in COVID quarantine or isolation or for those who are sick for 3 days or more due to our strict sick policy. Zoom is a good tool for people that have to quarantine for multiple days, but opening a Zoom and checking in with Zoomers while also teaching live students takes time away from instruction, so whenever possible, we want to reserve Zoom for relatively rare cases.Please stay in touch with your child’s homeroom teacher if your child needs to be gone from school so we can figure out the best way to address the absence.  Generally it will take at least a day to prepare materials and homeroom teachers will notify you when they are available for pick up.  Thank you for your patience and understanding with this.   

Mask Guidance

Many of you have asked about current mask guidance for schools.  During a call with Public Health today, we were directed to this resource as a guide when deciding which mask is best for your child.  Public health is not issuing any changed mask requirements at this time, other than reiterating the importance of a well-fitting mask at all times and to use the best mask you have available.  As a reminder, we have child-sized surgical masks available in our office and are happy to provide them for anyone who needs them. 

Sports Forms

If your child’s sports team requires a form signed by the school office, please fill out the entire form including the school name, address… We will return them to your child within 48 hours.

Inclement Weather Information

In case of a need to close school or have a late start due to the weather, we will notify families as early as possible.  Keep an eye on the West Seattle Blog, Facebook, and on our website. We will also send an email to all families notifying you of any closures or late starts.  If we start late, there will be no AM BASE, and if we close due to snow, there will be no BASE care on campus during the closure.

ACTION ITEMS

CYO Volleyball Sign Up NOW!

Calling all volleyball players Grades 4-8! CYO Volleyball registration is open. Register your players here.Matches begin February 26 and run through May 1.

Coaches Needed

Want to coach? There are lots of kids signed up to play, but we cannot field teams without coaches. Coaches are needed for the following: 4th grade co-ed, 5th girls, 6th girls and 7th boys. Register here.Questions? Please contact Jeanne Flohr, CYO Athletic Director.

Free COVID Tests

HRS Social Media

Calling all HRS familes! We want to put a spotlight on all the amazing things going on in our community. Did your kid accomplish something awesome? Do you have some cool pictures from extracurricular activities? Updates from HRS alumni? Or anything else fun to share that is HRS related? Please send it to us at socialmedia@holyrosaryws.org so we can feature you on our social media channels! Visit http://holyrosaryws.org/social-media/ for more info about submissions. Children need to be masked and following COVID protocols per the Archdiocese.

Volunteer/Parent Vaccination Information

Per Governor Jay Inslee’s directive, all volunteers working in proximity to students must be vaccinated. In accordance with this, please fill out the attached form and include a copy of your Covid-19 vaccination card. If we do not receive a vaccination card from you, you will not be able to participate as a volunteer where students are present. If you have any questions, please contact Kristin Bentler.

Student Vaccination Information (K-8th grade)

On the recommendation of Public Health, and in order to support us in making decisions regarding programming, we are seeking information on the percentage of eligible students (K-8) who are vaccinated. Individual student information will be kept confidential. The aggregate data will help us with programming decisions and mitigation efforts.
Please fill out the attached survey. If we do not receive a response from you, your child will be counted in the category of unvaccinated. Decisions around our programming and activities will be based on the percentages of vaccinated students. If you have any questions, please contact Kristin Bentler.

EVENTS & FUNDRAISING

Auction

Auction date update:  THE NEW AND HOPEFULLY FINAL DATE IS MAY 7. The decision was made to move the auction to May 7 in order to have the best chance at an in-person event. We will proceed with an ONLINE AUCTION in March, details to come.
Time to drop your Auction donations off at school! If you missed last week’s drop off, then please drop your donation during school office hours (8:30am-3:30pm).  All donations must be marked with your family name.

Grandparents & Special Friends Lunch

We encourage students to reach out to grandparents via phone or Zoom after school. If grandparents live locally, we encourage a quick drive by with flowers or a special treat.  Look for a video link early next week that you can forward to family and friends.

Annual Fund 2022-23

As you complete re-enrollment over the next week, please consider participating in the Annual Fund.  This is for the 2022-23 school year and payments may be amortized over the year. The Annual Fund is important as it helps us bridge the gap between the cost to educate vs. tuition charged.  Previously the Annual Fund has garnered over 80% participation and $200,000.
When applying for grants, which are highly competitive, applications often require statistics on fundraising participation. The higher participation rates show that we have exhausted our internal resources and are in need of external funding.  Any amount you can give abo

Gator Aid Request Form

GatorAid was established by our School Commission in 2018/2019 to support families struggling to cover school expenses and activities that fall outside of tuition.  The community chest program is largely funded by families for families.
GatorAid can be used to help cover extra school costs – examples such as a student’s yearbook fee, school uniforms, a monthly Chess Club* fee, or a night at Glow Bowl*. (*activities currently unavailable because of COVID-19 during 2021/22)
Families can request aid or you can make a request on behalf of a family here. GatorAid requests are sent directly to HR Principal, Anna Horton, and are granted confidentiality.

ADMISSIONS

Re-Enrollment

We almost have the new software ready to go for re-enrollment. In case you missed last week’s efc, the Archdiocese has asked all schools to switch to a new application, enrollment and tuition payment software called School Admin/Finalsite. Stay tuned for a re-enrollment email explaining the needed steps later today. This will be a multi-step process for all families. This year you will be asked to input a new payment method.  This does mean that for a short period of time two payment systems will be in effect.
Step by step instructions will be sent via email once re-enrollment launches.
Tuition rates for 2022-23 are available here.

Financial Aid

Holy Rosary FINANCIAL AID is due by MONDAY, January 31. Applications for tuition assistance for the September 2022-June 2023 school year closes tomorrow. Information about financial aid and the link to the application can be found here.  Questions, please contact bmartin@holyrosaryws.org

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

REMEMBER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ARE ALSO LISTED HERE!