The mission of Holy Rosary School is to help each child discover and fully develop their God-given talents. As a Catholic School community, we strive for excellence in our students’ spiritual, academic, physical, mental, aesthetic, and social-emotional growth. It is our intention that those who attend this institution mature into active citizens leading a committed faith life and reaching out to help others locally, nationally, and internationally with their wisdom, time, talent, and financial resources.

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Dear Holy Rosary Families.
This week we were able to return to the special tradition of having our fourth grade students accompany us as Saints during the All Saints Day Mass. All Saints Day is an important Holy Day in the Catholic church.   Through Jesus, we are able to remain in communion with the Saints in heaven, and we can ask the Saints to pray for us.  We all strive towards sainthood and work each day to further develop our relationship with Christ on our pilgrimage towards heaven.  All Holy men and women of God, pray for us!
In Christ, 
Anna

AHERA Notification
Please find linked here the annual AHERA (Asbestos) notification from the Archdiocese.  Please disregard the date, we just received the notification.

UPCOMING DATES

• November 4th – 8th Grade Pizza Lunch
• November 11th – No School (Veterans Day/ No BASE)
• November 21st-23rd – Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences(regular school not in session/BASE Open)
• November 24th-25th – Thanksgiving Break, No school (No BASE)
• November 25th – Tree Lot Opens
• December 9th – 8th Grade Pizza Lunch
• December 9th – 1st Trimester Report Cards
• December 15th – Christmas Program
• December 16th – Noon Dismissal (BASE OPEN)
• December 19th-January 2nd – Christmas Break
• January 3rd – School Resumes

NOTES & REMINDERS

Inclement Weather

With temperatures dropping, it’s a good time to review what we will do in case of dangerous roads due to snow or ice.  We will notify families as early as possible if a closure or late start is needed via email, social media, the school website, and the West Seattle Blog.  We do not always follow what Seattle Public Schools is doing because they must make decisions for the entire district and we are able to make more localized decisions.  If there is a late start, there will be no AM BASE.  If there is a school closure, there will be no BASE.

Reserved Parking Spaces- HEART Auction

Please DO NOT park in or block the two reserved parking spaces that are in the west side of the parking lot at the north end of the building. These spaces are denoted with a red heart and a sign that says reserved 24/7.  These spaces are reserved for the use by the families who have purchased at the Heart auction and are theirs at all times.  Please also let any caregivers that may be picking up your child know that these spots are not available. Thank you for your attention to this.

Save The Date, The Return Of The Christmas Program!

December 15th, Begins with the Holy Rosary School band at 6:00 pm. All classes K-8 will have a chance to perform.  We’re excited to see this tradition return.

Uniform Closet

We have new protocols in place for finding an item in the uniform closet.  Our volunteers have been working diligently in organizing, sizing and inventorying uniforms.  If you are looking for an item in the Used Uniform donation closet, please email Karla at klawson@holyrosaryws.org with specifics and your request will be submitted to our Chairperson and delivered to your student.  We are no longer allowing parents down in the basement to find items as this will have an impact on our inventory spreadsheet.  Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.  As always, if you have any Holy Rosary Branded items to donate, please drop them off in the office.

Upcoming Book Fair

We will be having a Scholastic Book Fair during conferences, November 21-23. The book fair will be in the library and open during conference hours.

COVID And Health Screening

Please find the latest COVID screening flowchart on our website and linked here. We have testing available on site and can test any student, parent or family member if needed.  NOTE- parent permission will always be obtained prior to testing at any time. This permission slip can be found here and should be returned to the school office. 
Please contact the office as soon as possible if anyone in your family tests positive at any time at office@holyrosaryws.org or COVID@holyrosaryws.org.  Kristin Bentler will work with you then on protocols and next steps.  
Students who have a family member test positive may remain in school, but should engage in a Test to Stay Protocol testing prior to attending school each day.   Per the Department of Health (DOH) guidance, students are asked to mask at school if a family member tests positive until that family member is no longer contagious.  If a student tests positive, he/she should wear a mask until day 10 even if returning to school on day 6, per DOH guidance as well.  
Due to the disruption it causes to the learning environment, Zoom instruction will not be offered building-wide this year.  Individual teachers will share protocols for addressing COVID-related absences.  Number of new COVID cases in the school this week (as of Thursday am) = 16

Holy Rosary School and Parish Are Hiring!

Holy Rosary is currently looking for a Custodian- 40 hours/week, Monday-Friday, shift hours are negotiable

ACTION ITEMS

Candy Drive For Birthday Dreams- Ends Today

Already wondering what to do with all that Halloween candy about to take over your home? Donate it! We are holding a Halloween candy drive benefiting Birthday Dreams. Birthday Dreams is a local non-profit dedicated to bringing hope, joy, and a sense of self-worth to homeless children with the gift of a birthday party.
Drop off any wrapped candy donations at the box in the Main Office starting Tuesday November 1^st through Thursday November 3rd.  Questions? Contact Lee Quirk at leeaquirk@gmail.com

Sign Up For Conferences!

November 21-23rd is reserved for Parent-Teacher-Student conferences.  With the exception of kindergarten, students in the grade school lead these conferences which are opportunities to celebrate successes and set future goals.  We truly value these conferences and ask that every parent plan to sign up for a 20-minute in person conference for each child during this week.  There will not be a normal school schedule this week as the whole week is reserved for conferences.  Sign up here.

November Food Drive

In the spirit of giving thanks, please join us in supporting our local community struggling with food insecurity.  Holy Rosary School will host a schoolwide November food drive to support our local Saint Vincent de Paul chapter, who serves families in West Seattle.

The following items are needed most and may be dropped off on the table inside the school entry:
Peanut butter (16oz)
Macaroni and Cheese
Canned Chicken, Canned Tuna
Boxed Cereal,  Boxed Oatmeal (instant packets)
Pasta including canned pasta (spaghetti’o etc.)
Tomato Sauce/Spaghetti Sauce/ Packaged Sauce mixes
Hearty Soups
Canned Vegetables
Canned Fruit
Crackers (Ritz, Saltines, etc,)
Pork and Beans, Chili
Rice, Rice a Roni, Knorr Rice Sides 
Instant Mashed Potatoes, Gravy Mix
Stovetop Dressing

Red Cadet Collar Sweatshirts

The Main Office currently has the red Cadet Collar sweatshirts in stock in ALL sizes.  An order form must be completed to pick up a sweatshirt.

EVENTS & FUNDRAISING

Tree Lot

November means it’s time for the Tree Lot, a Holy Rosary tradition for 40 years.  The lot opens Friday after Thanksgiving and will close December 19^th.  Volunteers are crucial for the success of this event.  Please sign up here.  It is a great way to earn hours and meet other HRS families. There are also slots for Junior High and High School volunteers.  All volunteers over age 18, even students, need to be Safe Environment cleared.
As a reminder, each K-8 family is required to complete 50 volunteer hours this school year, 35 for first-year families. Working the tree lot is a fun way to knock those out.

Auction

Family donations need to be entered by December 2nd through one of the links below, but do not bring the donation to school until instructed to do so in January. Remember all families are required to contribute a minimum of $225 to the auction in the form of cash or tangible items. Already know your donation, then please enter through the links below. All families that enter their donation before Monday, November 14 will receive a free dress pass for each child in their family.
Make your CASH DONATION here.
Make your ITEM DONATION here.
Ideas for donations may be found on our auction web site.

ADMISSIONS

Applications Now Open For New Preschool – 8^th Grade Students

Spread the word to friends and family that HRS is the place to be.  Click here to apply.  Priority application period for current families, with siblings they’d like to enroll at HRS, ends November 15^th.
Pre-K families will need to apply for Kindergarten, all other preschool students will complete re-enrollment in February. Current K-8 students will complete re-enrollment in February, only those new siblings need to apply.

Financial Aid

Applying for tuition assistance for the September 2023-June 2024 school year is now open.  Please complete your financial aid application by January 6, 2023.  Information about financial aid and the link to the application can be found here.  Questions, please contact bmartin@holyrosaryws.org

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Fundraising Hours Opportunities!!!

Auction Procurement Team

Goal: Connect with local businesses to help secure funding to support Holy Rosary
How: Become a procurement team captain and run your own Neighborhood Zone. Send procurement letter, email, walk-in etc. to local businesses asking for their support to donate to the Holy Rosary auction. Follow up and provide tax form documentation to each business. Track progress and confirm procurement in Google doc. Auction items can come in various forms i.e. Gift Cards, Wine/Beer, Art, cooking class, etc.
When: Procurement will take place take place Oct-Jan; All auction items will need to be in hand by Feb 1st.
 – approximately 10-20 hours

Auction Spreadsheet Master

Goal: complete our master spreadsheet
How: email Lisa directly at lp_quinn@live.com for more information
When:  ASAP 🙂
 – approximately 3-5 hours

Tree Lot

Tree lot looking for families of younger students (K-2) to be on the leadership committee.  Contact Jeff Meagher.

Nurses & Doctors

It’s time to administer vision and audiology screenings. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Kristin Bentler in the school office. Screenings will take place during the school day.

School Parents: Sing For Your Volunteer Hours!

Did you know that you can sing for your volunteer school hours? Participation in a parish adult choir for Sunday Mass qualifies for “non-fund-raising/general volunteer hours.” Come and sing with one of our choirs – Saturday 5pm, Sunday 8:30 or 10:30! Singing with choir is a fun thing to do for yourself once a week. Imagine an evening away from the family on a Wednesday or Thursday! You can have fun and claim up to 25 valuable volunteer hours! Singing with the choir can also give you a spiritual boost, as we not only sing together, but pray together and support each other in many ways. You can sing every week or arrange per your schedule.
Paul Dolejsi directs the choirs for Saturday 5pm and Sunday 10:30 Masses. Both of these groups are SATB choirs with piano and guitar accompaniment. You can sing melody or parts per your ability. We rehearse together on Wednesday evenings.
Mary Ann Lee directs the music for the Sunday 8:30 Mass. Their SATB choir sings from the loft and features organ and piano accompaniment. They rehearse on Thursday nights and are a very joyful and welcoming group!
For more info on this opportunity for volunteer hours, contact Paul at the parish office or drop by after Mass!

Volunteer Hours

The volunteer hours portal is ready for the 22/23 school year.

• Go to ‘Report Volunteer Hours‘ (also a red hyperlink on our home page.)
• New families:  If you haven’t set up a volunteer log-in yet, you will need to do that first, use the same link!  Remember, only one account per family, NOT per parent

Safe Environment Training

There are many opportunities to help out this year. All of our volunteers are required to take Safe Environment training prior to volunteering with the school or church. If you have not taken the class, please sign up as soon as possible. There are in-person as well as online classes. **It can take a couple of weeks after you’ve taken the class for you to be cleared to volunteer.**

Traffic Patrol

We are looking for parent/guardians to do traffic patrol duty this year for volunteer hours. You would need to be fully vaccinated, and available to arrive on time and stay until your duty is complete. This would be a trimester obligation.
Start Date:
December 12^th – March 24^th
March 27^th – June 16^th
Times:
8:00-8:40am
2:45-3:15pm   1:45-2:15pm (Wednesdays) 11:55-12:20pm (1/2 days)
You could choose to do one day per week, AM or PM, or both AM & PM on the same day if you wish. Please contact Maggie Judd if you are interested.

Playground Volunteers

We are looking for playground volunteers to help us during lunch recess. Shifts are Monday through Friday from 10:55am to 1:05pm. If you have one or two days available each week, please contact Maggie Judd. Prompt arrival and a full shift are needed. Covid vaccination is not necessary.

REMEMBER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ARE ALSO LISTED HERE!

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Hiring Gym Supervisors!

PARISH NEWS

Advent Celebration

Save the Date…Advent Celebration, Sunday, November 20, 2022 at 9:30am-12:30pm, School Hall
All are welcome to our fun and festive Advent Celebration on Sunday, November 20, 2022 in the School Hall. Stop by after Mass or anytime between 9:30am-12:30pm for Advent activities for children and adults, Coffee and Donuts and more! Come prepare for Advent and celebrate the “Reason for the Season”!  For questions, please email Deyette at Dswegle@holyrosaryseattle.org

Youth Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer Opportunities for Youth (6th grade-high school) at our Holy Rosary Advent Celebration
Looking for a fun way to volunteer during our Advent Season? Join us by volunteering at our festive Advent Celebration on November 20, 2022 in the School Hall.  There are setup slots on Saturday afternoon, November 19, 2022 as well as two different time slots for helping with Advent activities and Coffee and Donuts on Sunday, November 20. Click here for Signup link Volunteer for Advent Gathering for Parish: Holy Rosary Advent Celebration November 20, 2022 (signupgenius.com). For questions, email Deyette at DSwegle@holyrosaryseattle.org.

Donations & Food Drive

Advent St. Vincent de Paul–Donations & Food Drive, November 20, 2022
Help those in need in our West Seattle Community by contributing non-perishable food for our St. Vincent de Paul Food pantry.  You may also make a cash donation which is used for Emergency assistance for rent, paying a utility bill, car repair, etc.  Drop by your donations at the Advent Celebration on Sunday, November 20, 2022, anytime between 9:30am-12:3pm in the School Hall. Thank you for support to those in need!

Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW)

Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) is now running on Sundays at the 10:30AM Mass. We welcome our young children from preschool thru 3^rd grade to join the Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW).  This is a great opportunity for our children to hear God’s message in a way they can participate and helping them apply the Word of God to their own experiences and actions. Come and join us!

RCIA Adapted for Children and Youth

We just started our RCIA sessions with children and youth. If your child/children/youth expressed their desire to know about the sacraments and Catholic faith you are welcome to join us! We have room for more! Contact Sr. Stella for more information at srstella@holyrosaryseattle.org

Funeral Reception Volunteers Needed

Funerals are a difficult but important time as families and friends grieve the loss of a loved one.  After coming together with the Lord in the Funeral Mass, receptions are an important opportunity to share the stories of happier days.  We are in great need of volunteers to help with funeral receptions, to make this possible for our parish families.  We have about 15 a year, using during the day during the week, and a list of people we call to see if they are free and able to assist.  We have two coming up in the middle of October.  Volunteers come a little early to get things ready, set up the food when it arrives and dish up if needed for the guests, and handle cleanup when everything is complete.  It is usually a 3-4 hour commitment.  If this is something you might be interested in helping with when able, please reach out to Melissa in the Front Office of the parish atmtuthill@holyrosaryseattle.org.  These can count as service hours.  We are also looking for one or two Funeral Coordinators, a paid position, to help lead the volunteers and handle initial preparations.

Adult Confirmation – Starts Tonight

Adult Confirmation will start November 3^rd and will meet Thursdays from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. And for anyone interested in becoming Catholic or wanting to learn more about the Catholic Faith, RCIA kicks off on September 14^th and will meet on Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.RCIA Flyer

Rite Of Christian Initiation Adapted For Children

Holy Rosary Church welcomes children 7-18 years of age who have never been baptized, along with their families, on a journey of preparation for initiation into the Catholic Church. If you or your children are interested to know more about RCIA, please contact Sr. Stella at srstella@holyrosaryseattle.org or 206-937-1488 ext. 252 or you can register online: RCIA for Children (formsite.com)