August 29, 2018
 
Dear Students, Families, Alumni, Parishioners, and Friends of ASB School,
 
Welcome to our 2018-2019 school year!  As we begin the 71^st year of Assumption-St. Bridget School, we are filled with excitement and wonder at what the year has in store.  While students are enjoying those last few days of summer, the faculty and staff have been busy getting ready for them to arrive.  I am so glad to have faculty and staff back in the building! and am looking forward to the students joining them next week.  As always, I have been so impressed with the enthusiasm, positive energy, and genuine commitment to our mission that each of our staff members have shown in just these first few days.  I think it is important to share the hard work at hand:

• The Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros – This was our staff summer reading and set the tone for the coming year.  This book expands and deepens our work on mindset and grit, as well as building upon the natural curiosity and creativity children have in learning.  We did some work to see our own levels of innovation and curiosity, as well as started to explore how to directly impact student learning.
• Self-Regulation and Executive Function – On Tuesday, we began what will be a year-long professional development endeavor to deepen our understanding of executive functions and brain science, how it affects student learning, and how to best support, intervene, and enrich the learning in our classrooms.  Beth Peterson, long-time teacher and academic coach, will be leading us through this work.
• Snowflake program training – Snowflake is a program on our ClearTouch panels with multiple capabilities.  Building upon last year, teachers had a training on how to use this program and implement it in classrooms.

This is just a snapshot of our in-service week.  As you can see, we are only a few days in and our teachers and staff have already put in a tremendous amount of work.  It is a true reflection of their dedication to our students and families.

Before we dove into all of the above, we began our week in prayer.  We attended mass with Fr. Oliver and Fr. Kyle, then had a half-day retreat on Monday centered on the importance of prayer and how we make deliberate time to experience prayer in our own lives.  I know personally, I have spent much time this summer in prayer.  Our first mission as a Catholic school is to teach the Good News of Jesus, and we must be models of how to build relationship with Christ before expecting it of our students.  I know there are many in the Catholic faith struggling with the church right now.  It is a time of deep hurt, challenge, and outrage.  I sent this message from Dr. Thomas Burnford, President and CEO of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) to our staff a few weeks ago as we prepared to return to school.  I would also encourage you to read this message from Archbishop Sartain.  As we start the school year, what is most important for us is to remember that Jesus – His message, His example, His love – is what we are about in Catholic schools.  Now, more than ever, we need keep that focus central to our work and the experience of our students and families.  The commitment to and belief in the individual's relationship with Jesus and the impact of a faith community are why we choose to be here.
 
A huge thank you to our Facilities Manager, Brent Quick, assistant Jack Bollard, and parish custodian Kenny Kahaloa.  They have worked hard this summer to get the campus and grounds cleaned, updated, and ready for the start of school.  Fresh plants and flowers have been planted.  The middle school and elementary wing got some new paint, old projectors taken down, and things are spruced up.  There are some great updates with school colors in the elementary wing in particular, so be sure to come check them out. 
 
I know many of you are waiting on additional construction updates.  As I said in my last letter, our most recent communication with the city has been around an error on their part and we are waiting for the next step in approval.  We have been told that the land use reviewer hopes to publish the Master Use Permit (MUP) decision on September 6th.  This will set into motion a series of events and as soon as I have a definite timeline, I will communicate that to parents.  I had a few more people this week contact me about “all of the rumors out there” and “the real reasons for the delay.”  I cannot emphasize enough that if you do not know the answer to a question, please contact me.  Do not fill in the blank with your own answer.  We are not alone.  Check out this article recently in the Seattle Times regarding the permit delays city-wide.  I am also getting many questions regarding safety and security of students during construction.  I have put together a list of those questions and asked the architects and contractors to provide me with an FAQ that I can share with you.  I will send that out as soon as I have it.  Please know that student safety is my number one concern.  It is something we discuss at every building meeting and something that all involved know is a non-negotiable as we move ahead with the project.  As Albert Einstein said, "the only source of knowledge is experience."  We are certainly learning a lot as we navigate this experience and I am so grateful for your patience and trust.
 
I am looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow at our Open House and Back to School BBQ.  I hope you are able to join us to see your classrooms, meet the teachers, connect with old and new friends, and start our year off as a community with strength and joy!

"The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence."                                                                       - Denis Waitley

Best,
Kathleen Conklin
 

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At the end of last year, Parent Board was able to give $6,268 to the ASB School Endowment Fund  in addition to the planned $3,000 for our school’s operating budget. This generous gift was the direct result of our terrific parent community. Thank you to everyone who put in time to organize and support our projects!
 A big thank you to Michelle Cahill, 2016-2018 Development Chair, and Lisa Hanson and Amy Genovese, School Store Managers, for their excellent management. Both the Development Team and School Store exceeded their revenue estimates this past year, making this extra gift to ASB possible. 
 For the 2018-2019 school year, Parent Board will continue to support our students with:

Evites will be coming soon, please make sure to RSVP!

You Can Create a Lasting Impact at ASB
Click Here to Learn More!

Save the Date!  The 2018 Auction, A World of Pure Imagination, will be on December 8 at Fremont Studios.  Please join us as we celebrate our ASB community and raise money for our school.

Sponsorship Opportunities! Please consider becoming a sponsor to help cover auction expenses so more of the money raised on December 8 can go directly to ASB's operating budget.  Sponsoring the auction is the best opportunity to get your company in front of our loyal community of families, friends and neighbors!  Click Here to Learn More

 If you have questions or would like to volunteer, please email auction@asbschool.org

 

 

If you have any questions about Extended Care, please do not hesitate to contact Dylan Pouley or Kai Bond we are happy to assist you in whatever way that we can.  If you email extended@asbschool.org that email account will forward your email to both Kai and Dylan.  

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Extended Care reminders:

• Extended Care opens each morning at 7:00am.
• Extended Care closes at 5:45pm each afternoon.
• Please turn in your Extended Care registration forms for the 2018-2019 School year.
• Afternoon Extended Care WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE for Kindergarten students the first  week of school, September 4-7.

Assumption Parish will be hosting a sew for Days for Girls - an international organization that makes menstrual kits for girls around the world so that they can stay in school.
Our local Days for Girls is part of the Limbe Seattle Sister City Association and is 
comprised of our neighbors at Beth Shalom on 35th, First African American Methodist Church on First Hill, and Baitul Ehsaan a Muslim community in Bothell. 
Snacks and refreshments will be served. 
You do not need to sew there are many tasks for non-sewers. Bring your sewing machine, iron/board, or just your self and come work with us - we would love to have you. 
6:30 - 9 pm in the Fellowship Hall - come when you can - no need to stay the entire time.
Please contact Ellen Bollard  or 206-940-1069 if you have any questions 
or would like to help with food, set-up or clean-up.
Thank you.