Eagle's Edge
January 5th, 2024
Remember it's a long weekend!
We are observing President's Day on Monday, Feb. 19th, and our teachers have an inservice day on Tuesday, Feb. 20th. We will see students back in class next Wednesday, Feb. 21st. Get some rest and enjoy the extra time with family.
First Week of Lent
Thinking back to my experience teaching religion to middle school students in Catholic schools, and up to now, I find it encouraging and fascinating that students are genuinely interested in Lent. I think it may have something to do with the participatory nature of this particular liturgical season. Lent is a time for all Catholics to give alms, sacrifice, fast, and reflect on God's love and sacrifice for us. In our school mass this week which coincided with Ash Wednesday, all students received ashes, regardless of age or prior sacramental preparation.
Father Gabriele gave a beautiful homily and I can't do it justice in a quick summary, but the take away for me, and I venture to guess for others, was that we can participate in the Season of Lent, in many more ways than simply giving up chocolate or wine. Lent can be a time during which we add something to our daily routine, such as giving a little more time to our spiritual practice, starting the morning in prayer, or making some time at the end of the day to reflect on what we have to be thankful for.
I came across the reflection below from Pope Francis, and I found it to be meaningful in its simplicity. Whatever you choose to add to your routine, or give up, I hope you have a peaceful and reflective Lent! Know that you are always welcome to join us for school masses, on Wednesday mornings at 8:30 a.m. during Lent and all year!
Fasting During the Lenten Season
As we begin the Lenten Season let's pause and reflect on where we want to be in 40 days.
Let us pray that as we begin the Season of Lent we ebrace the opportunity to:
Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
Fast from worries and have trust in God.
Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
Fast from bitterness and fill our hearts with joy.
Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others.
Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
Fast from words and be silent so we can listen.
We pray that
our only desire
and our one choice
is to choose
what better leads
to the deepening
of God's life in us.
-Attributed to Pope Francis, offered by Tim Reilly.
Upcoming Dates and Events
- February 16th - Pizza lunch.
- February 19th - Presidents' Day - No school.
- February 20th - Archdiocese Inservice - No school for Students.
- February 21st - School mass
- +++++++++++March 4th Monday - Make up school day for snow days. 1/2 day with noon dismissal.
- March 17 - 22 - Outdoor School for 6th grade students
- March 25 - 29 Spring Break, no school.
Recurring Events
****Holidays, inservice days, early release days, and other special events will affect these days.
- Choir Practice : Mondays 3:30 - 4:30
- Student lead school Masses: Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. (Holy Days of Obligation will affect these mass times)
- Student Store: Thursdays at dismissal
- Pizza Fridays: for all students, at lunchtime on the last day of the week (Friday)
- Vietnamese Enrichment Classes: Fridays after school
Outdoor School is coming up!
Sunday March 17th - Friday March 22nd
6th grade students will be headed to Camp Namanu this year for a week of studies and fun in the great outdoors! Mrs. Baumbach and Mrs. Wright will be accompanying students this year and you can expect communication from Mrs. Baumbach soon! This is only the second year since the pandemic that students are able to attend for a full week! Pretty exciting!
Update on 2024 - 2025 School Year Tuition
This year current families will be automatically re-enrolled for the 2024-25 school year, and should contact the office if they do not wish to continue at St. Therese. The annual $200 registration fee will be applied to your FACTS account.
We are committed to keeping tuition affordable to all our families and financial aid is available for those who qualify. Our tuition rates are still among the lowest of K-8 Catholic schools in Oregon. Due to inflation and cost of living adjustments for all, our tuition rate for the upcoming school year has gone up to $8,600, which we intentionally kept under a 4% increase.
Please use the link to the school website for more information on registration, forms etc.
https://www.stthereseschool.org/grades-k-8
Please call the office at 503-253-9400, or email Mrs. Barnett, barnetta@stthereseschool.org.
The Athlete's Foot: Notes from the Athletic Board
Boys Volleyball
This is a communication from CYO/Camp Howard:
Hello CYO Parents,
We have an exciting announcement for next year’s fall sport season: we are introducing Boy’s 3rd – 8th grade Volleyball! We would love to get a better idea of the general interest from our CYO families, so we’re including a survey to see how you feel.
Please fill out our survey.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfFRqdFBCaafR4F0pjzpNSQiNjMTcGy9gawxWYQUpvBJjVelQ/viewform
*If you do not have a boy, you do not need to complete the survey.
With limited CYO opportunities for boys in the fall, the growing excitement and popularity for boys volleyball at all levels, and the sport now being offered as an emerging sport through OSAA for the local high schools, CYO decided this is a great time to offer a new sport.
CYO Boys and Girls Volleyball will be the same season, August - November. Boys will also have eight regular season games on Saturdays and offer two tournaments: The Challenge at the beginning of the season and The Spike as the end of season tournament. As the sport grows, the idea is to add the mid-season tournament already present in the girls league. There will be three divisions: 3rd/4th, 5th/6th, and 7th/8th.
Thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback!
Jenna Bass, CYO Director of Communication
3rd Grade Hosted a Living History Museum this week. Thank you Mrs. Kenfield!
More Lunar New Year Art with Mrs. Radford
Fun in Family Groups
Meet the First and Best Vice Principal at St. Therese School!
Mrs. Chelsea Baumbach
It's hard to think of things that Mrs. Baumbach doesn't do, and if you know her, you understand what I mean. As if teaching full time and raising two kids wasn't challenging enough, she took on the monstrous challenge of more graduate school at the University of Portland to get her administrator's license. That is a tough program and a huge commitment. I say so, because I went through all the same coursework just a few years ago, and it's no small feat. This is on top of also coaching her sons in basketball, helping on every committee you can imagine, and the numerous other roles she takes on at school.
In that sense, Mrs. Baumbach was already serving as vice principal, if unofficially, as my right hand person. Just recently she was officially promoted to administration, as vice principal of our awesome school. It was a natural choice to offer Mrs. Baumbach the role. I couldn't imagine anyone else stepping into the responsibility. On behalf of all faculty and staff, we are so excited to see her use her education and experience right here at "home."
Before you middle school parents panic, Mrs. Baumbach insisted on remaining in the classroom for the rest of this academic year, at least. She will keep her position as 8th Grade homeroom and ELA teacher. Our very own Father Gabriele willingly volunteered to take on middle school religion courses. It's a win-win all around! If you see Mrs. Baumbach, make sure to congratulate her!
I must thank Father Gabriele for not only filling in the gaps in religion courses, but for recognizing the need for some administrative help and advocating for this big step. Thank you Father Gabriele, very much!
These beautiful plaques are still available for sale from Mr. Rymer's class!
Really cool opportunity for St. Therese kids!
If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Baumbach. cbaumbach@stthereseschool.org
Hi everyone,
Registration for St. Mary’s Academy 2024 summer camps is officially open! Please share the attached flyer and below information in your family newsletters.
St. Mary’s Academy camps are filled with adventures, hands-on activities, and a variety of fun games to pique every girl’s interests. All camps are for girls entering grades 3-4, 5-6, or 7-8 this fall 2024, so please share this with your current 2nd-7th grade families.
Summer 2024 camp topics:
- Visual Arts
- STEM
- Theatre
- Music
- Life Skills (Babysitting & Cooking)
- Gaming Design
- Anatomy
- Fashion Design
- Athletics
- Writing
- Crafting
Please click here to view our camp website and online registration page. Feel free to share my contact information with your families. I am happy to answer their questions.
Thank you for supporting summer enrichment opportunities for girls!
Warmly,
Sophia
Sophia Vallada
Director of Admissions
1615 SW Fifth Ave | Portland, OR 97201
O: 503.721.7730 | W: stmaryspdx.org