We, the community of St. Ignatius School, in the tradition of Mother Marie Rose and St. Ignatius of Loyola, provide a faith-centered Catholic education guiding God’s children toward building a just and compassionate world.
Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
Beginning the Easter season with the loss of our beloved Pope Francis is difficult for all of us here at St. Ignatius. As we move through the coming days and weeks, may we take great comfort in having known such an amazing leader of our Catholic faith. Archbishop Sample will lead a Requiem Mass for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis next Tuesday, April 29th at 6:00 PM at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Our St. Ignatius Parish will host a memorial Mass for Pope Francis next Wednesday, April 30th at 7:00 PM in our church. Please consider attending one or both of these events as we grieve together as a community.
What an incredible blessing to have another week of gorgeous spring weather! Our 8th grade leaders met with their Family Groups this week to talk about ways to be great stewards of our precious Earth as Tuesday was Earth Day. The Family Group activity culminated in chalk drawing ideas about ways to care for God’s diverse creation.
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Volunteer Opportunity: Looking for ways to get involved in environmental stewardship or serve the last of your volunteer hours for the year? Consider attending a landscape project work party at school tomorrow, Saturday, April 26th from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM putting in planter beds. This project will include installing five new raised planter boxes along with a weed barrier and crushed gravel around the boxes. Other tasks include spreading mulch around plants, pruning plants, and weeding. Please join us, if you are available.
Service Impact: Yesterday, our school received an award for 35 years of volunteering to make meals for Transition Projects. The award is on display in our school office. Congratulations Gators, past and present, for making an impact and taking care of our community neighbors every week with cherished drawings and inspirational messages of hope!!!
Serving, Learning, Growing: Our students engaged in many hands-on learning opportunities this week. In preschool, students used pipette with watercolors to make Earth Day art. Some of our older preschoolers are building words on mats and practicing writing the letters. In kindergarten, the students are studying the life cycle of flowers and creating flower posters complete with underground roots. Our first graders took on decorating bags for Transition Lunches this week. The second graders made beautiful tissue paper 3-D Easter crosses. Our third graders tackled their first attempts at bridge building as they explored engineering and math concepts in designing their bridges to withstand the weight of pennies. The students were able to learn about engineering from a guest speaker last week too. Our seventh graders are studying the Renaissance Reformation period of history. Our eighth graders took a field trip to the Oregon Supreme Court in Salem where Appellate Judge, Honorable James C. Egan, personally gave the tour. He quizzed the students on the three branches of government and the division of powers between the state government and the federal government. The students were impressed with the courtroom and were able to go behind the judges bench. What a fantastic way to connect classroom learning with our world today!
Plant Sale: St. Ignatius Parish will hold a plant sale on Sunday, May 4th from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Proceeds benefit both the church and school. Several varieties of spring and summer plants will be available for purchase.
A+ Lunches: During the month of May and into June, pizza day will shift from Fridays to Thursdays.
Spring Concert: Please join us for our Spring Concert next Friday, May 2nd at 2:00 PM in our school’s gym. Students will wear their uniforms. Students in preschool through 5th grade will sing for us.
As we head into the second week of our Easter season, may we remember the teachings of our Holy Father, “Nature is a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness. Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise,” Pope Francis, 2015.
Peace be with you,
Carol Pausz
Principal
Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, exist to give witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As an apostolate of the Church, Catholic Schools minister the salvation of Jesus Christ, exercising His mission to teach (Mt. 28:19-20) by providing Mission Passionate Catholic Education.
As soon as the 2025-2026 calendar is finalized we will share with families.
During the month of May, we will again celebrate our hard-working, dedicated, loving teachers! If you wish to contribute to funding the special treats and meals for our staff in May, please feel free to do so through this link: **https://sispdx.ejoinme.org/teacherappreciation**
Please consider joining the School Advisory Committee. St. Ignatius School's School Advisory Committee (SAC) is looking for four new members to serve a 3-year term, beginning in September 2025. If you are looking for a meaningful way to connect more deeply with St. Ignatius School or are interested in contributing to the school through strategic planning, mission effectiveness, public relations, financial planning, and policy development, please consider joining the School Advisory Committee. If you have questions or are interested in nominating yourself or someone else, please fill out this form and consider talking with one of our current SAC representatives: Sarah Maher (Chair), Mike Pettinger (co-chair), Michael Miller, Miranda Hacherl, Sarah Trester, Margaret Hoecker-Gaynor, Amanda Williams, Amy Rozzelle, Derrick Lau, or Eben Dickinson. Thank you for thoughtfully considering this important and valuable contribution to our school community.
St. Ignatius School Referral Benefit: If you refer a new family that enrolls and attends our school next year, your family will receive a $1,000 tuition credit! Families entering kindergarten through 8th grade are eligible. Simply submit this ***form ***to let us know which family you referred. The $1,000 credit will be taken off tuition in early November after the referred family has joined our school community.
With the nice weather, our PE classes will move outdoors soon.
Please open the gates for dismissal no earlier than 3:00 PM. Thank you for your assistance!
