Weekly Family Communication

Dear Holy Rosary Families,

I hope you all had a restful break, a blessed Christmas, and a happy New Year. It has been wonderful to return to routine and welcome our students back to school. While we are not officially halfway through the year, the start of January always feels like the beginning of the second half. This month will move quickly and will conclude with Catholic Schools Week—always a favorite celebration in our community.

Earlier this year, we conducted a safety and security audit of our campus. In response, our School Commission has formed a committee to review the findings and make both short- and long-term recommendations. One area of concern identified in the report is our drop-off and pick-up procedures. As you know, this is a challenging situation given nearby schools with similar start times and the overall traffic patterns in the area.

As we continue to explore solutions, I ask for your help with our morning procedures. If you are dropping off in front of the school, please pull as far forward as possible before unloading. This helps traffic move more smoothly, especially near the roundabout. Please remember that the front of the school and the alley are for active loading and unloading only in the mornings—there should be no parking, waiting, or leaving vehicles unattended in these areas. Likewise, there is no parking or waiting in the alley after school.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and partnership in keeping our students safe.

In Christ,

Anna

Hello Families!

I hope you all had a restful holiday season. During January and February, school counseling lessons will focus on stress and anxiety management as students return to routines and academic expectations.

A key skill we will be teaching is self-monitoring, which helps students notice their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in real time. Strong self-monitoring supports emotion regulation by helping students:

• Recognize emotional triggers early

• Notice when they are becoming overwhelmed

• Reflect on whether their reactions are helpful

• Adjust coping strategies before emotions escalate

This skill builds self-awareness, an essential foundation for managing stress and anxiety.

For students in grades 6–8, lessons will also include time management and organization skills. These tools help reduce anxiety by supporting planning, prioritizing tasks, and breaking work into manageable steps.

Our goal is to provide students with practical strategies that they can use to feel more confident, in control, and ultimately better prepared for the learning and growth opportunities that life offers them.

Best,

Kelly Dobelstein

Baptism of our Lord - Sunday January 11

This weekend, the church celebrates the feast of the Baptism of our Lord. This ends the season of Christmas. We now enter Ordinary time until the Tuesday before Lent.

The weekend, focus on water, light, and your own baptismal memories by lighting candles and blessing yourself with holy water.

• Jan 9th - 8th Grade Pizza Lunch
• Jan 16th - Blue Friday, Seahawks Day
• Jan 19th - No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  
• Jan 23rd - Prim Rose Planting
• Jan 25th-31st - Catholic Schools Week
• Feb 6th - Teacher-In-Service, No School

2025/26 School Calendars

Yum Yum! Friday is an 8th grade pizza day.

Baseball & softball season is coming. If you need to have a form signed by the office, please fill it out completely and bring it to the office.

This week's big storm is a reminder that we can sometimes have weather that will necessitate closing school or starting late. 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.

New Logo Gator Gear is now available for purchase. The order window closes January 16th. We hope to have the sweatshirts available for students to wear during Catholic Schools Week.

Do you know someone who is a true champion of Holy Rosary School? The due date for nominations is Monday, Jan. 12th. Send in your nominations to admissions@holyrosaryws.org. With your nomination, please send the individual’s name, their affiliation with our school, and why you believe they are a “Champion” of Holy Rosary School. Thank you!

Save the date for re-enrollment (Jan. 15–31); 2026/27 tuition and registration fee schedules will be released next week.

DENIM & DIAMONDS is the theme for the March 7, 2026 auction. Start planning your outfit now. Think sparkles and jeans or denim skirts/dresses. Tickets on sale soon!

If you are cleaning out your closet, the auction committee is looking for old denim. Adult sizes preferred, but kids will do. Preference for blue denim.

Need inspiration? Check out this Pinterest board: https://pin.it/6LCCK4Hgc

SPONSORS WANTED

Do you own a business or know someone who does? Sponsoring the auction is a great way to market your business and support HRS! Please contact Beth (bmartin@holyrosaryws.org) for a list of opportunities.

What's a better gift than a night out with friends? You could hang with buddies and raise money for the Fr. Mallahan Endowment. Please join us for the 4th annual Gator Bowl (21+)!!

• When: January 23, 2026
• Time: From 5-8pm
• Cost: $390 for a lane -- up to 6 bowlers ($65/bowler)
• What: 3 hours of bowling and shoe rental with the best community in Seattle
• Where: West Seattle Bowl
• Theme: Seattle Sports
• Why that theme: Because Seattle is kind of good at all sports right now!
• Proceeds: Go to Father Mallahan Endowment
• How to Register -- click this link: https://holyrosaryws.org/giving/gator-bowl/

On Sunday, January 11th at noon the church trees will be removed. Volunteers are needed to remove the lights, transport the trees and saw them for disposal. Work will commence after Sunday mass, fundraising hours will be offered as part of the tree lot.

We have a small sewing project that we are looking for a parent or grandparent in the area to complete for the auction. This would count towards Top Fundraiser hours as it would be for the auction. We would need this completed by the end of February. We would pay for all materials and already have the pattern. Please contact admissions@holyrosaryws.org if interested!

On Sunday, January 25th, we will have our last Open House of the school year. Parent and 8th grade volunteers are needed. Please sign up here!

Business Procurement Team Member

Goal: Connect with local businesses to help secure funding to support the Holy Rosary Auction!

How: Become a procurement team member and run your own Neighborhood Zone. Send procurement letter, email, walk-in, etc. to local businesses asking for their support to donate to the HRS auction. Follow up and provide tax documentation to each business. Track progress and confirm procurement. Auction items can come in various forms i.e. gift cards, wine/beer/liquor, art, cooking classes, merchandise, etc.

When: Procurement will take place now – January.

Hours Earned: 10-20+ hours (Fundraising)

Contact: Bente Madtsen: (bente.madtsen@outlook.com) or Jenna Cohen: (jenna.cohen.jn@gmail.com)

If you see any tree lot signs around West Seattle, please pick them up and drop off in the main office for one free dress pass. It's a tree lot sign scavenger hunt! Appreciate your assistance with this.

Take a few minutes to log into your Safe Env account and check your status. You may need a refresher course. Checking your status now will save staff time in contacting you before you can volunteer.

New families: Please complete your background checks and SE training before volunteering! If you haven't set up a volunteer log-in yet to record hours, here is the link! One parent must be the main account user, a 2nd parent can be added to the account as a sub-account. Instructions will be on the main account user’s page on how to add a sub-account.

Registration is now open for 4th-8th grade volleyball! Please register your athlete prior to January 23rd, 2026, in order that we may register for the appropriate number of teams.

Coaches must register and complete all requirements of the Archdiocese.

Practices will start in earnest the first week of February. Coaches may have the option to start practicing the week of January 19th; gym availability will depend on how many of our basketball teams are in the playoffs. Games start the weekend of February 21st.

In order to keep costs reasonable, we are using the same shirts we used last year. If your athlete still has one that fits, there is no need to order a new one. Families are encouraged to share shirts they no longer need with other families.

Families in need of financial assistance are encouraged to contact Athletic Director Brendan Kolding atcyo@holyrosaryseattle.org.

Women With Purpose Friday Mornings (9:15am-11:15am)--New session on the book, “My Grandfather’s Blessings” by Rachel Remen from January 9, 2026-February 13, 2026.

Click here to register and learn more: Women with Purpose (WWP) Registration Form | Holy Rosary Catholic Church | Seattle, WA

If you are interested in having your child baptized at Holy Rosary, contact Deyette Swegle.

Are you interested in assisting us in our Soup Kitchen? Please contact Chris Dormaier.

https://holyrosaryseattle.org/rcia-for-older-children

See our Flyer for more information.

https://holyrosaryseattle.org/1st-reconciliation-1st-communion

srstella@holyrosaryseattle.org

https://holyrosaryseattle.org/rcia-adults.

We offer Children’s Liturgy of the Word year round at Sunday 10:30am Mass.

• Parish Children’s Choir YouthChoir! (Grades 3-6) | Holy Rosary Catholic Church | Seattle, WA (holyrosaryseattle.org)
• Altar Serving (5th -High school)–email Paul Dolejsi at Pdolejsi@holyrosaryseattle.org for more information.

https://holyrosaryseattle.org/confirmation

Holy Names Academy has a fun, student athletics event planned in January, and we hope you can help us spread the word to your students. We are hosting Grade School Night at Cougar Basketball on Friday, January 23. Teachers, faculty, coaches, and families are also welcome to attend. See this flyer for more details.

Admission is free, and everyone is encouraged to RSVP using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4DADA92EA6F9C61-60845206-grade#/.

Bishop Blanchet Drama proudly presents The Music Man, May 1-3. Auditions start on Tuesday, December 9th.If you are interested in auditioning, Please click here.

West Seattle Little League (WSLL) Spring 2026 registration is now open for softball (ages 7-15), baseball (ages 4-13), and our Challenger program (adaptive baseball for players with physical and intellectual disabilities).

The WSLL spring season will run from March to June, featuring fun activities like the jamboree, sandlot days, and end-of-the-season bash. Become part of our amazing community and make some memories on and off the field.

Each year, we want to make sure all kids have the opportunity to write the next chapter in the Little League story, regardless of their situation. No child will be denied a chance to play due to financial reasons. If you need a full or partial scholarship, please visit our scholarship page for more info. We are dedicated to finding a confidential financial solution for families.

Check out westseattlelittleleague.com for more information and to register.

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.