WOH For Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020
Merry Christmas from Hope! by Kristen Okabayashi, Hope Principal
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” – John 1:4-5
In general, this period of Thanksgiving to Christmas is a joy to me, but Christmas 2020 has been a challenge for me for many reasons – most of it is pandemic related, but this year is also my first Christmas without my dad and step-mom, who both passed away during 2020. I know many of us are struggling to find the usual joy and enthusiasm for this time of year.
And yet, over the weekend I found my Christmas spirit, presented in the form of one of our 8th grade students, Atticus. In lieu of our usual school canned food drive, and with the knowledge that West Seattle food banks have unusually empty shelves right now, Atticus decided he would be the one to organize his own food drive. He took care of all the details – time (last Saturday), location (socially distanced in our lowers parking lot), advertising, and volunteers to help. He shared that he was hoping to get enough bags of donated food to fill the bed of their family pickup truck, and possibly $200 in cash donations.
When my husband and I stopped by on Saturday towards the end of his food drive, I was stunned to see enough bags of food to fill probably 3 pickup beds, 100 bags in total. The family was trying to figure out how to get everything to the West Seattle Food Bank! In addition, people from all over West Seattle dropped off cash and checks totaling $1,200. It was a heartwarming reminder that people care; just one person like Atticus can make a tremendous difference in our community.
May we all shine the light of Jesus for those around us! Thank you to all of you for being part of our Hope community and Merry Christmas from all of us at Hope Church and School.
Calling all Eagles: Help us SOAR with a gift to the Eagle Excellence Fund
We only have 16 days left to maximize our matching gift for the Eagle Excellence Fund!
It’s easy to give on our website or by mailing a check to the school office (4456 42nd Ave SW, Seattle, 98116) by December 31.
Your gift will ensure that Hope has funding for any technology, curriculum, and/or safety measures (COVID-19) required in the weeks and months ahead.
Every gift makes a difference! Thank you for your generosity.
Calendar of Events – Click Here
Wed. Dec. 16: 8:40 AM Online Chapel led by Deacon Dan Jackson
Fri. Dec. 18: Early Dismissal for Christmas Break / K-3 Dismiss at 11:45 AM / 4th Dismiss at 12:00 PM
Dec. 21, 2020 to Jan. 4, 2021: Christmas and New Year’s Break – No School & No ESC
Tues. Jan. 5: School Resumes
School, Extended School Care & Sand Dollar Club Closures
Please note that our School, School office and Extended School Care/Sand Dollar Club programs will be closed during Christmas/New Year’s break starting Monday, December 21 through Monday, January 4, 2021. School and ESC programs will resume on Tuesday, January 5, 2021.
1st Trimester Report Cards
Your students’ 1st trimester report cards are ready. Report cards will be sent home today, Tuesday, Dec. 15. Please sign the envelope to acknowledge receipt of report card and return to your students’ homeroom teacher. Our virtual students’ report cards will be mailed and we will combine any older siblings with younger ones to be sent home today. Please contact your child’s homeroom teacher if you have any questions or concerns.
School Lunch Program
NEST or Café Stellina continues to offer individually packaged lunches to Hope School 5 days a week. Visit our school website here to register each month and check out their lunch menu.
Thank you for your support of this small local business.
Hope Spirit Dress-up Days Continue
Show your school and community spirit by dressing up in the theme for each day, whether you are learning at school or learning at home. In-person students not wearing spirit day apparel must be in school uniforms except for Dec 18 which is a free dress day.
Dec 16 – Christmas Tree Toppers (hats and headbands, antlers, that type of thing)
Dec 17 – Christmas Card Day (Christmas ugly sweaters)
Dec 18 – Christmas Explosion (all Christmas colors, themes, characters, etc. – go all out!)
Church News & Activities – Click Here
We’ve brought the Christmas Tree Outside!
At Hope, on the corner of 42nd and Oregon, you’ll find the Hope Christmas Tree lit up but missing ornaments. We are inviting families and households to create their own ornaments and hang it on the tree. Take a selfie and post your picture on Facebook or Instagram (or email to church@hopeseattle.org and we can post for you). Don’t forget to tag us @hope_seattle or #hopeseattle! Please know that your ornaments will be short-lived and need to weather the elements, as we plan to have the tree up until News Years (maybe later) and then composted.
We hope this brings a little joy to all of you this Christmas season, reminding you that we are all Hope.