Week of October 20:

Dear St. Ignatius Families,

As we begin this third week of October, I am reminded once again, how blessed I am to be principal here at St. Ignatius Parish School.  Each day brings with it so many opportunities and being with your children is the best part of every day.   

In the thirty years that I have been working at St. Ignatius, I can’t remember a better time to be a part of this special community.  I wanted to take a few minutes to share with you an update on our Capital Campaign progress.  

These past two weeks, focused on our parishioner phase, we continue to be humbled by the generosity of so many of our families.  Significant gifts have been pledged, as well as a few members so moved by the testimonials at Mass, increasing their pledge amounts over an additional year.  Over the last twenty days we have taken a big step towards our goal of $5.5 million, but we aren’t there yet.   

Fundraising Update:

We are just over $5.3 million.

We currently have 78% of our families participating. This is an incredible number and yet I ask the 22% of you to please take some time to consider how much St. Ignatius Parish and School have meant to the development of your child.  We are asking you to invest in us, in our programs, and in our mission.  ALL amounts are needed.   You can begin your pledge when it works for you and over the number of years that works as well.  A gift of $1,000 over 5 years at $200/year will make a difference.  I ask that you pray about it and consider joining us in this endeavor.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  We are still coordinating and scheduling briefings.  Father Mike, Father David, and I would be happy to meet with you and your family.  

Construction:

We are currently finalizing our design, layout and seeking our permits.  

We have completed the design of the Courtyard for the school and are in the midst of our design for the new preschool playground area.

At this time, we feel that these dates are feasible: 

February / March 2017: Commence Modular / Temporary Site Work

May 2017: Delivery of the actual modular classrooms

May / June 2017: Teachers move to modular classrooms

June 2017: Demolition / Abatement on existing school begins

As you are witnessing, our construction timing is reliant on our fundraising. These dates are based on our current pace and the response of our generous community.   As we get closer to the start dates, a more detailed schedule will be published, but I thought it important to share with you where we are at this time.  

Thank you again for your patience and understanding.  We are extremely excited as we are moving forward.   My goal is to keep you posted as we move forward and to assure you, your children are receiving an excellent and education and this will continue through the transition.  I feel beyond fortunate that WE get to be part of something so incredible.  WE are the new “barn” families.   Grateful for our past, Hopeful in our future!

Blessings, Patty Kochis

Week of June 6:  Thank you for Saying Yes

Thank you for Saying Yes

Week of May 16: Together We will Build Our Dream

Together We will Build Our Dream

Week of May 9: Capital Campaign Update! We are getting closer!!

Dear Parents,

We are making great progress!  We are blessed by your commitment to our work as Jesuit educators and a parish ministry that truly works to make a difference in so many lives.  Within the last 45 days, 61% of our school families have formalized their pledges to the campaign and many others have indicated their intentions to do so. We are excited to announce that school faculty and staff, along with the 2nd grade families, have joined the Parish and Finance Councils with 100% participation!  

The next six to eight weeks will be a busy time for our Campaign Leadership.  We will continue to build on our 61% school participation and focus on increasing that number while also working on the grandparent, alumni and parish communities.  We are just shy of $1.1 million from our loan trigger (counting verbal and outstanding pledges) and we won’t rest until we hit that figure.  We have set a June 1st target whereby if we hit our loan trigger, construction can commence in late summer 2016.  If we don’t hit our loan trigger by June 15th, it is not a problem we will postpone construction by a mere six months.  This, certainly is not the end of the world, but also not ideal as construction would interfere with two school years, not just one.   

If you are considering a pledge, I ask that you take the time to turn in your pledge form so we can close in on our goal.  The teachers and students are excited and the conversations in the faculty room are filled with thoughts of our new classrooms and all the advantages the new facility will afford our children and entire community.   I ask that EVERY family consider what you can do to help us with this project.  EVERY pledge will make a difference.  Don’t forget, your pledge can begin at a time that is convenient for you and be spread over 5 years or even more if that works for you family.  Please continue to pray for the Campaign’s success, because our prayers are being answered!!         

With Great Appreciation, 
Patty

“… make sure to read the parish bulletin this week as we give a shout out to classes that have reached 100% participation. As our overall school participation continues to grow, we are certain so will the support from parishioners. Thank you again to our wonderful “founding families” of the next 60 years.

Week of April 18, 2016: Capital Campaign Update: 78.55% To Loan Goal!

Dear Parents,

Since my first weekly Capital Campaign update on March 3rd to today’s,  I remain honored to be your principal. During the last seven weeks our school community demonstrated not only, why St. Ignatius is such a special place, but how we live the Magis!

YOU joined together to help pave the way of realizing our dream of a new school with the following amazing results in just 45 days. THANK YOU!

School participation: 

March 3rd – 25%

April 11th - 51%, 

April 18th – 61%  Wow!!  

Total school and parish pledges (including verbal and outstanding requests and NOT including many possible in-kind construction gifts): $4,320,399;

 An increase of $509,190;

100% participation from 2nd grade;

100% participation from faculty and staff; and

15 dedicated ambassadors who agreed to help answer questions and encourage fellow families to be a part of something so much bigger than us all! 

For those who have pledged thank you, for those who are still considering a gift of ANY size thank you, and for those who continue to share your time and talent thank you!

Now what… I will continue to provide regular updates as we build on the momentum you have created. We are confident that as a result of your commitment others will be inspired to join us in securing the next 60-years and beyond. With this confidence comes the renewed hope that construction plans will align with our goal to provide your children the safest and best valued-engineered facilities possible!  As always please don’t hesitate to contact Fr. Mike, Fr. Hightower  or myself with any questions.

With Great Appreciation, 
Patty

Week of April 11, 2016:  Capital Campaign Update: $4,362,849 and Counting!

Dear Parents,

Words cannot express my gratefulness to each of you for your generosity to our Capital Campaign. Each day, I have had heart felt conversations with our parents about the new school and how they feel, just as the “Barn Families” did 60 years ago, the importance of the legacy we are leaving for our entire parish community.  Father Mike and I are so passionate about this campaign, providing a school campus that our children deserve, with security as a priority, and efficiency to allow us to enhance ALL our programs.  You are making an investment in your child’s future, in the St. Ignatius School mission, and in our staff as we bring our Jesuit charism and philosophy of education, creating children who are difference makers, in every sense of their being.  Your gift shows your trust in us and in our vision.  I am humbled and blessed.     

Tomorrow is an important day for the Capital Campaign. We ask that you turn in your pledge card if you have not already. In order to begin construction of our new school, we need to receive $5.5 million in pledges.  We are currently at $4,362,849 in pledges with participation from 51% of you—our school families.  When we started this Thursday email campaign, we were at 25%; look how far we have come in the last 30 days.

Although our ultimate campaign goal won’t be reached tomorrow, it will pave the way for our stretch run and to show the donor community that the School is “ALL IN” on this campaign.  I am grateful for our past and hopeful for our future, because of you!!!!!!!!!

If you have any unanswered questions about the new school, temporary classrooms, the loan or anything else, Please do not hesitate to contact myself, Fr. Mike or Craig Zarro so we can help inform you in your decision making process.  You may also visit the new school information page here .

Preparing all of our students for what’s ahead—high school, college, their spiritual and faith journey and beyond—is our priority.  Thank you again for your continued support of our school!

Respectfully,

Patty Kochis
Principal, St. Ignatius Parish School

Week of April 4, 2016:  Capital Campaign Update: Help Us Begin Construction! 

Dear Parents,

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! It is a beautiful time of year where we can all reflect on our many blessings. I count each of you, especially your children as gifts that make my day, and the day of our entire staff so wonderful. Thank you for choosing St. Ignatius Parish School.

I am hoping to answer any and all questions you all might have. My goal is also to clarify a few things. I hope some of this information helps you to understand our current progress and the timeline that is affected by our funding.

In order to begin construction of our new school, we need to receive $5.5 million in pledges. We are currently at $4 million in pledges with participation from 37% of you—our school families. If you have not yet submitted a pledge, I ask you to prayerfully consider a sacrificial pledge to this Capital Campaign by April 15. A sacrificial gift over 5 years can make a significant impact on our construction start date. The pledge amount TRIGGERS the loan. You can begin your actual donations at a time that works for you. For example, I am beginning mine, Jan. 2017 and will contribute monthly over 60 months to reach my total donation amount. If we do not reach $5.5 million in pledges, construction—which was slated to begin this summer—will be pushed back six months!

There are many reasons why a new school is imperative. Here is just one of many:

MAINTENANCE ISSUES: The maintenance issues are mounting and deferred maintenance is no longer working. There are leaks in the 7th and 8th grade classrooms as well as the library. There are electrical issues to the point that we constantly trip fuses which is unsafe for our students and staff.  This also interrupts the learning process. The cost to repair all of the issues was considered and putting a band-aid fix would cost as much to rebuild and would not address other issues such as safety.

If you have questions, concerns or input, please feel free to contact me or visit our new school information page here.

Respectfully,

Patty Kochis
Principal, St. Ignatius Parish School

Week of March 21, 2016: Capital Campaign Update: Momentum is building!

Dear Parents.

School-family participation in the Capital Campaign is increasing and our dream of a new school is within reach! Thank you to those who have turned in your pledges as well as the many wonderful grandparents who have supported the campaign. Please consider sharing the excitement with your extended family—our collective gifts will help ensure the next 60 years.

In order to begin construction, we need to receive $5.5 million in pledges. We are currently just over $4 million in pledges (including verbal pledges and outstanding pledge requests) with participation from 34% of you. If you have not yet submitted a pledge, I ask you to prayerfully consider a contribution to this campaign and turn in a sacrificial pledge by April 15. 

Have a blessed Easter and a wonderful break!

Blessings,

Patty Kochis

Principal, St. Ignatius Parish School

Week of March 14, 2016: Capital Campaign Update: We need 100%

Dear Parents.

Thank you to those who attended the State of the Capital Campaign yesterday. For those who could not attend, here are the most important things for you to know:

In order to begin construction this summer and be completed for the 2017-18 school year, we need to hit $5.5 million dollar in pledges by 4/15.

We are currently just shy of $4 million in pledges (including verbal pledges and outstanding pledge requests). 

We need 100% participation from our school families to make this happen.

If we do not meet this deadline, construction start is delayed six months.

The majority of the current pledges are coming from our parishioners.

What does this mean?

In order to get construction moving, we need all school families to submit your pledge by 4/15. A pledge is turning in a pledge card stating what you can contribute to the Capital Campaign. The pledge can be done monthly, over multiple years (up to seven) and you can indicate any start date (i.e. “I will start paying when construction begins” or “start billing me January 2017” or whatever makes sense for your family).

Fr. Mike, the Capital Campaign Committee and myself are here to answer any questions.

Thank you for your support of our school.

Patty Kochis
Principal, St. Ignatius Parish School

Complete notes from the meeting 

Family Participation as of 3/15/17 

Week of March 7, 2016:  Letters from our Fourth Graders

Dear Parents.

Last Sunday, Mrs. Herrick’s amazing fourth grade students helped Fr. Art celebrate the 9:30 am Mass. The fourth graders took the opportunity to thank our parishioners for supporting our school and distributed letters describing what a new school means to them - as students.

The fourth graders’ thoughts about our current school and visions of our new school remind me how our efforts toward the Capital Campaign will directly impact their everyday lives. I invite you to read one of their letters - may this perspective also inspire you to support building a new school through a pledge to the Capital Campaign.

Thank you to our fourth graders for their insight and to you for your continued support of our school. I hope to see you at the State of the Capital Campaign meeting on March 16.

Patty Kochis
Principal, St. Ignatius Parish School

Week of February 29, 2016:  Capital Campaign Update

Dear Parents,

Our school and parish community has begun to embrace the capital campaign to fund our new school and facilities with great enthusiasm and commitment. On behalf of Fr. Mike and Fr. Hightower, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your consideration and support.

Though we still have a long way to go, we are so pleased to report a strong start—we have already received pledges from 25% of you—our school families!

But we need the support from all of you to make this happen. Just as the “barn families” came together to establish the only Jesuit primary school in the Diocese of Sacramento more than 60 years ago, it will take the commitment from our already-generous school and parish community to build a school necessary for the future.

To help inform you of the campaign progress, address any questions and to provide more information, we invite you to join us for a “State of the Capital Campaign” meeting on Wednesday, March 16, in the Garden Room of the Parish Center from 8–9:30 am. From financial to construction, we have a lot of updates to share with you.

For those who have not made a pledge yet, we ask that you turn in your pledge card by April 15, 2016. You may pledge your commitment online, download a pledge card or pick one up from the school or parish office. They will also be available at the “State of the Capital Campaign” meeting. Completed pledges may be returned or mailed to the school or parish office.

We are incredibly blessed to have you and your children in our school community. Thank you for your continued support.

Respectfully,

Patty Kochis
Principal, St. Ignatius Parish School