As we celebrated the triumphant procession of Jesus into Jerusalem this past weekend we listened to the story of the Passion. As I looked around the church, there was no fidgeting or playing with palms. The people were listening to the story that they had heard many times before. That is really the heart of our relationship with Jesus….hearing the stories told and retold and letting them live within us. I remember as a child not wanting to hear the Passion story because it included the crucifixion just days after they cheered for Jesus as he came into Jerusalem. That didn’t make sense to me. Of course, I did not have an understanding that the end of the story held the resurrection; and that this was the point of it all. The believers had to be at the very lowest point of their despair in order to be filled with the awe of the resurrection. This story is absolutely foundational to who we are as believers of Jesus. All the other stories before and after bring us to a fuller understanding of how pivotal our belief in the resurrection is. It is the core of our belief that with God all things are possible.
We will journey together through the next three days: feeling the love of the community of followers of Jesus at the Last Supper, the depth of despair that Good Friday gives us, and then the hollow emptiness of Saturday, the day after we feel that it is all over. Then comes the unbelievable…He does live, and our Sunday is filled with beautiful music, fragrant flowers, and a visual of beauty that says the darkness is gone. One of the great gifts that my parents gave me was a family that had these stories as part of our lives. As an adult, I have had enough sadness to know I could not have survived without my faith in the resurrection. I feel badly for people who do not have these beliefs to support them.
I wish your family a beautiful and blessed Easter.
District 203 Busing
Because Naperville School District 203 has extended their school year due to the extreme cold days in January, they have informed ASCA that there will be busing for All Saints students through Monday, June 2. Please note, though that there will be no D203 busing after June 2nd. Please be sure to make alternate arrangements for your D203 bus rider. All other buses will be running.
Grandparents' Day - May 2nd
All Saints' Grandparents' Day will be celebrated this year on the morning of Friday, May 2nd. The day will begin with Registration at Door 1, and move quickly into classroom visits followed by our May Crowning and Living Rosary. This day is a wonderful opportunity for grandparents to see the school while their grandchildren are in class, and to appreciate the many ways in which All Saints Catholic Academy is so extraordinary. A highlight bulletin called "Ten Things You Need to Know", as well as the Grandparents Registration Form went home with oldest and only students last week, and is also available at the school website. Your staff and parent volunteer committee is hard at work to make this event a smoothly-run, enjoyable, and memorable day for our students and grandparents. Please review our material, and submit your Registration Form to the school office by next Wednesday, April 23rd.
2014-2015 School Referral Program
We recognize that current school families that are happy at All Saints are one of the strongest and most successful avenues to pursue in marketing the school to potential new families. We want to continue to reward current school families for their passion in being an All Saints family, and for bringing new happy families to ASCA. In order to accomplish our goal of increasing our enrollment and growth in the coming school year, we have taken a new look at our referral incentive program. Information about the 2014-2015 School Referral Program went home via hard copy with all oldest and only students last week, and is also available at the school website. Please contact Patty Bajek at (630) 961-6125, or pbajek@ascacademy.org with any questions.
Teacher Appreciation Week
Our Teachers are Stars!
It’s getting close to the end of the school year when we honor and thank our teachers for their dedication to our children. Teacher Appreciation Week will take place the week of May 5-9th. This year, we are asking parents to support our efforts in two ways:
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On Monday, May 5th, please send your kids to school with a freshly picked or purchased flower.We will provide teachers with a 12” vase so they can create a bouquet for their classroom.
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Gift cards for the teachers will be purchased with your donations along with a letter listing the names of all contributors.A donation of $5 per child is suggested.Please send donations, payable to ASCA, to the office with "Teacher Appreciation" noted in the memo line by Friday, May 2nd.If you have any questions, please contact Robin Gullborg at robinborg@sbcglobal.net.The Teacher Appreciation Week flyer is going home in hard copy today with all oldest and only students, and will also be available at the school website.
We have many other events planned for our teachers during this week, including a “Red Carpet VIP Luncheon” on Wednesday and a light breakfast on Thursday morning. We need many volunteers to help make this week special for our teachers. If you would like to help out, please contact Paula DeRuntz at pderuntz@wowway.com and/or Mili Jain at mili_anand@hotmail.com.
ASCA Grade Pictures
If you ordered ASCA Grade pictures, they are now available for pick up in the school office. Please see Tim Traynor. Please stop in to pick up your pictures, as they will not be sent home with your students.
Junior High Musical - Kilroy Was Here - Ticket Order Forms
Tickets are now on sale for Kilroy Was Here, this year's Junior High Musical. Advance ticket sale deadline is tomorrow, Thursday, April 17th. The performances will be held on Friday, April 25th at 7 pm and Saturday, April 26th at 7 pm. Don’t miss this fabulous opportunity to introduce musical theatre to your student(s), and to support the hard-work of our student thespians.
Adult tickets are $8 with advance purchase - ($10 at the door)
Child/Senior tickets are $5.
Family Ticket (available through advance purchase only) is $25. The family ticket is your ‘best value’, and will admit 2 parents and their children.
The Kilroy Was Here ticket order form was sent home last week with all oldest/only students, and is also available at the ASCA website. Please contact Robin Sutton at rsutton469@aol.com with any questions.
Junior High Musical - Kilroy Was Here – Program Ad Form
Ads are being accepted for the theatre program for this year’s Junior High Academy, Kilroy Was Here, ASCA’s 6th annual musical.
Do you have a business that might benefit from advertising in our Theater Program? Take advantage of this opportunity to advertise your business or service in our professionally designed program. Three hundred programs will be distributed and will be a souvenir keeper for many, so the value of your advertising will increase with the number of views. The theatre program is also a wonderful place to congratulate or send a good luck message to a student or the cast
The Kilroy Was Here ad form was sent home with all oldest/only students last week, and is also available at the ASCA website. Please contact Jackie Hand at jacquelinejhand@gmail.com or (630) 550-6638 with any questions.
Schoolbelles Uniform Fitting Day
Schoolbelles, ASCA’s official uniform company, will be at All Saints on Tuesday, April 29 from 3 – 5:30 pm to personally fit your student for their school uniform. This will be the only day that they will be here at the school, so please take advantage of this opportunity to try on and order all of the uniform items that you will be needing in the coming school year. A uniform brochure will be sent home with students next week.
ASCA Lenten Service Project – Hogar del Pobre
ASCA is still accepting clothing for the Hogar del Pobre orphanage this week. For most of the children at the orphanage, the clothing that they receive from All Saints students will be the only new outfit that they receive all year long. In past years, All Saints families have generously been able to contribute over 700 pieces of clothing during the forty days of Lent, which is our current goal (many of our classrooms have set a class collection goal). The Hogar del Pobre project flyer is available at the school website. Thank you in advance for your generous contributions.
Please note that the orphanage is located in an area of Mexico where it gets very cold at night without heat. Warm clothing is their greatest need. Shoes, jackets, pajamas, socks and underwear are needed too. Even though we have assigned each grade level a size, you are welcome to bring in any size.
In this project, we continue to encourage our students to become ‘others centered’, learning and experiencing how it is to be Christ's loving hands and hearts when doing small things with great love!
Spring Portrait Packages
Spring Portrait packages and all orders must be returned to school by tomorrow, Thursday, April 17.
Field Day for Grades 5-7
We are delighted to announce that grades 5-7 will be bowling at Brunswick Zone for their Field Day on Thursday, May 29. We will be leaving the school at 12:10 pm, and return at approximately 3:00 pm. We will need 30 volunteers for this event. We were not able to run our Track and Field Day last year for these grades because we did not have enough volunteers to help out. We have 195 students who will be going, and it requires a lot of volunteers to ensure everyone has a good time. If you would like to help with this fun event or have any questions, please contact Mrs. Abrams at jabrams@ascacademy.org by Thursday, May 22. Thank you in advance for your help!
The Runaway Pencil is open every Monday and Thursday morning outside Café 1 from 7:30 to 7:50 am for all of your school supply needs. See you at the Pencil!
Community Outreach
Big Spring Clean - "This and That" Collection for SCARCE
We will be collecting several items for SCARCE (School and Community Assistance for Composting and Recycling Education) during the month of April. The following items are needed:
Puzzles
Yarn
Glasses and/or sunglasses
Keys
Metal molds (for super crayons)
Corks
This is a great reason to clean out your closets! Bring all donations to the ASCA office during the month of April. Please contact Ann Zediker at jazediker@comcast.net if you have any questions.
American Flag Recycling
The Lisle Convention and Visitors Bureau is now a central location for the retirement of American flags. Citizens who have old flags which have been worn beyond repair may retire their flag by donating it for a flag retirement ceremony at the Memorial Day remembrance ceremony which will be held on Monday, May 26th in downtown Lisle. A collection box will be located in the Lisle village hall lobby, 925 Burlington Ave., Monday-Friday, 8 am – 5 pm. Donations accepted through Friday, May 23rd.
Allegro!!! Spring Show
ASCA's 8th grader, Caitlin Yambao, is a member of the Allegro!!! String Ensemble this year, Allegro!!! will be performing at the Avery Coonley Performing Arts Center (1400 Maple Ave, Downers Grove, IL 60515) on April 26 (at 4 pm and 7 pm) and on April 27 (at 4 pm and 6 pm). The group will be dancing, singing and playing their violins to pieces such as Tango, Texas Swing, Millionaire's Hoedown (fiddle music) and What's Your Dream (a brand new ballad). Tickets are $10 each, and can be purchased at the door, through the website (http://www.wsste.com/#!allegro-2014-spring-show/c1sj4), or by contacting Ria Yambao at ryambao123@gmail.com.
Allegro!!! is an elite string performance ensemble of the Western Springs School of Talent Education and the Naperville Suzuki School. An inventive and eclectic mix of music, dance, and multimedia, Allegro!!! has been dazzling audiences in Chicago and beyond for nearly 20 years. Allegro!!! has performed at countless local events and also participated by invitation in recent performances for the National Suzuki Association of the Americas Biennial Conference in Minneapolis, MN, and the American String Teachers Association National Conference in Atlanta, GA. This past summer, Allegro!!! was invited on a concert tour across China, performing at the country's most prestigious venues to sold out crowds.
Core Values of Catholic Education Faculty Awards
In an effort to recognize faculty members in the Diocese of Joliet (DOJ) elementary schools, the Catholic Schools Office will be awarding one teacher from each grade and one teacher from the specials categories who best embody the core values of a Catholic education during the 2013-2014 school year. If you would like to recommend a teaching staff member for consideration please email Dr. Renehan at srenehan@ascacademy.org The award will be presented to full or part-time faculty members who best embody the core values of Catholic education as stated below.
- Incorporating Faith into the Classroom: Our schools incorporate Catholic spirituality into every aspect of their curriculum, reinforcing to students that their personal faith, centered on the Eucharist and the sacraments, remains relevant regardless of the course they might be studying or the situation in which they might find themselves.
- Balancing Challenging Courses with a Nurturing Environment: Our caring teachers balance high expectations for each boy or girl with a genuine respect and love for that student, recognizing always that each child is unique and therefore ever-deserving of individualized attention and one-on-one focus.
- Collaborating with Families: Understanding that many parents work, and some may even work multiple jobs, our teachers and school leadership do their best to maintain proactive, candid and open communication with each student’s family, because learning doesn’t stop at the edge of the schoolyard, nor is it where it begins.
- Holding Each Other to a Higher Standard: Inspired by the Gospel, our teachers, staff and school leadership hold one another to a higher standard of professionalism, morals and ethics both in and out of the classroom, believing one of our primary roles is to provide an example for our school communities of faithful Christian witness.
5. Looking Ahead: As tomorrow’s innovations promise to leapfrog today’s technologies, our local school leaders are continually looking ahead to ensure their schools’ learning resources, teaching approaches and classroom tools stay abreast of new ideas and best practices as they plan for the long-term success that will benefit students and teachers alike.
To nominate a teacher, please include the following:
Describe how the nominee best embodies one or all of the core values of Catholic education. You may comment on all criteria or just on a particular area you feel the teacher excels.
Incorporating Faith into the Classroom
Some examples may include:
- Leads by example in living his/her faith inside and outside of the classroom.
- Incorporates faith into lesson planning in unique and engaging ways.
Balancing Challenging Courses with a Nurturing Environment
Some examples may include:
- Develops a learning plan that can be worked on at home for students who need extra help.
- Taylors teaching style to students’ strengths and weakness.
Collaborating with Families
Some examples may include:
- Makes him or herself available for parent conferences beyond the regularly scheduled conferences.
- Provides up-to-date information on classroom happenings on a timely basis.
Holding Each Other to a Higher Standard
Some examples may include:
- Is active in his or her parish (list parish involvement).
- Is extremely professional and consistently demonstrates high morals and ethics.
Looking Ahead
Some examples may include:
- Is actively involved in evaluating current curriculum and recommends go-forward-strategy (could be on the school curriculum committee, etc.)
- Goes above and beyond to identify new trends/best practices to implement in the classroom and shares ideas with his/her colleagues.
Camp Rock
Camp ROCK(Reaching Others for Christ’s Kingdom) is an overnight summer camp organized by John Lamperis, who is the Director of Religious Education at Holy Spirit. This camp experience is for middle school students currently in grades 6 through 8. The camp dates are June 12 – 15, and August 9 – 12, and will be held at the Dickson Valley Camp and Retreat Center in Newark, IL. Not only will campers enjoy all of the typical camp activities, such as swimming, canoeing, archery, campfires, hiking, sports, music, skits and crafts; campers will have wonderful opportunities of prayer and worship that will help them to grow closer to Jesus and their Catholic faith. The Camp Rock informational flyer can be found at the ACSA website, or by going to the following link: http://www.camprock.me/flier.pdf. Contact John at (630) 846-0688, or john@camprock.me with any questions.
Kane County Cougars Outing
SAVE THE DATE! The annual All Saints at the Kane County Cougars Game will be Friday, June 6. More details coming soon.
St. Thomas the Apostle – Celebrate Spirit!
St. Thomas is holding a Women’s Micro Retreat on Friday, May 2 from 6:30 – 9 pm. Gail Meyer, LCSW, will be presenting this event. Celebrate the Spirit that shines through your unique and special self. Cost is $10 at the door. To register, contact Marge Coronado at (630) 355-8980, ext. 118, or mcoronado@stapostle.org. St. Thomas the Apostle is located at 1500 Brookdale Road, Naperville.
News from the All Saints Athletic Association
Track and Field
Results of ASCA’s first track meet held on April 12th:
Congratulations to all our athletes and a great 1st meet. Out of the 8 schools that competed, overall, All Saints came in 3rd. We are very proud of the many displays of sportsmanship, the team environment the kids provided by encouraging and cheering each other on, helping the coaches find kids when we needed them to and just generally representing the school very well.
Track practice resumes tonight, April 16; however, there is no track meet this weekend (Holy Saturday). Our next meet will be Saturday, April 26. More details will be in next week’s newsletter, and sent out by Head Coach, John Zediker.
4th Grade Boys Basketball Skills Sessions Starting at ASCA!!
Please plan on signing up your 4th grade boy to start honing his basketball skills! The 4th Gr. Boys Basketball sign up form is available at the school website. For more information, contact Dave Nirtaut at dnirtaut@gmail.com.
The basketball session dates are:
Tuesday, May 13
Thursday, May 15
Monday, May 19
*All sessions will take place from 6:00 – 7:15 pm in the ASCA Gym.
Benet Summer Camps
Benet will be running summer sports camps for all ages and levels of play.
Please go to http://www.benetcamps.com or the Benet Registration Form to find out more.
Go Saints!