I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. It is a favorite for me, as it alows us to value our family and is the start of our beautiful Advent Season.
Advent is the start of the church year. It is the time to reflect on what we want this year of our Lord to be. Is it to be what our TV news shows tell us ....a good year or a bad year based on how much money we spend on Black Friday? I heard an ironic comedy routine by Chris Rock where he reminded us that the least materialistic person ever was Jesus Christ; yet we celebrate His birthday by spending money. There is something wrong there.
We are celebrating Advent this year by considering "the morning when the promise shines". The promise isn't financial. The promise is in the salvation that is our gift for being people who care, people who are willing to reflect and change, people who want to love and be loved. It is tricky to keep that focus when everything in our society screams that the season is something else entirely.
God will bless you with peace if you seek peace this season challenged by this Gospel in a very powerful way.
Market Day, Wednesday, December 10th
Our next Market Day will be held Wednesday, December 10th, with product pick-up from 2:30 - 3:30 pm in the gym (enter through Door 9). As a reminder, at least 10% of your pre-tax order will be credited to your annual Family Fundraising Commitment. Please note that Market Day and GFS purchases at local GFS stores are not a practical option for Family Fundraising purposes. You are encouraged to place your order at http://www.marketday.com/ and pay by credit card. The deadline for internet orders is Saturday, December 6th at 11:00 pm. All Saints Catholic Academy's school code is 27119. Please note that if you plan to pay for your order by check rather than with a credit card, you must pick up your order at the above scheduled time. Late pick-ups will be allowed only for orders paid by credit card. Volunteers are needed to help sort and stack the food. Please contact Tracy Coleman at tracytroy@aol.com if you are able to help
Dinner Dance Auction Anniversary Benefit 
If you are wondering how you can be a part of a fantastic and fun-filled night out, please refer to the “How You Can Get Involved” DDA information sheet that is being sent home with your children today. First and foremost, please plan on attending the event on Saturday, March 14, 2015 at Bolingbrook Golf Club. Please also consider donating an auction item, or up to $200 in cash that will be used to purchase auction items as needed. The amount your item sells for at the auction or your cash contribution will directly offset your Family Fundraising Obligation. Ideas of the most attractive auction items are listed on the information sheet.
Please also remember to purchase a $5,000 Tuition Credit Raffle Ticket – cost is $100 per ticket and only 150 tickets will be sold. For your convenience, both an Auction Item Donation Form and an Auction Cash Donation Form are being sent home today. Electronic versions of the information sheet and forms are attached to this newsletter and are also available on the DDA website – ascadda.org. Please note: The next DDA Committee Meeting will be held on Friday, December 5th at 8:15 am in the Staff Lounge. Even if you have not yet attended a meeting, please join us – we welcome additional assistance with planning!
S
anta Claus is Coming to Town and will be picking up his Letters!!
Santa is stopping at ASCA on Saturday, December 13th from 8 – 11 am for Photos and Mail.
It’s that time of year when Santa’s making a list and checking it twice. Santa really loves to get letters from ASCA boys and girls. Santa would like to get a letter from you! Just drop your letter in the Santa mailbox in the ASCA office. Santa will pick them up Saturday, 12/13 at the Photos with Santa Event.
Bring your family to ASCA to have a picture taken with Santa. There will be craft activities along with light refreshments. Each child receives special gifts from Santa.
The cost is $20 per family, which includes 1- 5x7 photograph (to be delivered to ASCA on 12/18/14), 2 digital files emailed to registrant, children’s activities, juice, coffee and snacks. The Photos with Santa reservation form is attached to this newsletter and can be found at the ASCA website. Don’t miss out on a fun morning! This event is sponsored by SHPP. Please contact Sandy Benson at sndybnsn@comcast.net or Paula DeRuntz at pderuntz@wowway.com with any questions.
Santa is coming and we need to be ready!
On Friday, December 12th from 3:30 – 6:00 pm, we will be decorating the gym to welcome Santa to ASCA. If you would like to help set up and trim the trees, decorate tables, and transform the gym to a perfect Christmas photo setting, please contact Sandy Benson at sndybnsn@comcast.net or Paula DeRuntz at pderuntz@wowway.com.
Christmas Caroling 
It's time to tune up your holiday voices and join us in singing some Christmas cheer! We will be Christmas caroling at Spring Meadows Retirement Community on Wednesday, December 10th at 4 pm. All children are welcome to attend, but must be accompanied by their own parent. Space is limited, so sign up early by emailing Michele Klein at mklein511@comcast.net. For questions, please contact Ann Zediker at jazediker@comcast.net. The Christmas Caroling flyer has all the details for registration and participation.
Hot Lunch Ordering Deadline
Due to the Christmas holidays, please note that all hot lunch orders for the week of January 5 are due by Monday, December 15 at 8 am. Please visit https://fspro.orderlunches.com. All Saints’ school password is allsaints136.
SCRIP Order Reminder
There will be two more SCRIP gift card orders placed before the Christmas Break. Orders need to be in by 8 am on Monday, December 8 and Monday, December 15. Think about all of the places where you will be shopping, eating, traveling, as well as the cards that you plan on giving as gifts. Why not place your gift card orders through SCRIP, and receive credit toward your fundraising obligation! If you have ANY questions, please call or e-mail Debbie Bibo at dbibo11@hotmail.com, scrip@ascacademy.org or 630-375-1090 (H) or 630-777-0425 (C). She will be happy to help you through the process.
An Update from the CORe (Culture of Respect): What is Respect?
“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” --Matthew 7:12
Respect is the first of our (RICH in) CORe values here at All Saints. But what does respect really mean?
We define it in our pledge as “thinking and acting in a way that shows others you care about their feelings and their well-being.” Why should we behave this way? Shouldn’t others have to “earn” our respect?
If we believe that we’re all created in God’s image and equally loved by him, that we are all holy, there is no reason any of us should have to “earn” one another’s respect. Honor for people and all God’s creations should come customarily and openly.
Respecting others includes appreciating and accepting their individual differences. It involves listening to others’ ideas and opinions. It also means being ready to take care of people and things, and being thoughtful with our words and our actions.
How can we teach respect to our children? We can model appropriate, thoughtful behaviors for them. They need us to model respect for others and, just as importantly, respect for ourselves. Additionally, they desire our respect for them, and want to know we’re listening to their thoughts and opinions as they grow into adults. If children see their parents acting out of respect, they likely will learn the same.
Some other ideas to teach respect:
• Ask your child to brainstorm a list of do’s and don’ts for treating others with respect. Discuss specific examples.
• Discuss current events with your child, talking through age-appropriate newspaper headlines. Describe situations in which respect or disrespect are issues, and note which people are acting respectfully and which are disrespectful.
• Discuss the idea of self-respect with your child. Since we are made in the image of God, how would He like us to treat ourselves? How would He like us to dress and speak? Would He want us to put ourselves in unsafe situations?
• Sometimes our children will have bad judgment and treat fellow students disrespectfully. Some examples are making fun of others, making others feel uncomfortable through inappropriate behavior and words, or maybe excluding others from conversation or activities. Encourage your children not only to NOT do those things, but when they do, to say “I’m sorry” to those who they hurt. They will be pleasantly surprised at how their apology will be accepted, but more importantly, they will learn to say “I’m sorry” because it is just the right thing to do.
Which leads us to our next article in January centered on our second RICH in CORe value...Integrity…doing the right thing all the time. Stay tuned…
The CORe is a group of ASCA parents and staff working together to increase the culture of respect at our school. For more information on how to get involved and be a part of RICH in CORE Values team, please contact Maureen Juhas (mjuhas66@gmail.com) or Vicki Perry (vicki.perry@rocketmail.com).
Christmas Gift 2014 – Remembering the Teachers
Due to the timing of our Thanksgiving break, we have extended the deadline for contributions to the Christmas Gift fund to this coming Friday, December 5. Each year, we acknowledge our dedicated teachers and staff with a coordinated gift from ASCA families. Please consider contributing to this gift. Please contact Paula DeRuntz at pderuntz@wowway.com with any questions. Please know that your thoughtfulness and generosity is much appreciated.
Preschool Project
Our ASCA Preschoolers are now doing a Stewardship project. They are helping an animal shelter, as well as a local vet. If you’d like to help their efforts it would be appreciated. The details are as follows:
(From now until the end of the school year)
• Save and bring old newspaper to school--for use in cages
• Save and bring wine corks (they must be cork, not rubber) to school--for birds and bunnies to gnaw
• Donate any kind of unopened animal food/treats
Any donations can be brought to Room 105 or Room 103. THANK YOU!
2015 All Saints Football Open House Event
If your son is a FOOTBALL PLAYER and….
Then mark your calendars and save the date for our open house event:
Saturday, December 20, 2014, Noon to 4:00 pm at
All Saints Catholic Academy, 1155 Aurora Avenue, Naperville 60540
You can drop in any time between noon and 4:00 pm to meet the coaches and learn about the program. We also have scheduled two time slots during the open house for a short program presentation followed by a Q&A (12:30pm and 2:30pm). If you would like to learn more and cannot attend the open house please contact Frank Ribaudo directly by phone at (630) 853-5397 or by email at gosaints@ascafootball.com. You can also learn about the program at http://www.ascafootball.com/. We look forward to seeing you on December 20th