We are more than halfway through our year now, and I thought you might like an update on projects that are underway for our school. We are well into the AdvancEd process as are all the schools in the Diocese. We have articulated our curriculum, Catholic identity, and test scores and set Diocesan proscribed achievement goals. We are also working on the Standards for Excellence documentation. Both of these projects will culminate next fall. As a staff, we have been working hard on the differentiation strategies that are applicable for all learners, and especially our second language learners. That will be the focus of our February 27th in-service when we work with a team from Notre Dame University. The 4th through 8th graders are part of a study on effective language strategies sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The School Board has been in discussion on how to best use the opinions from the parent survey that you took last winter.
Our Iowa test results are back as you know; and our staff has been analyzing them and their application in their PLCs (professional learning communities). We use that information to make decisions about individual students as well as curricular decisions. Our students have scored well once again. The 5th and 8th graders will be taking their ACRE test (Assessment of Catechesis/Religious Education) that we administer annually helping us understand how well our students know the teachings of their church. For Valentine’s Day, our young ones will have their traditional parties and our Junior High will create service projects to cheer up others. Also, our 8th graders have decided that their legacy gift should be to get school desks for students in Uganda. I am very proud of them.
So now you know how we have been spending our time in addition to teaching school. We are a busy and focused place. We never want to forget though that our first duty is to love your children in the name of Jesus Christ.
Palms
If you still have the palms from last year’s Palm Sunday, we would appreciate your sending them to our school office. Each year on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, we burn our palms and use the ash as part of our Mass the next day. Thank you in advance for your help. Please send them by Monday, February 16th,
Hot Lunch
If you would like to share your opinion with us on the hot lunch program, could you please drop me an email at srenehan@ascacademy.org. Thanks!
SHPP and the CORe Team Present Speaker and Author Amy Logan
On behalf of SHPP and the CORe Team, we are excited and blessed to have local author Amy Logan visit with our students on Monday, February 23rd. Ms. Logan’s two books, "A Girl with a Cape" and "A Girl with a Cape and her Jar of Pennies” are inspirational stories about how we can all be everyday heroes. She holds a BS in Speech Pathology and a MA in Teaching. Traveling to schools, she speaks with students about making a positive difference in people's lives by “paying it forward with kindness.”
Ms. Logan will present at two assemblies:
For the first assembly (for grades preschool through grade 4), Ms. Logan will read her first book "A Girl with a Cape" and talk to the students about respect and kindness. She will show the children that they can make a difference every day just by doing “little things.” She will reinforce our CORe values in her presentation.
For the second assembly (for grades 5 through 8), Ms. Logan will additionally address leadership, mentorship to younger students, and setting a good example. She will also reinforce our CORe values in her presentation.
As a special treat, Ms. Logan will also visit Kindergarten and First Grade students in their classrooms. These 20-minute classroom visits will allow Ms. Logan time to read her second book "A Girl with a Cape and her Jar of Pennies." She will also incorporate a Q&A with this smaller group of students.
Additionally, Ms. Logan will have lunch with 2 students from each grade (grades 2, 3 and 4). SHPP will host a lottery for one boy and one girl from each grade to attend. Please encourage your students to participate in the lottery to spend time with Ms. Logan over lunch. The winners will be pulled the week of Feb 17th, in advance of Ms. Logan’s visit. Check out Amy Logan’s website for additional information: http://www.gotyourcape.com/.
Market Day, Wednesday, February 18th
Our next Market Day will be held Wednesday January 18th, 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. Please note that the deadline for internet orders has been moved one day earlier, for this and future Market Days. This month's deadline is Friday, February 13th at 11:00 p.m. All Saints Catholic Academy's school code is 27119. Also 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.
Broken Crayons Wanted!
We are on the hunt for all types of crayons in any shape or size; new, used and broken. The crayon collection will go to SCARCE, where usable crayons will be redistributed, and broken ones will be melted down and molded into extra large "super crayons" to be used by children with special needs. Please drop off your crayons in the office during the month of February. If you have any questions, please contact Bridget Roe at roeyerboat@yahoo.com.
DINNER DANCE AUCTION ANNIVERSARY BENEFIT
We have been working hard for the past several months preparing for our 10th Anniversary Dinner Dance Auction Benefit and we can feel the excitement around the event building within the school community!
Please join in the excitement! The Dinner Dance Auction promises to be an exceptional gala for the 10-Year Anniversary of our School – truly a celebration of the past and the present. Great fun with our friends has the added benefit of helping to secure the future of All Saints as we all come together to participate in the most significant fundraiser of the year. Please see our Great Fun and a Fundraiser flyer coming home with oldest and only children today.
Please also be on the lookout for your formal invitation to our Anniversary Benefit. Invitations are being sent home in backpacks next week!
Great news! The deadline for Saintly Spots has been extended to this Friday, February 6, 2015. Pictures of our children, their class, their team or their troop in the Auction Catalog are ways to recognize your child’s achievement, as well as great reminders of what our fundraising efforts are all about! Submit your photos today!
The Saintly Spot Form is available on the DDA website at www.ascadda.org. Please contact Robin Beck at robindbeck24@gmail.com with any questions. Thank you for your support!
If you have questions about the Anniversary Benefit, please e-mail Michelle Yacullo at yacullo@sbcglobal.net or Tim Traynor in the School Office at ttraynor@ascacademy.org.
2015-2016 Re-enrollment Information
Re-enrollment forms and fee for the 2015-2016 school year are due at this time, as registration for families who are new to ASCA has begun. Please contact Patty Bajek at (630) 961-6125 or pbajek@ascacademy.org with any questions.
Financial Aid – Deadline to File is March 1st
The FACTS financial aid application at FACTS Tuition Grant and Aid is used for ALL Diocesan scholarships at the grade school and high school levels, parish assistance, and for school and foundation awards.
All families who have received any type of assistance in the past, and/or who wish to apply for assistance for the 2015-2016 school year MUST complete this application. The application fee is $30. The financial aid process begins with your online application at https://online.factsmgt.com/signin/3FG0M . Please contact Patty Bajek at (630) 961-6125 or pbajek@ascacademy.org with any questions.
D203 Busing Change
There will be no busing home from school for District 203 bus riders on Friday, February 13. Please note this change on your calendar, and make alternative transportation arrangements home for your bus rider on the 13th.
Please Take a Moment
We have just completed our celebration of Catholic School Week, and what a week of fun and thanksgiving for the gift of Catholic education and each other. It is our belief that Jesus Christ is the reason for our Catholic schools. We strive to spread the message of the significant impact that Catholic education can make in a student and a family’s lives. It is a worthy goal to make Catholic education available to all within a community of lifelong learners formed in faith, educated for excellence and sent to serve. As such, it’s important to gain an understanding of how our families are feeling about our school.
The Catholic Schools Office (CSO) of the Diocese of Joliet has produced a parent satisfaction survey, the results of which will help us to continue to provide excellence in Catholic education. Please note that this survey is different than the parent survey you were asked to complete last winter in relation to the Diocesan-wide accreditation process through AdvancEd. The CSO will using a third party to perform, collect and analyze the data which will protect your anonymity, while allowing the CSO to create a central data repository required to assess local school and Diocesan-wide improvement areas. Your input is important, and I thank you in advance for taking the time to have your voice be heard. Your participation will only help us to better serve our children in the name of Jesus.
Please click the link below to access the survey and complete it by Monday, February 16, 2015. It should take you no more than 10 or 15 minutes to complete the survey. Parent Satisfaction Survey