Saints Speak – 11/9/2017- Finding Your Voice
Author Visit
On Tuesday morning, All Saints Catholic Academy welcomed acclaimed author, Kwame Alexander, to All Saints. He spoke with our Junior High Academy students, and as a storyteller, revealed more about himself as an author and about his personal life.
He talked about his books and writing, his family, and his loves, in turn, opening a window to his soul. This conversation was punctuated with fun and great humor, truly engaging students and adults alike. Our young men and women were markedly attentive, spellbound by both man and message. This lively give and take lasted over an hour and a half.
Our students were excited to find out more about his book, The Crossover. The Crossover was a winner of the 2015 Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award Honor, and explores the world of Josh and JB, 13 year old twins who are double trouble on the basketball court. Mr. Alexander shared that the book really is about what people actually do – how do they act and react – when they are faced with adversity, using the sport of basketball as the vehicle for these revelations. The characters in the book struggle with the following question: How does one put all of the pieces of the puzzle of their lives together when they are scattered all about? Ultimately, the love of family, and the strength of friendship will be the gifts that these characters fall back on. These are life lessons that apply to each one of us.
Sports, and basketball in particular, serve as a great metaphor for our lives, giving us rules for both on and off the court. According to Mr. Alexander, at the end of the day, “Kids gotta believe in themselves. They gotta dribble, fake, shoot, miss. Dribble, fake, shoot, miss. Dribble, fake, shoot, miss. Dribble, fake, shoot, swish. They gotta do that, and they gotta know they can do it."
Mr. Alexander’s parents were both PhD’s, with degrees in education and literature. He grew up surrounded by books; his parents became his first teachers and librarians. He ‘hated’ books until he read an autobiography by Muhammad Ali. It had over 400 pages, and he was riveted by and LOVED the story and the writing. Finally, someone let him pick the book that HE WANTED. Mr. Alexander has said, “I have this mantra that I believe: Books are like amusement parks, and sometimes you gotta let kids choose the rides.” What an amazing message for our young students.
Mr. Alexander is a poet, educator, and New York Times Bestselling author of 24 books; however, the journey has not always been easy. His first book was rejected by 17 publishers. He ultimately self-published his first book, after which he was ‘discovered’ by Harcourt. He never gave up!
We learned a lot about Mr. Alexander –
- His favorite sport? Tennis (he was state champion)
- His favorite authors? Alice Walker, Langston Hughes, Pablo Neruda, Nikki Giovanni, Percival Everett, Jacqueline Woodson, Mo Willems, ee cummings, Gordan Korman, Kate DiCamillo, Nikki Grimes
- His favorite books? the Hunger Games books, Harry Potter books (which he is reading with his daughter; they are currently on #5), and the writings of Jacqueline Woodson
- He has built a library in Ghana
- He is a good chess player
- He and a friend once went to Sting's house (yes, of The Police fame). No, they did not get in.
The most insightful question of the morning came from one of our 7th grade boys, who simply asked, “How did you find your voice?” Mr. Alexander seemed deeply touched by the question,
and did not respond right away. He ultimately finished the session with the answer that took him all the way back to his childhood.
When he was seven years old, his father was the principal/headmaster at his school in Brooklyn, New York. One day, his father told him that they were not going to go school that day. That they, and the entire school, were going to go to march in protest of something, which ended up being police brutality. Kwame did not want to go. He was afraid. The march was going to take place at the Brooklyn Bridge, and Kwame was afraid that he was going to fall into the East River. He thought that he was going to die.
He and his father were at the front of all of the marchers. When they crossed the river, they were face to face with an imposing row of police officers, all dressed in riot gear. Before Kwame could face a new fear, he heard his father singing, “We’re fired up. We can’t take no more.” Hearing that, he felt less sad and afraid. He learned that words had power, and words could change the world. At seven years old, he had found his voice.
We all need to listen and to find our own voices.
Visit from Mother Superior (Madre Angelina) – Hogar del Pobre Orphanage
Please plan to join us for our school mass this coming Wednesday, November 15 at 8:15 am, as we welcome Mother Superior (Madre Angelina) from Hogar del Pobre in Celaya, Mexico. All Saints and Hogar del Pobre have enjoyed a long standing relationship that has been focused on prayerful support of each other; and we look forward to Madre’s visit where she will be sharing good news about the orphanage and the children, and a power point presentation.
As we do each week, we will be praying the Rosary, which will be recited in Spanish at 7:50 am. All are welcome to join us. I do ask that we show respect for all those who are praying by refraining from talking until the prayer is completed. You are welcome to gather in the Narthex outside the gym if you wish to visit with each other before the start of mass.
Visita de la Madre Superiora (Madre Angelina) - Orfanato Hogar del Pobre
Por favor planifique unirse a nosotros para nuestra misa escolar el próximo miércoles, 15 de noviembre a las 8:15 a.m., mientras damos la bienvenida a la Madre Superiora (Madre Angelina) del Hogar del Pobre en Celaya, México. Todos los Santos y el Hogar del Pobre han disfrutado de una relación de larga data que se ha centrado en el apoyo en oración entre sí; y esperamos la visita de Madre, donde compartirá buenas noticias sobre el orfanato y los niños, y una presentación en power point.
Como lo hacemos todas las semanas, rezaremos el Rosario, que se recitará en español a las 7:50 a.m. Todos son bienvenidos a unirse a nosotros. Les pido que demostremos respeto por todos aquellos que están orando absteniéndose de hablar hasta que se complete la oración. Le invitamos a reunirse en el Narthex fuera del gimnasio si desea visitarnos antes del comienzo de la misa.
Perdónenos por cualquier error cometido en la traducción electrónica de este documento.
State of the School Address
Speaking of ‘finding our voices’, I would like to extend an invitation to all school families to attend our State of the School Address, which will take place in the school gym this coming Tuesday, November 14 at 7 pm.
Communication is vitally important between school and home, as we would all agree. I hope that you plan on attending, as we will be sharing information about where All Saints currently is, and what the future holds, information that every school family should be aware of.
Some of the topics that will be presented include the following:
- the All Saints Catholic Academy Governance Model, with information about the School Board and Board of Trustees
- our Growing Saints Early Childhood Academy (preschool)
- the results of the Parent Satisfaction Survey that was administered this past spring
- the All Saints Catholic Academy Strategic Plan (new Mission, Vision Statements and Objectives/Goals)
- overview of the All Saints Cost Structure
- information on our All Saints Facility/Building
- a look ahead as to what All Saints Catholic Academy future holds
If you are unable to attend, there will be information posted on the school website following the address. I urge you to make time in your busy schedules to find out more about our wonderful school.
Dirección del estado de la escuela
Hablando de 'encontrar nuestras voces', me gustaría extender una invitación a todas las familias de la escuela para que asistan a nuestra Dirección del Estado de la Escuela, que tendrá lugar en el gimnasio de la escuela el próximo martes, 14 de noviembre a las 7 p.m.
La comunicación es de vital importancia entre la escuela y el hogar, como todos estaríamos de acuerdo. Espero que planee asistir, ya que estaremos compartiendo información sobre dónde se encuentra All Saints actualmente y qué depara el futuro, información que toda familia escolar debe conocer.
Algunos de los temas que se presentarán incluyen lo siguiente:
• El Modelo de Gobernanza de la Academia Católica All Saints, con información sobre la Junta Escolar y la Junta de Fideicomisarios
• nuestra Growing Saints Early Childhood Academy (preescolar)
• los resultados de la encuesta de satisfacción de los padres que se administró esta primavera pasada
• El Plan Estratégico de la Academia Católica de Todos los Santos (nueva Misión, Declaraciones de Visión y Objetivos / Metas)
• descripción general de la estructura de costos de Todos los Santos
• información sobre nuestra instalación / edificio All Saints
• una mirada hacia adelante sobre lo que All Saints Catholic Academy tiene en el futuro
Si no puede asistir, habrá información publicada en el sitio web de la escuela siguiendo la dirección. Los insto a que dediquen tiempo a sus ocupados horarios para obtener más información sobre nuestra maravillosa escuela.
Perdónenos por cualquier error cometido en la traducción electrónica de este documento.
Upcoming News of Interest
Grandparents Day
Grandparents Day is fast approaching on Tuesday, November 21st. All RSVPs are due by this Friday, Nov. 10th, so please encourage your guests to do so by calling 630-961-6125 or emailing ascagrandparents@gmail.com. Also, this is truly a feel good event at ASCA, so if you want to volunteer, please use SignUp Genius at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b44acab2da13-grandparents.
A few important reminders for the day:
- Check-in for guests will begin at noon
- Families will be moving through the day as a unit. Please let your older children know that they will be instructed to join their youngest siblings in their classroom and will stay together as a family for the duration of the event.
- Guests of 8th grade students have been asked to write a letter to their student. Please remind them to do so and bring it along to give to their student on Grandparents Day.
- We are looking for grandparents and guests of 4th and 5th grade students who are willing to participate in a game show during the Grandparents Day event. If your guest is interested please have them contact us at 630-961-6125 or ascagrandparents@gmail.com.
- Guests will be allowed to leave upon conclusion of the program with their student. Please make sure your student knows if they will be going home with their grandparent/guest or if you will be picking up according to your usual routine.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Lisa Hajek at lisa.hajek@gmail.com. We are looking forward to another wonderful Grandparents Day event!
ASCA Dinner Dance Auction
A Green Tie Affair - Dinner Dance Auction
Stay in Touch with the Dinner Dance Auction this year
Go to DDA website: www.ascadda.org and make sure to Like our Facebook Page at:
Facebook.com/allsaintsdda
Tuition Credit Raffle Update
Holy cow! We have already sold 60 of our 150 $5,000 TUITION CREDIT RAFFLE TICKETS! This is amazing - we are 40% to our goal of selling 150 tickets. If you would like your ticket, you can go to www.ascadda.com and purchase online or fill out form and return to school.
Get them before we sell out! You could be the BIG winner at this year’s raffle drawing, which will be announced the night of the auction, Saturday, March 17.
St. Elizabeth Seton Parish Events - All Are Welcome!
Parish Annual Craft Fair
Saturday, November 11th from 6 - 8 pm
Complimentary "Sip & Shop". Come to the SES Craft Fair on Saturday evening to start your holiday shopping.
We will provide complimentary wine and cheese as well as hot chocolate while you shop!
Sunday, November 12th from 9:30 am - 2 pm
Visit over 20 vendors, including an All Saints Alum, as each crafter display their handmade items for sale. Items include, but are not limited to: ornaments, home decor, woodworking, crocheted items, succulent plant arrangements, scarves, jewelry, hand crafted and specialty picture frames, embroidered items, sports items, makeup and skincare, centerpieces and wreaths and more! We also have some vendors you already love like Pampered Chef, Thirty One and Usborne Books! Stop by after mass or bring some friends and neighbors for an day of shopping!
St. Elizabeth Seton is located at 2220 Lisson Road, Naperville, 60565
Advent Tea
Sunday, December 3 at the Bolingbrook Golf Club with entertainment by Internationally Renowned Singer Tajci!!!
All ladies are invited to the annual St. Elizabeth Seton Advent Tea. As Advent and Christmas approach, we find ourselves so busy with all the preparations to be done. This is your chance to set time aside for yourself, and truly appreciate the Blessed Christmas Season. For those of you have never attended, this is an open invitation to all women. You may come alone, bring friends, family, Small Christian Communities, Book Club friends, CRHP groups or maybe your neighbor who lives next door. Give yourself a Christmas gift this year. Join us, as we prepare for Christ’s birth with other great women in a fun and spiritual atmosphere. Please contact Maryanne Higdon at mhigdon@ascacademy.org if you have any questions, or would like to purchase a ticket.
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