Patty Bajek / Friday, August 18, 2023

Saints Speak from Mrs. Marshall - 8/17/2023 - Welcome Back

The teachers officially returned on Monday and have been busy all week getting the classrooms ready. It has been wonderful to have “life” back in the school building, and we can’t wait for our students to return! I hope many of you are joining us this afternoon for Meet & Greet – we are excited to see you! Park in the main lot and head over to the recess pad for our prayer service at 3pm, which will be followed by visiting classrooms and lots of fun!

This morning our faculty and staff will be participating in a retreat led by Fr. Alex Lorang from St. Thomas the Apostle and Sr. Maria Musto, our Campus Minister. Our retreat theme is “I will give you rest.” My prayer for you is that you have found rest this summer and can continue to find peace and rest in Christ throughout the coming school year. Please keep the ASCA staff in your prayers this morning!

If you haven’t already done so, be sure to log in to your FACTS Family Portal and complete all three Web Forms. The first Web Form is where you’ll update any information for your family and student(s). The next Web Form is where you’ll sign off on your agreement to the Parent-Student Handbook and Technology policies, and the third Web Form is how you’ll let us know which door your child will use for dismissal. Please complete these Web Forms by the end of the day Friday so we can get all necessary information to the teachers before Monday morning.

FACTS Family Portal does have an app available, but we’ve heard from a few parents that the app does not provide families with the information you need as a parent. We recommend waiting to purchase the app until we can talk to customer service about what information will be shared on the app.

This Monday, August 21 is the first day of school for our 1^st-8^th grade students. Please revisit last week’s Saints Speak or our Parent-Student Handbook if you have questions about the arrival or dismissal procedures. We’ll have extra staff and student helpers on hand to assist with arrival the first few days. All students should be in uniform for the first day of school. Monday is an 11:30am dismissal, so there is no lunch. Before care is available beginning at 7am, and there is bus service TO school, but there is no after care or bus service HOME from school. On Monday your family's window sign will be sent home. If you will be dismissing at Door 7, please place this on your dashboard or in your visor so it's visible to us at dismissal. We will send home one sign per family; please make your own if you need additional signs. Tuesday will be a full day for 1^st-8^th grade, Orientation for Kindergarten, and Mom, Dad, & Me for Preschool. Thank you in advance for your patience during the first week, as we know procedures will take a little longer as everyone adjusts back into the school routine!

As I mentioned last week, we hope you’ll consider volunteering in some way this year! If you’re new to ASCA, please visit the “Resources” tab on the FACTS Family Portal for instructions on how you can complete the volunteer requirements. If you’re returning, please check your Virtus account and make sure everything is up to date. Many staff and volunteers have a new training module that must be completed this August before they can volunteer. Get a jump start on this now so you’re ready to join us for upcoming events like our Fun Run and Book Fair!

Finally, don’t forget to place your hot lunch order via FACTS. Hot lunch orders are due Sunday evening for August (drinks only) and September.

Have a great day, and see you this afternoon!

Warm regards,

Margie Marshall