August Updates from ASCA - 8/5/2025

We have just two weeks of summer left! I hope you’re getting excited for the start of school and enjoying these last few summer days. Please read the full email below for lots of back to school updates. Thanks for taking the time to read thoroughly – there is a lot in this email to help you get ready for school!

Mark Your Calendars

Make sure you have the following dates on your calendars for these important August events:

• Tuesday, August 12^th, 8:00-9:30am: New Parent Welcome Coffee in McSherry (enter at Door 1)

• Friday, August 15^th, 3:00pm-5:00pm: Meet & Greet on the recess pad. We’ll begin with a short prayer service and then you’ll have time to visit classrooms, enjoy a sweet treat, purchase spirit wear, and play with old and new friends! 1^st-8^th grade students may bring school supplies to drop off. All families are encouraged to bring a healthy cereal box or two to donate to Loaves & Fishes. 

• Tuesday, August 19^th: First Day of School for 1^st-8^th grade! All students should be in uniform today. Students will dismiss at 11:30am; there is no lunch, bus service or after care today. Before care is available beginning at 7am.

• Wednesday August 20^th: Kindergarten Orientation & Preschool Mom, Dad, and Me. Please see grade-specific emails with times for these events. Bus service and after care will begin today. Please be sure to pack your child lunch for today; hot lunch begins next week.

• Thursday, August 21^st: First Day of Kindergarten & Preschool

• Friday, August 22^nd: Join us for our first school Mass of the year at 8:15am.

• Tuesday, August 26^th: Junior High Curriculum Night 6:00pm

• Wednesday, August 27^th: Preschool-5^th grade Curriculum Night 6:00pm

Welcome, New Faculty & Staff!

We are blessed to have several new team members joining the ASCA faculty this year! Click here to read more about each of them. You will have the opportunity to meet them in person at Meet & Greet, and you can always contact them via email as you would for any other ASCA staff members, using their first initial and last name followed by @ascacademy.org. 

Class Assignments

Class assignments are now available via the FACTS Family Portal! When you log in, click "Student" from the left menu. Preschool-5th grade students only need to worry about homeroom assignments. For junior high students, click "Schedule" to view the daily schedule. We will provide junior high students with a printout of this schedule on the first day of school.

A lot of time and effort go into creating these lists to ensure that every student has the best possible learning experience. Placement carefully considers not only your students’ individual needs, but also the composition of the class as a whole. It is very difficult to make changes at this time. While students may not be placed with their closest friends, this is an opportunity to form new bonds and friendships throughout the school year. If there are disappointments for one reason or another, we greatly appreciate your help in positively framing assignments so students are able to approach the school year with optimism. 

Back to School Forms

While you’re in FACTS Family Portal, take a few minutes to complete your back to school forms! These are due Monday, August 11^th.

Here’s the information on how to complete the forms:

Once you log in, in the left menu you should see Web Forms under School. There are two main Web Forms, with other forms built in:

1. 2025-2026 Student Forms:
   1. 2025-2026 Parent-Student Handbook Agreement
   2. Technology Acceptable Use Agreement (K-8 only)
   3. Health Notification
   4. Dismissal plan
   5. Photo Use Policy
   6. Junior High Locks (6^th-8^th grade only)
   7. High School Contact (4^th-8^th grade only)
2. Family Demographic Form – this should already be complete for returning students, but we recommend reviewing the information in case any updates are needed. New students will need to add any missing components here.
   1. Demographics
   2. Medical information
   3. Emergency contacts (Please provide at least TWO emergency contacts OTHER THAN parents. You do not need to list parents here; we always call you first.)
   4. Transportation (Use this to list any individuals who are allowed to pick up your child and are not already listed as emergency contacts. You do not need to re-enter parents or emergency contacts here.)
   5. Grandparents (This is optional but encouraged as it helps us build a stronger relationship with your entire family!)

We recommend using a computer to complete the forms rather than a phone; the process will be much smoother for you!

School Supplies (Headphones)

If you ordered a school supply kit, it will be in your child’s homeroom at Meet & Greet. Please note, all K-8 students will also need corded headphones (not Bluetooth). Our new iPads going to the Kindergarten students have a USB-C port; all other devices have a traditional audio jack. You may purchase over-the-ear headphones (either type) through us by clicking here, or you can provide your own. Ear buds may be purchased on your own for 5^th-8^th grade students only if you choose.

Lunch Ordering is Now Available!

The lunch menus for August and September are now available in FACTS. Ordering will be open through August 15. To order, log into FACTS Family Portal, click Student on the left, then click Lunch. Make sure you complete your order, including payment.

A few things to note:

 Meal and Drink Prices will remain the same as last year:

•     Milk, Chocolate Milk, Water, Ice Cream, and Non Dairy Treats are $.0.75

•     Entree is $6.50

•     Entree with Extra Entree $9.50

•     Gluten Free Entree $8.50

We will continue to have Pizza Wednesday. We will offer Jet's Pizza on most Wednesdays and Home Run Inn at least once a month.

Pancake Cafe is our vendor for our hot lunch program. They are bringing back the ever popular items of Bagels, Soft Pretzels, and Cinnamon Rolls in addition to their standard Chicken Tenders, Burgers and Pasta meals.

A couple of meal highlights for August and September:

•     Cinnamon Rolls w/Fruit will be served on August 29.

•     Corn Dogs and Veggie Straws will be available on September 8. 

•     Home Run Inn pizza will be offered September 10.

A few items to remember for lunchtime:

• Please make sure students have a drink with their lunch. We will send students to the water fountain if they are thirsty. Water bottles/cups are not given out.

• No outside fast food deliveries will be accepted.

• Soda/Pop is not allowed in the cafeteria.

• Please make sure that the students are able to open their own containers.  We have volunteers to help our younger students during lunch, however, overly tight lids often require more effort and manpower to open, which cuts into eating time.

• Please remind students to clean up after themselves. We understand crumbs fall and accidents happen. Students should throw out their trash, pick up food or napkins that they have dropped, and clean up any sauce, liquid or sticky items left on the table. 

Arrival and Dismissal

Please taka few moments to review the arrival and dismissal procedures for All Saints. During the first few weeks of school, please be patient, as lines might take a little longer as everyone re-adjusts to the routine. The procedures do work as long as everyone follows them, so we’ll help direct you and appreciate you following our directions to help everyone get on and off campus safely and efficiently.

When you are on campus you will see that the sale of the field was finalized this summer and construction has begun. All the work is taking place behind the construction fence so should not impact ASCA. 

We were also notified by the city of Naperville that Aurora Avenue will be resurfaced beginning this week. They hope to have the project completed before our first day of school, but there are no guarantees. If Aurora is under construction when school begins, expect a slower first few days of arrival and dismissal. Again, thank you for practicing patience, as this construction is out of our control.

AM DROP-OFF PROCEDURE
Before Care is available beginning at 7:00am in the cafeteria. Before care is $3 per student per day. Please drop off at Door 7 for Before Care. You do not need to pre-register for before care.

After 7:30 AM, ALL traffic enters the ASCA parking lot through the EAST ENTRANCE (see map below)

• Students may be dropped off in the morning at Door 1 (between blue stars) or Door 7 (between red stars). When you enter campus, please pull forward to use either door depending on which line is shortest. DO NOT block the driveway while waiting for Door 1; this causes traffic to back up onto Aurora Avenue and endangers other families. 
• Students may disembark from cars at Door 7 at 7:35am and wait (supervised) in the safety zone until the bell rings at 7:45am. After dropping off your student(s) at Door 7, please drive around the back of the building. When you reach the west parking lot, turn slightly right to use the western-most lane of the lot to proceed toward the west exit. Use the WEST driveway to TURN RIGHT ONLY as you leave campus.
• Students may disembark from cars at Door 1 beginning at 7:45am and enter the building to proceed to their classroom. After dropping off your student(s) at Door 1, please loop around and return to the EAST driveway to exit campus, TURNING RIGHT ONLY.
• At both doors, please pull all the way forward so multiple cars may unload at once. Please avoid pulling out around other cars, as students may be getting out of vehicles on both sides. Cell phone use while driving on campus is prohibited. Drive slowly and carefully to keep all ASCA students and families safe. 
• Make sure your child is ready to go as you enter the ASCA parking lot – backpacks should be accessible (not in trunk), coats/hats/gloves should be on, goodbyes complete, etc. 
• If your child is still in a car seat and needs assistance getting unbuckled and out of the car, please wait for a spot in the front of the drop-off zone so you can assist without holding up the line. If your child is no longer in a car seat, please remain in the car and allow him/her to disembark on their own. This builds independence!

Preschool Drop-Off

• Preschool drop-off is at Door 5 (green star) from 8:00-8:15am. If your preschool student has an older sibling arriving before 8am, he/she is welcome to come early as long as he/she is able to get to the classroom independently or your older child is comfortable assisting him/her with getting to the preschool classroom.
• Parents dropping off for preschool should use the EAST driveway to enter campus and then drive around the right/east side of the building to get to door 5. If you arrive before 8am, please pull aside into the lot to avoid blocking the way of cars dropping off older students at Door 7.
• Our preschool assistants will be waiting at Door 5. Please unbuckle your child’s car seat; our staff will open the door and can assist your child in getting out of the car and walk them into the building. If your child is unable/unwilling to depart from the car, we will ask you to drive around to Door 1 to unload your child.

Arrival Map

PM PICK-UP PROCEDURE (see map below)
School dismisses at 3:00pm for preschool students (students with older siblings are able to stay until 3:25pm), 3:25pm for Kindergarten-2^nd grade, and 3:30pm for 3^rd-8^th grade. At dismissal time, all cars should enter campus using the WEST driveway. There are two options for pick up: Door 1 walk up or Door 7 car line.

To pick up at Door 1, enter at the WEST driveway and park in the main lot, to the west of the east driveway. Walk up to the coned area outside Door 1 (orange box on map) to wait for your child. Accompany your child back to the car. Exit campus using the EAST driveway; RIGHT TURN ONLY. Please exercise caution when backing out of parking spots, as other families will be walking to their cars.

• Children must stay in the coned area until a parent/guardian walks up; students are not allowed to walk to the car unaccompanied, as the parking lot is busy and cars will already be exiting. 
• This is a great time to visit with other parents, but please make sure you are adequately supervising your child(ren). Children may only play in the grassy area with parent supervision. 
• All preschool students must use Door 1 for dismissal. 

To pick up at Door 7, enter at the WEST driveway and drive around the west then north end of the building. Make sure your family name sign is visible; staff will call names of families to expedite the process. Children will be waiting in the safety zone (green box on map) looking for their cars; please pull up all the way so we can load multiple cars at once. Remain in your car while your child loads, then move forward and exit campus using the EAST driveway, RIGHT TURN ONLY.

Please be prompt to pick up your child. If you have not arrived by 3:35pm, your child will be sent to after care. After care is available until 6:00pm on all full days of school, and until 4:00pm on most early release days. After care is supervised by ASCA faculty and staff, and you will be billed monthly via FACTS for time used ($5 per half hour and $1 per minute after 6pm). After care pickup is at Door 7.

Please use the same dismissal door consistently so your child and teacher know what to expect. Notify us of changes in advance whenever possible. If there is a last minute change, please call the Welcome Desk so we can get the message to your child’s teacher before dismissal. 

Bus service is available to and from school for most K-8 students residing within District 203 boundaries. Please contact our office for more information on the bus. While the bus service is free, students who ride the bus to school in the morning will utilize ASCA’s Before Care and will be charged the $3 per student per day Before Care fee.

Dismissal Map

Extracurricular Activities

Several of our fall extracurriculars have begun to accept registrations! Click here for more information on all the offerings, and thank you to Mrs. Tortorello for putting all this information in one place! As new registration information is available we will update this flyer and send it out again.

Parish News

Holy Spirit has invited ASCA families to attend Mass on Sunday, August 24^th, at 11am in their ASCA uniforms or spirit wear to celebrate the start of the school year. Stick around after Mass for their Faith Fest from 12-2pm!

St. Margaret Mary is hosting a presentation for parents called Balancing Faith and Sports on Sunday, August 24^th. Click here for more information. 

Faith’s Law

Lastly, some of you may be aware of Faith’s Law (Public Act 102-0676, 105 ILCS 5/2-3.188), a 2023 Illinois law intended to further ensure the safety of all children while at school. This resource guide was developed by the Illinois State Board of Education in consultation with relevant stakeholders across the state. It provides guidance for students, parent/guardians, and teachers about sexual abuse response and prevention resources available in the community.

I will send final updates next week to get you ready for the first day. Please reach out with any questions. I am looking forward to a great year together!

Margie Marshall