Saints Speak from Mrs. Marshall - 8/20/2026 - A Fantastic First Week of School

We have been having such a fantastic first week of school! Today we welcomed many of our preschool students. Tomorrow will be the last “first” day of school as our MWF Preschool friends join us for their first day. Please read the full email below, as there is a lot of information to share this first week. Thank you!

Safety Reminders

Safety is always our first priority at All Saints, and the best thing we can do to keep ourselves and others safe is to follow expectations, especially at arrival and dismissal time. Full expectations can be found on p. 17-20 of our handbook, and important reminders are below:

• Cell phones are prohibited while driving on campus.
• Drive slowly throughout campus. 
• Use both Door 1 and Door 7 for arrival. Pull forward all the way so multiple cars can unload at one time. At Door 7, we can unload 8 cars at a time and at Door 1 we can unload 5 cars at a time if all parents follow this guidance. Cars using Door 7 to drop off should then use the WEST driveway to leave campus. Cars dropping off at Door 1 should loop around and use the EAST driveway. Both exits are RIGHT TURN ONLY.
• Make sure your child is ready to go when you get to campus with backpacks in hand and goodbyes complete.
• Parents should stay in the car unless a child needs help unbuckling a car seat. If you need to get out of the car to help your little one, please wait and go to the front spot at either door to avoid holding up the line. Staff can also better assist you there if needed.
• This time of year, everyone seems to arrive at the same time, but that will spread out as we adjust to the routines. Be patient with one another, as we know from experience that every day will go a little more smoothly than the one before.

Thank you for helping to prioritize safety at All Saints!

Mass

Tomorrow is our first school Mass! Parents and family members are welcome to join us for Mass at 8:15am; enter at Door 1. Rosary prayer is held in the chapel at 7:55am as well if you would like to gather with other parents to pray the rosary before Mass begins. 

As we have practiced expectations with students these last few days, Mass has been one of our areas of focus. This morning I spoke with the students about being reverent when they enter for Mass. We have to re-train our brains, as we are no longer entering a gym but are entering our sacred worship space. To respect this space, we ask students to take their seats quietly and use the time before Mass begins to pray. We ask that parents and guests leave any coffee or other beverages in the car, just as you would when entering church on Sunday. 

As I told the students this morning, each one of us is an important part of our prayer community when we gather together for Mass, so we must participate! I challenged them to say the responses during Mass and sing the songs.

All are invited to come forward at communion time. Those who are practicing Catholics and have already made their First Communion should raise both hands to the Eucharistic Minister, and when they say “the Body of Christ” respond with “Amen” and then receive Jesus. Those who are not Catholic or not yet old enough to receive Communion can still come forward, cross their arms over their chest, and the Eucharistic Minister will say “Receive Jesus in your heart.” All then return to their seats to pray quietly, maintaining reverence while everyone else receives Holy Communion. 

Thank you for helping us teach our students about the importance of the Mass. I hope many of you are able to join us either this week or another Friday throughout the year!

Curriculum Nights

If you haven’t already done so, mark your calendars for next week’s Curriculum Nights:

• Grades 6-8 & Mrs. Greco's PK4 Class: Tuesday, August 25^th, 6:00pm
• Preschool – 5^th grade: Wednesday, August 26^th, 6:00pm

Both nights are for parents only; please enter at Door 1 and proceed into the gym. We will begin with a brief whole-group presentation, followed by individual classroom sessions. On Tuesday, all 7^th grade families are invited to stick around at the end for an optional Science Fair informational presentation in McSherry Hall.

i-Ready & CogAT

Students will begin using i-Ready next week. For those of you new to ASCA, i-Ready is a program used in all schools in the Diocese of Joliet. It has two components, assessment and instruction. Next week, 1^st-8^th grade students will take their first of three diagnostic assessments in reading and math. (Kindergarten will test a little later, once they have had an opportunity to get into the routine of school.) The diagnostic assessments are given now, in January, and in late April to monitor student progress. These tests are computerized and adaptive, meaning the program adjusts the questions based on how the student is doing. They are also untimed. There is nothing you can do to prepare your child for these tests other than ensure they get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and get to school on time. For 5^th-8^th grade students, make sure they bring their fully charged Chromebook each day. All K-8 students will need corded headphones for i-ready testing.

Following the i-ready diagnostic assessments, students will begin to use the instructional component, called MyPath. This personalized learning program gives students lessons in reading and math, targeting their weakest areas, so every child can focus on their skill deficits and individual areas of growth. Depending on the grade level, i-ready MyPath may be completed at home or at school; teachers will share expectations for your grade level at Curriculum Night next week.

3^rd-8^th grade students will also take the CogAT assessment next week (2^nd grade will take it at a later date as a practice for 3^rd grade). The CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) is a paper and pencil multiple-choice assessment that measures students’ academic aptitude through verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning questions. This test is taken once per year. Again, there is nothing you can do to study; just send your child to school ready to learn!

Student Services

At All Saints we are blessed to have an amazing Student Services team who support our students and our teachers, working together to help each child learn and grow. Mrs. Aloisio, Mrs. Carden, and Mrs. Kujawa support our students’ academic needs. Mrs. Aloisio teaches our junior high study skills class for students who qualify for additional academic support and teaches executive functioning lessons to our students throughout the year. She also is available to help families at all grade levels if you are considering an outside evaluation, have a question about support services through the district, or anything related to academic challenges. Mrs. Kujawa and Mrs. Carden both support our students in K-5 by pushing into the classroom to assist the teachers and pulling out small groups or individuals who may need intervention services.

Mrs. Magana is our school social worker and supports our students and teachers with behavior, social growth and friendship, and mental health. Click here from a letter from Mrs. Magana introducing herself. She also teaches monthly social-emotional learning lessons to our students; click here for more information on the monthly social-emotional learning topics.

RaiseRight

Did you know you can earn money off your tuition through your every day shopping? The RaiseRight program allows you to purchase gift cards to hundreds of retailers, and then a percentage of the gift card purchase amount is donated back to ASCA, where we apply it directly to your tuition! Tuition credits are applied to your account twice per year. This year, any credits earned before December 1^st will be applied to your January payment, and any credits earned before March 31 will be applied to your May payment. Email raiseright@ascacademy.org for more information or to get started on your saving!

Catholic High School Fair

The Diocese of Joliet is hosting a high school fair on September 16 at Benedictine University. Click here for more information!

Parish News

St. Thomas the Apostle, one of our supporting parishes, is looking for a Director of Confirmation and Youth Ministry to embrace the teens of St. Thomas community and lead the next generation of Catholics to grow in their faith and become lifelong disciples of Jesus. For a complete job description please click here.

Thank you for a wonderful first week!

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