Saints Speak – 11/1/2018 – Being a Winner
This week we celebrated the Feast of All Saints. I want to send a shout out to our music ministry who set the tone from the start with a rousing entrance hymn that mashed up a litany of some of our favorite saints with the old standard, When the Saints go Marching In. There was such a great spirit and excitement in this celebration that concluded with our All Saints Catholic Academy Anthem. We are all proud to be an All Saints Saint! It was wonderful to see so many parents and visitors in attendance. Father Mark Bernhard was our presider; and began his homily with a confession. Father Mark does not like to lose.
We already know that Father Mark is a gifted athlete and a fierce competitor. Our students and probably most of those who were seated in the bleachers could probably agree – we all like to be winners. Father Mark pointed out that the saints are already winners. By the lives that they led here on earth; they have won; and most of the saints did not live easy lives. In particular, Father Mark acknowledges that he is inspired by the lives of saints who experienced great struggle, just like we do every day. Father Mark referenced Saint Augustine as one of his favorites, who for the first 30+ years of his life was a committed sinner, at one point even turning away from his Christian faith. "Too late have I loved you!" he once cried out to God. With his holy life in his later years, Saint Augustine certainly made up for the sins he committed before his conversion.
The saints and the lives that they led can be our example, our design plan, and an inspiration of how to live our lives so that we can become winners.
The apostle Paul said to Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”. (2 Timothy 4:7). Many of you may know this passage. Paul wrote these words near the end of his life. These three statements reflect Paul’s struggles in preaching the gospel of Christ, and his victory over those struggles.
Every one of us runs our own race. Each of us can be a winner. Each of us can be a Saint. Paul exhorts us to ‘run in such a way as to get the prize’, and to do this we must set aside anything that might hinder us from living and teaching the gospel of Christ. May each of us be diligent in our ‘race’, may we keep our eyes on the goal, and may we, like Paul and all of the Saints in heaven, finish strong. Happy All Saints Day!
Fall Conferences – November 1 and 2
Conferences will take place today and tomorrow, November 1 and 2.
- Thursday, November 1 from Noon to 5 pm; and 6 – 8 pm (dinner break from 5 -6 pm)
- Friday, November 2 from 8 am to 1 pm.
We look forward to seeing you at school, and hope that you take advantage of this important time to get to know your son or daughter’s teacher(s), and to dialogue with them about how we all can work together in the best interest of your student’s success at All Saints. Our Junior High Student Voices will be providing child care in Café 1 during the November conferences. You do not need to sign up in advance. When you come to school for conferences, please enter the building through Door 1.
Parent Teacher Conference Giving Tree
The 2018-2019 school year is off to a great start. However, there are still some things that our teachers and staff desperately need. It’s easy to help if you can. During conferences on November 1 and 2, please take an apple from the Giving Tree located by the cafeteria across from the school office.
What’s Next? Purchase the items. Have your child/children bring everything to school the following week. You can attach the apple that you picked to the item that you are returning. In the case of larger items, please contact the teacher.
***Our goal is to have every apple gone by the last conference on November 2.*** If no apples remain, please consider a gift card to Amazon, The Chalkboard, or Target for your homeroom teacher. Thank you!!!
Lost and Found Table
The Lost and Found tables will be at Door 1 through conferences. Please take a look!
First Quarter Report Cards
First quarter report cards were sent home yesterday, Wednesday, October 31. You may keep the report card. Please sign and send back the report card envelope.
First Wednesday Adoration
We are so excited to share the great news! Our All Saints school community will celebrate Eucharistic Adoration immediately following our school Mass, the first Wednesday of each month when school is in session beginning this coming Wednesday, November 7.
We will process to McSherry Hall following Mass to begin Adoration. Adoration in McSherry will take place from after Mass until noon. At noon, our Lord will be processed to the Chapel, and Adoration will continue in the Chapel until 3 pm.
All ASCA families, students, and staff are welcome to join us. For parents and families, a sign-up sheet will be located in the Chapel. We would appreciate people signing up to be certain that we have the entire day covered. Times will be one hour slots from 9-3.
Please enter through Door #1 and get a badge prior to Adoration. Thank you, and God bless. If you have any questions, please contact Christi Kluzak at dkluzak@comcast.net.
Grandparents (and other Very Important Person – VIP) Day
Have you let us know about your grandparent or VIP who will be attending this special day on Tuesday, November 20th at 12:30 pm. If not, please contact ascagrandparents@gmail.com to let us know. We do not want to forget anyone! If you are interested in joining the team, please go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0c4bafa62ba1f58-shpp3.
Yearbook Coordinator Needed
We are looking for a parent (or group of parents) who would be willing to serve as Yearbook Coordinator this school year. No experience is necessary. Elan Photography, our school photography and yearbook company is terrific to work with, and will help you throughout the process. Please contact Mrs. Santos at msantos@ascacademy.org if you are interested or have any questions.
All Aboard SHPP
Please mark your calendars for the November SHPP meeting which will be held this coming Tuesday, November 6 at 6:30 pm in Café 1. Childcare will be provided. An agenda will be sent out in the Weekly Reminders on Sunday. We hope to see you there!
Saints in Service – SHPP’s Community Outreach
Candy Collection
Our next school wide collection will be a post-Halloween candy collection this Monday, November 5 through Wednesday, November 7th. The candy will be collected outside of Door 1 and Door 7 from 7:30 - 8:00 am and from 3:30 - 4:00 pm on these days. This candy, along with cards made by our 5th grade students, will be donated to the Naperville based organization, Operation Support Our Troops (OSOT.) OSOT’s mission is to support the morale and well-being of American forces by providing comfort, resources and education to them and their families.
COMING HOME – ASCA’s 14th Annual Dinner Dance Auction
MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK! ASCA DDA NEEDS YOU!
There is a lot of excitement in the air as planning continues for the 14th Annual All Saints Dinner Dance and Auction (DDA) – Coming Home! The DDA is a great way to get involved at All Saints, to meet other parents and to share your special talents – all while supporting our amazing school! Good at party planning? We’ve got something for you! Like to work with numbers? We’ve got that too! Super creative? Come share your special talents to help make this an event everyone is sure to remember!
Help is needed for many areas of DDA. Take a look at the following Sign-Up Genius link and see where YOU can get involved in helping us plan and execute this incredible event! Have questions about how all this works or where you’re needed most? Email us at dda@acsacademy.org.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars and book your babysitters! You won’t want to miss this great night of food, music and fun! ASCA 14th Annual Dinner Dance & Auction – Coming Home! Saturday, February 23, 2019 6pm-midnight at ASCA. If you have any questions, please contact us at dda@ascacdemy.org. We are happy to help!
The DDA Forms Finder
Looking for a form? Please see the following forms and links below:
Fundraising Corner
Yankee Candle Update
Don't forget you can still place orders online through the end of 2018, and still receive FFO credit. Go to http://www.yankeecandlefundraising.com, and enter our GN 999983478. Remember to set up a student account to receive FFO credit.
Upcoming FFO Opportunities
Lynch Creek Farms Christmas Wreaths are coming soon. Stay tuned!
What is this FFO?
Remember that all families are responsible for their Family Fundraising Obligation (FFO - $250 for preschool only families; $500 for K-8 families).
We encourage ALL SCHOOL FAMILIES to take advantage of each fundraiser that is offered that goes toward your FFO. For more information on fundraising opportunities at ASCA this year, please go to https://ascacademy.org/Portals/0/ASCA%20Fundraising%202018-2019.pdf. If you have any fundraising questions, please contact fundraising@ascascademy.org
Remaining fundraisers currently available that count toward your FFO include:
- Yankee Candles – online ordering available through 12/31/18.
- Lynch Creek Farms Christmas Wreaths – stay tuned for more information to come
- Scrip – orders are placed each week. Orders made through the end of February will count toward the 2018-2019 FFO. Orders placed after February count toward your 2019-2020 FFO.
- DDA donations - cash and item donations. See the DDA Forms Finder for more information. Note – ticket/raffle purchases do not count toward the FFO.
Tecuatl Family Meal Train
If you are interested in volunteering to prepare a meal, please sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d45a5ad28a20-tecault
News from All Saints Athletic Association
From the Saints Sidelines
The All Saints Boys 7A1 team is the 2018 DPL CHAMPION!! Congratulations boys on a well-earned victory!
It was an exciting weekend on the courts, and our girls’ teams made it nail-biting, all fighting hard through 3-set matches. Taking 2nd place in the League Championships was our Girls 7A team. Great work girls!
Congratulations to ALL our volleyball teams for an outstanding season! As the volleyball season comes to an end, be sure to congratulate your player(s) on a job well done. All our athletes worked hard and make us proud both on and off the courts. Well done Saints!!
Please return your athlete’s volleyball uniform to the main office/Welcome Desk or at the Fall Sports Banquet. ALL uniforms need to be cleaned prior to return. Place the uniform in a Ziploc bag with the player’s name and team so that you receive credit for the return.
REMINDER…..Fall Sports Banquet will be held on Thursday, November 8, 2018 at 6:30 pm Invitations were sent via SI Play and can be accessed at https://asca.siplay.com/site/ClientSite/article/3220796 . RSVPs are NOW DUE!
Basketball practices will begin this Monday, November 5th. Your player’s practice time will be communicated by your head coach. There will be NO practices on Thursday, November 8th due to the Fall Sports Banquet.
A HUGE thank you to the staff and families of All Saints Catholic Academy for your continued support of our athletic events/programs! Show your ASCA sports pride during basketball season by purchasing a NEW car decal! To purchase, contact Keith Glab or Erika Baka.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@ASCA_Athletics) and Instagram (@allsaintsathletics)!
GO SAINTS!!
Check Us Out on Social Media
A Tremendous Thank You to the Cornerstone Sponsors of
A Green Tie Affair, ASCA Dinner Dance Auction 2018
For more information, please click on the Cornerstone Sponsor logos above. We encourage you to patronize these generous sponsors.
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