Saints Speak – 11/8/2018 – Be the Change
Thank you to all of the parents who attended our recent Fall conferences. I am very grateful for the feedback that I received from parents who wanted to share their positive conference experiences with me. A common theme that I heard over and over was that the recently completed conferences were the ‘best ever’, primarily because of how well prepared our teachers were to discuss their students. Parents felt that the ASCA staff ‘really knew’ their child, which allowed them to share both positive and constructive information about their academic success, as well as their social, emotional and spiritual growth.
I would like to recognize and commend my amazing staff for their dedication to their teaching vocation, and our ASCA students and school families. While the conference days can be long, our teachers look forward to the opportunity to meet with each of you. We are partners in one of the most important jobs there is – educating and forming 'our' children/students. It is not an exact science; it truly is an art, as each child is a unique, different, and wonderful individual with gifts that abound from our loving and gracious God.
Thank you for the time that you took out of your busy schedule to meet with us. We were also impressed with the questions that you had for us; and hope that you left with a better understanding of your child’s progress to date, and a glimpse into what the future might hold.
I would be remiss if I did not additionally recognize all of the people who helped to make the conferences such a success. A very grateful thank you to:
- Student Voices, our junior high students who lovingly offered childcare for the duration of the conferences. You did a tremendous job; and I know that our parents are grateful for your service that allowed them to attend their conferences without distraction. I know that many of the children who you cared for did not want to leave because they were having such a good time.
- Our Welcome Desk personnel, Geri Everson and Kathy Kokkinos, who manned the main entrance throughout conferences, greeting and assisting our parents.
- Deborah Thomson, our Technology Director, who set up the K-5 conference scheduling in SchoolSpeak.
- Our administrative staff who kept the office fires burning on this ‘day off of school’.
A very special thank you to Megan Krynski and Kristy Wagester of the SHPP Hospitality Committee who served a delicious dinner from Portillo's for our staff on Thursday evening. What a pleasant break in a long eight plus hour day. Megan and Kristy also created the Giving Tree, which gave parents a chance to ‘pick an apple from the tree’, and surprise a teacher with a classroom item listed on the apple. There were over 100 apples on the tree at the beginning of conferences, and there are only a handful of apples remaining (not even enough to make applesauce). We are so very grateful for the generosity and support of our school parents.
I would also like to extend a sincere thank you to all of the parents who contacted me via phone, email, or who met with me in person to discuss security at All Saints. Both myself and Patty Bajek communicated with approximately 50 parents in total over a three day period. Many observations and suggestions, and questions and answers were exchanged; and I have made note of all of them.
This coming Tuesday evening, the ASCA School Board will be meeting in a closed executive session to further discuss safety at All Saints. I will be sharing with the board what you have shared with me. Rest assured that we will communicate any changes or enhancements to safety as information becomes available. It is up to us to be the change. Each one of us is connected and invested in making sure that our school is safe for all - our precious children, staff, volunteers and visitors.
First Wednesday Adoration
This week, our All Saints school community celebrated our very first Eucharistic Adoration immediately following our school Mass. What a wonderful addition to our faith community. At Door 1, our 6th grade students were observed kneeling in reverence when the Blessed Sacrament was being repositioned to the chapel. A staff member who saw the students told me that she was moved to tears.
All ASCA families, students, and staff are welcome to join us each first Wednesday of the month. 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 am-3 pm.
The next scheduled date for adoration will be Wednesday, December 5. If you have any questions, please contact Christi Kluzak at dkluzak@comcast.net.
December Hot Lunch Orders
December hot lunch orders will be accepted through Monday, November 19.
Remember to make a copy of your order form (or take a picture on your phone) so you know what and when you ordered. Also, Monday, November 19 is the deadline – late orders will not be accepted. Please don’t be disappointed – turn in your order and payment early. Questions? Contact Jennifer Thornton at jthornton@ascacademy.org.
Grandparents (and other Very Important Person – VIP) Day - Tuesday, November 20th at 12:30 pm
This special day is coming in just a few short weeks. What we are looking for now is for our grandparents and VIP’s to RSVP that they will be coming. Please remind them to either give us a call at school (at (630) 961-6125), or simply send an email response to ascagrandparents@gmail.com.
This will be a jam packed afternoon that will include a prayer service, special student presentations and performances, and classroom visits. We are SO excited to welcome our visitors.
All Aboard SHPP
Thank you to all who attended our November SHPP meeting. Meeting minutes will be posted on the school website once they are approved. If you have any questions, please contact the Executive Team at shpp@ascacademy.org. The next meeting will be Tuesday, December 4 at 6:30 pm in Café 1. As always, childcare will be provided. Please mark your calendars. We hope to see you there!
Saints in Service – SHPP’s Community Outreach
Candy Collection
Thank YOU for donating your candy to our troops this week! Our school community donated A LOT of candy during our post-Halloween candy drive.
Thank you for your generous donations. This candy 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. The candy will be sent to our troops in time for the holiday season. Stay tuned for more follow up information about this collection.
We would like to recognize and thank our 5th graders for making cards for our troops, as a part of their Grade Level Service Project. The cards will be sent, along with the collected candy, in time to be included in the holiday care packages for the troops. Many thanks also to Jackie and William Spencer for leading the 5th graders in this project. Way to go 5th grade!
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? WE NEED HELP WITH THE AWESOME CLASSROOM PROJECTS! Come share your special talents to help make this an event everyone is sure to remember!
Help is needed for many areas of DDA. Have questions about how all this works or where you’re needed most? Email us at dda@acsacademy.org and we’ll get you started! Thank you!
Here is another way to join us in this great cause:
Item Donation: Please consider an item donation to this year’s auction. You will receive fundraising credit (up to $500 for this school year) for the amount your item sells for at the auction. We welcome all donations big or small! Best sellers are:
- vacation getaways,
- concert and theater tickets,
- sporting event tickets,
- airline miles,
- gift cards (restaurants, spas, salons, favorite stores)
- hotel points
PLEASE CONTACT US WITH ANY QUESTIONS AT dda@acsacademy.org
OUR NEXT GENERAL DDA MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14 AT 7:00PM
The DDA Forms Finder
Looking for a form? Please see the following forms and links below:
Fundraising Corner
Butter Braid/Wooden Spoon Cookie Dough
For those of you that ordered Butter Braids or Wooden Spoon Cookie Dough, they will be delivered this MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12! Pick up will be from 2:00 to 4:00 pm on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12 in McSherry Hall.
If you need to make arrangements to pick up your order from aftercare, please email fundraising@ascacademy.org to make arrangements. All orders need to be picked up Monday as we do not have a lot of freezer space to store orders. Please remember that all orders come in frozen and should be placed in your freezer as soon as possible to prevent thawing. A huge thank you to those families that ordered a donation for Hesed House. We will take care of delivering them.
Tamale Sale
The amazing ladies of our Celebra tu Herencia SHPP Faith Formation group is bringing back the homemade Tamale Sale. Last year’s sale raised over $2,500!!! That is a lot of tamales! This year’s proceeds will go toward renovation of our chapel, and the purchase of a new tabernacle.
Please click here for the Tamale Sale Order Form.
A form will be going home with all youngest and only students today. Orders will be taken from now through the end of November, with pick up at school on Tuesday, December 11. All we can say is - get your orders in today. Only orders that are received by the deadline will receive these delicious treats. No late orders will be accepted.
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).
If you have any fundraising questions about the FFO, please contact fundraising@ascascademy.org
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.
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
This week’s ASCA NOW News
GO SAINTS!!
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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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