Saints Speak - 8/30/2018 - Effective Communication
The past two evenings, I had the tremendous and humbling opportunity to welcome you to Curriculum Night, and to share information about All Saints with all school families in attendance. My talk touched on updates to our amazing facility, improvements to technology, classroom upgrades, and recogniztion of our newly installed Raptor Visitor System.
Both historical and current registration and enrollment trends, along with the budgetary and financial impacts of those trends, were discussed. The important role that fundraising plays at All Saints has been a topic of conversation that began with an informational packet that was sent in the Back to School mailing (this packet can be viewed at https://ascacademy.org/Portals/0/ASCA%20Fundraising%202018-2019.pdf). Volunteers were available to discuss fundraising at our recent Meet and Greet (along with delicious samples representing upcoming fundraisers). I was very happy to recognize the efforts of those who champion support of the school, and the many different ways in which you can participate in furthering these efforts.
Another tremendous way to get involved, to meet other parents, and to truly make an impact on our school community is to ‘get on board’ the SHPP, our School Home Parish Partnership organization. Their first meeting of the year is coming up next week on Tuesday, September 4th at 6:30 pm in Café 1. All are welcome! Childcare will be provided. Please consider joining us to find out more!
I meant it when I said that it is a GREAT day to be Saint! We have an attitude of gratitude because you are here. Because your student(s) is(are) here. Because we are proud of our school.
I wish that I could personally speak with you whenever there is something that we need to communicate, but that would not be physically possible. In this age of electronic communication, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the seemingly instantaneous access to information. Communication that might be right for some school families, may not be how other families collect and process the same information. The subject of communication is a little like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Some parents have told us that we over communicate. Others have told us that we need to communicate more. Then there are families who tell us that our communication is ‘just right’.
We are now giving you the chance to weigh in on our ASCA communications, as well as volunteering at All Saints. Which emails do you open and read? Which communication informs you the best? Where do you look for information? Are you active on Social Media? Are you interested in volunteering? I hope that you will let us know by taking part in this survey.
Our outstanding marketing team has put together a brief survey that will only take a few minutes to complete. If you would like to offer feedback that will help us to keep you in the know, please go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5H65LZF to take the survey. The survey will be available online through Sunday, September 9.
One of the first questions that we ask families who are interested in finding out more about All Saints is, “How did you find out about ASCA?” The answers that we most often are
- The Internet – website, online searches and school reviews
- Word of Mouth - At All Saints, we know that happy school families bring us new school families.
We have found that many of the online reviews about All Saints Catholic Academy are not current or reflective of the current All Saints school staff, administration or experience. If you are interested in sharing your positive All Saints school knowledge and experience with others via an online review, there are a couple of websites – https://www.greatschools.org/illinois/naperville/7210-All-Saints-Catholic-Academy/ and https://www.privateschoolreview.com/all-saints-catholic-academy-profile/60540#reviews - where you can offer your insight that might be beneficial to prospective school families.
If you have a concern, please make an appointment with me to discuss. At All Saints, we are always striving to be better. It is through communication and being open to one another, new ideas and opinions, that we wisely and effectively continue to transform ourselves into a stronger, more united school community.
As I noted at Curriculum Night, All Saints has a social media presence that can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Our social media presence is growing every day, with more to come. Please like and share us to your friends. You never know who you will reach.
Virtues Focus this Week – Integrity
Integrity, an essential virtue, is adhering to moral principle, being faithful to moral conscience, keeping our word, and standing up for what we believe. To have integrity is to be “whole,” so that what we say and do in different situations is consistent rather than contradictory. Integrity is different from honesty, which tells the truth to others. Integrity is telling the truth to oneself. Living and being faithful to this virtue can sometimes be difficult, not just for our students, but also adults, as well. It takes a great deal of self-awareness to practice the virtue of integrity so that the virtue and person become one and the same.
News from All Saints Athletic Association
OPENING WEEKEND FOR VOLLEYBALL WAS A BIG HIT
We had a great start to our volleyball season, taking several wins this past weekend. Congratulations to the following teams who celebrated wins at their first matches of the season: Girls: 5A, 6A, 7A, 8A and Boys 6A & 7A. Our Saints are all on the road this weekend, so please check the league website for this weekend’s game schedules. Remember that all team standings and future games can be found at http://www.dplvba.org. Come out and cheer your Saints on to a victory!
Cross Country News
This weekend our runners head out for their first official meet of the season. Come out and support our athletes at the first official league meet hosted by St. Irene/St. James schools, this Saturday, Sept. 1st at Summerlakes Park/Clifford Johnson School, 2S700 Continental Dr., Warrenville. First race time is promptly at 9:00 am. Come cheer our runners on to a strong finish.
Important News
Be sure to check the concession stand at all HOME games where you can purchase a new All Saints sport decal for your car. Decals are available for Volleyball, Cross Country, Basketball and Track & Field. Not playing on home court? No worries, decals can also be purchased through Keith Glab, Athletic Director.
Mark your calendars for “BLUE OUT”. Scheduled for Friday, October 12th, we’ve got some new things planned for this year’s event! Get all your friends and family together, stack the stands, and come out to show our 8th grade athletes support as they play their final matches on home court! More info will follow in the coming weeks.
Mark your calendars for the 2018 Fall Sports Banquet scheduled for Friday, November 9th.
GO SAINTS!!
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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