Saints Speak from Mrs. Marshall - 1/9/2025 - Small Deeds Make a Difference Over Time
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a restful and relaxing break with your loved ones. While it was great to have some time away, the teachers and I have enjoyed being back in the classrooms with your children this week!
Our saint this week is St. Isidore of Seville, who is one of the patron saints of technology. On Monday when I introduced St. Isidore to the students, I shared a story about how St. Isidore learned to work hard and learned that small actions over time matter. I find this message especially appropriate as we enter the new year and many of us set resolutions for ourselves. With resolutions, we often set lofty goals of what we want to accomplish or habits we want to change. Unfortunately then if we struggle to reach these goals, we are tempted to give up altogether and settle back into our old habits. I reminded the students that even small deeds make a big difference over time. If we make a small effort each day to be kind, loving, and forgiving, we’ll see change in our world. As we set goals for ourselves, we may struggle, and some days we may fail. However, let us remember that each day is a new opportunity with a fresh start!
Thank you!
Thank you to so many of you that supported the All Saints Annual Appeal! As you know, we concluded our contest on 12/31, and earlier this week we celebrated our winners, Mrs. Porlier’s 1st grade class, with a family ice cream social after school. It was so much fun!
Our Annual Appeal has been incredibly successful as we celebrate our 20th anniversary this year. In addition to the increased participation through our classroom contest, we had 90% of our faculty and staff contribute, as well as many generous donations from grandparents, alumni families, and friends of ASCA. We have raised over $37,000 to date, surpassing our $30,000 goal and quadrupling the number of donations received. We are grateful for your generosity and for your demonstration of support for our school. God bless you!
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
Next Monday, January 20th, there is no school in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is our tradition at ASCA to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by performing acts of service. Thank you to our Outreach team for organizing two service events for families – card-making in the ASCA Cafeteria for the St. Elizabeth Seton card ministry, and Feed My Starving Children. Families may take advantage of one of the ASCA-led events or may pursue an act of service on their own. While serving in the home is important for each of us to do regularly, we encourage you to consider an opportunity outside your home if possible for this special day, as it helps even our youngest students understand their role in the world and how they can serve others in both small and big ways. Click here to sign up for one of the ASCA-organized events. Click here for the MLK Day of Service reflection sheet to be completed by all students following their act of service. Teachers will distribute paper copies of these forms to your students next week as well.
DDA
You hopefully saw the email from Mrs. Galise earlier this week reminding you that our annual Dinner Dance Auction is just 10 weeks away! Line up your babysitters now and plan to join us for an evening of fun to celebrate our school’s 20th anniversary!
If you’d like to join the fun a little early, you can start buying raffle tickets or lottery scratchers! We have two raffles currently on sale – the 50/50 raffle (win cash) and the tuition credit raffle (win a $5000 tuition credit). Get your tickets online now! You can also purchase lottery scratchers, with lots of fun prizes for your kids! Lottery scratchers are sold online and will also be sold after Mass tomorrow.
Safety Reminders
In these first few days back, our staff has noticed some unsafe practices in the school parking lot, so I want to take this opportunity to remind you of the expectations during arrival and dismissal. Please visit pages 16-18 of the Handbook for a detailed explanation of the procedures, including pictures. Most importantly, we ask that you
- Drive slowly while on school grounds. The posted speed limit is 5mph because there are often children walking to/from their vehicles.
- If you finish unloading your child(ren) before the car in front of you and choose to pull out of the line, please do so slowly and carefully. Remember that children may be unloading from both sides of the car.
- Use both car lines in the morning to avoid blocking traffic.
- Pull forward all the way in whichever car line you are in. While there may be no one behind you at that moment, if you stop without pulling up then a car that arrives while your child is getting out of the car won’t be able to unload in the correct spot, delaying everyone.
Thank you for helping keep all our families safe!
Parish News
This Saturday, January 11th, St. Thomas the Apostle is hosting a “Halfway to Scripture Safari” Mass and Celebration. All ASCA families are invited to participate in this fun event marking that we are only six months away from their Scripture Safari Vacation Bible School. Click here for more information!
January Virtue
Tomorrow our students will meet with their faith buddies after Mass and begin to learn about our January virtue, fortitude. Click here for ideas on how you can learn about fortitude at home as well!
Schoolbelles Sale
If you are in need of new uniform pieces following the break, Schoolbelles is having a sale until January 11th, and everything is 40% off! Don’t miss this great deal!
Saintly Acts
We have just a few students to recognize for their Saintly Acts our first few days back. Congratulations to Iva B. (2nd grade), Leo M. (5th grade), and William S. (2nd grade). Keep being saintly!
Stay warm,
Margie Marshall
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A Tremendous Thank You to the Diamond, Platinum, and Cornerstone Sponsors of our 2024 Dinner Dance Auction (DDA): Masquerade Gala
We hope that you will support these generous benefactors of All Saints with your business. Please thank them, and let them know that you are an All Saints school family.
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