Saints Speak from Mrs. Marshall - 8/21/2025 - All Our Saints Are Back

We have been having such a fantastic first week of school! Today we welcomed our Kindergarten friends and most 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!

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 our parents and guests to do the same, leaving any coffee or other beverages in the car, just as you would when entering church on Sunday. 

This morning we talked about how 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 focus on participating in two ways this first week (and we will continue talking more about Mass participation as the year continues):

1. When the priest says “The Lord be with you,” respond loudly and clearly “And with your spirit.”
2. 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.

Please talk with your children about this tonight or in the morning. 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!

Arrival Procedures

Our arrival has gone smoothly these first few days! Thank you for following Ms. Huber’s directions and using both Door 1 and Door 7 at arrival to avoid backup onto Aurora. Please continue to do this even if Ms. Huber is not standing there telling you where to go. Please pull all the way forward, especially at Door 7, so we can unload multiple cars at once and keep the line moving efficiently. Additionally, now that we have completed the “first day” pictures and students know the routine, we ask parents to stay in the car unless your child needs assistance with a car seat. Thank you for your patience and respect for others as we ensure all our students get to school safely and efficiently!

Curriculum Nights

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

• Grades 6-8: Tuesday, August 26^th, 6:00pm

• Preschool – 5^th grade: Wednesday, August 27^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.

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 throughout 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 both reading and math. (Kindergarten will test after Labor Day, 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 headphones for i-ready testing. If you do not already have headphones, we do sell them from the office. Click here to purchase a pair of corded, over-the-ear headphones for your child, which will then be delivered to the classroom.

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 (6^th-8^th next week, 3^rd-5^th after Labor Day). The CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) is a computerized 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!

Family Directory

Our school directory is now available via DirectorySpot! See below for information on how to access the directory. If you would like to make a change to your family’s entry, please contact Patty Bajek (pbajek@ascacademy.org). 

All accounts are set up with your email addresses that are currently in FACTS, so if this changed from last year your login may have changed as well. If you have trouble, please contact Patty.

For Smartphone Users:  Download the DirectorySpot app by going to your app store and searching "DirectorySpot" or by clicking on the appropriate link here: iPhone - http://goo.gl/5U2Tzq or Android - http://goo.gl/iBK9lY.  To launch DirectorySpot, enter your email address as your Username, and click on "Reset Password."  Click on the link in your reset email to set your password, relaunch the DirectorySpot app, and login with your username and password.

For Tablet, Mac, or PC Users:  Go to directoryspot.net and click on "Login" in the upper right hand corner.  Enter your email address as your Username, and click on "Reset Password." An email will be sent to you with a link to set your password.  Click on the link in your reset email to set your password and login.  Note – if downloading to an iPad, just search for “iPhone apps” and you will find DirectorySpot.

Behavioral Expectations

The students have been doing a great job demonstrating that they can be respectful, responsible, and safe throughout the school day. This week I had the pleasure of reviewing recess expectations with all students, and then yesterday and today I got to see them practice in real time. They did great! I’ve attached a few pictures of recess this week. We are proud of our students and looking forward to a great year!

ASPA Parent Survey

Please complete this short survey if you are interested in getting involved with your child's classroom as a Room Parent or Party Volunteer, along with other volunteer opportunities through the All Saints Parents Association. Survey deadline for Room Parents and Party Volunteers is this Saturday, August 23rd. 

Extracurricular Activities

Our extracurricular flyer has been updated one more time, with info on Robothink! We are also still in need of a few more students in the Pre-K/Kdg Sticky Fingers Cooking Class in order for the class to run. Click here for more information on all the offerings and to sign up.

Thank you for a fantastic first week!

Margie Marshall

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