Saints Speak from Mrs. Marshall - 8/22/2024 - First Week of School

We were so excited to welcome our Kindergarten and Preschool students this morning! Our hallways and classrooms are full of smiling faces and we are getting back into our “normal” routine. Thank you, parents, for sharing your children with us this year!

School Mass

Tomorrow is our first school Mass! We warmly invite you to join us at 8:15am; please enter at Door 1. Students should be in “perfect uniform” for Mass, meaning pants for boys and no gym shoes.

Your children may have mentioned to you that we’ve been spending time each morning this week talking about Mass and preparing for Friday. As a Catholic school, celebrating Mass is one of the most important things we do together each week. We are in the midst of the National Eucharistic Revival, and at All Saints we’re going to focus this year on practicing reverence for the Eucharist at Mass each week. Below are some of the things we’ve been talking about to prepare for Mass:

• We are unique in that we don’t have a church on campus, so we have to shift our thinking each Friday morning for Mass to remember that we are no longer entering the gym, we are entering our worship space. You’ll notice prelude music playing as you enter this year to remind us to enter quietly and reverently. We use these minutes before Mass starts to sit quietly and prepare our hearts for Jesus. We ask you to leave any coffee/drinks in your cars, just as you would at Church on Sunday.

• Before we take our seats, we will bow to the altar. We do that because during the Mass, the altar is where the sacrifice takes place and simple bread and wine becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus.

• During Mass, we participate! We’ll be practicing the responses throughout the year and encouraging our students to sing the songs. We invite you to actively participate with us.

• At Communion, all are invited to come forward. Practicing Catholics who have already made their First Communion are invited to receive the Eucharist. Non-Catholics or students who have not yet received their First Communion are invited to cross their arms over their chest; the minister will then invite you to “Receive Jesus in your heart.” After Communion, we return quietly to our seats, where we can join in the song or silently talk to Jesus in our hearts.

• At the end of Mass, we will practice staying prayerful as we exit. We’re tempted to clap for the musicians, as they do a beautiful job, but we do not need to clap. The music is their way of joining in prayer!

Curriculum Nights

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

• 6th-8th grade: Tuesday, August 27^th, 6:00pm

• Preschool – 5th grade: Wednesday, August 28^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. On Wednesday, 5^th grade parents (and anyone else interested in helping out) are invited to stick around for a DDA planning update.

Arrival & Dismissal

Thank you for your patience this morning as we welcomed our new preschool and kindergarten families to campus! We know the line gets backed up as everyone gets used to the routine, but please know that it will pick up and be running very smoothly soon. To help ensure all goes well at arrival:

• All families should use the car lines to drop off; please do not park and walk up your child. At both lines, please pull all the way forward (at Door 7 this means you’re pulling up to the northernmost edge of the safety zone) so we can unload several cars at once. Our staff will ensure your children get safely to their classrooms.

• Please encourage your child to be “ready” as you’re pulling onto campus. This means coats are on when needed and backpack is packed, zipped, and easy to reach.

• If your child is in a car seat and still needs help getting out of the car, consider waiting and using one of the “front” spots in the car line. This way you can safely assist them without other cars trying to go around you and without holding up the line.

• If you are dropping off at Door 5 and arrive before 8:00, please pull aside into the staff lot and wait there until 8:00 to avoid blocking traffic in the Door 7 line.

At dismissal, please remember:

• At Door 7, have your name sign visible for our staff. Pull all the way forward so multiple cars can load at one time.

• At Door 1, please walk up to the coned area to get your child. K-2 students should stay on the steps until a parent comes forward to get them, especially as we are still getting to know all families. All children should be escorted by a parent in the parking lot.

Student Services

At All Saints we are blessed to have an amazing Student Services team who support our students and our teachers, working together to help each child learn and grow. Mrs. Aloisio, Mrs. Carden, and Mrs. Kujawa support our students’ academic needs. Mrs. Aloisio teaches our junior high study skills class for students who qualify and teaches executive functioning lessons throughout the year. She also is available to help families at all grade levels if you are considering an outside evaluation or have a question about academic support services. Mrs. Kujawa and Mrs. Carden both support our students in K-5 by pushing into the classroom to assist and pulling out small groups or individuals who may need intervention services.

Mrs. Magana is our school social worker and supports our students and teachers with behavior, social development, friendship, and mental health. Click here from a letter from Mrs. Magana introducing herself. She also teaches monthly social-emotional learning lessons to our students; we’ll share more about that in next week’s Saints Speak.

Cub Scout Invitation

Boys and girls in grades K-5, are you interested in learning more about Cub Scout Pack 125? Join us for a movie night at River Glen Presbyterian Church on Saturday, August 24, at 7pm! Contact Kate Galise (kmgalise@gmail.com) with questions.

Warm regards,

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.