Patty Bajek / Thursday, August 26, 2021

Saints Speak from Mrs. Marshall - 8/26/2021 - You Are the Light of the World

Good afternoon!

At our staff retreat before school began, the faculty and staff listened to the same Scripture that we heard at our Meet & Greet prayer service, from the Gospel of Matthew:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

As a staff, we have reflected on how God’s light shines on us and through us. He has given us each unique gifts to bring to the world, and he calls us to see His light in each person we encounter. Our teachers have been sharing this theme in their classrooms and asking the students to reflect on their own light and their own God-given gifts. I encourage you to do the same at home. As we begin the school year, there is a lot of “new” for all of us. New teachers, new classrooms, new friends. Some thrive in that environment. If your child is one who adjusts well to change and shows no fear or hesitation in a new environment, encourage them to be that “light” for others, welcoming them, reassuring them, and helping them feel at home. If you child is a little more hesitant, struggling with the “new,” or feeling overwhelmed, remind them of God’s light in them and the gifts they bring to our school community each day. We all can be the light the world needs, shining bright in our own way.

It was great to see so many of you at our Curriculum Nights this week! We enjoyed meeting you, seeing you out of your cars, and having the chance to show off the classrooms and share more about what you can expect for the year. If you weren’t able to attend, we hope to be able to connect with you in person sometime soon.

As I mentioned in my presentations both nights, if you haven’t already done so, please CLICK HERE TODAY to let us know your child’s t-shirt size so we can order our Shine Bright t-shirts. If you can’t remember if you did this yet, please do it again just to be safe. We can always delete duplicate entries.

The last two nights I also shared information about optional COVID testing here at school. Our protocol at All Saints, in accordance with the local health department, has been to send a child home if he/she exhibits a COVID symptom and require either a negative COVID test result or alternative diagnosis for the child to return to school. We will now be able to administer a rapid COVID test here at school for symptomatic individuals, with parent consent. Please click here to download the consent form, which must be completed and returned to the school nurse if you would like your child to participate. This program is optional. If you return the written consent, we will still contact you via phone before administering the test to inform you of your child’s symptom(s) and receive verbal consent. You will be notified of all test results as well. If you have any questions, please contact me or Mrs. Fuller (sfuller@ascacademy.org).

Yesterday you should have gotten an email with information about our upcoming Grandparents Day on September 17^th. In case you missed it, click here to access the Evite. If you have any trouble with the Evite, you can view a screenshot here and RSVP via email to Mrs. Davis at adavis@ascacademy.org. As a reminder, we are limiting this in-person event to one grandparent per child but will have opportunities for virtual engagements for grandparents that cannot attend.

As I mentioned at our Curriculum Nights, we hope you consider volunteering in some capacity this year! We are always looking for help, and there will be volunteer opportunities throughout the year for individuals with all backgrounds, including opportunities during the school day and on nights/weekends. All volunteers who work with children must complete the Diocesan volunteer requirements, including Protecting God’s Children, a background check, and Mandated Reporter training. Click here for instructions on how to complete these required forms and virtual trainings. Thank you for sharing your gifts with the ASCA community!

We’re excited to welcome fans to our volleyball games this weekend! Please be mindful of the expectations below:

All spectators, coaches, and players must wear masks at all times.
There will be a visitor side and a home side. Please sit on the correct side and leave 3 feet of space between families.
There is no limit to the number of spectators allowed, as long as appropriate distancing can be maintained.

Go Saints – good luck this weekend!

Do you have a boy or girl interested in Cub Scouts ? Check out Cub Scout Pack 105 at our Open House on Thursday, August 26 from 6-7pm at Von Oven Scouts Reservation 701 S. West St., Naperville . The event is open to boys and girls in grades K-5 and their parents. Participants must RSVP in order to attend at https://forms.gle/NBbGmmvVuoipe1em6. For more information, please contact NapervillePack105@gmail.com or visit our website at NaperPack105.com.

We recognized our first group to receive Saintly Acts this morning! We are proud of these individuals for their demonstrations of kindness, respect, and Christian behavior: Charlotte W. (1^st grade), Ashley S. (5^th grade), Laila G. (5^th grade), Maya S. (4^th grade), Melissa O. (4^th grade), Norah G. (4^th grade), Maddie S. (7^th grade), Anthony J. (6^th grade), Brady C. (3^rd grade), Hudson C. (4^th grade), Lukas P. (4^th grade), Brady B. (1^st grade), and Ms. DiFalco (Kdg).