Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.
This was the gospel this past Sunday. Do we hear Jesus’ voice? Is his voice drowned out by the inconvenience of not being able to get to work because of flooding? Is his voice overshadowed by 24 hour coverage of a Boston manhunt? These events were reality for us this past week; but, in either event, it was not easy for us to hear the voice of Jesus speak. Jesus was there when we offered a prayer for the victims of Boston. Jesus was there when we realized that the carpet that was lost in the flood was just carpet, and that our family was all ok. Jesus was there when we held children as the thunder was scaring them from their bed to ours. Jesus is always there. We just need to realize which thoughts are allowing us to hear his voice, and which ones are getting in the way.
Thanks for Understanding
This past week was challenging all around with record breaking weather and navigation mazes. We do take direction for school closings from District 203, as they are our bus providers. In difficult situations, the time frame for decision making is driven by the conditions. We are grateful for your understanding, especially with regards to the short notice that required working parents to have to scramble to find child care. We hope that we won’t have to face this again anytime soon.
Cell Phones at School
We have a school policy requiring that students who bring cell phones to school must turn them off and check them in to the school office during school hours. This has been the rule for a number of years, and our students are apprised of it. Most students do faithfully turn their phones in; but some continue to think that it is ok to break this rule. This is primarily an issue with Junior High students. If your child is bringing a phone to school, it must be turned in to the office before going upstairs. If we discover your child has a phone, it will be confiscated and not returned till the end of the school year. Please have a conversation with your child to be sure that they clearly understand that this will be the consequence. Thank you for your support with this.
Purchase a Brick for the St. Therese, The Little Flower, Graduate Plaza
Buy a brick to commemorate your child’s years at ASCA, or honor a special student, First Communion, graduation, teacher or coach! This is also a great way to memorialize a loved one, or to celebrate a birthday or anniversary with a gift that will last a lifetime. The sponsorship of a brick costs $175, $250 or $500. Please go to the St. Therese order form or contact Meg Olsen at molsen@ascacademy.org for more information. All St. Therese order forms are due by Friday, May 31st.
ASCA Geranium Sale - Order deadline is this FRIDAY, April 26
Please consider buying your geraniums through school. Zonal geraniums, healthy and full of color will be supplied through a local grower, Lizzie's Garden in Naperville. You may mix and match your plant selection from 7 different vibrant colors. The geraniums will be sold for $5.00 per plant (4.5” pots). The minimum order is 6 plants. The Geranium order form regarding the flower sale is available on the school web site. Pick-up will be in McSherry on Thursday, May 9th. If there are any questions, please contact Michelle Yacullo at (630) 416-6691.
Grandparents' Day Reservations
Reservations for Friday, May 3rd Grandparents’ Day were due in the school office by April 22nd. If your child(ren)’s grandparents will be attending and we have not received the form yet, please turn it in to us immediately. The Grandparents form is found on the ASCA website.
Teacher Appreciation Week
It’s getting close to the end of the school year when we honor and thank our teachers for their dedication to our children. Teacher Appreciation Week will take place the week of May 6-10. This year, SHPP is asking parents to support our efforts in two ways:
- On Monday, May 6, please send your kids to school with a freshly picked or purchased flower. We will provide teachers with a 12” vase so they can create a bouquet for their classroom.
- Gift cards for the teachers will be purchased with your donations along with a letter listing the names of all contributors. A donation of $5 per child is suggested. Do this in lieu of end of year gifts and have us do the shopping! Please send donations, payable to ASCA, to the office with "Teacher Appreciation" noted in the memo by Monday, April 29. Please contact Amy Drake at amyLdrake@me.com with any questions.
Teacher Appreciation Week
Our Teachers are Stars!
It’s getting close to the end of the school year when we honor and thank our teachers for their dedication to our children. Teacher Appreciation Week will take place the week of May 6-10. This year, we are asking parents to support our efforts in two ways:
· On Monday, May 6, please send your kids to school with a freshly picked or purchased flower. We will provide teachers with a 12” vase so they can create a bouquet for their classroom.
· Gift cards for the teachers will be purchased with your donations along with a letter listing the names of all contributors. A donation of $5 per child is suggested. Please send donations, payable to ASCA, to the office with "Teacher Appreciation" noted in the memo by Monday, April 29. Direct questions to Amy Drake at amyLdrake@me.com.
Teacher Appreciation Week will feature the following:
Monday - "I'm a Fan Day" - In addition to the flowers you send, teachers will be welcomed to their classrooms with "Walk of Fame" Stars on their door and will receive a "Fan Letter" from their class
Tuesday - "Red Carpet VIP Luncheon"
Wednesday - Teachers will receive a special note made from seeded paper that will bloom when planted
Thursday – A light breakfast will greet our "Stars" on this morning
Friday - Gift Cards will be distributed along with "Golden Apple" awards
If you would like to help, contact Paula DeRuntz at pderuntz@wowway.com, or Mili Jain at mili_anand@hotmail.com.
Teacher Appreciation Donation
Family Name:
Donation Amount: $ Cash: yes/no Check #:
Kentucky Derby Theme Party
Looking for some Kentucky Derby excitement? Join us on Saturday, May 4 from 3-7 pm at the Foundry in Aurora. Ticket price is $60 per person and includes beer, wine, dessert and great food (well drinks are available but not included)! Lots of other "Derby Fun" will be available! Do you have a business that needs advertising? Sponsorships are still available! Contact Maureen Juhas at mjuhas66@gmail.com, Susan Glab at ksr4glab@yahoo.com, or Chris Gambs at teamgambs@sbcglobal.net for more information!
Junior High Musical – Flapper – Performances THIS WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!
The show – Flapper - is being presented this weekend, on Friday, April 26th at 7pm and Saturday April 27th at 7pm by the ASCA Junior High Academy. Tickets are $8 in advance for all adults ($10 if purchased at the door), and $5 for all children and seniors. There is a Family Ticket that will admit 2 adults and all of their children for only $25. The Family Ticket is only available through advance purchase, and will not be available at the door. Flapper ticket order forms are also available at the ASCA website. Do not miss this family friendly musical and theatrical experience!
SHPP 2013-2014 Nomination Forms
SHPP needs you! Nomination forms for open SHPP board positions for the 2013-2014 school year are available at the ASCA website. Consider nominating yourself or someone you think would be a great fit for the open positions. In addition to these positions, there are many ways to become involved with SHPP. Please consider sharing your time and talent. There are opportunities available for all levels of involvement. Please contact the 2012-2013 SHPP President, Amy Drake at (630) 718-1630, or the incoming 2013-2014 SHPP President, Robin Gullborg at (630) 717-7929 with any questions. Nomination forms are due by 3:00 pm on Friday, May 10.
No Cookin’ in the Kitchen - Colonial
May’s No Cookin’ in the Kitchen fundraiser to benefit the Class of 2014 will be on Tuesday, May 14, 2013, at Colonial Café & Ice Cream located at 8 W. Gartner, Naperville. This will be the last No Cookin’ in the Kitchen for the year, and we hope to see everyone there! If you have any questions, please contact Alison Pechnik at asabug78@aol.com, or Andrea Howard at nucvet@sbcglobal.net.
Community Outreach
Events:
Saturday, April 27th - DuPage Human Race (located in Downers Grove) is a 5k Run/2 mile Fitness Walk which brings the community together in support of charities serving DuPage County. Walkers and runners have the opportunity to raise pledges for the charity of their choice and participate on their behalf. http://www.dupagehumanrace.org/.
Saturday, April 27th - Y Healthy Kids Day. Free community event at Kroehler Family Y and the Fry Family Y - both in Naperville. Filled with fun, active play and educational opportunities. http://www.ymcachicago.org/kroehler and www.ymcachicago.org/fry
Saturday, April 27 - ASCA Feed My Starving Children Packing Session
Don’t miss out on our upcoming packing session. To register your family for this 11:30 am -1:30 pm session, follow the instructions below:
Visit volunteer.fmsc.org. In the upper right-hand corner select Volunteer Registration. Select Permanent Sites – Register Online. Select JOIN an existing Group or Family. Enter Join Code 257187 and click Search. Click Confirm. Log in or Create a New Account. Once you have entered your information, you can click Add Member Names to add your children.
Feed My Starving Children packaging sessions are held at 555 Exchange Court, Aurora, IL 60504. Children in grades 3 and up are welcome to participate. Please contact Michele Klein at mklein511@comcast.net with any questions.
Sunday, April 28th - Celebrate the Abilities of those with Disabilities - Celebrate Differences. This event (located in Oswego) is for racers, runners and walkers. New this year is a 3K Walk and a Kids Dash for Disabilities. http://www.celebratedifferences.org/5kinfo.html
Sunday, April 28th - March for Babies to benefit March of Dimes. DuPage event in Naperville. http://www.marchforbabies.org/connections_walk_list.asp?state=IL
Saturday, May 25 - Walking for Wellness – St. Thomas the Apostle
The St. Thomas Walking Ministry is sponsoring “Walking for Wellness --- a walk around St. Thomas to raise awareness and funds --- on Saturday May 25, from 9 am – 3 pm. Walk for 6 minutes or 6 hours or anywhere in between. Go to www.stapostle.org for more details and to register.
Proceeds from the walk go to the St. Thomas Counseling Fund. The St. Thomas Pastoral Care & Outreach offices work together to subsidize payments for those in need of counseling due to the situations in their lives in need of healing (individuals, couples, children, families). We partner with Samaritan Interfaith which provides services at reduced rates when needed.
April Used Gym Shoe Collection
Ready, Set, Go …run your old gym shoes to ASCA
We are once again collecting adult and child used gym shoes for School & Community Assistance for Recycling & Composting Education (SCARCE).
Then what…
· If shoes are Gently-Used they will be given to local organizations, such as PADS in Glen Ellyn or the Midwest Shelter of Homeless Veterans.
· If the shoes are not in good condition, they will be Re-Used and Recycled in Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe Program which turns worn-out gym shoes into sports surfaces, playgrounds and Nike products. Shoes are delivered to Nike, where they will be demanufactured so that the recycled “Nike Grind” material can be used to make new products. By recycling old gym shoes, Nike decreases the environmental impact of using new raw materials and saves used shoes from being sent to landfills.
· Since 2003, SCARCE has diverted a TOTAL of 76,962 pairs of gym shoes from landfills. Of those, 57,706 pairs of shoes were recycled with Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe Program and SCARCE donated 19,256 pairs.
All donations can be brought into the ASCA Office through the end of April. Stinky and holey encouraged! If you have any questions please contact Ann Zediker at jazediker@comcast.net.
D203 Busing Changes
Please make a note on your upcoming calendars. There will be no busing home from school on Friday, May 3. Please make alternate arrangements home for your D203 bus rider on this day. All other buses will be running on the 3rd.
ASCA Track and Field
For the past few seasons, the ASCA Track and Field team has partnered with other area Catholic schools, to learn and to grow as a track program. This year, the ASCA track and field team has sprouted wings, and is flying solo. We are so very proud of the team. In their first track meet last weekend, the All Saints Catholic Academy Track and Field team placed 2nd overall among the 8 team field. We celebrate this huge milestone with the team and their coaches.
St. Raphael Football
This August, the St. Raphael Football Program will begin its 50th year serving the Naperville area. The league is open to all Naperville area children from age 6 to 12. They are currently accepting registration. Player check-in is July 26, 27, 29. For more information and to download the Football Registration Form, go to their website at www.straphaelfootball.org. Or you can contact Jim Brown at (630) 632-9244.