Natural Playground

ASA has a new addition to our playground thanks to Notre Dame Club. A few weeks ago we welcomed a new natural play space to our lower campus playground. The space is intended for students to be able to connect more with nature by intentionally creating a welcoming environment to build and explore. It has been a favorite spot for Mrs. Harmon’s preschool class! They enjoy the open-endedness of the materials which allow them to freely explore the world around them. These nature based activities support teamwork and problem solving skills while also nurturing young children's natural curiosity. We look forward to new pieces being added to this play space in the near future. If you haven’t already, come check it out!

8th Grade

 As the school year comes to a close, our 8th grade class looks forward to a new chapter in their lives. This year has been one of immense growth, fun, and learning!

One of the standout experiences of the year was the 8th grade class retreat. It was a time for students to bond, reflect, and prepare for the challenges ahead. The retreat provided an opportunity for personal growth and strengthened the bonds within their small, tight-knit class.

In science, students dove into hands-on labs that brought learning to life. From physics labs to dissecting frogs, many students commented on how Science was a favorite subject in school. Social studies classes, another favorite listed by the class, allowed students to gain a new understanding of how the United States was shaped. One of the highlights in English Language Arts was the book tasting event. Students sampled a variety of genres and authors, exposing them to new authors and books. Math projects challenged students to apply their knowledge in creative ways. These projects demonstrated the practical applications of math and encouraged innovative thinking.

Many students reminisced about field trips they took over the years, including visiting Lansing in 3rd grade, Cannonsburg in 4th grade, Farm Days in 5th grade, and Art Prize in middle school. Another favorite from their time at ASA was many of the class being in one or more musical productions.

 

*Photo credit: Jamie Geysbeek Photography

The May Crowning and Leadership Mass were reminders of the spiritual growth our students experienced, along with Confirmation for many this year. These events allowed them to contribute to the community in meaningful ways, fostering a sense of responsibility and service.

Baking cookies at Christmas and Service day were other memorable events, as students gave back not only to classmates in other grades, but to our four parish communities through various acts of service.

Over the years, this 8th grade class has been a small but dynamic group. As new students joined and friendships evolved, the class dynamics continually changed, bringing fresh perspectives and new connections.

   

As our 8th graders prepare to move on to high school, we celebrate their achievements and look forward to the bright futures that await them. We wish them all the best in their next adventure!

Congratulations, 8th grade class of 2024! Your journey has just begun! Go out and be saints!

Chicken Hatching

 

This year was a very successful year for hatching chicks.

Preschool, K-2 and Mrs. Livingston had most of the chicks in their incubators hatch.  The process takes much patience. After setting the eggs carefully in the incubator and making sure the temperature and humidity are set, we need to wait and countdown the 21 days.

On day 21 we start to see and hear the little chicks cracking out of their eggs.

Then, the chicks stay warm inside the incubator until they are dry and ready to move to their Brooding box.

We love to see them grow bigger and stronger each day-eating, drinking and growing.

Before we send them to their new homes, we let the chicks stretch their legs in our classroom.

Next stop, the ASA chicks go to many different homes and farms throughout the community.

 

St. Alphonsus Education Endowment Scholarships

 On Sunday, May 19, 2024, the St. Alphonsus Education Endowment recognized several All Saints Academy students during their annual Honors Mass. Executive Director, Mr. Joe Gietzen, joined members of the Endowment Board to present the scholarship awards.

The Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters established the Sr. Roberta Hefferan and Sr. Olga Mizzi Scholarships in the names of two members of their community who were deeply engaged in St. Alphonsus Parish. 

Sister Olga Mizzi, OP, was devoted to religious service and education and brought joy and knowledge to thousands of students as a teacher in St. Alphonsus School. The winner of the Sr. Olga Mizzi Scholarship is Magdalena Ceru who was nominated by her teacher, Melanie Groh.  

She quietly and politely volunteers to help out around the building during the day.  She won't even say anything, she'll just jump in where help is needed; if it's picking up markers for a neighbor or staying with an injured friend on the playground waiting for a supervisor, she is there, patient and calm.  She is a top-notch Bucket Filler!  She volunteers to sing at school Mass,  After school, she helps her mother in the toddler room at ASA.  She doesn't shout her love for Jesus and others with her voice, however, with all of her actions.   

Sister Roberta Hefferan, OP, recognized and responded to the needs of others through vibrant social outreach programs including the Food & Clothing Pantry. The winner of the Sr. Roberta Scholarship is Kasia Saganski.  Her nominating teacher, Carrie Bowman, had the following to say:

Kasia is a very kind soul.  As a second grader, she shows empathy to many students not only in her class but with the lower grades, too.  She is always willing to help when needed  without any questions asked. This year we have a kindergarten student that needs some help getting her things organized and packed up at the end of the school day.  The first student that came to mind for Mrs. Wendy Bowman and I was Kasia!  She is so patient and kind to this kindergartener every day.  Kasia is a peace maker and offers help to solve problems with her friends.  She exemplifies what it is means to be a bucket filler in our school.  She is very active in her parish.  Kasia volunteered at many fish frys to bus tables for Lent and read/reads at Sunday masses.   Kasia is an awesome student and is one of a kind.  She is more than deserving of this reward.

The Sean Earl Scholarship is awarded to 7th grade students attending All Saints Academy who demonstrate strength of character, kindness, and service toward others. Mr. and Mrs. Earl joined the Endowment Board in presenting the memorial award to this year’s recipients Evelyn Carter and Edmund Marcusse.

Brody Miron was the recipient of the St. Alphonsus Founders’ Fund Scholarship. The Founders’ Fund Scholarship is awarded to a qualifying new student at All Saints Academy who is also a St. Alphonus parishioner.  

Congratulations to all of the award recipients!  Thank you, St. Alphonsus Education Endowment, for your support of All Saints Academy and our students!

The Great Outdoors

The Kindergarten classes spent the day at the Upper Campus for a fun-filled outdoor learning experience on Thursday, May 2!  The younger students were able to join the 3rd-8th graders for Mass and May Crowning to begin the day.  Students participated in a Creation Color Walk, teamed up with the 3rd graders for a Pet Rock activity, built homes for their pet rocks that would block out the sun and explored and played in God’s playground, the woods surrounding Lake Saint Jude.  It was an amazing day for all!  Here are some of the Kindergartners favorite parts…

…"Making the houses for our rocks" - Poppy and Joseph

…"Climbing to the top of the mountain" - Hannah

… “Playing on God’s playground”- Molly P.

… "Going in the woods" - Liam

… "finding and making the pet rocks" - Will S and Harrison

… “having a picnic lunch in the sunshine with my friends” -Cora M.

Getting Down to JA (BizTown) Business!

What exactly IS JA Biztown?  Located on East Paris, it is by all means a town that simulates the day-to-day functions of a community. Our sixth grade students became both producers and consumers by working jobs, earning paychecks, depositing money, buying goods, voting, and just plain being integral parts of the BizTown community for the day. 

In the classroom prior to going to BizTown, students learned about the concepts of financial responsibility, community and economic building, and career readiness. Once at BizTown, the practices of business management and operations, as well as collaboration and team building, were the goals for the day. 

All Saints Academy was given three community businesses to run while at BizTown.  Our sixth grade students ran DeVos Children’s Hospital, Gordon Food Service, and Independent Bank. 

Jacob offered his thoughts on the day. “My job at Biztown was at  Independent Bank. I was the Client Sales Specialist, and I  had to count money and withdraw money from people’s accounts and open savings accounts for them. My job got easier as the day went on, and I really liked it when I got to interact with other people. I think that other 6th graders should go to Biztown. It is really fun and a good learning experience.

Andrew served as the bank manager at Independent Bank “I filed all the paperwork from opening a checking account to business deposits. I also handled other businesses in BizTown when they came in with money to pay off their loans. This was not just a fun experience but also educational. I learned so many things! I would definitely want to do this again.”

The banks CFO, Lydia, added, “I honestly enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I thought that I would be just sitting at a desk, staring at my computer, have a ten minute break, and then resume working. But that's not what happened.”

The physical town setup has jobs for every student, teaching them about interviewing and specific roles within a town, including governmental structures such as city government, learning the importance of voting and how decisions are made in a community. 

“My favorite part of my job was checking in people to get physicals and using the iPad to set the prices for the appointments and other activities,” shared Parker. BizTown businesses offered incentives for their employees to receive yearly physicals. 

Also at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, physician Elly gave physicals to many of the employees working in BizTown that day. “Spinning the wheel of diseases was fun, and I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed talking to people I didn’t know. If given the option I would go to BizTown every year. I had a really fun time and would definitely recommend it.”

Last, but not least, we certainly cannot leave out the experience of being the consumers. “My favorite part was the lunch break where we could also shop at all the other businesses and buy their items with the money we earned by working. There are different lunch breaks so people can shop while others work,” explained Taras. “The experience was good. It helped you know what to expect when you get a real job some day.”

Girls on the Run at ASA

 

Girls on the Run is so much fun! Did you know at All Saints Academy we have a division of Girls on the Run, or GOTR? GOTR is an incredible program, and we are lucky to have it. So many tools are taught to our young ladies, 3rd-5th grades. Not only do they learn how to approach training for an endurance event, in this case a 5K, they learn much more. The power packed curriculum teaches them how to be a good friend, how to choose friends wisely, how to manage a conflict, conflict resolution, and finding your own star power. Bottom line, the girls on the run curriculum teaches our young ladies so much more than how to run. At the end of the day they learn how to take a BIG goal, to break it down into chunks, and make a battle attack on how to do it, and have success!

This week our little running stars completed their practice 5K. We invite you to cheer on your girls from All Saints Academy on Saturday, May 18, downtown. If you are a parent of a child in second grade or below, keep in mind that girls on the run really is so much fun for your future runner.

Thank you to our coaches, Mrs. Beckwith (also our site liaison) Miss Ojenus, Mrs. Debri, and Mrs. Zarzecki! We could not have this program without your commitment.