Wednesday, January 30, 2019

A Reflection on Catholic Schools


From a Daughter, Mom, Teacher

 I am who I am today in part because of the Catholic education my parents provided me.  It’s my belief that my own children will reflect someday and feel the same. I share all of  this with you as this coming week we celebrate Catholic Schools Week.  Although young, your kiddos are part of a greater whole which is All Saints Academy. - Jane Reeves 

Hello Parents,

I was speaking with my daughter Tessa recently about a teacher at West Catholic High School who presented his class with the idea that how we’re remembered after we’ve died will be a direct reflection of how we’ve chosen to live our lives--thus...we might as well be nice.  Solid advice for a group of teens.  Later that evening it dawned on me that exactly 40 years to the day, I lost my dad to a massive heart attack. Our discussion brought me to ponder, how was my dad remembered--and how were those memories a reflection of the life he lived?  My own children, of course, never knew him--in a way I barely did as I was 11 years old at the time of his death. What I do recall was the regard in which he was held by so many.  His loss was a shock to our community and was felt deeply.  He had been a devout, joyful and loving man.  A specific memory I hold dear is that of his beautiful singing voice. The recollection of it’s deep, smooth tone brings me peace. It was always a source of levity in our home as although his singing voice was special, my mom had been instructed as a child to just  “mouth it” in the church choir.  She couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket!  Fast forward to today and you’d find that my household is a family of singers. Some are better than others--but we are always singing!  I like to think this love/gift of music was handed down from that legend of a man--my dad.  A beautiful way to remember him.

So...How do these ramblings of mine relate to All Saints Academy and your precious preschoolers?  Because that wonderful soul, Warren Eardley, was a proud and faithful product of Catholic education. Catholic schools helped to shape him into the man he became. He was a graduate of St. Francis Grade School, Catholic Central High School, Aquinas College and received his law degree from Catholic University. His life hadn’t always been easy.  He lost his own father to illness at age 7.  His first wife passed of leukemia 6 mos. after the birth of their second child.  Weeks after he and my mom had their first child together, their 3 year old son from his first marriage was killed by a drunk driver. Through all of those experiences, he turned to his God for strength and comfort. He joyfully lived his faith daily and believed in the power of Christ and Christ centered education. He understood that the educational choices his mother made for him had deeply impacted who he was.  He and my mom sent all seven of their children through Immaculate Heart of Mary Grade School and Catholic Central High School--which was no small financial feat.  But because of who he was and the faith he possessed, he understood that the value far outweighed the expense. I am who I am today in part because of the Catholic education my parents provided me.  It’s my belief that my own children will reflect someday and feel the same. I share all of  this with you as this coming week we celebrate Catholic Schools Week.  Although young, your kiddos are part of a greater whole which is All Saints Academy.  We’re a community which understands the necessity of growing souls in addition to (in “preschool speak,”) growing brains.  We love and value your child as a unique child of God, and it’s our mission to teach them fundamental saintly values: Be Fair, Be Safe, Be Kind. Those are simple words, but the weight of them encompasses what we do here.  We celebrate the opportunity we have at All Saints Academy to share our faith with your children and your families.  So this week’s newsletter is simply a thank you--to your children, for the dear little souls they are; to you, for choosing and providing Catholic education for your child, and to the the many students, parents and teachers who came before us.  We thank you.  We remember you.  We love you.

Blessings,

Jane

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Blizzard of Books!



200 New Books to Read!

Thanks to the efforts of Jill Ott and her volunteers last year at the Scholastic Book Fair, we are able to provide what we are calling “A Blizzard of New Books.” There are 200 new books available for our students to check out, starting this week. Remind your children to return their books by library day, so they can explore our new finds. Also, please be generous in your volunteer time and your purchasing at this year’s upcoming Scholastic Book Fair. It’s making a wonderful difference.

As you may have noticed, if you’ve popped into our library this school year, we are in the process of “weeding and refreshing” our collection and making it easier for students to put their hands on the right books for them. We keep trying to broaden their reading horizons.

I had been the librarian at St Jude School for 18 years until I retired 10 years ago. I stepped back into ASA library this school year, for now, and I’m enjoying encouraging our young readers. Thank you to these volunteers who have been on board this year: Summer Malinzak, Christy Stibich, Barb Kramarz and Nora Barkey. We couldn’t do this without them!

We are always open to additional volunteers. A couple of our volunteers are also retired and will be doing some travel this winter. Library times are Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Your help even for partial shifts or once a month is welcome. Sometimes it works to bring little ones along with you. Maybe you’d like to come in and simply read a story to your child’s class at library. Remember, preschoolers are also coming to library on a rotating cycle. Please contact me through the school, if you are interested in joining our library team in any way.
Mrs. Sandy Fix

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Take Control of Worries - by 2nd Grade

Worry Monsters - Go Away! 

Recently in our school counseling classroom lesson the second graders were learning how to take control of their worries.  Mrs. Stoner read a story called, Worry Says What? to the students. 




Once the story was done we  practiced our belly breaths to take control of our worries and talked about positive self talk.  The second graders then were able to make their own worry monsters.

Here is a short video recap: https://spark.adobe.com/video/wfPYpQd8SaPxa





Thursday, January 17, 2019

Catholic Schools Week 2019 @ ASA



Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed

Dress up Days 

  • Monday - Mismatch Day & Crazy Hair 
  • Tuesday  - Crazy Socks &  Hat Day (with uniforms) 
  • Wednesday - Dress Up Day
  • Thursday - Red, Gold, & Black Day
  • Friday - Sports Day 
Events
  • Sunday (Celebrate Our Parishes) - St Al’s Pack the Pews, 11 a.m. mass 
  • Monday (Celebrate Our Community) 
    • Rosary for: Community, Students, Nation, Vocations, Staff
    • Kick Off building PBiS decoration competitions (to be judged Friday)
  •  Tuesday (Celebrate Our Students)  
    • 3rd Grade Cathedral Mass 
    • Puzzle Pieces prayer 
  • Wednesday  - All School Mass @ St Alphonsus  
    • MS morning drop off at elementary!!  
  • Thursday - WC Alumni Students 9-11!!! 
    • 8th V. Staff night game in the PM  @ St. Isidore
  • Friday
    • k-3 Mary Poppins the musical  
    • ms 8th grade vs. staff rematch games