Weekly Parent Newsletter
All Saints Academy, St. Cloud Campus
March 25, 2021
Fish Fry
St. Joseph Church in Waite Park will be holding a Fish Fry this Friday, March 26 th from 4:00 – 7:00 pm, 106 7 th Ave N, Waite Park. There will be no indoor dining, drive-thru and takeout orders are available. The menu will be hand-breaded fish, homemade tartar sauce, baked beans, coleslaw and potato. Cost is $12/meal.
Outstanding Balances on Lunch Accounts
All families should look at their lunch balance in School Speak. Prior to Jan. 4, 2021, the cost of a school lunch was $3.00/child. (Beginning Jan. 4 th , ASA moved to a lunch program that allowed the school to provide free lunches to all students during this pandemic year. As of now, this program will end April 30, 2021.) If there is a negative number, you have money in your lunch account. You do not owe any money. If you see that you have a positive number, this is your past due balance. You are welcome to pay by credit card on School Speak or send a check to the office.
Additionally, if your child has milk with their cold lunch or an extra milk at lunch, the cost is $.50/carton.
Lent 2021
Today our 2nd - 6th graders had the opportunity to participate in Reconciliation. For many of our 2nd graders, this was their First Reconciliation. Congratulations to them!
This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week.
Wednesday, March 31st is the last opportunity to take part in Stations of the Cross that will be enacted by 6th graders at 2:15 pm.
ASA continues to do the Pennies Pathways drive that will support Pathways for Youth. Students are encouraged to bring in their change for a healthy competition amongst classrooms, Pennies count as a positive point for a classroom. Silver coins count as negative points for another classroom. So if you drop a quarter in another bucket, that classroom loses 25 points.
For our neighbors globally, we will be doing the Rice Bowl project. The money collected will go to Catholic Relief Services to combat hunger in some of the most in-need communities throughout the world and in our diocese as well. Please turn in your Rice Bowl money on Holy Thursday or as soon as possible after Easter.
PAC Spring Plant Sale
PAC is having a spring plant sale. Packets came home. Hanging baskets and bedding plants will be available for purchase. All funds raised will go towards supporting ASA PAC. You may choose to order using the paper flyer or use the link below to order online . Orders must be submitted to PAC by April 2, 2021. Pick up of plants will take place on Wed., May 5 th from 3:15 – 6 pm at ASA. If you have questions, please contact Kim Ellingboe, kamurphy8@gmail.com or 320-774-2408.
https://sites.google.com/cathedralcrusaders.org/asapacplantsalespring2021/home
Transportation Forms for SY 2021-2022
In last week’s Thursday folder was a Transportation form for next school year. If you will need bussing for your child/ren, you must complete the form and mail to District Transportation. You must complete one form per child. If you need additional forms, please let the office know and we can send more forms home. A digital form is available for printing with Mrs. Leider’s email regarding this subject or on the District 742 website.
Registration for 2021-2022
Registration for the 2021-2022 school year is here! As you know, we have adopted continuous enrollment at our campus. So all current students will be automatically re-enrolled for the 2021-2022 school year. If you have a new student to enroll, please log into your TADS account, and select Admissions! You will need to fill out an application, and then you will be sent a link to enroll!
Students who are kindergarten eligible for the 2021-2022 school year will be automatically promoted to Kindergarten. Please be sure to consult with your child’s teacher to determine the right fit for your child, and let Mrs. Leider know if you are choosing an additional year of preschool.
All current preschoolers not eligible for kindergarten will automatically be re-enrolled in their current program, and all current preschool parents will need to log on to your TADS account to select a different program, update information and make any necessary changes by March 1st. Please email Mrs. Leider with your program choice as well. After March 1st, current parents will no longer be given priority in selecting their program of choice.
ALL parents should log in to TADS to verify your child’s information, update emergency contacts, etc, also by March 1st.
Registration fees of $100 per student will be charged on April 1st, 2021 to the payment method that is used in your tuition agreement. Unless you make changes to your tuition agreement, the current payment plan and method will carry over to the 2021-2022 school year. If you are not planning on returning to ASA, please notify Mrs. Leider in writing of your intentions prior to March 15, 2021 to avoid paying the non-refundable registration fee. If you need assistance with the registration fee, please contact me as soon as possible. Technology fees will remain the same at $50 for K-6 students for the 2021-2022 school year.
Tuition assistance is also available for families who qualify. To be considered for tuition assistance, please apply on TADS through the financial aid portal. The application for tuition assistance will be available beginning March 1st. Please complete the application by May 1, 2021. This will give us the best opportunity to meet your needs. There is a $40 application fee for financial aid. If you have questions about this process, please contact me as soon as possible.
Early Release Days
District 742 has three early release days this year yet. They include, Friday, April 23rd and Friday, May 7th. ASA and all St. Cloud CCS schools will follow the early release. School will end at 1 pm, and Funzone will be available.
Recess Volunteers & Kitchen Volunteers Needed this Spring
We are looking for recess volunteers and kitchen volunteers for April & May yet. Please contact Marissa Bristow in the office to sign up for available dates. Our goal is to have one volunteer parent to act as crossing guard (10:30 am – 12:15 pm) and another volunteer in the kitchen (10:55 am – 12:15 pm) every day to assist the school staff during the entire recess/lunch period.
COVID Resource on School Speak
ASA has fielded a lot of questions on whether you should send their child to school if they have certain symptoms. A resource has been posted on School Speak that will clarify your decision making. There is a “Parent Morning Checklist” that parents can use when assessing how your child feels.
Please note that if your child has a cough or a fever or two of the less common symptoms (see the decision tree for details), they need to be evaluated by a medical professional before returning to school.
To maintain your child’s health while at school, please remind them of the following”
= Bring a water bottle everyday
= Bring hand sanitizer
= Wear a mask
= Bring spare masks
= Wash and sanitize hands frequently
= Keep physical distance with peers (6 feet+) when possible
ASA Parent Activity Committee (PAC) Corner
Hello ASA parents! Let's get to know each other! We encourage all interested parents to join PAC – especially if you are new to the community. It’s a GREAT way to meet other ASA families and get connected, and it’s a lot of fun, too!
PAC meets on the first Wednesday of every month, virtually this year through Zoom from 7 – 8 p.m.
CALLS TO ACTION:
· Join the ASA PAC Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1078832182165102/
· Purchase gift cards from Scrip , and a portion of your purchase will benefit PAC-funded activities! There are gift cards to 699 locations, including Amazon, Kwik Trip, Starbucks, Walmart, Home Depot, Target, Best Buy, Chipotle, and Subway, to name a few. You're bound to find something you can use!
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What is PAC?
PAC is made up of ASA parents, and it is an integral part of the ASA community. Our mission is to facilitate and support the development of a Christ-centered environment through connections between home and school. Our vision is to support the growth and development of our youth through fundraisers, volunteerism, and family activities. We also facilitate staff appreciation efforts, parent development opportunities and activities inside and outside of the classroom for our children.
What does PAC do?
This year, we plan to provide funding for in-school “field” trips, Saint Nick treats, and Catholic Schools Week, to name a few. PAC also typically hosts multiple community building events throughout the year. This year we will be taking extra precautions for the health and safety of our staff and families. We will NOT be hosting the annual ASA Halloween Fest this year. However, we remain hopeful that we will be able to celebrate together later in the school year with our annual outdoor Spring Family Picnic.
Where do PAC funds come from?
We ask families to make an annual suggested donation of $25 to support PAC’s efforts for the benefit of the entire ASA community. Please make checks payable to PAC. We will also be bringing Scrip gift card fundraising back to ASA! See the login info in the CALLS TO ACTION above.
Questions? Email us at pac@allsaintsmn.org .
Marit Ortega, ASA PAC President
Karin Loch, ASA PAC Vice President
Chloe Spann-Ford, ASA PAC Secretary
Mary Larson, ASA PAC Treasurer
What is School Speak?
School Speak is an online school management system. It is a secure portal that allows us to provide more information, communicate with parents and offer useful tools for everyone who is a member of our school community.
If you are new to All Saints Academy or have never logged onto School Speak, you will be receiving an introductory email. The welcome email was sent to new parents earlier in July. Due to security issues, the email will only stay in your inbox for a few days. If you need the email resent, please call the office at 251-5295.
Individuals who have used School Speak in the past will not get an email. The username & password you had last year is still the same.
We would like all parents to log in and update their profile by Sept. 15th.
Student Absences or Late Students
Please call the office to report your child’s absence before 8 am . Also, transportation changes for your child should be made by calling the office before 10 am. It is difficult for us to make changes to the routine after 10 am and teachers do not have time to check email messages to make those changes throughout the day. If your child unexpectedly needs to attend FunZone, please call the office by 10 am.
2020-2021 Playground Supervision Program
Playground Duty – Weeks of March 22 nd – April 2nd ; 10:30 am – 12:15 pm
Please come to the office to check in.
3/29 – Klein
3/30 - Majette
3/31 - Majette
4/1 – Need one volunteer
4/2 – No School
4/5 – No School
4/6 – Rengel
4/7 – Need one volunteer
4/8 – Rengel
4/9 – Need one volunteer
BULLETIN BOARD
ASA would like to invite your child to play in our Strings Program if they are in grades 3-6 to consider playing a stringed instrument. ASA offers lessons at your child's school during the regular school day. The program is very quickly reaching full capacity for the year so please contact your school secretary or myself for a signup sheet. asteichen@cathedralcrusaders.org
We encourage parents/guardians to sign up for REMIND - a safe, free and easy way we can communicate with parents instantly through texting. To sign up, text ASA Administrative Assistant Mrs. Marissa Bristow at 612-260-4578 and in the message enter @ef392 . It is that easy. You will be added to the parent list . If you have signed up in the past, it is not necessary to sign up again.
Please remember that we are a Nut-Safe building. All snacks and lunches need to be peanut-free and nut-free. There is a safe-snack list on School Speak under Announcements. NOTE: Since ingredients change this list may be updated from time to time – we ask that parents check this list before purchasing snacks throughout the year. Did you know? Childhood allergic reactions are most likely to happen at school and 50% of reactions were previously unknown to the parents or child. Thank you for helping to keep our school safe for all of our students.
Keep Collecting!
It all adds up! Last year ASA received over $7,000 from labels and related rewards. Continue to save the following labels:
Country Hearth and Village Hearth Products (UPCs)
Pop and can tabs
Old cell phones
Empty ink and toner cartridges
(Campbell Soup has discontinued their program)
Upcoming Dates
Apr. 1: Holy Thursday
Apr. 2: Good Friday, No school for students or staff
Apr. 4: Easter Sunday
Apr. 5: Easter Monday, No school for students or staff
Apr. 23: Dist. 742 Two-Hour early release, school day ends at 12:55 pm
May 6: Kindergarten Round Up, no school for current Kindergarten students
May 7: Dist. 742 Two-Hour early release, school day ends at 12:55 pm
May 31: Memorial Day, No school for students or staff
June 1 -3: Dist. 742 not in session, no bussing available
June 2: 6 th grade graduation mass & last day for 6 th grade
June 3: Last day of school for PreK – 5 th grade
June 4: Professional Development for Licensed Staff
Our Mission
… is to deliver an academically excellent, Catholic education that develops the whole person and inspires a Christ-centered life in a global community.
Our Vision
All Saints Academy creates and nurtures an environment which supports
students, educators and community in realizing their God given gifts, reaching their full potential and developing their life-long relationship with Christ.
This parent weekly update is published each Thursday school is in session. Anyone with questions, comments or articles they wish to be considered for inclusion should send an e-mail to Marissa Bristow at marissa.bristow@allsaintsmn.org no later than Monday, 3 PM for that week’s update or drop it off at school.
