Parent Newsletter
All Saints Academy, St. Cloud Campus
April 27, 2023
Extravaganza Wrap Up
(New info)
Extravaganza went very well this year! Attendees had fun playing various games, dancing to music, bidding on auction items,visiting with other ASA community members and eating delicious Mexican Village tacos and Bo Diddley’s sandwiches. We had roughly 160 people in attendance and netted about $28,000. The money raised goes to salaries, curriculum, and special projects like the new school garden.
Running a school is not cheap, but ASA operates very efficiently with the average cost per student at $7000 as compared to public schools which is double the cost at $14,000. As much as I believe in frugality and being good stewards of parents’ tuition, parish support and donor contributions, having a limited budget results in salaries being less than 70% of public school employees. As a consequence, attracting and retaining quality teachers and staff is becoming increasingly more difficult.
This is why fundraising is necessary at ASA. If we wish to maintain the quality education at ASA, supplemental fundraising revenue is critical. Everyday I am impressed with the love and care that the ASA staff shows our students. I see students engaged with their studies and teachers going the extra mile to ensure their students are making gains in their learning. Just the other day, a student, who came from another school, commented how she loves it here at ASA because the teachers are kind and the students are accepting of her.
The goal next year for Extravaganza is to create an even more fun event, get over 200 attendees, and increase the net amount to over $40,000. A very achievable goal for our school community.
A big thank you to Ms. Bristow, Ms. Loch, the ASA staff, the Extravaganza Committee and our volunteers for all their work in making Extravaganza a success.
May 5th is Appreciation Mass
(New info)
All Saints Academy will be having their Appreciation Mass Friday, May 5th. We will be honoring our volunteers at that time. There will be muffins and coffee afterwards in the cafeteria for any adults wishing to stay after mass for some community.
NexTrex
ASA is now a participant in the NexTrex plastics recycling program. NexTrex uses recycled plastics to make composite decking materials. ASA will have bins for families to drop off their clean/dry plastics. A flyer came home last Thursday explaining the types of plastics this program accepts. The flyer will also be posted in FACTS under Resource Documents.
If ASA is able to collect 500 pounds of plastic bags/wrapping material, we will receive a Trex composite bench for our school.
Join Band!!!
(New info)
Join the band! With the end of the school year approaching, 3rd and 4th graders have some exciting opportunities coming up to consider joining band for next year! Starting next week, students will even have the chance to try all of the band instruments out for themselves! You will be receiving more information on joining band, informational meetings for families to learn more, the many benefits of learning to play a musical instrument, and why we hope that you will choose for band to be a part of YOUR child’s education! If you have questions or think that your child would like to be in band, contact band director, Sean Jacobson at sjacobson@catholiccommunityschools.org.
Vacation Bible School Registration
(New info)
It’s that time of year when Vacation Bible School (VBS) would like to invite your child to Stellar: Shine Jesus’ Light vacation bible school. It will be held at St. Peter’s Church from 9 am - 12:00 noon. Cost is free until May 15th. After May 15th, the cost will be $15/child. Click here enroll/sign up your child. To volunteer to help with VBS, Please click here if you would like to help volunteer.
Honor Band
Congratulations to our honor band students from ASA. They were selected among the best first- and second-year band students in central Minnesota to be part of the Central Minnesota Band Directors' Association Beginning Band and Second-Year Band Festival and put on a concert with other top band students from around the region. The students include:
Khalel M., 4th grade
Paxton W., 4th grade
Evelyn B. 4th grade
Caroline G., 5th grade
Xander M., 5th grade
Parish May Day Activities
(New info)
St. Paul’s Church will be honoring Queen Mary on Monday, May 1st at 6:00 pm. Activities include crowning of Mary by children, glorious mysteries of the Rosary, and ice cream social afterwards. All are invited.
2023-2024 Enrollment Packets Due
All Saints Academy uses enrollment numbers to make plans for the 2023-2024 school year. Your child is not considered enrolled for next year until all digital forms have been completed. Your child is not considered enrolled until these forms have been completed and all sections contain a green check mark.
Your digital 2023-2024 Enrollment Packets were emailed to you on Friday, January 20th. Parents need to complete the re-enrollment of your child/ren on FACTS. Go to your FACTS Family Portal and login. Select the “Enrollment/Reenrollment” tab and complete all fields.
If your child will NOT be attending ASA in 23/24 School Year, please email Karl Terhaar or Marissa Bristow to let them know so that ASA can plan appropriately.
Lunch Account Balance
Your lunch account balance is available on FACTS. To see it, go to FACTS and click on “Financial” on the left side of your screen. You will see your balance. Many families have a negative balance. If you have a negative or low balance, please make sure to add funds so that we do not have to contact you about a low balance. Student lunches are $3.25/lunch and include milk. Milk is $.50/carton for students with a cold lunch or want an extra milk with their school lunch.
If students are receiving free/reduced lunches, the extra milk requested by the student is not covered by this program. Parents are responsible for payment of extra milk taken by a student.
Softball Gloves Requested
Our PE teacher, Ms. Wielinski is in need of gently used softball gloves to use during PE classes. If you have any gloves and would be willing to donate them, please bring them to the office.
Volunteer Hour Requirement
15 hours of volunteer hours are required per family each school year. Thank you to those of you who are on their way to fulfilling this requirement. $50 will be charged to families at the end of the year if this requirement is not met. There is still time to volunteer.
Spread the Word - ASA is an awesome school!
The ASA staff sees every child as a child of God and we strive to help students grow and become their best potential selves. ASA is a safe, loving environment where students can learn and find success.
Spread the word and let everyone know of the exceptional preschool – 5th grade program we have at All Saints Academy. Flyers will be sent home with students in Thursday folders. We ask that parents share it with at least one acquaintance who isn’t part of All Saints Academy. Help us share our wonderful elementary school. Word-of-mouth is by far the most effective marketing of the ASA!
ASA invites new families to hear about our preschool and elementary program. They will learn about all the great opportunities and advantages ASA has to offer. Families will learn about our STEM focused curriculum, our teaching approach moving through the elementary years, and how we integrate faith into our everyday learning.
Our school community is a special one and we would love for others to stay with us throughout the fundamental preschool and elementary years. Interested new families will find out about our variable tuition and how our school can be an affordable option.
Spiritwear Wear
Wednesdays are Spiritwear Day at ASA and we invite the students to wear their spiritwear on Wednesdays. But all are welcome to wear Spiritwear any day of the week!
If you missed the order, ASA has some items available for purchase in the office. Checks or cash will be accepted.
Alli the Alligator t-shirts, adult & youth - $15
T-shirts, adult & youth - $15
Long-sleeve t-shirts, adult & youth - $19
Hooded sweatshirt, adult & youth - $30
Crewneck sweatshirt, adult & youth - $25
Alli t-shirts, adult & youth - $15
Drop Off & Pick Up Reminders
When dropping off in the morning and picking up in front of school, please park on the opposite side of the road. Do not park in front of the building. The school has been notified by District Transportation several times that it is becoming difficult for buses to pass through parked cars. The front of the school is reserved for bus drop off and pick up.
· Do NOT park where you see the red line on the sidewalk in front of the school building.
· Look for No Parking signs
· Park on the opposite side of the street or on side streets.
· School buses are having difficulty dropping off and picking up students safely with cars parked on both sides of
• Please be considerate and do not block neighbors’ driveways when parking.
· Be aware the area is used by other District 742 students. It is more than ASA buses using the drop off & pick up area.
Volunteer Background Checks
If you plan on chaperoning a field trip with your child’s class, you are required to undergo the Safe Environment Training with a full background check. Information is available on FACTS under Resource Documents. Look for “Safe Environment Flyer.” The training is approximately 1 hour, 45 minutes and the cost is $19.
FACTS
FACTS is the new online Student Information System and tuition payment system. ASA is transitioning from School Speak to FACTS this year. It is a secure portal that allows us to provide more information, communicate with parents, sign up for conferences 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 FACTS please call the office for your username & password. Currently, the office and kitchen are learning how to utilize FACTS with our lunch program. When we learn how you can add funds using a credit card, it will be communicated to you.
Funzone is using School Speak for now. When Funzone transitions to FACTS, you will be notified and provided directions on signing up & payment.
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.
2022-2023 Playground Supervision Program
Our goal is to have one volunteer parent to act as crossing guard on the playground every day to assist the school staff during the entire recess period. Recess will be 10:40 am – 11:40 am.
Please contact the office to sign up for Playground Supervision. We need one parent everyday to assist the school staff during the entire recess/lunch period. There is a calendar in the office for your convenience or you can call Mrs. Bristow to sign up.
K - 5 families need to volunteer for recess supervision 2-3 times this year for the safety of the children. (Preschool parents are not required to volunteer as their children do not participate in lunch recess time. But all families are welcome to volunteer.) If you find your schedule doesn’t allow you to volunteer for Recess Duty, you may opt out by paying $50. (Separate charge from Volunteer Requirement. Recess hours are applied to the 15-hours/year of volunteering.) These funds are used to defray the cost of additional paid recess staff. At the end of the school year, families will be charged $50 if they haven’t volunteered for recess.
Playground Duty – Week of May 1 - 12. =
5/1 - Chisholm
5/2 - Ilboudo
5/3 - Ilboudo
5/4 - Brown
5/5 - Mesna
5/8- Schoenberg
5/9 - Mathiowetz
5/10 - Overman
5/11 - Ramacher
5/12 - Schotl (Wixon)
Kitchen Volunteer - Week of May 1 - 12. Currently, ASA needs volunteers for May.
5/1 - Mathiowetz
5/2 - Brenny
5/3 - Gohmann (Hoffmann)
5/4 - Brenny
5/5 - Hoffmann
5/8- Need one volunteer
5/9 - Brenny
5/10 - Kephart
5/11 - Need one volunteer
5/12 - Hoffmann
Lunch Menu Link
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 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. (PAC meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 6:30).
PAC is ASA’s parent organization. They help with fun activities for the kids and do things to show appreciation for our teachers. Your support is needed to keep this parent organization operating. All families are asked to donate to PAC at the beginning of the year. Currently PAC has only collected half of what they collected last year. Without your support things like the Halloween Party, St. Nick Day, and Spring Carnival will not happen. Your child’s class is in need of parent representatives, so please sign up.
CALLS TO ACTION:
● Join the ASA PAC Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1078832182165102/
● Help us raise money for our school through RaiseRight (formerly ShopWithScrip). Visit www.raiseright.com and enter Enrollment code: F7L1BL477L237
Questions? Email us at pac@allsaintsmn.org .
Aubrey Brown, ASA PAC Co-President
Karin Loch, ASA PAC Co-President
Lindsay Kephart, ASA PAC Treasurer
Adrian Wijasa, ASA PAC Secretary
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BULLETIN BOARD
St. John’s Prep is hosting Discovery Visit Day Monday, May 1st. Click Here to schedule a Discovery Day, Campus Visit or a Shadowing date. Included in today’s Thursday folder are various St. John Prep camps that are available to your current 5th grader.
Parents, it is not too late to send in applications for free and/or reduced hot lunches. You can pick up an application at the office. If you have questions regarding this program, please contact Mrs. Bristow at 251-5295 or marissa.bristow@allsaintsmn.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 ASA is a Nut-Free building. All snacks and lunches need to be peanut-free and nut-free. There is a safe-snack list on FACTS under Resource Documents. 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.
Please keep your child home if he/she has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, has vomited or had diarrhea in the last 24 hours. Please watch for additional symptoms (shortness of breath, sore throat, chills, loss of taste or smell, body aches, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, congestion, fatigue, headache.) Please refer to the Parent Handbook on School Speak regarding Illness, Injuries and Accidents. In addition, ASA has posted several Covid resources on School Speak. If your child will be absent, please contact the office to report them absent.
Upcoming Dates
May 5 Appreciation Mass
May 24 End of Year Family Picnic Bash (PAC Sponsored)
May 29 Memorial Day, No School for Students or Staff
May 31 5th Grade Graduation Mass, 8:15 am
June 1 Last Day of School for PreK - 4th Grade
June 2 Professional Development Days for Licensed Staff, progress reports mailed
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.
