December 10, 2015 Weekly Parent Newsletter

All Saints Academy, St. Cloud Campus

Weekly Parent Newsletter

December 10, 2015

Every Thursday school is in session we will provide this “Weekly Parent Newsletter”. Please read carefully. This will contain All Saints Academy, St. Cloud news for you and your family.

Please note, newly added information for this week will be under New News.   Information that has been previously published will be located under Bulletin Board at the end.

NEW NEWS

1.  6^th graders at Place of Hope - At mass on Friday, December 18^th, the 6^th graders will be taking up a collection at mass for Place of Hope.  Right after mass, they will be walking to Place of Hope to volunteer for the day.  Place of Hope offers support for people in the St. Cloud area experiencing homelessness, poverty or who need help recovering from hard times.  We would like to bring along a cash donation from All Saints Academy when we visit Place of Hope Friday.  It would be greatly appreciated if students could bring some loose change, or a small amount of allowance (if they get allowance.)  Parents who want to write a out a check can make it out to Place of Hope.  Anything will help.  Thank you. 

2.  Giving Tree Gifts – The response to our Giving Tree in the entry way has been enormous.  Thank you to all our generous families. Please remember to attach the tag to the gift when you return it to school.  Gifts are needed at school by Wednesday, December 16^th by 8:30 am.  This gives us time to sort the gifts and allow the families to pick them up in time for Christmas.

3.  Christmas Program - The K-6^th grade Christmas Program will be held on Thursday, December 17^th at 6:00 pm in St. Paul’s Church. There will be a full dress rehearsal at 1:30 pm.  Anyone is invited to this afternoon program.   There will be a short social in the cafeteria after the evening program.  Please mark your calendars.

4.  Spiritwear Christmas Gifts – If you need Christmas gift ideas for your children, you are welcome to purchase ASA Spirit wear for them.  We have many sizes and several styles available for purchase.  Spirit Wear Day is always on Wednesday.

5.  Lost & Found - Are you missing any sweatshirts or jackets? How about a pair of mittens or a hat? Please come visit our Lost & Found shelves in the hallway on our bottom floor.  We have a lot of things that are unclaimed by our students which have been gathered in our lunchroom, playground, gym and hallway. Please take a minute and look through the items we have.

6.  Catholic Community School (CCS) News –

HOW WILL CCS BENEFIT MY FAMILY?

• CCS will ensure that a Catholic school education — from pre-K through high school — remains available and affordable for all families in the St. Cloud metro area and surrounding communities, whether or not they have a school building on their parish’s property. It will ensure excellence in academics and faith formation. It will enhance the collaboration already happening among the area’s Catholic school educators. It will strengthen marketing and development efforts to help ensure the future of Catholic education in this area.

HOW WILL CCS AFFECT MY PARISH FINANCIALLY?

• It’s too early to say. A finance subcommittee is studying possible financial structures for CCS. Its members will make a recommendation regarding the financial structure to the steering committee, which will then make a recommendation to the bishop. • The expectation, however, is that parishes will continue to provide strong financial support to their schools. The steering committee/finance subcommittee is striving for a model of support that is fair and equitable for all the parishes involved.

HOW WILL CCS AFFECT SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND STAFFING?

• It’s too early to know the answer. But closing school buildings is not the hope or goal of this process. The goal is to fill classrooms and revitalize Catholic education. • There is no intent to change the individual cultures of schools. Each school site will maintain its culture. Each school will maintain its own site advisory council.

Playground Duty – Week of Nov. 16th – 20th.    (Please contact Kris Haehn, 251-5295, to schedule yourself for recess duty.  All families are required to volunteer for 2 days or they may opt out by paying $50/family.)

12/14: Buckentine/Need one additional person

12/15:  Need two persons

12/16:  Baldwin/ Need one additional person

12/17:  Bauer/Need one additional person

12/18:  O’Hara/Swanson/Bauer

Bulletin Board

·      Funzone during Christmas Break – Funzone will be open during Christmas break.  Childcare is available on December 21^st – 23^rd and then again Dec. 28^th – 31^st.  If you need childcare on any of these days, please stop in the office or in the Funzone room to complete a form.  You can also email Funzone at sc.funzone@allsaintsmn.org.

·      Family Lunch Accounts - Family Lunch accounts need to be kept up to date. Notices are in Thursday folders this week if you owe $10 or more. If the balance owed is more than $30.00, students will receive a sandwich and milk during lunch until payment is received beginning Monday, October 26th. According to Federal Policy from the Department of Agriculture, “Schools may deny a meal to a student who pays reduced or full price and who does not provide the required payment for the meal.”  Your cooperation with this matter is most appreciated.

·      Safe Environment Training – Many of you have completed the required paperwork needed for background checks.  Part of the process is completing the Safe Environment Training that is found online.  If you are volunteering at the school, it is required that you complete this training every year. Thank you to those of you who have completed the online training.  Please go to http://stcdio.org/safeenvironmentinstructions/ to complete the training.  The video is approximately 11 minutes long.   Make sure to answer the questions and click “Submit.”

·      Spiritwear Day – Spiritwear Day is every Wednesday that school is in session.  We invite everyone (students, faculty, staff, parents) to wear some kind of Spiritwear to school every Wednesday.  We have some new zip up sweatshirts in student sizes as well as hooded sweatshirts. If you are interested in an ASA sweatshirt or t-shirt, you may check out our supply of Spiritwear!  Many of you may have seen our new items for adults as well.  Contact Marissa Bristow, marissa.bristow@allsaintsmn.org or stop in the office to try on something.

·      School Speak – ASA has implemented School Speak, a new online school management system.  It is a secure portal that allows us to store information and communicate with our families. Many of you have received the introductory email to log in to School Speak.  If you haven’t, please contact the office, 251-5295, so that we can provide the information for you.  We would like all parents to log in and update their profile.  This technology will allow us to provide more information, communicate with parents and offer useful tools for everyone who is a member of our school community.

·      Sign Up for REMIND: The St. Cloud Campus would like to invite parents/guardians to sign up for REMIND. REMIND is a safe, free and easy way we can connect with parents through texting. It allows us to communicate with all parents instantly. Signing up is done through a unique code to Mrs. Marissa Bristow. Please text to 612-260-4578 and in the message section enter @ef392. It is that easy. You will be added on to the parent list.  If you have signed up in the past, it is not necessary to sign up again.

Calendar Dates 

Dec. 17:  Christmas Program

Dec. 18:  Christmas Vacation Begins, regular dismissal

Jan. 4:  School resumes, full day of classes

Jan. 18:  Martin Luther Kind Day, Workshop/Retreat Day for Staff; No school for students

Jan. 19:  Staff Development, No School for Students

Jan. 28:  Open House for 2016-2017

Jan. 31:  Feb. 6:  Catholic Schools Week – Kick off mass at all parishes

Feb. 10:  Ash Wednesday

Feb. 15:  Presidents’ Day, No school for Students or Staff

Feb. 16:  SCAPA Workshop Day for staff, No school for Students

Feb. 22-24:  Deep Portage for 6^th graders

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

… 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.

December 3, 2015 Weekly Parent Newsletter

                All Saints Academy, St. Cloud Campus

Weekly Parent Newsletter

December 3, 2015

Every Thursday school is in session we will provide this “Weekly Parent Newsletter”. Please read carefully. This will contain All Saints Academy, St. Cloud news for you and your family.

Please note, newly added information for this week will be under New News.   Information that has been previously published will be located under Bulletin Board at the end.

NEW NEWS

1.  Giving Tree Gifts - The season of giving continues as we begin the season of Advent this Sunday, November 29th.  We want to live out our core value of "Sharing Generously" with those in our own community.  We never need to look very far to reach out and be the helping hand that people very close to us may need.  This year, All Saints Academy would like to adopt three families in our community and one of our teachers, Mrs. Orth's family.

Mrs. Orth has been a teacher at St. Joseph's & ASA for 24 years and attend St. Peter's parish.  Last year, Mrs. Orth injured her knee and needed surgery.  In January, Curt, her husband, was diagnosed with kidney failure.  He is on dialysis and currently underwent quadruple bypass surgery.  Needless to say, the medical bills are accumulating and ASA would like to be able to provide some assistance.   Thank you in advance for your generosity and kindness.

Our Giving Tree is set up in the entryway.  If you would like to purchase a gift, please take a tag, purchase the gift indicated and bring back to school with the tag attached.  Make sure to record on the sheets what tag you have chosen.

2. Playground Supervision – All Saints Academy provides recess everyday after lunch.  We’d like to thank all our parents who help us supervise the students when they are on the playground. In the event that indoor recess is required, we still need our playground volunteers for supervision in the classrooms and gym.  Stop in the office or give us a call to sign up.  We have many openings on many days!   

3.  Congratulations to our Essay Winners -   All Saints Academy would like to congratulate 2 of our fifth graders, Cooper K. & Breanna S.   Breanna won first place and Cooper won 2^nd place in a contest sponsored by the United Way.  The theme of the essays was “How do you Live United?”  There were over 350 essays submitted from central Minnesota. 

4.  Funzone during Christmas Break – Funzone will be open during Christmas break.  Childcare is available on December 21^st – 23^rd and then again Dec. 28^th – 31^st.  If you need childcare on any of these days, please stop in the office or in the Funzone room to complete a form.  You can also email Funzone at sc.funzone@allsaintsmn.org.

5.  Winter Clothing – Now that the winter has fully descended upon us, please take a moment to make sure your children have the appropriate winter clothing with them on a daily basis.  Boots, mittens/gloves and something covering their head is required.  Students will need to wear snow pants if they are playing in the snow.  We want to keep all students as healthy as possible.

6.  Attention Parents – If you plan on getting out of your vehicle when picking up your child/ren in back of school, please park in the parking lot across 12^th Ave N.  Parking in the street on both sides narrows the driving path for cars entering the lot to pick up students and blocks the view of the crosswalk.  Keeping all students and parents safe is our goal.  Your assistance in this area is greatly appreciated.

7.  98.1 Teacher of the Month – Congratulations to Mrs. Cindy Bautch, 1^st grade teacher who is the 98.1 Minnesota’s New Country Teacher of the month for December 2015.  Mrs. Bautch was nominated by her student Raegan L.  She shared that “Mrs. Bautch is really nice in class.”

8.  Catholic Community School (CCS) News - The mission of the Catholic schools steering committee is to create the overall structure for Catholic Community Schools; it is not an implementation board or the board of directors of CCS. By way of analogy: the steering committee is the “architect” for CCS, not the “general contractor” or “interior designer.” • Bishop Donald Kettler believes an important reason for forming CCS is to get more children into classrooms, strengthen and improve the programs offered, and ensure teachers and principals receive just salaries.

• Schools will be able to do more extensive marketing and fundraising together, leaving principals and teachers to focus on their primary job: the spiritual, academic and personal growth of their students.

WHAT IS THIS INITIATIVE NOT ABOUT?

• It’s not about closing schools. • It’s not about consolidating schools into a “mega-school.” • It’s not about getting rid of an individual school building’s culture or special character.

WHAT IS THE TIMELINE FOR THIS WORK?

• The committee, which was appointed by Bishop Kettler, had its first meeting in December 2014. He directed the committee to provide him with a plan for his review by December 2015. The 2016-2017 school year will be a “year of transition” during which schools will begin more collaborative efforts. CCS is slated to launch in fall 2017.

• The steering committee anticipates a governance structure comprised of a board of directors — including pastors from the parishes involved — to oversee the major decisions of CCS, such as finances, curriculum and human resources. A superintendent will head up a central office. Advisory committees made up of priests, staff, parents and others from the school sites and parishes involved will assist the principals, superintendent and board. The director of Catholic Education Ministries for the Diocese of St. Cloud will serve as a consultant to the board.

9.  PAC and Texas Roadhouse are teaming up for a fundraiser! We will be selling gift cards for Texas Roadhouse.  PAC will receive 10% on every card ordered.  These make great gifts for the Christmas Season!  You will get credit for 10% of each card ordered toward your fundraising goal. If you have any questions please feel free to contact a PAC member. We will also be having a dinner night at Texas Roadhouse in February.  Watch for that information to come out after the Holidays. We thank you in advance for always supporting our school!!!

10.  St. Cloud Winter Nights & Lights Festival – The festival will be held December 11^th & 12^th.  Activities begin Friday, Dec. 11^th at 4:00 pm at Radio City Music Mall (619 W. St. Germain.)  The Polar Plunge at Lake George begins at 6:30 pm.  Jump in to raise funds to help the homeless in our community.  On Saturday at 1 pm, Winter Wonderland at Lake George will include Santa & Mrs. Claus, arts/crafts, carnival, hayride and other activities.  At 5 pm there will be a Nights & Lights Parade and Laser Light Show along West St. Germain St. between 12^th & 4^th Avenues.  For more information, please go to StCloudDowntown.com or call 257-8600.

Playground Duty – Week of Nov. 16th – 20th.    (Please contact Kris Haehn, 251-5295, to schedule yourself for recess duty.  All families are required to volunteer for 2 days or they may opt out by paying $50/family.)

12/07: Need two persons

12/08:  Need two persons

12/09:  Need two persons

12/10:  Ward/Need one additional person

12/11:  Ethen/Ward

Bulletin Board

·      WINTER WEATHER/SCHOOL CLOSINGS – All Saints Academy is closed when “St. Cloud Area School District 742 Schools” are announced as closed.  The St. Cloud Area public schools post closings on their website at  www.isd742.org/‎.  As soon as ASA administration is aware of a closing, a Remind text will be sent to all Remind participants (if you haven’t signed up for Remind yet, instructions are located in the Bulletin Board section of the newsletter. WJON communicates all weather related closings, also.)

·      SCAYBA - The St Cloud Area Youth Basketball Association (SCAYBA) is a non-profit organization that offers various basketball programs to youth of all ages. Our next program coming up is our In-House Program for boys and girls in grades 1-8. This program meets Saturday mornings in January and February and is for boys and girls who wish to work on developing and improving fundamental basketball skills in a fun environment. This is a great program for those beginning basketball and those who might not be able to afford a travel program.  If you would like a registration form, please contact the office.

·      Shoveling for Franciscan Sisters – The St. Cloud Franciscan Sisters house is in need of someone who would be willing to clear snow this winter.  Snow would need to be cleared by 7 am out of a driveway and sidewalk.  The house is located on the north-side of St. Cloud.  For more details and compensation info, please call 320-240-9008 and ask for Sr. Joyce.

·      Family Lunch Accounts - Family Lunch accounts need to be kept up to date. Notices are in Thursday folders this week if you owe $10 or more. If the balance owed is more than $30.00, students will receive a sandwich and milk during lunch until payment is received beginning Monday, October 26th. According to Federal Policy from the Department of Agriculture, “Schools may deny a meal to a student who pays reduced or full price and who does not provide the required payment for the meal.”  Your cooperation with this matter is most appreciated.

·      Safe Environment Training – Many of you have completed the required paperwork needed for background checks.  Part of the process is completing the Safe Environment Training that is found online.  If you are volunteering at the school, it is required that you complete this training every year. Thank you to those of you who have completed the online training.  Please go to http://stcdio.org/safeenvironmentinstructions/ to complete the training.  The video is approximately 11 minutes long.   Make sure to answer the questions and click “Submit.”

·      Spiritwear Day – Spiritwear Day is every Wednesday that school is in session.  We invite everyone (students, faculty, staff, parents) to wear some kind of Spiritwear to school every Wednesday.  We have some new zip up sweatshirts in student sizes as well as hooded sweatshirts. If you are interested in an ASA sweatshirt or t-shirt, you may check out our supply of Spiritwear!  Many of you may have seen our new items for adults as well.  Contact Marissa Bristow, marissa.bristow@allsaintsmn.org or stop in the office to try on something.

·      School Speak – ASA has implemented School Speak, a new online school management system.  It is a secure portal that allows us to store information and communicate with our families. Many of you have received the introductory email to log in to School Speak.  If you haven’t, please contact the office, 251-5295, so that we can provide the information for you.  We would like all parents to log in and update their profile.  This technology will allow us to provide more information, communicate with parents and offer useful tools for everyone who is a member of our school community.

·      Sign Up for REMIND: The St. Cloud Campus would like to invite parents/guardians to sign up for REMIND. REMIND is a safe, free and easy way we can connect with parents through texting. It allows us to communicate with all parents instantly. Signing up is done through a unique code to Mrs. Marissa Bristow. Please text to 612-260-4578 and in the message section enter @ef392. It is that easy. You will be added on to the parent list.  If you have signed up in the past, it is not necessary to sign up again.

Calendar Dates 

Dec.  6:  Christmas Band Concert, 3 pm, Holy Angels

Dec. 9 & 10:  Prospective Kindergarten Days

Dec. 17:  Christmas Program

Dec. 18:  Christmas Vacation Begins, regular dismissal

Jan. 4:  School resumes, full day of classes

Jan. 18:  Martin Luther Kind Day, Workshop/Retreat Day for Staff; No school for students

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

… 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.