Author: Janis DeVore

The 19th Annual Race for Education pledge campaign is underway!

As the PTO’s most significant fundraiser of the year, the proceeds from this event fund the majority of our budget—helping to cover all PTO initiatives including Classroom Startup Funds, Field Trip Subsidies, Spirit Events and Special Faculty Recognitions. New this year, funds raised in excess of our $45,000 goal will be designated toward stipends for faculty and staff serving as moderators of extracurricular activities. As in years past, 5% of all proceeds will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

With your help, and student enthusiasm, we can reach our goal!

We are again partnering with PledgeStar as our online fundraising platform.

PledgeStar keeps the process simple, making it much easier for you to request pledges from family and friends, and for them to make secure credit card donations online. It’s fun, it’s easy, and those who use it typically raise twice as much as those who don’t.

Each family will have their own fundraising webpage, whether you have one student, or several. You will even have the option of uploading a photo for a personal touch.

We have a great line-up of incentives ready to help keep the students motivated. Everything from prizes, classroom and individual recognitions, a dress-down day and even a special school-wide surprise are planned.

Race for Education is rewarding for students, simple for you, and important for our school. We thank you for your help in making this event a great success! – The All Saints PTO

Stay tuned for more information on volunteering on May 2nd! We hope to see you there!

See our 2024 Race for Education page for details!

A school is only as strong as the community that supports it. All Saints Catholic School is strong not only because of the strength and dedication of our exceptional faculty and administration, but also because of the overwhelming commitment from you – our school community. It is with this support and commitment in mind that the Nomination Committee seeks nominees for the 2024 – 2025 PTO Executive Committee.

This year we are holding elections for President Elect, and Treasurer. The duties of the officers are as follows:

The President Elect shall:

• Sit as aide to the President.
• Perform the duties of the President in the absence or inability of that officer to serve.
• Perform other delegated duties as assigned.
• Succeed to the office and perform the duties of the President if that office is vacated at any time by the incumbent during his or her term.
• Succeed the President at the end of the President’s term.

The Treasurer shall:

• Coordinate with the parish financial office to manage the PTO’s account.
• Initiate parish check requisitions in accordance with the approved annual PTO budget.
• Maintain and publish accurate records of all financial transactions of the PTO.
• Oversee the creation of the annual PTO budget for approval by the PTO.

Please take time to review the descriptions and nominate either yourself or another individual you think would like to contribute their time and talent to our school. 

Please fill out the form linked below no later than March 27:

PTO Nomination Form

Nominated individuals will be contacted by the Nominations Committee to obtain consent to place their name on the ballot. Please prayerfully consider supporting our school in a new and exciting way!

Early Bird registration deadline is March 31st.

Art, Drama, Musical Theatre Camps for K-12

Are you ready to “leap” into a summer your child will always remember?

Celebrating 20 years of premier performing arts and visual arts camps hosted by Northern Virginia Catholic Churches. This July 8-19, Spotlight on the Arts returns to All Saints in Manassas and Nativity Parish in Burke with…

• Broadway Spotlight for older elementary through high school
• Drama Bootcamp
• Arts & Crafts Fun for early elementary
• Art Explorer

Every participant is guaranteed a summer to remember, because our 2024 team of Catholic professionals have amazing professional backgrounds that bring both tremendous expertise along with a commitment to Christian values.

Early Bird Discounts:
Engage your child’s creative mind, plus SAVE today with a super early bird discount of $35 off PER CAMP! And, families registering three children deduct an additional 10%. Plus, everyone who registers now receives a FREE Spotlight T-Shirt!

Go to our official website to lock in your spot and discounts today: https://SpotlightSummerCamps.com

All Saints Sports for 3rd – 8th Graders: Track & Field and Girls’ Volleyball

CYO spring sports registration is open for Boys and Girls Track and Field and Girls Volleyball! Register before the March 8th deadline.

Track and Field:
Boys and Girls in grades 3-8 are eligible to participate. Practices will be on Tuesdays and Saturdays at Pennington track beginning March 2nd. The Spring Track Meet will take place on May 18th. Cost is $40 per participant.

Volleyball:
Girls in grades 3-8 are eligible to participate. Practices will be once a week with matches held once a weekend beginning on April 6th with a season ending tournament May 11-12. Cost is $40 per participant.

All Saints CYO relies on the volunteerism of parents, older siblings, and members of our All Saints’ community. If you wish to coach volleyball or assistant coach track this season, please reach out to Tomasita Liu, CYO Sports Director tliu@allsaintsva.org. You must be VIRTUS approved before working with participants. If you are not, we can help you get the process started right away.

CYO Sports Registration Link: https://reg.sportspilot.com/106526/login.

Registration will be open until March 8th.

This year, we are inviting our students to participate in the Lenten Cross of Mercy in support of the mission of the House of Mercy in Manassas, to provide food and clothing for those in need.

The Lenten Cross of Mercy, found in the gym lobby, provides students yet another opportunity to take part in prayer and almsgiving during Lent.  It contains a variety of tags, for either Spiritual or Corporal Works of Mercy.  Students are invited to select one or more tags and help make Christ’s mercy visible for those in need in our community. Students may return material items to the foot of the cross and monetary items can be mailed to the House of Mercy in the envelopes found at the foot of the cross.  
 
 The House of Mercy thanks you for your donations that make it possible to share God’s love.  

During Lent, our school community will once again participate in Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) Rice Bowl initiative, a faith-in-action program that invites us to encounter anew ourselves, our neighbors, and our God.

Each of the students has received a cardboard rice bowl into which they can place their donations during Lent. All of the funds will benefit CRS Rice Bowl which is sponsored by Catholic Relief Services, the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Catholic Relief Services is motivated by the example of Jesus Christ to assist poor and suffering people in more than 100 countries on the basis of need, without regard to race, religion, or nationality.

While the act of sacrificial giving is an important part of our Lenten tradition, the experience takes on even greater meaning when our students understand the plight of those less fortunate and recognize the difference that they can make to alleviate suffering. So that the children may develop this appreciation of the needs of those around the world, each week of Lent the teachers will lead discussions and lessons using the materials made available by Catholic Relief Services. It is our hope that these conversations will inspire sacrificial giving among our students as they place their contributions into their Rice Bowls. At the end of Lent, families will be asked to convert the contributions from their children into a check to be submitted to All Saints after which our school will forward all of the funds to the diocese.

Here are some strategies that you may wish to consider in shaping your family’s Lenten plan:

• Use your CRS Rice Bowl and Lenten Calendar each day to guide your Lenten prayer,
  fasting, and almsgiving.
• As a family, read the online Stories of Hope and daily reflections to inspire your
  Lenten journey and guide your Lenten almsgiving.
• Prepare simple meatless meals on Fridays throughout Lent, in solidarity with our
  brothers and sisters around the world. Recipes for simple meals can be found on the
  CRS website.

For more information, including spiritual reflections, short video presentations on the topic of Lent, and
virtual Stations of the Cross, please see the link below.

https://www.crsricebowl.org/

Divine Mercy Chaplet – During Lent

Again this year, we will introduce our students to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, another devotion of our Church. With this in mind, we will pray the modified prayer found below at the close of the day in place of the Hail Mary on Fridays during Lent.

Helpful resources and the history of the Divine Mercy Chaplet can be found at the following link.

https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/pray-the-chaplet

Monday, February 13 was the kickoff for our annual Race for Education Raffle. Students can purchase tickets to win a prize bundle featuring a Squishmallow plush toy. Raffle tickets will be sold for 50 cents each. The raffle will continue through February 22nd, and the winning name will be drawn on February 23rd.

Proceeds will benefit the 2024 Race for Education which helps support many initiatives at our school.

Race for Education Raffle Flyer

All Saints students tested their knowledge of the Catholic faith in the 13th Annual Catholic Cup on Monday, January 29. The event kicked off the start of Catholic Schools Week. Winners of previous classroom competitions from grades 4-8 advanced to this final round of the Catholic Cup, an academic-style competition with questions related to Catholic theology and teaching.

Congratulations to our 2024 Catholic Cup winner Quinton V. and to our runner-up, Charlie M. It was a return feat for Quinton, who also won our 2023 competition.

We thank Fr. Daniel Ruewer, Mr. Safian, and Mr. Tessier for serving as judges, Dr. Gross for serving as competition host, and to Mr. Tessier and Dr. Gross for coordinating the event. The Catholic Cup provides a wonderful way for all of our students, those directly participating and those in the audience, to expand and celebrate their knowledge of the faith.

All Saints Catholic School was thrilled to welcome Laura Theissen, the author of the newly published book, “Cuthbert: The Eagle Who Found His Wings,” to All Saints Catholic School on Thursday, February 1st. This special author visit took place as part of our Catholic Schools Week celebration!

Mrs. Theissen, a former All Saints school parent, recently published this inspiring tale of a majestic American bald eagle who loves to swoop and fly above the clouds. Then one day, his life changes, and through adversity, he learns the power of God’s love and grace and what it really means to soar.

Those who love our All Saints Eagle mascot Cuthbert are sure to be engaged by this heartwarming story. Cuthbert has an extra special place in the hearts of the Theissen family. When the author’s son Lucas was in sixth grade at All Saints, he won a contest to name our eagle mascot. Lucas selected the name Cuthbert after learning about St. Cuthbert and his efforts to protect birds and wildlife. When Laura Theissen’s son Lucas was in sixth grade at All Saints, he won a contest to name our eagle mascot. Lucas selected the name Cuthbert after learning about St. Cuthbert and his efforts to protect birds and wildlife.

CSW Author Visit – Thursday, February 1st
Mrs. Theissen lead three book readings and author Q&A discussions in the All Saints Gym with students in Pre-Kindergarten to second grade, grades 3-5, and middle school.

As our online photo album can attest, Cuthbert spent the day at All Saints and was quite excited to be part of the publishing world!

How to Purchase the Cuthbert Book
For those who are interested in owning your own copy of Cuthbert: The Eagle Who Found His Wings, the book is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, and Apple. 

The book is also available on the ReaderHouse website through the link below; enter promo code “FFSave10” and receive 10% off your order!

https://readerhouse.com/product/cuthbert/

We can’t wait to welcome Mrs. Theissen back to All Saints. Please see this week’s Arlington Catholic Herald for an article link to learn more about her writing experience and inspiration in writing this new children’s book.