Uniform News: New Navy Polo

In response to parent feedback, I am excited to announce that we will be introducing a new navy polo shirt as part of the summer uniform and phasing out the white polo shirt. It is our hope that this new color will be much easier for parents to maintain and keep clean over time. Additionally, the navy blue shirt will be more modest in appearance.

The new navy blue polo shirt will be available for purchase in advance of the upcoming academic year. The white polo shirt will be “grandfathered” for one year (2019-2020) after which it will be discontinued as part of the uniform.

At All Saints we are also pleased to offer a “Uniform Exchange” program by which parents may purchase gently worn items at affordable prices. As we plan for the year ahead, there will be several modifications to this program that will increase efficiency
while continuing to provide a valuable service to our families.

Beginning in the 2019-2020 academic year, we will host three pre-scheduled sales per year, i.e. August, October and one sale during the spring. “On demand” sales will only be available for new families transitioning into the school and at the request of administration to assist families in need. Parents may continue, however, to drop off used uniforms at the front office at their convenience.

In an effort to streamline procedures and in recognition of the affordability of items, the use of credits for those making donations is being discontinued. Those families who have already received credits may, however, use them through the close of this academic year. The price of items ($1.00-$4.00) will remain unchanged in the year ahead.

I wish to thank Mrs. Danielle O’Neill for her continued management of the Uniform Exchange program. With great attention to detail and dedication to her role, she provides a wonderful service to our school community. Additionally, I wish to thank those parents who shared feedback regarding the polo shirts and the PTO for their efforts in revising the Uniform Exchange procedures.

Science Fair Winners Announced

Congratulations to the following winners of All Saints’ Middle School Science Fair. Thank you, Mrs. Cottingham and Mrs. Woolfrey, for your dedication and guidance throughout the process.

Behavioral & Social Science
1st place: Amara Collins – “Is it Really Childproof?”
2nd place: Krysta Drone – “What Makes Teens Stress?”
3rd place: Macallan Greissinger – “Does Sight Affect Taste?”

Chemistry
1st place: Luke Tessier – “Science is HOT HOT HOT!”
2nd place: Mehek Jamil – “How Bright Can It Glow?”
3rd place: Mary Collins – “Mary’s Cheesecake Factory”

Computer Science
1st place: Robert Harvill – “Chill Out”
2nd place: Matthew Kreitzer – “Fortnite Building Battle”

Earth & Space Science
1st place: Anthony Olivera – “Water Temperature and Hurricanes: What is the Connection?”
2nd place: Jessica Berger – “Surf’s Up”

Engineering
1st place: Kevin Balagtas – “Chugging On Air!”
2nd place: William Odell – “How Much Mass Can a Bridge Sustain?”
3rd place: Taylor Henman – “Does Length and Width Affect Distance?”

Medicine & Health
1st place: Nolen Kristiansen – “See That in the Corner of Your Eye?”
2nd place: Sofia Villatoro – “What You See After an Image”
3rd place: Ryan McGinnis – “There’s No Place Like Home”

Microbiology
1st place: Chris Mills – “The Sugar Wars”
2nd place: Jeffrey Crocker – “Can I Eat That?”
3rd place: Brian Varghese – “Faucet Wars”

Physics
1st place: Will Foster – “Windmills in Motion”
2nd place: Camden Short – “Produce Power”
3rd place: Maggie Horan – “Black is the Warmest Color”

Overall Champions
Grand Champion – Will Foster
1st Runner Up – Nolen Kristiansen
2nd Runner Up – Camden Short
3rd Runner Up – Anthony Olivera

Representing All Saints at the Diocesan Science Fair:
Kevin Balagtas, Amara Collins, Will Foster, Robert Harvill, Mehek Jamil, Nolen Kristiansen, Chris Mills , Anthony Olivera, Camden Short and Luke Tessier

National Geographic Bee

All Saints students in grades four through eight recently participated in the school-wide round of the National Geographic Bee.

Congratulations to our school champion, Robbie Gasser, who will complete an online assessment to determine whether he will qualify to advance to the state level competition. Congratulations to Lucia Miller who won second place, Krysta Drone who won third place, and to the following students who represented their classes in this academic event:

  • Luke Rebholz
  • Cruz Liu
  • Grace Algeier
  • Robert Gasser
  • Declan Martinez
  • Lucia Miller
  • Emily Sherman
  • Camden Short
  • Krysta Drone
  • Lavish Ghori

Middle School Announces House System

The mission of the All Saints Catholic School House System is to create a middle school community where students work together and support each otheras they grow in their Catholic faith.  The purpose of each house will be to guide and support the spiritual, academic, social and personal development of each student during their time in middle school.

Our middle school will be comprised of ten houses, each named after a saint.  Each house will be facilitated by a faculty advisor and include students from grades six, seven and eight.  Students will be assigned to a house at the beginning of the year and will remain a member throughout their middle school years at All Saints.

Each of the houses will focus on four specific areas: Advising of Students; Faith & Service; Leadership; and Community Involvement.  Students will be provided opportunities to grow in these areas through weekly meetings during which they will complete team-building exercises and service projects.  Additionally, through a Points System, student efforts will be recognized and a good-natured rivalry among the houses will be fostered.

Kindness Week: May 14-18

Kindness Week is coming to All Saints next week.  The theme is “Spread Kindness Like Confetti.”  A kick off assembly, presented by the Ambassadors, will be held this Friday, May 11 at 11:00 a.m. in the Parish Activity Center.  Kindness Week will emphasize kindness towards others and random acts of kindness.  Be sure to check out our “kindness tree” and the kindness bulletin boards to see how the children are putting this virtue into action.

Kindness Week is just the beginning for a yearlong focus on kindness during the 2018-2019 school year.  Let’s spread kindness like confetti!

Spread Kindness Like Confetti Video

Medical Missionaries Food Collection – Southern VA

All Saints has been invited to provide emergency relief through contributions of the following items: peanut butter, cans of chicken, tuna, spam and any other meats or fish, powdered milk, cereal, macaroni and cheese, soup, pasta and baby food.  Collection bins will be available in the new breezeway through Friday of this week.  In advance, thank you for any support you can provide.

Advanced Band – Superior Ratings at Festival!

Congratulations to the members of the All Saints Advanced Band for their stellar performance at the Arlington Diocese Band Festival on Saturday.  The band was awarded two Superior ratings from the judges and was assessed as an outstanding band in the diocese.  These ratings mark the 40th time that our band has been awarded the highest rating at the festival.  Both the beginner and the advanced bands are now getting ready for another exciting performance at a competition to be held at Busch Gardens in May.

Congratulations, All Saints Band, and thank you, Mr. Ward, for inspiring our students to excellence!

Geography Bee Winners

Students in grades four through eight recently participated in the school-wide round
of the National Geography Bee. Congratulations to our school champion, Patrick
McCurdy, who will complete an online assessment to determine whether he will qualify to advance to the state level competition.

Congratulations to Andrew Horgan who won second place and to all of the students who represented their classes in this academic event.

Zachary Kreitzer (8A)
Patrick McCurdy (8B)
Krysta Drone (7A)
Patrick Dickson (7B)
Esther Paz (6A)
Alex Iskenderoglu (6B)
John Karcher (5A)
Orla Haggerty (5B)
Anthony Williams (4A)
Andrew Horgan (4B)