Category: Latest News

A Message from our Principal Mr. David Conroy, Jr.

As we approach the close of the school year, I wish to share with you an update regarding our plans for the 2021-2022 academic year.

I am pleased to announce that All Saints Catholic School will offer five days of in-person instruction per week for students in grades PK-8 beginning in the fall. We are confident that this change will produce academic gains for our students and, equally important, support their social and emotional growth. While we are mindful that it may be necessary to adjust our instructional plan in response to health concerns or trends that might occur in the year ahead, our traditional school schedule will serve as the baseline beginning in August.

At this time, it is difficult to determine the extent to which health mitigation strategies, such as the wearing of masks, will be necessary in the fall. State level mandates as well as guidance from our local health department and the diocese will as always inform our planning in this regard. Please know that I will continue to provide updates as changes occur and decisions are made for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Over the course of the past couple of months, the number of students participating in the 100% virtual model has been decreasing, particularly following the announcement of the increase to four days per week of in-person instruction for grades 3-8 beginning April 12. In acknowledgement of this diminishing demand and recognizing the complexity of offering concurrent instruction, we are anticipating that we will phase out the 100% virtual model at the end of this school year. Prior to making a final decision, we will be sending a survey to those families who have opted for their children to continue with virtual learning following the Easter holiday. Once we have reviewed the data and are in a position to finalize our decision, I will provide an update to the community at large.

We are pleased to announce that Mrs. Horgan has been selected to serve as a program speaker at the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) Annual Conference, April 6-8, 2021. Mrs. Horgan will be co-presenting with a former colleague on two exciting topics:

• Tech-sploration: Integrated Technology Projects for K-5:
  Participants will discover new methodologies for integrating technology into the classroom. The presentation will delve into the world of website creation, robotics, stop-motion animation, photo-editing, Chromebook potential, and so much more! Participants will also be introduced to the concept of digital portfolios and guidance will be shared for implementation in your own school.
• STREAM Infused Literacy:
  Participants will discover how to use read-aloud books, stories, and independent texts to infuse STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, Math) lessons for the K-12 classroom. Sample units for various grade levels and guidance for creating similar units will be provided. Participants will be encouraged to share their STREAM ideas on a collaborative document that can be accessed after the completed session.

We wish to congratulate Mrs. Horgan on her selection and thank her for willingness to share her knowledge on these topics with Catholic school teachers from around the country.

All Saints students from our seventh and eighth grade, under the direction of middle school religion teacher Mr. Tessier and music teacher Miss McPhilamy, worked together to create a moving presentation of the Stations of the Cross.

Our thanks to everyone in our school community who supported All Saints first annual Bread of Life Food Drive. This past Friday, students from the National Junior Honor Society worked diligently and with great joy to organize, box and weigh donated perishable and non-perishable food items for the Bethany Food Pantry and St. Lucy Project. Due to your generosity, 4,256 lbs. of food (2,818 food items) was distributed to support area families and individuals who are food insecure.

We wish to thank Marie Klatt and the volunteers of the Bethany Food Pantry and Lori Sikra from Catholic Charities, Diocese of Arlington St. Lucy Project for their partnership.

The Bread of Life Food Drive (BOLD) was launched in 1992 by the University of Notre Dame Club of Staten Island. The All Saints Bread of Life Food Drive is the first in the state of Virginia. We wish to thank the Notre Dame Club of Staten Island for providing organizational and logistical support, and we look forward to continuing this vital Lenten service initiative next year.

Celebrating 17 years of premier performing arts and visual arts camps, Spotlight on the Arts returns to All Saints and Nativity Parish from July 12-23, 2021. –

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

Spotlight on the Art’s 2021 team of Catholic professionals have amazing professional backgrounds from touring with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus…to performing at The Kennedy Center…to Off-Broadway…to Teacher of the Year honors and more…our teachers are the best of the best! They bring both tremendous expertise along with a commitment to Christian values.

Stimulate your child’s creative mind, plus SAVE today with a super early bird discount of $20 off PER CAMP! And, families registering 3 children deduct an additional 10%. Plus, everyone who registers now receives a FREE Spotlight T-shirt.

Register now at https://www.spotlightsummercamps.com/.

All Saints Catholic School hosted a literacy event with Author Karen Kiefer as part of its Catholic Schools Week celebration on Thursday, February 4, 2021.  During a school-wide virtual Zoom meeting followed by grade level breakout sessions, the author discussed her inspiration for writing the book Drawing God (hint: it involves God and a supermarket), how the writing process took shape as she developed the book. and the importance of taking time to think about and express your faith.

Drawing God is an uplifting story that encourages families to explore the multitude of ways that God’s presence shines brightly. In the story, Emma returns from an art museum field trip and decides to draw Picasso. When Emma then decides to address the spectacular by drawing God, her classmates can’t see God in her drawings until they are inspired by Emma’s excitement and faith. Mrs. Kiefer hopes that by encountering Emma and her contagious faith, Drawing God will inspire people to think and talk about how and where they see God.

Mrs. Kiefer, who refers to herself as an “accidental author,” shared the story of how God’s plan (his whisper) directed her to write a book focused on encouraging readers to express their faith.  While introducing the breakout sessions, Mrs. Kiefer encouraged students to “consider your gifts, your thoughts, and how you specifically are inspired to draw God.”

You can find out more about Karen Kiefer and the drawing God movement inspired by her book on the website:  https://www.drawing-god.com/.

Our thanks to Mrs. Coyle for her efforts in setting up this special author event and to Karen Kiefer for her inspirational message encouraging all to think about how and where they see God.