School Band Program: 2021-2022

Posted on by Janis DeVore

All Saints Band Calendar and Information for 2021-2022

Start of the school year: 2021

  • Tuesday, August 31 – Demonstration of instruments to fourth and fifth grade
  • Tuesday, September 7 – Band Registration Night for Parents/Students at All Saints at 6:45 PM
  • Tuesday, September 14 – Beginner and Advanced Lessons Start – Please bring instruments and music to school

All band lessons will be held every Tuesday throughout the year (if school is in session). Please bring instruments and music on Tuesdays.

All student musicians must be registered with the Garwood Whaley Music Program to take lessons.

Lead Band Parent
This position for the 2021-2022 school year is currently open. Please contact Mr. Ward to find out more. Serving in this capacity will provide you with volunteer school hours.

Band Director is:  Mr. Barry Ward

Instrument rental program through Music and Arts Stores.

Instrumental music instruction is available for your son or daughter next year at All Saints Catholic School. Classes are offered during the regular school day and Zoom classes may now be used to supplement missed days during the year. The child who learns to play an instrument learns discipline, cooperation with others, and a new way to a fuller, richer life. Playing an instrument automatically places him or her in worthwhile school activities, it gives something interesting to do, and is a pleasurable use of time.

The beginner band is comprised of the following instruments: Flute, Clarinet, Alto Sax, Trumpet, Trombone, Baritone and Drums. However, the advanced band looks to spread out instrumentation with bass clarinet, tenor sax, and tuba, and these instruments may be available to students from the band. The Garwood Whaley Music Program is a local organization which has offered contracted music instruction at All Saints for many years. Our band director is Mr. Barry Ward, who is an original starting director with the program with over 40 years of experience. Also included in this program are written evaluations, performances at school and away, band music, and the opportunity to perform in both the Diocesan Band Festival and the Honor Bands.

Our overall Program was selected as the official program of instrumental music instruction for the Diocese of Arlington Schools in 1979. The program is staffed by full and part-time teachers with degrees in performance and music education. The Program is supervised by Mr.  Barry Ward, who has experience working with elementary schools throughout the diocese, and a retired assistant director from  Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria. Mr. Ward’s diverse background as a performer and teachermakes him uniquely qualified to teach and supervise. He has published a number of educational articles, and composed and published music pieces through C. Alan Publications.

Our school’s band program has earned many honors, and in a sense, too many to list. Of course, the program is presently regenerating itself after this Covid year where there was both in-school and online lessons. If you are interested, we urge you to attend a registration / instrument rental meeting in September. More immediate questions can be directed to Mr. Ward at The3wardsdad@aol.com. If the interest exists, give your child all the possible support and assurance by attending the meeting at school. Enroll your child next year in our band program!

5 Days Per Week In-Person Learning – Fall 2021

Posted on by Janis DeVore

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.

Race for Education Results

Posted on by Janis DeVore

We are so pleased to share that we have raised $32,821 through our 2021 Race for Education!  We are so grateful for your generous support and participation in our largest fundraiser of the year.

The following is a list of the awards announced at yesterday’s student assembly.

  • Dress Down Day for All Students – Tuesday, June 1
  • Shaved Ice for All Students (Capital Snow Truck) – Tuesday, June 1
  • Chick-fil-A Lunch for K2 – Wednesday, June 2
  • Movie & Popcorn Parties – Tuesday, June 8 (Note: The Kindergarten and 8th grade classes will enjoy a movie and popcorn on an earlier day selected by their teachers.)
  • Winners of the $25 Gift Card Drawings – Alistair H. (K2), Thomas M. (5B), & Abby W. (7B)

I wish to thank Mrs. Burroughs and Mrs. Ballard for their wonderful leadership of the Race for Education.  With a strong commitment and a creative approach, they organized a highly successful event for our community, even during this challenging year.

Congratulations to all of our students and thank you for your support of this year’s Race for Education!

In Christ,

David E. Conroy, Jr.

Mrs. Horgan to Speak at National Conference

Posted on by Janis DeVore

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.

Bread of Life Food Drive – Thank You

Posted on by Janis DeVore

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.

Spotlight on the Arts Summer Camps

Posted on by Janis DeVore

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/.

Our Eagle Gets a Name!

Posted on by Janis DeVore

Beginning last spring, there was a call to name the All Saints Eagle mascot.  After many votes, the tallies have been counted and our Eagle has a name!

Without further ado, we introduce the All Saints Eagle, Cuthbert! Our eagle’s namesake is Saint Cuthbert who was known for his successful effort to protect birds in his native Northumbria, now Scotland. His feast day is September 4th, so we will make sure to plan special activities around that day for our own Cuthbert.

 

St. Cuthbert also is often depicted with the symbol of an Eagle in artwork.  During this time of Covid-19, it is interesting that one of St. Cuthbert’s patronages is against epidemics.

Author Karen Kiefer Discusses Drawing God

Posted on by Janis DeVore

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.