FACTS Financial Aid Assessment

After careful evaluation of the financial aid process and feedback from individual schools, the diocese recently announced that we will be partnering with FACTS Management to be the provider of financial aid assessment beginning with the 2017-2018 school year.  Many of you are already familiar with FACTS since it previously served us as the provider of financial aid assessment services for many years.  All Saints Catholic School will also continue to partner with FACTS for the processing of tuition payments.

Families applying for financial aid will need to complete an online application.  The processing fee for this service is $30 per year/per family.  A link to the new application which is now available and a flyer with additional details follows below.  Should you have any questions about this process, please do not hesitate to contact the office.

Link to application:     https://online.factsmgt.com/signin/3Q327

Almuerzo de Acción de Gracias

One of our cherished traditions at All Saints is the annual Thanksgiving Luncheon, a special meal prepared by the kitchen staff for students, parents, faculty & staff.  In an effort to accommodate all of the families who attend and to reduce wait time, we will again be hosting four lunch seatings this year.  The schedule for the Thanksgiving Luncheon is as follows:

11:00-11:40     Grades 6-8
11:40-12:20     Grades 4-5
12:20-1:00       Grades 2-3
1:00-1:40         Grades K-1

The arrival process will be the same as prior years with parents reporting directly to their son/daughter’s classroom.  There, they will wait with their children, and when called by grade level, report to the cafeteria via the Father Kelley Wing.

So that the kitchen staff may begin planning for the event, please be sure to return your Thanksgiving Luncheon Order Form no later than Thursday, November 17to.  We do hope that you will join us for this Thanksgiving tradition!

Junior Achievement Volunteers Needed

Junior Achievement Volunteers Needed
Good morning! This year Junior Achievement’s “season” is from October through April.  We’re hoping that if it wasn’t a good fit in previous years then this change can make the program more available than it was before.  Classes that currently do not have a volunteer are: K1, K2, 2B, 6B, 8A and 8B.  Schedules are coordinated between the volunteer and the teacher so you can choose which dates and times work for your and your teacher.  There is a great deal of flexibility between now and April so while we may be in the middle of multiple extracurricular commitments already (fall sports, etc), you can sign up now for class dates during a less stressful time. In you are interested, please feel free to contact me through any of the methods below.  Thank you very much for your consideration and I hope that everyone has a great day!  kat.champney@gmail.com 571-264-6040.

Take Our Online Bullying Survey

Through the Virtue Program and the full integration of our faith across the curriculum, students at All Saints are encouraged to develop habits of respect, kindness, and compassion.  Over the course of years, these traits become part of the fabric of our students’ lives.  Nevertheless, it is vitally important that we explicitly remind our students of the dangers and consequences of bullying.

In accordance with our school and diocesan policy, this week I would like to invite all parents to participate in an anonymous, online survey for the purpose of assessing the level of bullying at All Saints Catholic School.  We estimate that it should take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete the survey.  Students in grades 3-8 will complete a corresponding survey during their computer class.

Parents are asked to complete the survey by Friday, November 4to.  In advance, we thank you for your participation in our efforts to both assess our current climate and to establish benchmarks for future reference.

Ambassador Program

The All Saints Ambassador Program is a leadership opportunity for 2nd-8to grade students to promote peer to peer reporting of bullying behaviors on campus.  Ambassadors are trained to help students “get the help” they need if they are being bullied.  They are trained to look and listen: look for bullying situations and get help from an adult and listen to their peers who may need help.

A flyer will be sent home explaining how to apply for those students who are interested in participating in the Ambassador Program.  There will be monthly meetings and students will lead and participate in anti-bullying week activities in the spring. Should you have any questions about the program, please contact Mrs. Angela Slater, School Counselor, at 703-368-4400 (Ext. 213) or at aslater@allsaintsva.org.

Our Lady of Fatima

Beginning in October, the month devoted to the Holy Rosary, All Saints Catholic School families are once again invited to renew their devotion to Jesus through Mary in a special way. On Friday, October 7th, after being blessed at the school Mass, two statues of Our Lady of Fatima will begin traveling to the homes of our school families for week-long visits.

Families who wish to participate can sign up online at: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F084CAEAB22A02-pilgrim.

While the statue of the Blessed Mother is in the home, families are encouraged to pray together either part of or the entire 5-decade rosary for the intentions of our school as well as for their private intentions. Included with the statue is a DVD of “The Day the Sun Danced”, which presents the message of Fatima entrusted to three peasant children in Portugal in 1917.

To create awareness about the program, the two statues began traveling from classroom to classroom earlier this week. In addition to informing the students of the opportunity to host one of the statues in their home, the teachers are leading the students in praying a novena that will conclude on October 6th, one day prior to the start of the program.

Should you have any questions or would like more information, please contact the rotation coordinator, Mrs. Julie Mantooth (mantooth06@msn.com).

Installation of SCA Officers & Class Reps

Our newly elected officers and class representatives were recently welcomed into the Student Council Association of All Saints Catholic School. Mrs. Jennifer Bigelow, Superintendent of Schools, was the keynote speaker offering insights on the importance of servant leadership and referencing her own experience as Commissioner of Religious Activities while a 7th grader!
We congratulate the following students and wish them every success and blessing as they begin their year of student leadership!

Oficiales:

President – Jack Malone
Vice President – Abigail Yelvington
Secretary/Historian – Erin Balagtas
Finance – Timothy Mills
Religious Activities – Lily Feltman
Health/Safety/Ecology – Victoria Bruno
School Spirit – Christina Santiago

Class Representatives: Emma Kate Coleman, John Karcher, Camden Short, Madelyn Woolfrey, Hailey Reddington, Brian Varghese, Sabrina Yap, Arianna Delgado, Sophia Parada, and Peter Tessier

Exciting Initiatives Announced for 2016-17

As announced in the August Principal’s letter, the following is a list of some exciting initiatives that All Saints will be undertaking now and in the year ahead!

  • Restroom Renovation – Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of a member of our community, the renovation of the restrooms in the old wing (grades 2-5) is fully funded and now underway. The demolition is complete and we are on track for completion of the project right around opening day.
  • Programa de Virtudes – As one of our Five Year Plan goals, the faculty evaluated our existing Virtues Program and researched options for implementing a new framework that will place even greater emphasis on the teaching and modeling of Catholic virtues. I am pleased to share with you that the faculty has selected the Virtues in Practice program designed by the Nashville Dominicans. One of the key changes is that we will discontinue the practice of acknowledging individual students on a monthly basis as we incorporate more substantive lessons within the religion curriculum. Our goal is to infuse even greater meaning into the program so as to promote authentic lives of virtue among our students.
  • IPads & Chromebooks – Again, thanks to the generosity of a donor, during the summer we purchased additional devices for our school that will increase student access to technology and allow for greater differentiation of instruction. We will be introducing five IPads into each of the Kindergarten through second grade classrooms and a mobile cart of thirty Chromebooks to be shared among grades three through five.
  • Scantron Testing – As a diocesan school, All Saints will be adopting Scantron as our standardized testing program beginning this year. Rather than administering Terra Nova in the spring, students will complete three shorter series of tests in math, reading and language arts in the fall, winter and spring. As the testing will take place online, teachers will have access to immediate results and data. Additionally, as the test is driven by technology, it is adaptive in nature, with each test being customized to the ability of each student. Administered three times over the course of the year, it will provide data with which the teachers can tailor instruction and measure student growth.
  • Accelerated Math – For many years, the Accelerated Reader program has been a fundamental aspect of our curriculum. Beginning this year, we will implement Accelerated Math in grades 1-8. This online program will allow teachers to customize learning tasks for students based upon assessment data and will be a focus for the use of the newly purchased IPads and Chromebooks.
  • Micron Partnership – With the assistance of school parents currently employed at Micron, All Saints is beginning a partnership with this high-tech firm located just south of our campus on Route 28. In support of STEM education, employees will teach hands-on lessons to students in grades three and five during the spring months and our school will have access to Math Kits to be used for a special evening event for families that promotes math education. Look for more details on these exciting programs in the future!