Dear AS²A Families,
A heartfelt thank you to our amazing PTO officers, Tammy Fink and Jackie Healey, for organizing a truly magical Breakfast with Santa! Guests were welcomed into a stunning winter wonderland that set the stage for a morning filled with joy and holiday cheer. Children’s smiles lit up the room as they enjoyed a delicious pancake breakfast, generously provided by IHOP, and eagerly awaited their turn to share Christmas wishes with Santa.
A special thank you to Miss Dawn for once again transforming her classroom into a warm and inviting space where families captured lovely photos and made cherished memories. We are also incredibly grateful to the many volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this event such a success. The joy and excitement of the day were the perfect way to usher in the Christmas season. Thank you to everyone who made it possible!
This week, we entered the second week of Advent, a time to reflect on peace and its role in our lives. As a school community, we gathered to light the second candle on the Advent wreath, symbolizing our collective prayer for peace in our hearts and the world. Through kind words, thoughtful actions, and moments of prayer, students focused on being peacemakers in their families, classrooms, and school community, carrying the light of Christ into their daily lives.
Congratulations to the Robotics team, Mindstorms Mayhem, on their outstanding performance at last weekend's Regional competition! 8th grade captains Braiden Purdy and Ava Wiggins, 7th graders Jackson Kimbell, Lucas Colwell, and Oscar Quinn, and 6th graders Arabella Trindade , Isyz Reid, and Edrick Cintron each brought unique talents in coding, building, and researching to form a dynamic and successful group. This all-rookie team earned the Excellence in Innovation Award for their generative AI social robot, which uses cloud formations to determine optimal sailing conditions aboard a research vessel. They also designed and coded a Lego robot with well-engineered attachments that completed challenging missions on the competition table earning them the Second Place Robot Score Award, showcasing their exceptional engineering and problem-solving skills. The team has been invited to compete at the State competition on January 11th and they are already hard at work preparing for the next level of competition. Congratulations, team, and best of luck at State!
Join us for “the first gift of the season”, the AS²A Annual Christmas Pageant, this Tuesday, December 17th, at 6pm at St. Lucy’s Church. 100 students have signed up to be part of the beautiful, peaceful nativity prepared by Miss Dawn. A free will offering will be collected to help several local families in need this Christmas.
Our Read-a-Thon has come to a successful close, and we are thrilled to announce that our school logged an incredible 42,244 reading minutes! A special congratulations goes to Mrs. Everin's 3rd-grade class, who led the way with over 13,000 minutes of reading. What an amazing accomplishment! Reading can take you on so many adventures, and it's inspiring to see our students embrace the joy of books. Let’s keep the momentum going and continue exploring the wonderful worlds that reading opens up to us. Great job, everyone!
THANK YOU to our “saints in service” who donated to our annual Coat Drive! Your generosity allowed us to provide 15 bags of new or gently used coats, hats, gloves, and sweaters to the Knights of Columbus. Many people will be warm this winter thanks to your kindness and concern for others.
Tuition Assistance Note: It is not too early to apply for tuition assistance for the next school year. Financial awards are calculated annually and are therefore not renewable - families must reapply each year. Follow this link to the FACTS Parent Solutions page and follow these steps:
Scroll down to “Apply for Financial Aid with FACTS Grant and Aid Assessment”
Click the blue “Apply Now” option
Follow the directions to access the account you created
The need for financial aid is determined by the FACTS need assessment application and is not processed until all required documentation is uploaded.
Financial assistance may also be available to you through your parish. Once you complete your FACTS Grant and Aid Assessment, contact your parish for more information about their requirements and deadlines for additional tuition subsidy. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office.
We are in that time of year when weather can affect the school calendar. If for any reason, classes will not be held due to inclement weather, OR we are already in school and need to close early, the School Messenger platform will notify parents via email, text message, and phone voice message. If you have not opted in to also receive text messages now is the time to do so as we use texting for important, timely announcements, such as snow delays or closings. Use this link to add yourself to the text list: School Messenger Text Flyer
Dates to Remember:
Tuesday, December 17 ~ AS²A Christmas Pageant, 6:00pm at St. Lucy’s Church
Wednesday, December 18 ~ Experienced Band Christmas Concert, 10:45am
Friday, December 20th ~ No Afternoon Extended Day
Friday, December 20th ~ Out of Uniform - gift to students!
Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay current with our event photos.
In the peace of Advent,
Ann Villareal
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace” ~ Isaiah 52:7