Dear Ascension School Families,
During the summer, Ascension School has time to look back and to look ahead. We look back at an amazing year that started late, saw Ascension named a national Blue Ribbon School, and ended very, very well. Ascension School will certainly miss retiring teacher Mrs. Alice Dunn ending many years of outstanding teaching at Ascension. Good luck to Mrs. Marianne Walter who is moving to Washington DC. We are so grateful for their service to the community of Ascension School, their contributions of time and talent. We wish them all the best. In the new school year, Mr. Mark Gartland will teach Grade 2, and Jody Parilli, a certified early childhood teacher, will move from her role as teacher assistant in PreK-3 to Kindergarten teaching. We wish everyone a restful, yet fun-filled summer, and we look forward to welcoming 520 students to our community this fall. We will be together again on August 26, 2008. Ms. Burns
Summer Office Hours
The school office will not have regular office hours from June 30 through August 6, with the building closed July 21 - 25 for floor painting. We will open for business again on Wednesday, August 6.
Tuition and Fees
Please look for a tuition bill for the new school year in this mailing. Tuition payments can be mailed to the school or dropped off at the parish offices at 808 East Avenue, to Mary Fitch, the financial secretary, who will have limited summer work hours. July invoices are due July 15, and all tuition and fees must be up to date by August 15, 2008, before school begins. Call 434-1534 with questions. Ascension bills tuition over 11 months (there is no June invoice.) The School Board changed the tuition and fee schedule so that tuition includes books and materials fees, technology fees and sacramental fees. Sports fees are added for each sport played. The lunchroom fee will stay the same this year. Families pay based on the number of days they use the lunchroom, and number of children staying for lunch. Lunchroom registration forms are included in this mailing, and students who do not stay must have signed permission to leave the campus. The School budgets carefully, and this year’s small tuition increase just covers increases in salary and benefits for school staff.
Emergency Information Form
The Emergency Information Form included with this mailing is one of the most important documents in the school. If your child is ill or injured, it gives the school vital information. Please include an email address. Complete the form and return it to school with tuition payments or other mail as soon as possible. Home and School uses this form to create its handy School Directory. Please read the directions at the bottom of the page, and indicate if you do not want your phone number or address published.
Home and School
Home and School provides a tremendous variety of wonderful, helpful services to Ascension School. This Mailing has information about their Directory, volunteer opportunities, annual dues and the role of room parents. Please read the information and volunteer. A stamped envelope is included.
Grade 1-8 New-to-School Family Event
The School will host lunch, a question and answer session and tours for children in Grades 1-8 who will be new to Ascension School on Friday, August 15, 2008. Watch mailboxes for a separate invitation with details about the event.
NOTE: New families are receiving information about uniforms and a lunch order form with this Mailing. Lunch orders are due as soon as possible.
Uniforms
Substantially, Ascension's uniform will stay the same for 2008-2009. All boys wear light blue polo shirts which may be tucked in blue pants, or worn out of pants. Students must wear white under shirts, which should not hang below sleeves or shirt bottoms. Harvey Uniforms has a straight bottom boys' shirt with a logo, but any properly fitting, light blue polo shirt may be worn. Girls wear white banded-bottom shirts in Grades 5-8, with a uniform skirt or blue slacks. Jumpers are worn through Grade 4. The School will continue to ask all children to wear white gym shirts or Run-A-Thon shirts on gym days. Kindergarten and Grades 1-3 wear these clothes to school all day when they have physical education, so white shirts should be clean and properly fitted, and display the student's name. Schoolbelles Uniforms provides a gym shirt with a name box. Ascension sweat pants, with logos, or other navy, plain gym pants are available from several stores, and uniform suppliers. Since Kindergarten children are often at work on the floor, a “gym style” uniform is preferred, but boys and girls can wear the "traditional" primary grades uniform, too.
Early Childhood/PreSchool Program
The Early Childhood program, PreK 3 and PK 4 are full. The School had intended to add an additional three-day-a-week afternoon program, but will combine all currently enrolled students in existing classes. Families are asked to contact the school if they anticipate any changes in enrollment. Teachers will send letters and other information to families with children in PK-3, PK-4 and Kindergarten later this summer. Early Childhood programs will begin on Thursday, August 28.
Health and Immunization Records
A new law requires that all children enrolling in Kindergarten or in school for the first time have an eye exam performed by a physician or optometrist before October 15 of the year the child enrolls. Preschool students, kindergarten students and new Grade 6 students must also submit proof of a physical with immunizations.
Class lists
Student homeroom assignments are included in this mailing. Classroom lists do not show a homeroom teacher. Students will learn their room teacher when they return to school in August. Ascension School does not change homeroom assignments once they have been set by teachers and administration.
School Supplies
A copy of the school supplies list is enclosed. The Cub Scouts can only take orders until June 27. After that date families need to shop on their own. Office Max and Target offer rebates to Ascension for purchases.
Be Community: Come to Ascension Church for weekend liturgies
Fundraising Opportunities
All families have a fundraising requirement, and those who do not meet the requirement are billed in January and May. Families can begin to meet their requirement by purchasing shopping certificates during the summer.
Ascension's School Board
The last regular monthly meeting of the Board was Monday, June 9. Ascension gratefully acknowledges the dedicated and creative work of outgoing members Peg Mackie, Tom Carraher, Liz Skalitzky, and Michael Iannaccone in welcoming Patrick Hess, Jill Pollard and Wendy Schmeidler. The Board took these actions at its last meeting:
1) Oriented its new board members, and planned a Board formation session in August.
2) Directed that the Enrollment Committee consider an additional class section for four year-olds. [Decided to add students to existing sections.] Directed Enrollment committee to review class size policy. [Recommended that policy remain as stated.]
3) Directed the Academic Committee to investigate teaching of nutrition and wellness in the curriculum. Board will invite others involvement in wellness education.
Institutional Advancement/Development News
Dudes Makin' a Difference, a service club at OPRF, is sponsoring a used sporting goods sale on Saturday, July 12, 8 am to noon, in the OPRF parking garage. Stop in when you visit the Farmers' Market and help support the work of these young men. Dudes raise money through projects throughout the school year in order to sponsor the education of eleven students in Nepal. If you would like to donate equipment for the sale please drop it on the porch at Michael Fredrick's house: 1107 S. Euclid, by Monday, July 7.
Many thanks to those who helped with our alumni events on the weekend of June 20 -22. We welcomed alumni home for three events: the golf outing, a class reunion for the class of 1968 and the Gold Alumni Brunch. Ascension Ambassadors welcomed and served guests and helped alumni get reacquainted with their alma mater at both reunion activities. Kate Seavey prepared and helped serve a phenomenal meal. Dave Biggus made the Pine Room beautiful. Mary Pat Kane Landa (’75), Beth Dougherty (’84) and Jeanne Flannery (‘72) provided expert assistance throughout the event.
The golf outing would not be possible without Chip (’77) and Jill Pollard, who have built it into a fun and profitable event. Thank you for your dedication to Ascension School. Thanks again to our event sponsors: Community Bank Oak Park River Forest, OakParkApartments.com, ATF and Federal Trading and to our raffle sponsor: Marion Street Cheese Market. Please patronize the businesses that support our community including these contest and hole sponsors: MECK Printing, Lyons Paint and Decorating, Jack Nowicki – Pilgrim Realty, Finn Insurance, Kelty Lawn Care and Pavers, Longwell Hall Bed and Breakfast, Dr. John Perna, Kolovitz Movers, It's A Sign, and Fenwick High School. The big raffle winners were: Mike Chlumecky, Steve Skrine, Bill Wallace, Tom Northey, Rick Mika and Mike Patete. Thanks to all the golfers who came out and got in a round of 18 holes without getting wet and to all those who bought raffle tickets in the hopes of heading out to Medinah – sorry, maybe next year!
Auction 15 – goin’ green: November 15, 2008.
Project teams are in place for planning the auction; you’ll hear more about how you can get involved later in the summer. For now, though, two things: please contact Jill Pollard, 708-386-1745 or at jfp33096@aol.com, if you can help with the calls to area businesses. This call is a follow-up to a letter we mail to businesses that have supported the auction in the past – it’s not a “cold call” and there is no pressure involved. Secondly, if you would like to host a “gift-gathering party” to either gather items for bidding or to gather funds for underwriting support, please call Lynn Fredrick at the Development Office: 708-434-1558.
Watch for more information in the August Mailing
Watch for another mailing in early August
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