Guided by our mission, to develop Christian thought leaders, Ascension Catholic School continues to celebrate the many ways our students grow in faith, character, and academic excellence. November was a month filled with meaningful milestones and joyful moments in our community.
We proudly recognized our students in grades 4–8 who earned First Honors, Second Honors, and the Principal’s List. An incredible 81% of our students achieved honor roll status—a tremendous accomplishment that reflects both strong effort and dedicated instruction. Congratulations to all our students for their hard work and commitment to excellence!
November also brought a beautiful celebration of Grandparents Day, with a packed church for Mass followed by light refreshments for students in our 3-year-old program through 2nd grade. It was a special morning honoring the faith, love, and guidance grandparents provide to our families. We look forward to welcoming grandparents of students in grades 3–5 on February 26 for Mass and refreshments—please mark your calendars!
A sacred highlight of the month was the celebration of First Reconciliation for our 2nd graders. This important sacrament marked a meaningful step in their faith journey as they experienced God’s mercy and forgiveness in a personal way. A heartfelt thank you to their teacher, Mrs. Lindsey Steltenpohl, and her assistant, Mrs. Kathy Tudor and Fr. Matthew for the beautiful preparation and care they provided our students.
Our iGiveCatholic campaign to improve playground safety is going great—thank you to everyone who has already given! We are getting close to our goal, but there is still a little more to go. Please continue spreading the word so we can make our playground as safe as possible for our students.
We recently administered Cognia surveys to students and parents as part of our ongoing accreditation process and our commitment to continuous improvement. The results provide clear affirmation of our school culture and valuable guidance for future growth.
Across all grade levels, students and parents reported exceptionally high levels of safety, belonging, and trust. Students consistently indicated they feel safe, welcomed, and cared for at school. Parents echoed this same confidence, describing Ascension as warm, welcoming, respectful, and supportive. This strong sense of safety is more than a positive climate indicator—it is the foundation for learning itself. When children feel safe and valued, they are more willing to take risks, persevere through challenges, and engage deeply in learning.
Families expressed high confidence in our faculty’s professionalism, commitment to student well-being, and high expectations for learning. Parents also affirmed that students are encouraged to believe in themselves and grow in confidence.
The surveys also identified important growth opportunities:
• Increasing student voice in learning
• Strengthening personalized and differentiated instruction
• Expanding real-world and future-focused learning
• Broadening how student learning is assessed beyond traditional grades
We are grateful for this honest and affirming feedback. These results will directly guide our school improvement goals as we continue our mission of developing Christian thought leaders.
To end on a great note, Ascension School was named Best Elementary School in Louisville by the Voice Tribune; we will be highlighted in their December issue!
As we now enter the holy season of Advent, we slow down, reflect, and prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. It is a beautiful time of hope, anticipation, and spiritual renewal for our school community.
We wish all of our Ascension families a blessed Advent season and a very Merry Christmas.