MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Feb. 10-13 – Winter break
Feb. 22 – Ash Wednesday
Feb. 24 – 2nd Trimester ends
Mar. 13 – No school, Professional Development
Apr. 3-7 – Spring Break
Apr. 7 – Good Friday
May 5 – No school, Derby Eve holiday
May 18 – Ascension of Jesus
May 26 – 11am dismissal, last day of school

SHOE COLLECTION
Ascension’s Green Club is sponsoring a WaterStep shoe collection drive beginning Monday, February 20 through Thursday, February 23rd. Check your closets and bring in your gently used unwanted pairs of shoes. Please make sure they are tied together or use a rubber band. Help us reach our goal of 300 pairs of shoes!
Green Club members will be collecting shoes before school each morning near the main school entrance and at the cafeteria entrance.

BE FELT. BE HEARD. BE KNOWN
Dates Announced: The Disciple Maker Index parish-wide survey will be available from February 17th through March 26th and will ask you to reflect on your own spiritual growth, enabling you to provide insights regarding Ascension’s strengths and opportunities. What we learn through the DMI will inspire efforts to build a renewed parish, a renewed mission, and a vibrant future for Ascension. Please help us by participating in this 10–15-minute survey. To learn more information, check out https://www.ascension-parish.com/survey/.

LENTEN READS & SEEDS
Join Ascension families for our Lenten edition of Family Faith Story-telling on Saturday, February 18th from 9A-10A. We will listen to the story, The Tiny Seed, following a plant your own seed activity. RSVP by Wednesday 2/15,  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c4ea9ab2aa6fdc70-lenten

FAMILY ADORATION HOUR
New to Adoration? Adoration is an opportunity to pray together as a family! Bring your family to our Adoration Hour on Saturday, March 4th from 9A-10A. We will have resources, music, and prayer suitable for all ages. All are welcome.

SANDWICH SUNDAY – MARCH 5
Following the 8:30am Mass we will join together in the cafeteria to assemble the lunch bags that will be given out directly downtown by hiphopcare502. Donations are needed. Please sign up to bring various items needed to make the lunch bags by clicking on the link below:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4DA4AA29A1FACE9-sandwich

APPLICATION FORM & FEE
The application form & fee is due by February 9 to receive the early bird discount ($50) and to reserve a place for your child for the 2023-2024 school year. We will begin accepting new students February 10. Thank you!

SPRING SPORTS REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN ON  GameDay! PLEASE REGISTER YOUR CHILDREN HERE: https://gameday.loucsaa.net.

Track: 1st – 8th grade co-ed
Registration closes 3/1/23
Practice start date TBD
$25
Contact Dennis Jones at djones@ascension-parish.com with any questions and/or if interested in coaching.

Golf:  3rd – 8th grade co-ed
Registration closes 3/31/23
Practice start date TBD
$30
*Additional cost may be involved if team plays in additional tournaments.
Contact Teague Ridge at tridge@talgrace.com with any questions.

Tennis:  5th – 8th grade co-ed
Registration closes 3/31/23
Practice start date TBD
$30
*Additional cost may be involved if team plays in additional tournaments.
Contact Katie Earley at kmearley@gmail.com with any questions and/or if interested in coaching.

Softball:  5th – 8th grade girls
Registration closes 3/31/23
Practice start date TBD
Free until CSAA determines if this sport will be offered
Contact Teague Ridge at tridge@talgrace.com with any questions and/or if interested in coaching.

Baseball:  5th – 8th grade boys
5th – 8th grade
Registration closes 3/31/23
Practice start date TBD
Free until CSAA determines if this sport will be offered
Contact Teague Ridge at tridge@talgrace.com with any questions and/or if interested in coaching.

Girls volleyball will remain a fall sport at this time.

Go Longhorns!
Teague Ridge, tridge@talgrace.com
Kristin Jansen, kenoe01@gmail.com

FROM THE PTO
PTOhttps://sites.google.com/view/ascensionpto/home

TASTE OF ASCENSION – SAVE THE DATE
Please join us on Saturday, February 18 6:30pm – 9:30pm followed by music and dancing until 11:30pm, as we transform the Ascension gym into a sampler’s delight! We would be honored to have your participation in the event as we showcase the area’s finest restaurants, caterers, wineries, brewers & distillers! Click below for more info.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/taste-of-ascension-its-5-oclock-somewhere-tickets-463883446877

PTO NEWSLETTER
https://sites.google.com/view/ascensionpto/monthly-newsletter

EMS WINNERS FOR THE WEEK OF 01/30/23
Date, $Prize, Winner, Seller & Grade
01/30 $25 Kelly Hines, Eli Fields Gr. 3
01/31 $25 Steve Ising, Steven Ising Gr. 2
02/01 $25 Lisa Shely, Emma Brown Gr. 4
02/02 $25 Charlie Spalding, Avery Farris Gr. 5
02/03 $50 Meghan Hillerich, Kamryn Benner Gr. 7

FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Last week, as we wrapped up Catholic School’s Week, I received results from our Catholic Identity survey. We had 98 parents respond (out of 140 families). The overall score was 4.4 out of 5 – not bad, but work to do!

The lowest scoring items were:

Everyone connected with our school works together, respecting each other’s gifts, for the sake of building a strong, faith-filled learning community – 4.04

And

Our school does everything it can to eliminate obstacles that hinder or exclude students from receiving a Catholic education – 4.24

I will be sharing these results with our School Board this evening.

In Sunday’s Gospel from Matthew, Jesus says “You are the light of the world… your light must shine before others.” As I thought about the results of our survey, it was easy to make a connection between working together, respecting gifts and building a strong, faith-filled community and what Jesus is asking us to do as disciples: live the Gospel, become the light so that God can shine through us. That light, for us, might include kindness, forgiveness, good deeds, respecting each other’s gifts and certainly working together, among others.

I, along with all of you, I hope, agree that we need to be the light so that God may shine through us – attending mass, listening and working together as one for the same goal are surely a great beginning!

PULL TABS COLLECTION-KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
Please continue to save your pull tabs. Every little bit helps. Together we can make a difference. For more information on Kids Cancer Alliance please visit kidscanceralliance.org or contact K of C coordinator John McCarthy at mccoots1@gmail.com.
All proceeds benefit the Kids Cancer Alliance (KCA) and Indian Summer Camp (ISC). Pull tabs can be sent in to the school office at any time.

BOX TOPS COLLECTION
Did you know that Ascension is a Box Tops school? During this challenging time, our teachers and students need more help than ever. No matter what school looks like, Box Tops for Education is a fast and easy way for you to help out from home.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: Buy participating products and use the Box Tops mobile app to scan your store receipt. The app identifies eligible products and automatically adds Box Tops to your school’s earnings online. Even if you’re shopping online or doing grocery pickup, you can still submit your e-receipts and earn Box Tops. Twice a year, our school gets a check!

The PTO uses money earned from Box Tops to fund our iPad program and other classroom needs for our students!

Here’s how YOU can help earn money for our school!
• DOWNLOAD the Box Tops app and select our school to support. This ensures that your Box Tops purchases count toward our school’s earnings.
• SHOP for Box Tops products and use the app to scan your receipt to add to our school’s earnings online.
• LOOK for any remaining Box Tops clips on packages. If you find some, clip them and send them to school!
• SPREAD THE WORD about Box Tops!
FUN TIP: You can also use the “Invite Friends” feature in the app to ask friends and family to help support our school!

Your earnings may seem small, but they really do add up. The more people that participate, the bigger the impact we can make. So let’s give our teachers the support they need and help give more kids the opportunity to dream. Little by little, we can help make a BIG difference.
LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW BOX TOPS WORKS AT BTFE.COM

Thank you,
Ascension PTO

REMINDER
Student’s who are absent should be phoned in or emailed to Ms. Thomas by 8:15am. There is a 24 hour message system for you to phone in absences, 451-2535 ext. 22.
Also, it is very important that your child/ren arrive at school on time daily! Students should be in their class and chair by 7:55am. If your child is late, you must come in to sign them in. Thank you!