MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Jan. 14-18 – EMS ticket qualifiers (sold 15 or more), out of uniform
Jan. 15 – 7:00pm Gr.8 Parent Workshop on “Teen Spirituality” in adult meeting room
Jan. 21 – Martin Luther King Holiday
Jan. 22 – 6:00pm Gr.3 Parent meeting (ipad) in Gr. 3 room
Jan. 25 – Last Friday of the month, students may be out of uniform if they have no uniform infractions
Jan. 27 – Parish new member meeting after the 10:30am mass in the adult meeting room
Jan. 28-Feb. 1 – Catholic Schools Week
Jan. 30 – 9:00am-6:00pm Open House/Registration for prospective families
Feb. 6 – 3:15-7:30pm p/t/s conferences
Feb. 7 – 11:00am dismissal, p/t/s conferences 11:45am-2:45pm
Feb. 8-11 – No school
Mar. 1,8,15 & 22 – Fish Fry 5:30pm-8:00pm
Mar. 18-22 – EMS ticket qualifiers (sold 15 or more), out of uniform

OUTSTANDING SCHOOL VOLUNTEER FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LOUISVILLE
John Amback is being recognized as Outstanding School Volunteer for the Archdiocese of Louisville for his service at Ascension. He will be recognized at the conclusion of the Catholic School’s Week mass on Tuesday, January 29th at 10:00am at St. Albert the Great Church; all are welcome to attend.

For many years, John has volunteered his time tutoring students in math before school, as well as spending six hours per week in our 4th and 5th grade math classes as an assistant. John also offers a summer Microsoft Excel class for middle school students with textbooks donated by him.

As John shares his knowledge and love of mathematics with our students, they witness a man of integrity, character, passion, patience and kindness. As a result of his dedication, we have seen math scores soar and students growing in confidence: no longer saying, “I’m no good at math” or, “math is not my best subject.” We all know it takes a special kind of person to give so much without expectation and John exceeds that, “special kind” as he has become an absolute treasure to the Ascension community and beyond.

John was born and raised in Louisville’s Germantown neighborhood and graduated from the University of Louisville School of Business. He retired in 2010 after a 36-year career as a Tool and Die Journeyman at GE. He and his wife of 44 ½ years have four sons and are blessed with seven grandchildren.

We thank you, John, for inspiring and encouraging our students and for everything you do for our community.

P/T/S CONFERENCES, FEBRUARY 6-7
Conference sign-up forms were emailed to you on Wednesday, January 9. Forms are to be returned to the homeroom teacher of your oldest child by tomorrow. Thank you!

CONGRATULATIONS!
The following students that graduated from Ascension received honors for the first semester of the 2018-19 school year at Assumption:
First Honors-Emilie Balthrop, Madi Melcher, Sara Coleman, Traci Kaninberg, Hannah Balthrop, Madeleine Will, Haley Beierle, Sara Dolle
Second Honors-Chloe Mingus, Lexie Tunnell

BOYS VOLLEYBALL SIGN-UPS
Boys 1st Grade through 8th Grade:
Boys volleyball sign-ups are open on SI Play. You can sign up online at http://csaa-ascension.website.siplay.com. We will be using the current basketball jerseys as uniforms for volleyball. If you are not currently playing basketball and need a jersey, please contact Dave Baker at dmbaker2233@gmail.com or at 502-475-7926. Please register as soon as possible. The boys volleyball season will start at the end of the basketball season.
If you are interested in coaching the 1st and 2nd grade boys volleyball team please contact Dave Baker at dmbaker2233@gmail.com or at 502-475-7926.

TUITION ASSISTANCE FOR 2019/2020 SCHOOL YEAR
The Catholic Education Foundation, the Archdiocese of Louisville and funding partners are helping more families than ever who cannot afford the full cost of educating their children in a Catholic elementary school.
All families with one or more children enrolled in or applying to a Catholic elementary school in the Archdiocese of Louisville are eligible to apply.
Tuition assistance applications should be submitted between December 15, 2018 and February 28, 2019.
The FACTS management application, will be used for all forms of Catholic elementary school tuition assistance. Families must use the online application available on the website, www.ceflou.org.
When submitting your application, you must submit your 2017 federal income tax return and 2017 W-2 information. A new application is due each year.
Tuition assistance award letters will be mailed to families no later than June 15, 2019.
Completed applications received by February 28, 2019 will participate in the initial grant awards. A much smaller amount of tuition assistance may be available for forms submitted after that date.
Complete only one FACTS application for your family, including all students in the family (elementary and high school) on the same form. FACTS will send a need evaluation to all funding sources for which each family could qualify as well as the schools you have listed on the form.
If you have questions, please call the Catholic Education Foundation at (502) 585-2747, or visit them online. They will be happy to assist you!

“PARENTING THE iGEN”
Featuring Keynote Speaker, Amie Konwinski
“Do you know what your kids are doing on their smartphones? The fact is our (pre)teens are living in a virtual world where everything they like, post, tweet, snap, follow, send and comment on will be scrutinized for years to come. This digital footprint will impact them in school, sports, relationships, college applications, interviews and even their future careers and families. Now more than ever, it is time for parents to get smart about technology and social media. We must keep our families safe from the pitfalls of being connected 24/7.”
When: Tuesday, February 19, 7:00-8:30 p.m., Presentation and Q&A Session
Where: Mercy Academy, 5801 Fegenbush Lane
Cost: FREE
We envision a society where: Teens are empowered to be safe, authentic and private on social media. Parents are intentionally engaged with their children and the devices and apps they use. Educators are more equipped to manage iGen students in a constantly changing digital environment.
Sponsored by: Mercy Academy & Trinity High School

FROM THE ARCHBISHOP’S LEADERSHIP BRIEFING”
One of the best things the Archdiocese is doing to combat child sexual abuse is our safe environment program, which includes criminal background checks, safe environment training for adults, and educational resources for children and youth. Thus, I thought I might share a summary of these efforts by including portions of an excellent story by our editor of The Record, Marnie McAllister, included in the Report to the Catholic People.

In the last 15 years, more than 48,000 people have been trained by the Archdiocese of Louisville to spot child abuse and learned that they are required by Kentucky law to report their suspicions. They also have been background checked and have promised to adhere to a detailed code of conduct. These are steps the Archdiocese of Louisville has taken to help safeguard the children in its care since 2003.

Since these policies were established, all priests, deacons and church employees, as well as volunteers who work on a regular basis with children have been subject to these requirements. They are scrutinized every five years via Selection.com, which conducts a background check covering national, state, and county records. Every quarter, their identities are checked against “America Reports,” a national database that includes the sex offender registry and the no-fly list.

The Archdiocese’s two-hour safe environment training program, called “Honor Thy Children,” is offered several times each month for new employees, clergy, and volunteers. The program has three main points, said Martine Siegel, who teaches the program and coordinates assistance for victims of abuse in the Archdiocese:
1. “We teach people how to recognize abuse,” she said. “We want everybody to watch for signs that a child is being abused.”
2. “We want them to understand what childhood sexual abuse is — how a child deals with being sexually abused mentally and how an adult deals with it if they were abused as a child.”
3. The class also teaches “How to report it, when to report it, and what the state of Kentucky requires, so there’s no misunderstanding. Siegel said. “We are a mandatory reporting state.”
“By the time they leave the two-hour class, they know what to look for, what it does to a child or adult, and how to report it,” Siegel said. “They’re also given my name and number. We want them to know they are fully supported by the Archdiocese. They can call me anytime. They can run a situation by me about what to do.”

Siegel noted that some people arrive at the class feeling frustrated that they have to attend. “They never fail to leave, saying, “I came in thinking it was a waste of time; what I learned was phenomenal.”

The training classes are taught by Siegel and two school counselors, Laura Probus of Holy Trinity School and Jim Higgins of Saint Xavier High School. It is typically offered several times a month and reaches locations all over the Archdiocese of Louisville.

“Continuing education for safe environment practices is offered in a monthly newsletter, which is sent to all principals, counselors, pastors, and parish staff, who are expected to share it,” Siegel said.

Training is also provided to children in Catholic schools. Those in kindergarten through sixth grade take “Speak Up Be Safe,” a program offered by Childhelp. Children in seventh and eighth grade can also take this program or may be offered another appropriate program.

Speak Up Be Safe focuses on four things:
1. What the “grooming” process looks like.
2. Body safety and privacy.
3. Uncomfortable touch.
4. How to report.

“The purpose is to give them knowledge and a voice,” said Siegel. “We want them to be comfortable with this topic, so comfortable that they can say, ‘This isn’t right.’ For the ones who have gone through this program, it’s not a taboo topic.” She added that high schools choose their own curriculum. Religious education programs in parishes offer a program called Safe Sheep.

FREE MONTHLY WORKSHOPS FOR PARENTS
“Digital Footprint” – January 31, 2019 6:30-8:00pm at St. Leonard School
This crash course in social media offers tools to protect and empower children in our data-driven world. Healthy screen usage, monitoring screen time and privacy concerns will be covered. Call 897-5265 to RSVP for this workshop.

“Mornings without Tears” – February 28, 2019 6:00-7:30pm at St. Leonard School
Time-tested tools, techniques, and tips will be offered for taming crazy mornings. Plan to share your own expertise and learn from local experts in this hands-on workshop for parents. Call 897-5265 to RSVP to this potluck supper and workshop.

AMAZON SMILE
If you shop Amazon, please consider shopping AmazonSmile! AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know (same products, same prices, same service)! Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to Ascension! Please support Ascension School by continuing your shopping with Amazon at https://smile.amazon.com/ch/61-0652304. It is a win-win for Ascension and our students!
Our organization is listed as Church of the Ascension School Louisville, KY.

YEARBOOKS 2018-2019
Orders can only be placed online at ybpay.lifetouch.com, our yearbook code is 12159319.

EASY MONEY SWEEPSTAKES WINNERS FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 7
Date/Payout/Winner/Seller/Grade
01/07 $250 Cassie Frantz, Jack Cochran Gr.5
01/08 $25 Donna Galloway, Ella Amburgey Gr.K
01/09 $25 Sarah & Herb Hutchins
01/10 $25 Mac Reed, Gwen Baker Gr.3
01/11 $50 Liz Gohmann, Hannah Gohmann Gr.5

BOX TOPS COLLECTION
Our goal is to raise $2,000 in FREE money for our school! Neatly cut and collect unexpired box tops and send them into school on a collection sheet or in a Ziploc bag with your child’s name on it to the PTO mailbox located in the school office. Ask family, friends, and neighbors to save Box Tops for you! We will have two submission dates: October 15 and February 15. For each submission date, the class that brings in the most box tops will receive a popsicle party!
Download the Box Tops Bonus App today to earn Bonus Box Tops!

REMINDER
Student’s who are absent should be phoned in or emailed to Ms. Thomas by 8:30am. There is a 24 hour message system for you to phone in absences, 451-2535 ext. 18.
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!