MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Aug. 8 – Gr’s. K, 1 & 2 Camp 3:00-5:00pm, parent meeting to follow at 5:00pm
Aug. 12 – Back-to-School night, Gr’s. 3-5 is 5:00-6:00pm & Gr’s. 6-8 is 6:00-7:00pm
Aug. 14 – First day of school
Aug. 23 – School pictures
Sept. 2 – Labor Day Holiday
Oct. 8-9 – P/T/S Conferences
Oct. 10-14 – Fall break

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR ALUMNI WHO MADE THE HONOR ROLL FOR THE SECOND SEMESTER OF THE 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR!
Principal’s List – Madison Wagner, Felice Pappalardo and Isabella Verdi

FREE ASCENSION T-SHIRT!
Attention all staff and students! The Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) is excited to kick off the new school year by giving away a free t-shirt. Whether you’re a teacher, administrator, or student, you’re eligible to receive one of these awesome shirts.

Please complete this form  to place your order. A separate form needed per student. All shirts are Gildan Heavy Cotton G500B. 100% cotton.

You can pick up your selected t-shirt at the Back-to-School Pool Party on 8/19. To ensure timely delivery, please place your order by 7/19. If you miss the deadline, don’t worry — the shirts will be distributed to the oldest student at school after this date.

For any questions, please contact Brandi Miller – PTO Treasurer at bgmiller187@gmail.com

SEEKING ATHLETIC DIRECTOR VOLUNTEER POSITION
Ascension is seeking candidates for the Athletic Director (AD) volunteer position. Under the supervision of the pastor, the AD is responsible for managing and overseeing all aspects of the parish’s athletic program, including adherence to CSAA and parish policies, as well as presiding at Athletic Board meetings. The AD shall recognize that the purpose of athletics is to promote the academic, physical, moral, and emotional well-being of each individual and, as a ministry of Ascension parish, to foster the growth of all involved as Christian disciples. The AD is to be an exemplary role model for the participants, coaches, and the community and shall show a commitment to holding all youth and adults associated with the program to high standards in a Christian manner.

Anyone interested in this position should submit a bio and responses to the questions below to hiringcommittee@ascension-parish.com (revised email address from original post) by August 6.
1. What are your qualifications for serving as an Athletic Director?
2. Why are you interested in this position?
3. How should the Athletics Program contribute to our mission as a Catholic parish?
4. What would your goals be for the Ascension Athletic Program?
5. What resources would you consult to guide you in this leadership position?

2023-2024 YEARBOOK ORDERS
Order your 2023-2024 yearbook by clicking the following link: https://zurl.co/Gss1
Orders must be in by Thursday, August 1.
Yearbooks will be delivered at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year. Please contact the school office with any questions.

ATHLETICS
CROSS COUNTRY SIGNUPS
Registration for cross-country is now open. Grades 1-8 can compete. Practice will be Tues/Thurs 3:30-4:30 at Des Pres Park. We will have 6-8 meets with the CSAA Championships being on 10/7-10/8. Practice will begin on August 15th. If you have any questions, contact Dennis Jones at (502) 593-4443.

2024 JK-2 Fall Soccer and 1st-2nd Grade Flag Football registrations are open on GameDay!
Please register your child(ren) here: https://gameday.loucsaa.net
**Register your child for the grade they will be playing next year. Please note: JK denotes only the children entering into the 4 year old class in the fall (not the 3s preschool class).
Registration Closes: Friday, July 26th
Ascension teams will wear the same uniforms worn last season. Parents will be contacted regarding ordering uniforms.
JK-2 Soccer (coed):
1st practice: week of July 29th
League start date: TBD
Contact Sara Morris (sara.horstman@gmail.com) with any questions.

1st-2nd Flag Football (coed):
1st practice: week of July 29th
League start date: TBD
Contact Ashley Altman (ashleymurrer@gmail.com) with any questions or if interested in coaching.

GR’S. 3-8 TACKLE FOOTBALL
Tackle Football Signups are up on GameDay: $200 will be collected at equipment pickup for each athlete. The fee covers equipment and jersey. $25 will be refunded at the end of the season with equipment and jersey are returned to St. Martha.
Please sign up today if you want to play tackle football.

2024 1st-8th (non-CSAA) Cheerleading/Spirit Squad registrations are open on GameDay!
The Athletic Board is excited to announce that Ascension Cheerleading/Spirit Squad (non-CSAA) is now an official offering in GameDay for grades 1-8! https://gameday.loucsaa.net

This is non-competitive and with no mandatory games to attend, students will not have to miss out on their other Ascension sports/activities.

While cheerleading is the main focus of this group, it is not the only way students can be involved. The activities of this group could include, but are not limited to:
o Cheerleading during Ascension athletic events
o Creating signs/posters for games (particularly, big games)
o Forming a cheering section in the gym for home games/tournament games.
o Assisting with Pep Rallies
o Assisting with 8th grade athletic celebrations for each sport

If you are interested in being the coordinator for this sport, please contact Kristin Jansen (kenoe01@gmail.com) by Friday, August 9.

2024 3rd-4th Grade (non-CSAA) Fall Soccer registrations are open on GameDay!
Please register your child(ren) here: https://gameday.loucsaa.net
Registration Closes: Friday, August 9th
Parents will be contacted regarding ordering uniforms.
3rd-4th Grade (non-CSAA) Fall Soccer (coed):
League run dates: September-October
Contact Sara Morris (sara.horstman@gmail.com) with any questions.
Sara H. Morris

FROM THE PTO

Back-to-School Pool Party
Upper Highlands Pool on 8/19. Time TBD

PTO WEBSITEhttps://sites.google.com/view/ascensionpto/home
PTO FACEBOOKhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/421480501922288/
PTO NEWSLETTERhttps://sites.google.com/view/ascensionpto/monthly-newsletter
Thank you,
Ascension PTO

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

SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING
The Archdiocese requires all who volunteer or work with minors to have a background check done every five years (processed for free by the parish office). Also, an initial in-person Safe Environment Training must be completed (dates and locations available at www.archlou.org/safe). This training must be renewed every five years by doing a one-hour online course (ask parish office for the website).

If you volunteer or work around children at all, you must be up-to-date on these requirements. Please call the parish office if you have any questions.

If you are currently not up-to-date, you may continue in your work only if there are two other adults present who are up to date AND you are currently in the process of renewing your training and background check.

Anyone who is not currently volunteering but who might possibly volunteer in the future is welcome to go ahead and receive the initial in-person training. That way you wouldn’t have to scramble to do the training if you suddenly decided to volunteer for a youth event. Please submit the certificate you receive there to our parish secretary for her records.

Thank you so much for your service to our community and for your diligence in helping our parish be a responsible and safe place for our kids.

Sincerely,
Fr. Robert

INCLEMENT WEATHER NOTICE
As winter approaches, there is always the chance we will need to close, delay or dismiss early. Here is what you will need to know in each event:
INCLEMENT WEATHER: The decision to close schools due to weather conditions is announced by radio, TV, and social media for Catholic schools in Jefferson County. One of the following announcements will be made:
1. All Catholic elementary and high schools in Jefferson County are OPEN.
2. Catholic elementary and high schools in Jefferson County will be OPEN BUT ON A DELAYED SCHEDULE.
3. All Catholic elementary and high schools in Jefferson County are CLOSED.
Ascension will also send closure announcement via email and text to all Ascension families.
DELAYED SCHEDULE- two hour delay: Café doors will open at 9:10am. Carpool begins at 9:40am. Classes begin at 9:55am.
EARLY DISMISSAL-ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: No public announcement is made about system-wide early dismissal in Jefferson County Catholic elementary schools except in the case of extreme emergency. Ascension will notify parents via email and text of an early dismissal.

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!

Online Sales Extended for EMS!

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