MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Nov. 17 – Last Friday of the month, out-of-uniform
Nov. 19 – Christmas Bazaar in the gym (more info below)
Nov. 20-24 – Thanksgiving break
Dec. 20 – 11:00am dismissal
Dec. 21-Jan. 2 – Christmas/New Years holidays
Jan. 15 – MLK Holiday
Greetings Parishioners!
October was a busy month at Ascension School; here are the highlights:
– New mission/vision
– 6/7th graders went to Washington DC
– Open house
– PTO sponsored Trunk-or-Treat and Trivia Night
– Book Fair
– Three of our teachers received awards
– Finished a great fall sports season
– 2nd graders had their First Reconciliation workshop
– Parent Q&A sessions went well
Our School Board has been developing a new mission/vision for our school as our current no longer speaks to who we are and where we are going. The below is what they came up with – approved by Fr. Robert and the Parish Council:
Mission – To develop Christian thought leaders
Vision – Ascension Catholic School champions academic excellence in an environment where all are loved, respected and challenged to grow. With Christ as our guide and a vibrant community as our support, Ascension graduates leave prepared for a rapidly changing world.
We are working, as a School Board, on how to best implement our new mission and vision in our community – more to come!
Our 6th/7th graders had the opportunity to explore DC – connecting their classroom learning to real-life (experiential). For four incredible days, our young explorers delved into the rich history and vibrant culture of our nation’s capital. They stood in awe of iconic monuments, walked the hallowed halls of museums, and soaked in the spirit of democracy that echoes through every corner of this historic city.
From the grandeur of the Washington Monument to the powerful symbolism of the Lincoln Memorial, every moment was a chance to learn, grow, and make lasting memories.
Check out the Ascension Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ascensionschoollouisville for pictures.
Our Open House was fantastic! We had 16 families (18 potential students) tour our Blue and Green-Ribbon school. Eight for our 3’s; two for JK and eight for kindergarten. Open enrollment begins in February with another Open House on Tuesday, January 30th from 9am-6pm. Thanks to our wonderful School Board and amazing faculty/staff for making it all happen!
Our PTO had a busy October hosting trunk-or-treat and trivia night. The events raised around $6,400, which goes to support technology in our school as well as curriculum and professional development for our teachers – thank you PTO and community for everything you do!
Barbara Wagner, librarian, organized and ran our Book Fair during parent/teacher/student conferences. We are thankful so many of you showed up to buy books and support our library. We netted $2,200, which goes towards books and STEM for our library – Thank you, Barbara!
Three of our teachers were recognized for their years of service in Catholic education: Danny Monaghan, 8th grade homeroom and middle school social studies and religion teacher, for five years of service; Dan Vowels, 7th grade homeroom and middle school science and religion, for five years of service and Donna Jackel, K-5 science, for ten years of service. We are blessed to have them on our team.
Our sports teams had an awesome season! Our 5/6th #1 volleyball team won the CSAA championship! 1st /2nd flag football went undefeated; 3rd/4th soccer went undefeated; 7th/8th volleyball made it to second round in CSAA tournament; 5th/6th #2 volleyball made it to final four in CSAA championship; Kate Baines took 3rd in the state for cross-country; Jack Back 7th in state for cross-country and Quenton Horton had the 3rd best time in Ascension history for the 3k run in cross-country! Way to go Longhorns! Thanks to all of our coaches for their time and effort helping keep our students active.
Our 2nd graders are preparing for First Reconciliation on November 28th and had their workshop to prepare in October. Thanks to Ms. Duff and Eddie Jarboe for making this special for our students. Please remember these students in your prayers.
As many of you know, we held three parent Q&A meetings in the last month. Overall, I feel like they went very well with opportunity for all of us to listen, share and resolve. Here are some of the concerns brought up at the meetings – common to all:
Enrollment – we have 170 students currently enrolled in grades K-8. Concern is are we going to grow? With renewed marketing efforts, including re-establishing our marketing committee, and our community sharing the amazing work we are doing, I believe we will see our enrollment climb again.
MAP test – concern was our scores are low. In fact, we are 2nd in math and 4th in reading compared to all Archdiocesan schools.
5th grade class – concern that families are considering leaving Ascension. I shared that our 5th grade class scored above the Archlou total in math and is on track with other schools in reading. I have also met with several 5th grade parents, privately, and feel like we are answering questions and addressing remaining concerns.
Classroom management – concern that not all students are kind to each other – bullying. We do have students who are un-kind to others. Our Counselor, Mrs. Stinnett, teaches every class, once a week, using the Archdiocesan curriculum, “Friendzy” https://www.friendzy.co/social-emotional-learning-program our faculty and staff work hard to ensure the emotional safety of our students. We have handled all situations we have been made aware of. If a student continues to be un-kind, we follow all protocols, which have led to probation, suspension, and expulsion. In all instances, we need the help/partnership of our parents as they are the first educators. We ask parents to talk to one another, work collaboratively with administration to understand and resolve. As we all know, growing up can be difficult; our kids need all of us to help them as they move through the stages of development: preoperational, concrete and formal – often, we have students in the same classroom at different stages even though they are the same age!
Parent resources – concern is that parents do not always know what resources are available to help their child at home. I asked parents to reach out to teachers and ask for what they need.
Please know my door is always open and our faculty and staff are happy to answer questions. One of my takeaways from these meetings was not to let things I hear translate to truth without checking with administration, faculty and staff- please take time to call, email or stop by to discuss. Thank you to everyone who participated and to everyone in our community for prayerfully reflecting on our journey forward. Ascension is truly amazing and I know our teachers, staff and administration are fully invested in our students and families.
CHRISTMAS BAZAAR
Come join us for our 8th grade Christmas Bazaar this Sunday November 19th from 11:30am – 4pm. We will have craft vendors, Kids Korner with shopping, Christmas Cookie Decorating and pictures with The Grinch and Friends! You won’t want to miss it!
Check out our awesome raffles online now!! www.ascension-parish.com/shop
GR. 8 FUNDRAISER
The 8th grade class was divided into their houses and presented the task of creating a product. The products that they created will be on sale during recess on November 15th. All of the proceeds will go towards the 8th grade trip. The products range from $1-$5 and the 8th graders will only accept the exact cash amount, as they will not have any money to give back as change. Please support your 8th graders!
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR ASCENSION ARCHERS!
We won 1st place as a team on our home turf .
The following kids won individual medals.
Kate Janes 1st place Elementary Girls (rookie archer)
Gabby Sipes 2nd place Elementary Girls
Bernie Cornell 3rd place Elementary Girls (rookie archer)
Emma Brown 4th place Elementary Girls
Amelia Smith 5th place Elementary girls (rookie archer)
Calvin Heilman 1st place Elementary Boys
Louie Oesterritter 2nd place Elementary Boys
Will Karrer 3rd place Elementary boys (rookie archer)
Noelle Ising 1st place Middle School girls, one round at a perfect 50.
Christa Ising 2nd place Middle School girls.
Molly Gregory 3rd place Middle School girls
Emily Simmons 5th place Middle School girls
Elliott Horton 1st place Middle School boys
Quenton Horton 3rd place Middle School boys
ASCENSION SWIM TEAM – GR’S. 1-8
If you are interested in signing up for Ascension Swim Team please follow these directions.
Go to GameDay and register your swimmer(s)(see link below). There is further information at the bottom of this email regarding practices and the swim meet date. Please make sure you note these dates. More information will be sent out of tentative dates.
You are now able to register for swimming on GameDay effective Nov. 1: https://gameday.loucsaa.net/
Grades 1-8
Boys & Girls
Cost: $35
Coach- Haley Mussler
Swim Coordinator – Stephanie Koenig
Practice: Sundays 4-5pm or 5-6pm (TBD) at St X Pool.
Swim Meet: Saturday 3/2/24- tentative
Registration opens: 11/1/23
Registration closes: 1/15/24
Program begins: 1/7/24
Program ends: 3/2/24
Excited for an awesome swim season! Please let me know if you have any questions!
Stephanie Koenig
Swim Team Coordinator
WANTED – CONCESSION COORDINATOR
The Ascension athletic board is seeking a Concessions Coordinator. For job responsibilities you can email Kristin Jansen at kenoe01@gmail.com or Ms. Thomas at susthomas@ascension-parish.com. All applications must be in by November 8th. Please include a short bio and your interest in the position.
Thank you,
Ascension Athletics
SPIRIT WEAR
Greetings, parents!
Please click on the following link to order your Longhorn athletic spirit wear through Kratz Sporting Goods: https://ascensionspiritwear.itemorder.com/shop/home/
The team shop will close at the end of day Tuesday, November 21st.
Order for Christmas! Items will be delivered to students at school prior to Christmas break.
Please contact Kristin Jansen at kenoe01@gmail.com with any questions.
Go Longhorns!
COMMUNITY CEREAL DRIVE
Dates: October 30 until November 16
Drop off at: Ascension School
You can help the families in the Louisville community in partnership with Dare to Care Food Bank!
Please email Mrs. Monaghan with any questions, amonaghan@ascension-parish.com
Student Incentives:
The top donator in each grade will receive a pizza lunch & drink in Mrs. Monaghan’s room
The top donating class will receive donuts & hot chocolate
GIVE CATHOLIC
Join Ascension for #iGiveCatholic on #GivingTuesday on November 28th! Advanced Giving runs from Monday, November 13th – Monday, November 27th. You can support Ascension with an offline gift of check or cash OR give online and learn about our project at https://louisville.igivecatholic.org/organizations/ascension-parish-louisville Thank you for your continued generosity!
PTO WEBSITE – https://sites.google.com/view/ascensionpto/home
PTO FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/groups/421480501922288/
PTO NEWSLETTER – https://sites.google.com/view/ascensionpto/monthly-newsletter
RESTAURANT NIGHTS!!!
December 9, 7:30am-3:00pm Biscuit Belly
January 16, 11:00am-8:00pm City BBQ
SAVE THE DATE FOR “TASTE OF ASCENSION”!
Saturday, February 3rd
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
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!