“Let all you do be done in love.” 1 Cor 16:14
In this week’s newsletter you can find out about cross-country wrap up, Bright Futures Annual Fund, prayer groups, Christmas Bazaar info, Holy Hoops is NOW, Playground Angel signups needed, Day of the Dead altar and pictures needed, Halloween Trunk or Treat, many volunteer opportunities, PTC news, Ridwell recycling program, Saint trivia, Middle School Academic Decathalon, regular basketball seasons, CYO appeal for Camp Hamilton, 8th grade wreath fundraiser, Spirit of Newman tickets available, Orange and Black Day coming and much more.
Support Ridwell project to help the environment
We’re doing a hard-to-recycle plastics drive with Ridwell! Bring in your Multi-Layer Plastic items (snack packs, candy wrappers, chip bags) to school between October 12th and November 3rd to be recycled by Ridwell and upcycled into new building materials.
Let’s see how much waste Assumption Catholic School can divert from the landfill!
What’s more, help Assumption Catholic School to fundraise. Sign up for Ridwell between now and 11/17/2024 using https://get.ridwell.com/assumption-catholic and Ridwell will donate $20 to our school!
Our newly named Bright Futures Annual Fund is a school initiative that raises funds to cover the difference between the actual cost to educate a student at Assumption and the tuition charged to our school families – a difference of over $2,500 per student for the 2023-24 academic year. Your Bright Futures gift directly covers this year’s operational expenses and helps Assumption maintain a balanced budget and promote the sustainability of our school.
Unlike tuition payments, gifts to the Bright Futures Annual Fund are tax deductible.
Every contribution – toward our $140,000 goal ─ goes toward keeping Assumption affordable for every family currently enrolled.
Please consider paying forward the life-changing gift of an Assumption education and creating more bright futures.
OR Bright Futures Annual Fund (ejoinme.org)
Christmas Bazaar on Sunday, December 3, 2023
Gently Used Books Wanted!
Support the PTC for the Christmas Bazaar Used Book Sale. Drop your gently used books at 3 convenient locations through November 28th.
1. -Assumption School entryway
2. -Assumption Church gathering space
3. -Sacred Heart Parish Office
Vendors Wanted!
Secure a spot as a vendor in the PTC Christmas Bazaar, December 3, 9am-3pm
Limited spots are left and it’s a $55 price until October 31st!
This is your chance to show off your craft! REGISTRATION LINK
Vendor Questions? Visit our FAQ on the VENDOR SITE or email: bazaar@assumption.school
Día de los Muertos Altar (Day of the Dead)
We are pleased to inform you that, as part of our annual celebration of the Day of the Dead, we will be preparing a beautiful altar at the school’s main entrance in honor of Mexican families and celebrating the lives of our dearly departed.
To make this commemoration more meaningful and personal, we invite you to contribute photographs of your beloved deceased family members for display on the altar. If you are willing to share a photograph, kindly bring it to the office with a frame by October 26,Thursday, next week. Please include the name and grade in the back.
We understand the sensitivity of this request and want to assure you that these images will be handled with care and respect. They will be displayed lovingly and returned to you after the event.
Your contribution will not only honor your family member’s memory but also create a sense of unity and shared support within our community during this time of remembrance.
Thank you for considering this request. If you have any questions or need assistance with the submission process, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Santos at csantos@assumption.school
*History: This is a Mexican holiday celebrated in Mexico and elsewhere associated with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day and is held on October 31, November 1 and 2. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pray for and to remember friends and family members who have died.
Playground Angels Needed!
Thank you for your help in keeping recess fun and safe!
Remember to get your training done with Virtus Online.
WE NEED TRUNKS!
Assumption Family Ministry needs YOU on Saturday, October 28th (event begins at about 6:15; after the 5 pm Mass)! Our parish and school are filled with children ready for Halloween fun and some well-deserved treats!
We are coordinating our annual parish Trunk or Treat and are looking for families willing to open their trunks and pass out candy (decorated tables are also an option)! This is a SUPER fun event! Please sign up if you’re able: Assumption Family Ministry: Assumption’s Trunk or Treat
If you can’t provide a trunk but would like to donate treats, please drop candy off at the school office any weekday. We had a huge community response last year and ran out of candy, so extras are appreciated. Thank you in advance for helping us provide this great event for the children of Assumption!
HOLY HOOPS SCHEDULE and TEAMS!
Come cheer on your 5th – 8th grade school friends as they compete in this fun-filled, four-day, 4×4 basketball tournament. The tournament will run daily in the Assumption gym from 3:15 to 7 pm, October 17th– October 20th. The full event schedule is outlined below, and all parents, students, and community members are welcome and encouraged to stop by the gym during these times to help make this event a wild success! A special thank you to Lisa Twining, to the volunteers, and to the sponsors who came together to make this event a great success!
This is a great opportunity to watch our middle schoolers play a sport they love and enjoying a little friendly competition. Please return the volunteer sign up as soon as possible.
PTC News
Business directory:
PTC is creating an updated business directory this year to expand the support of our Assumption community. If you own a business and would like to promote it in the community, fill out the attached link. We want to support and acknowledge our ACS families who own businesses.
Volunteer Opportunities
MCT: We are still looking for someone to help with coordinating this incredible week, hosted by the Missoula Children’s Theatre. Attached is a flyer detailing further information regarding what is involved. Missoula Children’s Theater Event Chair Flyer (4) (1).pdf
Variety Show: This evening of entertainment is an occasion for your child to share their talents, ambitions, and artistic side. We need a few hands from parents to make this evening smooth. If you have an interest in helping our kids shine on stage, this is a rewarding opportunity to fulfill your volunteer hours. We need assistance from parents with organizing student acts, help with auditions and practices, approving music and attire, transitioning to and from the stage, as well as technical support with music and sound. Please email volunteer23@assumption.school if you are interested in helping out in any of these areas.
PTC General Meeting:
The PTC General Meeting will be held next Wednesday, October 25th at 6:30 PM in the school gym. We have some wonderful new families this year and this is an especially great opportunity for parents and staff to gather together, enjoy some light snacks, learn more about PTC, and the excitement of the coming year. Each parent can earn one volunteer hour for coming to the meeting.
**Childcare will be available in the school library upon arrival for those who need it. **
Grandparents’ Day:
Grandparents’ Day is a little over a month away and it is time to let our beloved grandparents know about a special day we have planned. Mark your calendars for November 17th, where our students will honor their grandparents. We are excited to announce that it will coincide with our Book Fair. You and your child will have a chance to look at a celebratory selection of books in our school library for purchase and fundraising. Return to school that same evening at 6:00PM for our seasonal movie Night! Further details will become available in our upcoming newsletters. This is a day you and your family will not want to miss!
Co-Curricular Activities and Sign-Ups
Cross Country News
Congratulations to the Eagles Cross Country team! The boys team went undefeated in all their county races this season. It took all the kids working together and supporting each other to achieve this great accomplishment. Congratulations to Jack for finishing in first place for the second week in a row! Each of the runners on both the girls’ and boys’ teams made great strides this year and Coaches Luke, Wolf, and Rush couldn’t be prouder of the effort, resiliency and stamina that they demonstrated throughout the season. “STRENGTH GROWS IN THE MOMENTS WHEN YOU THINK YOU CAN’T GO ON BUT YOU KEEP GOING STRONG!”
As our Cross-Country season comes to a close, we wanted to acknowledge the impact of head coach, Sara Rush, who returned to volunteer even after her boys graduated from Assumption. Coach Rush is a wonderful example of servant leadership- sharing more than just her (extensive) knowledge about running, but also leading by example. During last week’s meet at Peace Arch Park, a runner from another team collapsed mid-race. Coach Rush sprang into action, physically moving the runner out of harm’s way until she came-to. Coach Rush then stayed with that athlete (whose parents were not at the meet and the coach was far away on the other side of the park) until she was fully recovered. She is the epitome of sportsmanship, hard work, character, and grit. Coach Rush’s leadership has been a true blessing to our runners and the entire XC program. Thank you, Coach Rush!
Reminder: 10/23 Cross Country Pizza Party and Team Pictures (Bring your uniform today)
Basketball Season Sign-Ups Deadline October 20th—Friday!
Girls and boys need to bring in their basketball season signups by this Friday so that we know how many participants we have in order to make teams. If there are enough students that want to play this year, we could have two teams for the girls and two for the boys. This is a great opportunity to try a new sport or improve your skills.
The emphasis is on good sportsmanship, dedication to performance improvement, team effort, personal & spiritual improvement and tons of FUN!
The cost is $75 and more forms are in the office if needed.
Girl’s season begins Monday, October 23rd.
Boy’s season begins Monday, December 6th.
Archdiocese Academic Decathalon Sign ups
The Archdiocese of Seattle is new to the AJHD (Academic Junior High Decathalon) circuit and will hold their first competition on Saturday, March 2nd at Kennedy Catholic High School in Burien. This is for all sixth through eighth graders, but fifth graders can join if there are not enough middle schoolers to form a team. The winning team from the regional competition, competes at the national level virtually.
The Academic Decathalon will replace Math Olympiad this year if there is enough interest. We are still looking for coaches but would like to see if there is interest from the community. If your 5th-8th grader is interested in participating, please fill out this form and submit it by next week. To learn more about the Academic Decathalon, you can view this video. (Please note this is the same day as the Growing Great Kids Auction, so if you want to attend the competition in Burien, you may not be back in time for the auction.)
CYO Appeal For the Campfire Circle
CYO Camp is Counting on You! Make a donation to the Camp Hamilton campfire circle. This gift will provide a large gathering place for environmental and education campers to come together, sing songs, share skits, and make memories. The campfire circle was built in 1990 and first used in 1991 when Camp Hamilton opened. The current campfire circle is rotting away and has never been replaced. Your gift will help the Camp Hamilton campfire circle by rebuilding a place where each summer more than 300 CYO campers can create memories like presenting the hike report, recognizing beads earned through the week, and welcoming new campers/first year campers in the “Circle of family, friendship, and support.”
Thank you for your support of CYO Camps! Click Here to Donate
Funds raised above the cost to update the CYO Camps Campfire Circle will be used for the greatest needs of CYO Camps. **This is where our ACS 6th graders went to camp last spring with Mr. Costanza!
8th Grade Christmas Wreath and Poinsettia Fundraiser
Nothing says holiday season more than majestic poinsettia and a beautiful evergreen wreath in your home! Order today for yourself, family, and friends! Remember to bring forms to local businesses and your own place of work. All profits will go to help the 8th grade class travel to Washington DC. See the flyer in your envelopes today. Or the link is Here!
Parent Prayer Group Tuesdays and Adoration on Wednesdays
Tuesday Prayer: Everyone is welcome to come and pray with other parents/grandparents in the library at 8-8:45am. We pray for each other and people in the school community. Small children are welcome also. For more information, please contact Anne Patelli at annepatelli@hotmail.com.
Adoration Time: Please join with other ACS family members for Adoration each Wednesday from 8am-9am in the church sanctuary. Adoration at Assumption Church is 24 hours, but this hour will be designated as a time for school families to come pray together for the school and their own intentions. You don’t need to be Catholic to participate. All are welcome! Come for the whole hour, just a few minutes, or whatever works for you. Feel free to bring a Bible, a journal, prayer book or devotional, and whatever is on your heart. Then find a space in the sanctuary and settle into the stillness of personal prayer with Jesus. Everyone is welcome to be part of this intimate and sacred prayer time. We will meet in the gathering space of the church from 8-8:15am to share school prayer requests and discuss any questions about Adoration.
Please contact Katie White – katievm@gmail.com, or Emma Fisher – Fisherfamily.de@gmail.com for more information. God bless!
Spirit of Newman Tickets!
Viking Catholic is the Catholic Campus Ministry serving WWU and other college students in Whatcom County. Each year they hold an annual fundraiser, The Spirit of Newman! This evening is filled with testimonies of college students and how the Lord is working in their lives. It’s a night when we come together to share the Good News and raise funds to support this important ministry. This year the guest speakers for the evening are Fr. Tyler Johnson, the assistant vocations director for the Seattle Archdiocese and Sr. Moira Debono from the Religious Sisters of Mercy. There are over 200 guests who will be in attendance this year and another 30-40 students. We would love for you to join us! Ticket sales close this Sunday October 22nd.
All information can be found on our event website: https://onecau.se/vikingcatholic
If you have any questions, please contact Emma Fisher via e-mail: Emmafisher@wwunewman.com
Orange and Black Dress Day October 31st
On this day for Halloween the students are allowed to wear orange and black colors in lieu of a costume. Please still follow the dress policy in the Parent handbook online. Thank you.
“Walking with the Saints” Trivia is Back!
If you think you know who this saint is below, then write your name, grade, and guess on a piece of paper and turn in to Mrs. King in the office. This is a great way to learn about saints and their lives. Each saint is unique, just like each one of us. And maybe one or two saints may inspire you as you grow in your relationship with Christ.
Last Week: It was Blessed Carlo Acutis. This week’s winner is Evelyn White, Congratulations!
New Saint/Blessed: This saint was chosen by Christ to arouse the Church to a realization of the love of God symbolized by the heart of Jesus. She will forever be know as a promoter of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Her early years were marked by sickness and a painful home situation. “The heaviest of my crosses was that I could do nothing to lighten the cross my mother was suffering.” After considering marriage for some time, she then entered the Order of the Visitation nuns at the age of 24.
A Visitation nun was “not to be extraordinary except by being ordinary,” but the young nun was not to enjoy this anonymity. A fellow novice termed her humble, simple, and frank, but above all, kind and patient under sharp criticism and correction. She could not meditate in the formal way expected, though she tried her best to give up her “prayer of simplicity.” Slow, quiet, and clumsy, she was assigned to help an infirmarian who was a bundle of energy. On December 21, 1674, three years a nun, she received the first of her revelations. She felt “invested” with the presence of God, though always afraid of deceiving herself in such matters. The request of Christ was that his love for humankind be made evident through her.
During the next 13 months, Christ appeared to her at intervals. His human heart was to be the symbol of his divine-human love. By her own love she was to make up for the coldness and ingratitude of the world—by frequent and loving Holy Communion, especially on the first Friday of each month, and by an hour’s vigil of prayer every Thursday night in memory of his agony and isolation in Gethsemane. He also asked that a feast of reparation be instituted.
Like all saints, she had to pay for her gift of holiness. Some of her own sisters were hostile. Theologians who were called in declared her visions delusions and suggested that she eat more heartily. Later, parents of children she taught called her an impostor, an unorthodox innovator. A new confessor, the Jesuit Claude de la Colombière, recognized her genuineness and supported her. Against her great resistance, Christ called her to be a sacrificial victim for the shortcomings of her own sisters, and to make this known.
After serving as novice mistress and assistant superior, she died at the age of 43, while being anointed. She said: “I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus.”
Upcoming calendar items:
- Oct. 17-20th – Holy Hoops competition in the gym! After school each day from 3-7 pm.
- Oct. 25th – PTC General Meeting @6:30pm in the gym
- Oct. 28th – Family Trunk or Treat @ 6:15pm in the Traffic Loop
- Oct. 30th – Pizza Lunch Day
- Oct. 31st – Orange and Black Day! Happy Halloween…Boo!
- Nov. 1st– Solemnity of All Saints Mass @12:30pm…Dress Uniform Today
- Nov. 5th – Open House Sunday for Preschool and Kindergarten 11:30 to 1:30pm
- Nov. 6 and 7th– Health Checks K-8
- Nov. 6th – Vocations Week Visitors Here
- Nov. 8th– Casual Uniform Day (T-shirt/sweatshirt with school logo and jeans)
- Nov. 9th – Veteran’s Day prayer service 8:15am
- Nov. 10th – No School – Veteran’s Day Observed
- Nov. 13th – Pizza Day
- Nov. 15-16-17th– Book Fair is 8-3:30pm
- Nov. 17th – Grandparent’s Day with Reception and Mass
