“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” Ephesians 4:32
In this newsletter you can read Mr. Ramos’ letter, pictures from prayer service, sign ups for playground angels, device-use at school, a welcome to new families, EDP (after school program), summer reading treat, Harvest Fest, Casual Uniform Wednesdays, Mass this Friday, office communication, traffic loop procedures, Spark schedule, and much more! Thank you for reading!
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Dear ACS Parents and Students,
I want to take this time to welcome all ACS families back to school. The staff and I were very excited to see all of you here today. Some news to share with all of you, we started the year with 222 students enrolled and at least one more potential inquiry. Our Back-to-School event was amazing! Thank you to the PTC, the Vargas-Vazquez family Food Truck and the 8th graders supplying other dinner options. The weather helped us out for a very enjoyable night.The Opening Day Prayer Service set the tone for the year and Father Moore was here to bless the school building, classrooms, the students and our teachers and staff. August 27th will mark our first full day of instruction and of course this Friday, August 28th, will be our first school Mass as a school community. I am looking forward to providing you with more in-depth information about Parent Learning Walks, Curriculum Night and the Harvest Fest in next week’s newsletter. Thank you for raising wonderful children, it was a pleasure welcoming them back yesterday.
Pax Vobiscum,
Mr. E. Omar Ramos
Calling Playground Angels!
Throughout the year, we have an ongoing need to keep these safety positions filled. You get to earn volunteer hours and it’s a great way to see your child during the day while getting to know their friends. Thank you for your help in keeping recess fun and safe! We organized volunteer times by the half hour so hopefully more parents can grab a half hour or an hour. **As a volunteer, you will need to be “Virtus Certified”. Any questions contact the school office.
Sign-ups are now available for September! Just Click.
Casual Uniform Each Wednesday
As a reminder, students will be dismissed EVERY Wednesday this coming year at 2 pm. This will allow teachers to engage in professional development activities and have planning time within the regular school day.
And starting September 2nd, each Wednesday will be a “casual uniform” day. This allows students to wear school related t-shirts (with our logo) sweatshirts, and jeans. Shoes should still follow the uniform policy. Students may also wear regular school uniforms these days. Any changes to the Wednesday schedule will be made available through our Wednesday newsletters for the following week or month.
Leggings or stretchy-type pants may not be worn and will result in an “out of uniform” slip. Please see the uniform policy for more information.
EDP information
We will begin offering our Extended Day Program (EDP) on Thursday, August 27th. If you need this service and have not yet filled out an EDP registration form, please do so as soon as possible. Forms were sent home in your Wednesday envelopes. Registration fee is $75.
Feel free to email Ms. Zender with questions: ezender@assumption.school.
EDP will start at 2pm on Wednesdays and 3pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Emily Zender is the Extended Day Program Director.
Middle School Sweatshirts vs. ACS Team Sweatshirts
This year, through the cooperation of coaches, we are requiring students to only wear their designated team sweatshirt or jersey on game days. And of course, if a game or meet lands on a day with Mass for example, then students will be required to wear Dress Uniform. The team/sport sweatshirt should not be worn during the week, except Wednesdays, for regular uniforms. It is a privilege and honor to represent our school and to highlight students that are currently on a team.
Parent Permission and Device-Use Guidelines
Updated technology forms were sent home yesterday for families to read and keep. The parent and student Technology Agreement Contract will be sent home in the upcoming week. Teachers will have a chance to talk to students about how to use devices and expectations along with consequences for misuse or accidental breakage. The signature page is required back to the office for bookkeeping and records. The contract forms with student and parent signatures will be due September 4th. Thank you.
Welcome, New Families!
We are blessed to have 24 new K-8 students this school year and are grateful to our ACS community for making these children and their families feel welcome! If you see a parent around campus that you don’t know, we hope everyone will introduce themselves. Opening our arms as a school community is a huge way we can actively live our faith.
If you are a new family, we hope you enjoyed the welcome sign in your yard, courtesy of our PTC “elves”! We’d love to celebrate your children with a photo of them with their sign and your permission to share. Feel free to email your pictures: ddennis@assumption.school. Thank you!
FACTS Access for Middle School Families
In the next few days, all Sixth Graders and new seventh grade students will be given access to our FACTS portal, a window into our Student Information System. Through the portal, you and your child will be able to access their assignments and grades. Parents will receive a copy of the log in instructions provided to the students via email. This only applies to middle school.
Harvest Fest 
We need volunteers to make this event happen smoothly for everyone. Parents can earn fundraising hours for your family commitment requirements, middle school students can earn service hours, and we all benefit creating an evening of “Fun for the whole family”!
There are many areas to sign up: Click Here
Teacher Wish Lists
Don’t forget you can support your favorite teachers through this generous program! Stop by the school entrance to pick up a QR code or scan one to shop their classroom wish lists. Every purchase helps provide our teachers with supplies and resources to make their classrooms even better! Thank you for supporting our amazing teachers!
We have a new flag!
We are thankful for the local Knights council of Bellingham for making this possible. The men were able to attach a new U.S.A. flag to a wooden frame and hang it properly in the gym for all to see. This was greatly needed as our old one was most likely from the 1960’s.
ACS COFFEE & DONUTS @Assumption Parish
We are hosting 6 times this upcoming year for Assumption Parish and would love to have parents take part in this wonderful community building opportunity. This can count towards church or school commitment hours. Thank you in advance for your time and help.
Contact Michele King in the office and we will have a sign up genius next week.
Hosting Dates:
September 6th 2026
October 4th 2026
November 1st 2026
January 31st 2027
April 11th 2027
May 2nd 2027
Comfort Kits due by Friday, September 4th
If you did not already purchase or provide a Comfort Kit (emergency food supply) for your child(ren), please do so by this Friday, September 4th. Our Eighth Graders made plenty of extras, so just notify the office if you’d like to purchase one (or more) for $25 each. Forms will go home next week.
It includes all the nutrition necessities and even a prayer card to add to the comfort!
It is an emergency preparedness requirement to have a food supply on hand at school. Any student who does not have one by Friday will be given a kit and your SchoolAdmin account will be charged. Thank you for understanding this safety protocol!
Summer Reading forms
We’re so proud of our great Assumption readers! If your child(ren) met the summer reading requirement for their grade level, please fill out and return the confirmation form on the back page of the “Summer Reading List K-8″. If you don’t have your copy handy, extra forms can be found in the office. Please turn in the form to the office by Friday, September 4th.
Students who return their completed forms will receive a celebratory treat at lunchtime on Wednesday, September 9th!
School Mass this Friday
This Friday, August 28th, our staff will be leading Mass. All K-8 students should wear dress uniforms and parents are welcome and encouraged to attend each Mass or prayer service!
ALTAR SERVERS: IOAN ZANKICH, JOE HERRON, AND BLAKE MCGUIRE.
Please arrive at 7:30 for benediction and then preparing for mass. Homeroom teachers will not mark you tardy or absent. Thank you.
Parent-Student Handbook for 2026
A review of this year’s Parent/Student Handbook will be made available next week. Thank you for your patience while we update all forms from the office.
Water bottles
Please remember to send your child(ren) to school with a water bottle. We have three filtered fountains (one on each floor) for chilled refills.
Drop-off/pick-up procedures- IMPORTANT!
- For the safety of the children, please do not use a cell phone while driving through the traffic loop. We need parents to be extra diligent and drive slowly in the traffic loop since there are so many students and significant traffic.
- Please also remember not to arrive before 11:45 am or 2 pm on Early Release Days, and not before 3 pm on regular days. We don’t want cars to back up on the street. If you’re here early, pull in and park until the gate opens.
- Students will be dismissed at 3 pm, but we stagger the pick-up so that K-4 parents should pick up at 3:05 pm and 5-8 parents at 3:10 pm. Preschool parents can pick up at 3 pm. If you arrive before 3 pm, please pull in and park until the gate opens at 3:05 pm. If your child is not at his/her sign, please pull around the loop (you don’t need to go all the way out of the parking lot).
- Do not allow children to run on the sidewalks as traffic is moving nearby.
- Remember that traffic is always one way in the morning and the afternoon. Enter by the Virginia St. side and exit on the Kentucky St. side (by Bellingham High School).
- Students in grades four and above can have permission to walk or bike home. Children in grades three and below must walk with a parent or older sibling. Students who are biking or walking should exit through the Cornwall gate only. We need consent on this form (link to PDF) if you give your child permission to walk or bike home. Please complete this by Friday, September 6th.
Pizza Lunches this Year!
Don’t forget to fill out a pizza form and check the monthly calendars for those days we have pizza delivered from Little Ceasar’s! This year we just need you to fill out one form per student for the whole year!
Office communication
As you know, the office staff is made up of two Mrs. Kings to meet your needs in the office! To best serve our school families and ensure no communication slips through the cracks, please use the following guide for emailing:
- Attendance, including absences, tardies, and planned appointments: please email attendance@assumption.school. This ensures all office staff get your message regardless of scheduling. Mrs. Michele King is the attendance personnel.
- Tuition and school account issues and records: Mrs. Angie King, aking@assumption.school
- Admissions, Annual Fund, Tours, Marketing: Please email Mrs. Dayna Dennis at ddennis@assumption.school.
- All other communication (questions, concerns, messages to children or teachers)- please do your best to email us according to our areas of responsibility.
Wednesday Envelopes: Another form of communication between the office, teachers and parents. Please return envelopes to the office by Thursday each week.
Thursday Newsletter: This year we are trying out the newsletters on Thursdays. We are currently working on a new format for newsletters with the help of a group of parents with a particular expertise. Look forward to this new format by October 1st!!
- Everything else: Michele King, mking@assumption.school
Alternatively, you could always call the school and anyone in the office will be happy to help you. Emailing the office at theoffice@assumption.school is also a way to communicate with all staff in the office (including Mr. Ramos). Thank you for helping us best serve you!
SPARK
Sign up link here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeCBkpCxWE9BPF4ZchKd3JWtAxlBVRTibxrTCv-BOVaavRNyA/viewform
Whatcom Catholic News
Upcoming Movie
Bishop Barron’s Movie coming to Bellingham for a limited time. Check out this link with the movie trailer and more information.
“Heaven in Stone and Glass”
Spirit Sunday!
Spirit Sunday will continue to be the first weekend of every month! We invite all ACS families to join us at any Mass in Whatcom County in their dress uniforms to proudly represent Assumption Catholic School.
Students are encouraged to volunteer as a greeter and/or gift bearer. This is a wonderful way to serve our parish community and help us spread the spirit, joy, and presence of ACS!
Bonus: Every student who participates will receive a free-dress coupon for the Monday following Spirit Sunday!
High School News! 
Archdiocese of Seattle formally approves Catholic high school serving the Northern Deanery
The Northern Deanery Regional Catholic High School (NDRCHS) is pleased to announce that it received formal approval from the Archdiocese of Seattle to open the first Catholic high school in Island, San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom Counties. NDRCHS will open its doors to its first students in the Fall of 2027.
The mission of NDRCHS is to inspire learners to encounter Christ, critically engage important ideas and apply their gifts for the good of the world. The school’s vision is to create an Archdiocesan Catholic high school that serves more than 200 students, prepares young people for all vocational and college pathways and reflects the rich diversity of the Catholic Church and the broader community.
The school will carry the name Northern Deanery Regional Catholic High School until a formal naming process is completed. Sacred Heart Parish Hall, located in the Fairhaven neighborhood in Bellingham, will serve as the school’s initial temporary location.
More information regarding NDRCHS, including information sessions at Assumption Catholic School, Immaculate Conception Regional School, and the Sacred Heart Parish Hall, will follow. Until then, please visit the school’s website at https://ndhighschool.org/ and follow it on Instagram at @northerndeaneryhs.
Specific questions about the school can be directed to Andy Remien, NDRCHS administrator, at andy@ndhighschool.org or (206) 605-9827.
No Saint Question of the Week. And our Virtue/Peacemaker for September will be announced next week.
Upcoming calendar items:
Sept. 4th – Reading Lists from summer due today/Comfort Kits Due
Sept. 7th – NO SCHOOL for Labor Day
Sept 10th– Curriculum Night starts in the gym, moving over to classrooms for teacher presentations.
Sept. 14-Oct.9 – MAP TESTING/Please have students prepared at least with plenty of sleep and a good breakfast!
Sept 14th- Pizza Lunch
Sept. 18th -NO SCHOOL for teacher workday
Sept 19th– PTC Harvest Festival with Dinner and Games
Sept 28th- Pizza Lunch
Sept 29th- Individual Picture Day for preschool and K-8th
Sept 30th– Individual Picture Day, Pre-K only and makeups on the 29th
