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.