MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Feb. 10-13 – Winter break
Feb. 24 – 2nd Trimester ends
LENTEN READS & SEEDS
Join Ascension families for our Lenten edition of Family Faith Story-telling on Saturday, February 18th from 9A-10A. We will listen to the story, The Tiny Seed, following a plant your own seed activity. RSVP by Wednesday 2/15, https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c4ea9ab2aa6fdc70-lenten
FAMILY ADORATION HOUR
New to Adoration? Adoration is an opportunity to pray together as a family! Bring your family to our Adoration Hour on Saturday, March 4th from 9A-10A. We will have resources, music, and prayer suitable for all ages. All are welcome.
SANDWICH SUNDAY – MARCH 5
Following the 8:30am Mass we will join together in the cafeteria to assemble the lunch bags that will be given out directly downtown by hiphopcare502. Donations are needed. Please sign up to bring various items needed to make the lunch bags by clicking on the link below:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4DA4AA29A1FACE9-sandwich
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
Please join us for National Catholic Schools Week, our annual celebration of what makes education at Ascension outstanding. Starting with Saturday Mass on January 28 at 4pm, we have a whole week of activities planned to celebrate the community and parish we have built to educate tomorrow’s citizens and church leaders. Here is our schedule for the week:
Thursday, February 2 – Celebrate Students – Free dress, crazy hair, socks. Pep rally at 2pm.
Friday, February 3 – Celebrate Vocations – thank you letters to Fr. Adam and Deacon John. Speakers visiting classes to talk about religious vocations. Adoration/confession from 2-5pm.
The theme of our celebration is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.” The theme encompasses the core products and values that can be found in Catholic schools across the country. Not only are we teaching students to become future servant leaders, faith-filled disciples and enriched citizens in our communities, educators are growing with them. In Catholic schools, we are all learners, servants and leaders. These shared qualities are what make Catholic schools work. They are what make Catholic schools succeed. The theme also focuses on key elements of Catholic education: faith development, academic excellence and dedication to service. These elements set Catholic schools apart from other educational options. They are why families make sacrifices to provide their children with a Catholic education.
I am grateful every day for the teachers, staff, parishioners, board members, parents and volunteers who make our school a success. National Catholic Schools Week is a good time for all of us to thank them for their dedication and service.
Devotedly yours in Christ,
Terrence Mullaney, Principal
ASCENSION SUMMER CAMP – 3’S – GR. 5
Registration forms were emailed on Friday, January 20 for summer camp. Registrations are due by February 1.
FISH FRY VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE SIGN-UPS – ATTENTION PARISHIONERS!
This year’s adult co-ed volleyball league begins Friday, February 24th and runs through March 24th. A team fee and shift in the concession stand is required to participate. Team captains should contact Lynn Thompson at 502-767-6315 or lynnthompson72@gmail.com by February 19th. Team members should be parishioners and 19 or older. A limit of 14 teams will be accepted for play.
APPLICATION FORM & FEE
The application form & fee is due by February 9 to receive the early bird discount ($50) and to reserve a place for your child for the 2023-2024 school year. We will begin accepting new students February 10. Thank you!
Disciple Maker Index Survey
Coming Soon: This Lent, you are invited to share your voice in a parish-wide survey, the Disciple Maker Index (DMI). Please help us by participating in the 10–15-minute survey. All responses will be confidential, and the parish will only receive information about the community as a whole. Keep posted for more details as we get closer to the date.
SPRING SPORTS REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN ON GameDay! PLEASE REGISTER YOUR CHILDREN HERE: https://gameday.loucsaa.net.
Track: 1st – 8th grade co-ed
Registration closes 3/1/23
Practice start date TBD
$25
Contact Dennis Jones at djones@ascension-parish.com with any questions and/or if interested in coaching.
Golf: 3rd – 8th grade co-ed
Registration closes 3/31/23
Practice start date TBD
$30
*Additional cost may be involved if team plays in additional tournaments.
Contact Teague Ridge at tridge@talgrace.com with any questions.
Tennis: 5th – 8th grade co-ed
Registration closes 3/31/23
Practice start date TBD
$30
*Additional cost may be involved if team plays in additional tournaments.
Contact Katie Earley at kmearley@gmail.com with any questions and/or if interested in coaching.
Softball: 5th – 8th grade girls
Registration closes 3/31/23
Practice start date TBD
Free until CSAA determines if this sport will be offered
Contact Teague Ridge at tridge@talgrace.com with any questions and/or if interested in coaching.
Baseball: 5th – 8th grade boys
5th – 8th grade
Registration closes 3/31/23
Practice start date TBD
Free until CSAA determines if this sport will be offered
Contact Teague Ridge at tridge@talgrace.com with any questions and/or if interested in coaching.
Boys Volleyball: 1st – 8th
Registration remains open until 1/31/23
Contact Dave Baker at dmbaker2233@gmail.com with any questions and/or if interested in coaching.
Girls volleyball will remain a fall sport at this time.
Go Longhorns!
Teague Ridge, tridge@talgrace.com
Kristin Jansen, kenoe01@gmail.com
FROM THE PTO
PTO – https://sites.google.com/view/ascensionpto/home
TASTE OF ASCENSION – SAVE THE DATE
Please join us on Saturday, February 18 6:30pm – 9:30pm followed by music and dancing until 11:30pm, as we transform the Ascension gym into a sampler’s delight! We would be honored to have your participation in the event as we showcase the area’s finest restaurants, caterers, wineries, brewers & distillers! Click below for more info.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/taste-of-ascension-its-5-oclock-somewhere-tickets-463883446877
PTO NEWSLETTER
https://sites.google.com/view/ascensionpto/monthly-newsletter
EMS WINNERS FOR THE WEEK OF 01/20/23
Date, $Prize, Winner, Seller & Grade
01/20 $25 Kathy Baker, Gwen Baker Gr. 7
01/21 $25 Bryan Back, Gene Back, JK
01/22 $25 Jessica Shaw, Ben Henson Gr. 5
01/23 $25 Ryan Fields, Jack Fields Gr. 3
01/24 $50 Aymen Chandler, Aymen Chandler Gr. 3
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
As we celebrate our Catholic Schools this week, I spent time thinking about what makes a Catholic education worth celebrating? Are we preparing our students (as the CSW theme suggests) for faith, excellence and service? I think we are!
Someone shared an article with me which crystalized my own feelings about what we are doing in our Catholic Schools: it reassured me that we ARE preparing our students for a life with God, in excellence and service to others. The article presented the case for Catholic with a capital “C” and a different meaning for lowercase “c.”
Catholic with a capital “C” defines the traditions of our faith, sharing the Eucharist together as a school every Wednesday, and with our community on weekend; morning, lunchtime and end of days prayers; religion classes, and overall perspectives on our world.
Catholic with a little “c” would be the opportunities to live out what we are learning through the sports and clubs we play and participate in, service to our parish and larger community, buddy program, kindness, love and compassion on a daily basis with others and so much more.
When I think about C(c)atholic schools, I have always recognized that what we offer our students and communities are robust opportunities to both learn and live in and through God – faith excellence and service.
This week, I sent a Catholic Identity Survey to parents, faculty and staff as well as our students (grades 5-8). This is part of an ongoing process to better understand our strengths and areas needing improvement. Early indications from all stakeholders (85% in) are that we are meeting the benchmarks in this area (avg. score 4.56/5). We have work to do and will continue to grow, but the community does seem to recognize our commitment to growing in our Catholic Identity.
So much to be thankful for and celebrate, for sure!
Thank you all for your dedication and commitment to Catholic education!
LENTEN STUDY 2023
Lenten Study Opportunity-We are launching a parish wide Lenten Study and inviting you to a special time! Park your car in the front of the carpool line and join us in the AMR for a easy to do Lenten study and fellowship with fellow school parents. The study will be on Tuesdays from 1:45PM-2:30PM, RSVP by February 1st to ensure enough books are ordered by registering here:Lenten Study
PULL TABS COLLECTION-KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
Please continue to save your pull tabs. Every little bit helps. Together we can make a difference. For more information on Kids Cancer Alliance please visit kidscanceralliance.org or contact K of C coordinator John McCarthy at mccoots1@gmail.com.
All proceeds benefit the Kids Cancer Alliance (KCA) and Indian Summer Camp (ISC). Pull tabs can be sent in to the school office at any time.
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
Thank you,
Ascension PTO
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!