News

What does ACS have that most schools don't? Our very own Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade clown. Can you guess who it is? No, it's not Mrs. Shumny. It's our new principal, Mr. S.

To get there, he had to get on a bus at 4 AM. He "clowned around" as he walked in the parade, even going down side streets to entertain the crowds.

"I took a nap when I got home!" offered a tired Mr. S.

Students and teachers enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving meal prepared by parents under the direction of "head chef," Mrs. Derevenska. The day was extra special because we were joined by guests from the parish.

The celebration opened with a Liturgy of Thanksgiving celebrated by Fr. Roman. Later, Mrs. Lawrence's Junior Drama Group entertained with a short skit.

Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 made, from scratch, ten pumpkin, eight apple, and five chocolate cream pies. 8th graders also peeled over 300 potatoes and the 4th grade contributed tasty corn bread.

The students were sent home with full tummies, ready for a nap!

Four ACS graduates attending Mother Seton Regional High School (MSR), Clark, NJ made the honor roll for the first marking period. Jacqueline S., ACS '05, came in with first honors. From ACS '06, Jessica C. had an "A" average and Raquel D. and Patricia L. made second honors.

Keep up the fine work!

MSR is named for St. Elizabeth Seton, the first native-born American to be canonized.
Read more about her interesting life.

Ashley Butvilla, ACS '04 – won the local Knights of Columbus high school division essay contest. Her essay was entitled "What it means to be patriotic." Ashley is currently enrolled in the AP English program at Cardinal McCarrick High School in South Amboy. She will receive a $100 US Savings Bond and her essay will be submitted to the state contest.

We salute you Ashley!

In the recent News article about the Pharisee and the Publican we asked two questions.

Which is the Pharisee and which is the publican (referred to as a "tax collector") in the picture?

Answer: The Pharisee is standing and looking way too proud. The publican is humble and kneeling.

What was wrong with the teacher's remark about the too-proud Pharisee?

Answer: She was acting a little too proud herself!

Students and faculty honor our sisters every October on the date of the Patronage of the Mother of God. "Each year it gets harder and harder for the entire student body to surprise them!" quipped Principal Szpyhulsky.

"We're thankful for the beautiful bouquet. Sister Maria and I placed the flowers by the icon of Mary near the front entrance," offered Sr. Yosaphata.

ACS has been served by Missionary Sisters of the Mother of God (MSMG) since 1963. Mary is the patroness of MSMG.

Sisters devote their whole lives only to serve others. Please keep nuns in your prayers.

The Perth Amboy Fire Department (PAFD) visited ACS to teach our children about fire safety.

"The students were excited to have a big fire truck on the playground," said Principal Szpyhulsky, "but the message from the firemen was very serious."

For instance, students were reminded to "Stop, Drop, and Roll," if ever caught on fire. They even had homework! They had to ask their parents to check the batteries in the smoke detectors at home.

"We really appreciate visits from the firemen. The children learn so much about fire safety," added Principal Szpyhulksy.

Check out the new Driving Directions page.

Look at the photo taken way above the school; it's as if you were in an airplane or a hot air balloon and looking down! Can you find the playground, trailer, school, and church?

Now click on the Mapquest map. The red star shows ACS's location. Left click and drag the map around to find your street or where a friend lives. Get closer in or farther away by clicking the blue bars on the left side.

Maps are fun!

The relationship between math and science is shown in projects coordinated by Ms. Makar and Mrs. Pickering.

A Measuring Project was done by the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Teams used the metric system to hypothesize, then measure lengths, widths, and circumferences of items such as shoes and the distance from their nose to their fingertips! Ms. Makar used the data in math classes to graph, find percentages, and estimate. The students used the scientific method to prove their hypothesis right or wrong.

ACS students learned that math and science can be used in every day tasks.

Parents, friends, and relatives were pampered at ACS the evening of October 18th by Gail Santamaria from The Pampered Chef. "This is the first time we had them. Turn-out was good and they have great kitchen products," said Mrs. Shumny, coordinator of the event.

Credits from sales go to a worthy cause – purchasing needed items for the ACS Annual Holiday Bazaar on November 11.

"Pampered Chef pampers parents, try and say that five times fast," joked Mrs. Shumny!