News

On June 7, 2017, Fr. Ivan Turyk, administrator of Assumption Catholic Parish and School, announces the selection of Mrs. Lissette Shumny as the school’s new Principal. She will begin her work on July 1, 2017 succeeding Mr. Michael Szpyhulsky who announced his retirement from the position of Principal and return to the classroom at ACS. During the remainder of this school year, Mr. Szpyhulsky (“Mr.S”) and Mrs. Shumny will spend time working together to ensure a smooth transition.

Assumption Catholic School (ACS) is an AdvancED accredited school in Perth Amboy, NJ which first opened in 1963 with only first and second grades. Today it boasts a 4-year-old-pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Hundreds of students have graduated from ACS including Mrs. Shumny herself. A former student and graduate becoming principal of her alma mater is history in the making at ACS and possibly beyond!

After ACS Mrs. Shumny went to and graduated from Bishop George Ahr High School in Edison. She then attended Rider University where her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Human Resource Management was earned. After working several years in the private sector, Mrs. Shumny felt a different calling. So when she enrolled her oldest child in ACS’s pre-k, she applied for a teaching position and was hired. Once all three of her children were attending ACS, Mrs. Shumny realized how much she loved teaching. She enrolled in St. Peter’s University graduate program and attended evening classes until she earned a Masters of Science degree in Education.

In her thirteen years at ACS Mrs. Shumny has been a third, sixth, and seventh grade teacher, Language Arts Curriculum Supervisor, and a behind the scene organizer of many school wide projects. When asked for her thoughts and feelings Mrs. Shumny replied, “It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to be Principal of Assumption Catholic School and to lead a school that is so close to my heart. My vision for ACS is to build on the rich legacy of a strong Catholic identity and dedicated teachers as well as chart a new course for our future. My focus will be in enriching the curriculum in the areas of math, science, and technology by developing new partnerships with leading institutions in order to prepare our students to be the leaders and innovators of tomorrow.” Her enthusiasm, organization, fairness, and sense of humor will surely be advantageous in her new position.

Mr. Michael Szpyhulsky, principal of Assumption Catholic School, (ACS), Perth Amboy, announced his retirement from the position of principal and return to the classroom of ACS, at the June 7, 2017, faculty meeting. Under his guidance ACS received accreditation from AdvancED, instituted an accelerated math program including eighth grade algebra I opportunities, and initiated usage of the Powerschool and Google Docs programs. Fr. Ivan Turyk, administrator of the Assumption Catholic Parish and School, thanked “Mr.S.”, as he is known, for the ten years he gave to ACS. Mr. S. was praised for his dedication as the role of principal requires hours beyond the school day, tackling tasks no one else wanted to do, and was often the last person out of the building after checking all the doors and turning off all the lights. Mr. S. is looking forward to once again being in a classroom on the front line of education.

The Class of 2017 celebrated their upcoming graduation with a trip to see a professional production of the beloved story, Mary Poppins, at the The Paper Mill Playhouse.  The 23 graduates enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse in Millburn and then walked to the theater to enjoy an evening of live entertainment.

As their school days are numbered, the spirited group enjoyed their dining and theater experience as a class. The Family and School Association planned a wonderful event for our future graduates and it was very much appreciated!  All agreed the perfomance was SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!

Congratulations to the Class of 2017!

All teachers at Assumption Catholic School attended a two day professional development on the Next Generation Science Standards. ACS sought out the expertise of the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City for practical advice.  The instructor, Ms. Morse, provided the teachers with many opportuities to try a variety of experiments to facilitate the new style of learning.

With the new standards, teaching science is three dimensional.  The teachers became familiar with the three strands of NJSLS – Science: 1)Disciplinary Core Ideas, 2)Science and Engineering Practices and 3) Crosscutting Concepts.

The NJSLS Science Standards will be fully implemented in September and all ACS’s Principal and teachers are ready!

Mr. Daly it has been a pleasure to be able to work with you for the past three years as the President of the FSA. Thank you for three years of hard work, outstanding leadership and service to the ACS community. Your commitment and dedication are greatly appreciated. We are very excited for Mrs. Allyson Fizer, who will be stepping into the new role as the new President of FSA. She is one of the nicest, hardworking, most committed parents we know and she will do an amazing job with the help of her Board! Congratulations, and thank you for taking on this important challenge.

There are many good reasons to attend FSA meetings at Assumption school. They are educational, informative, and even fun! Meetings present a great opportunity to talk to those in charge, to connect with other parents, with your child’s teacher or teachers you may not yet know. Attending meetings also shows you care  for what happens during your child’s school day.

At the recent meeting, the ACS Family School Association Board recognized and honored the following people for their contributions to Assumption School.

Milene Palhais – (got Investor’s Bank to sponsor the track team & donate hundreds of dollars worth of prizes for the Bazaar)
Marylou Villacis – (served as our Bazaar kitchen chair for several years)
Del Velazquez – (sold over $1300 worth of Getrude Hawk candy for the school)
Thank you ladies. We are so lucky to have a parent community that is so supportive.

On the 74th Anniversary of the Battleship New Jersey, the ACS fifth through eighth grade classes were able to spend the day aboard! They had private tour guides and learned of the ship’s illustrious history.  They climbed ladders, visited the captain’s quarters and even ate on the mess deck.  Students, chaperones and teachers had a great time.

The month of May is the month dedicated to the honor of the Mother of God.  Each year the students at Assumption Catholic School make special efforts to honor the Blessed Mother by learning and spreading the knowledge, love and devotion to the Virgin Mary. We pray to Mary each day, we sing special songs in her Honor, we pray the rosary and we sing a special prayer service, the Moleben.  The girls’ Sodality, a club especially devoted to foster devotion and love of our Heavenly Mother, venerates the Virgin Mary by bringing flowers and placing them at the feet of Our Heavenly Queen. On May 19, 2017, the student body and faculty gathered in our beautiful church for our annual Marian Veneration. At the beginning of the Moleben the Sodalists and representatives of each class brought flowers and placed them at the feet of Mary’s icon. Then the students, like angels, sang the Moleben.  At the end of the Moleben, the Pastor, Father Ivan, spoke to the students about Our Blessed Mother’s love and care for her children and how Mary always hears our prayer.  As we sing in one of our songs to Mary "It was never heart that she would not aid those who come to her with prayer,"  In conclusion, Father Ivan blessed special medals and distributed them to the Sodality members. A special thank you to Mrs. Cuff, Ms. Hucul, Mrs. Fedynyshyn and Mrs . Lawrence for all of their help and support.

Guess who is completing their first Google slides project? That’s right – ACS third and fourth graders!  The sixth graders assisted them in reading an assigned story, annotating the story and then using the VIP (Very Important Parts) to create a Google slide presentation.  We can’t wait until they are done and present their stories.

On Thursday May 11, 2017 the Senior Drama of ACS performed their children’s play “What Happened After Once Upon a Time.” The play was directed by Mrs. Pickering and the cast included students from 6,7,8th grades. This beautiful and a funny play revolved around the fairy tales that are very close to our hearts, but with a little bit of twist! Thanks to all students who participated in the show and especially thanks to our good storytellers who got the opportunity to tell the story and as well as participated in the story, interacting with the characters!