News

The school bell rang for the last time on June 14, 2016  at ACS for  a very special veteran teacher. After 26 years of teaching at ACS, our 3rd grade teacher Mrs.  Halyna Lojko  will be retiring at the end of this school year. Thank you Mrs. Loijko for the many years of your dedicated and  faith-filled service. You have been a gift to the children and to us over the years! You will be missed and we wish you the best as you move on to a new chapter in our life!

Assumption Catholic School always celebrates and takes pride in the success of its graduates. So it is even more meaningful when that graduate is also a teacher at ACS.  Mrs. Lissette Shumny sixth grade homeroom and middle school language arts teacher has been appointed Language Arts Curriculum Supervisor for the 2016-2017 school year.  She brings to the position her enthusiastic approach to education and experience in identifying areas of concern in the learning process. With a school year just ended, Mrs. Shumny and the teachers have already spent a morning analyzing terra nova data for the purpose of planning for future success.

This year, the Sodalists from Assumption Catholic School decided to dedicate their fundraisers specifically for the needs of a seminarian Bohdan Vasyliv from at St. Josaphat’s Ukrainian Seminary in Washington D.C.  All of our Sodality girls worked diligently in selling raffle tickets to family and friends.  They sold the tickets for Holiday baskets at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter – realizing the amount of $550.  The gift was sent out on June 14th.  We know that this will help defray some expenses, and help in the seminarian’s needs in his journey to become a priest.

On June 13, the FSA held the end of the school year picnic at Warren Park in Woodbridge and it was a great success! The weather was gorgeous, the food was delecious and everyone had a lot of fun. It was especially nice to see graduates of 2016 there, the children always enjoy a visit from their former schoolmates! We are particularly greatful to the Family School Association for sponsoring and organizing this event, and to all the parent volunteers who jumped on board!

Throughout the month of May, our fifth through eighth grade girls have taken part in a series entitled, "Empowering Our Young Ladies". Each week guests have been invited to ACS to speak to the young ladies about goals, education, self worth and trusting God’s plan for each of their lives.

We started with Mrs. Veronica Jordan, an ACS alumni, who went to Villanova University and became a lawyer. After years of practicing law, she felt that her true calling was teaching. She shared her journey with the girls and let them know that sometimes what you plan for yourself changes and you should learn to embrace those changes and be open to new opportunities.

Second, Miss Ariel Bonilla, former Navy officer who will be sworn in as the first female firefighter in Perth Amboy presented to the girls. She shared her story of overcoming being shy and being told she couldn’t do what she was passionate about. She expressed to the girls how you have to have a plan and the importance of work hard and setting goals.

Our next speaker was Mrs. Rozalia Czban, Parishioner of our school parish, supporter of our school and retired principal of Perth Amboy High School. She spoke to the girls about peer pressure, knowing right from wrong and enjoying the journey of life. She shared how she ended up in a career that she never thought was for her and how she always kept an open mind and heart. She also spoke about serving your community and church.

Next, our own Mrs Shumny was the next presenter and she spoke to the girls about self-worth. She shared her weight loss journey and the impact that the media has on young girls. At the end of the presentation the girls had an opportunity to share how they feel about fashion and images that they are bombarded with.

The following week we had Mrs Chris Flood-Guiterrez, former student, parent of two alumni and Life Coach at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. She discussed how being bullied impacted her life and how important it is to listen to your body, your inner feelings and God when making decisions. She showed the girls how important a women’s role is and the impact we can have on a person’s life.

Lastly, Mayor Diaz of Perth Amboy presented to the girls. The first female Mayor of our city discussed her journey and how she started as an entry level bank teller and worked herself to the top. She shared with the girls her passion for community service and how this was the gateway into politics for her. She expressed that despite hard decisions she has enjoyed her career and journey. Her message that our young ladies can accomplish what the set their minds to was powerful and inspirational.

Our guests were all impressed with the our young ladies’ questions and openness about the issues they are concerned with. ACS’ girls will "wrap up" their program by making vision boards this week that were so generously donated by Mrs Flood- Gutierrez.

This was a successful series for all the girls and extremely rewarding to all who participated.

ACS Sporting season closed with an awards presentation where the children were presented trophies for their outstanding athletic abilities in Bowling and Track. Many many thanks to the student athletes and coaches for the great year. Well done everyone! See you next season!

written by Miss Anna Lawrence
When you hear the number, it’s unimaginable – two hundred seventy six. Who has 276 of anything? For one now infamous couple from Howell, NJ, imagining 276 of something is easy – they had that many dogs living with them.
On Monday morning, a simple flyer went out to the students of Assumption Catholic in Perth Amboy, NJ. Bring in a dollar to help buy dog food to donate to the Monmouth County SPCA, who rescued those dogs from Howell and are currently in the process of assessing them and preparing them for adoption. On Tuesday the response came pouring in. By Thursday, a little over $260 had been raised to provide for the shelter. That money was used to buy 6 huge bags (38.5 pounds each!) of dog food that Miss Lawrence delivered to the Monmouth County shelter on Thursday. Students from PACS also collected money for an additional 4 bags of dog food. That was a whopping 385 pounds of dog food!

Shelter volunteers and patrons alike were delighted to see the sizable donation. Miss Lawrence spoke with the community liaison, Isa Fowler who explained that the dog food is used not just in the shelter but is also given to new pet "parents" when they adopt a dog, and to families who foster pets as well, to help ease the financial burden of fostering a pet. Most of the dogs from Howell are at the shelter, but many have already been placed in foster homes.

Two of the Howell dogs were out in the adoption center of the shelter. Volunteers there stressed that they were still not actually ready to adopt, but as is the case with many shelters, including the one here in Perth Amboy, there are already plenty of dogs and cats waiting to be adopted.

If you are interested in sending more help, the Monmouth County SPCA has information on their website on how to donate money directly to them to fund the cost of assessing the dogs, and gives detailed information on the kinds of supplies they still need. The shelter is a very nice and well run facility, but the magnitude of taking on 276 new animals all at once is an undertaking no operation could really be ready for.
For many of the students of ACS, one dollar may not seem like a lot, but when we put all our dollars together, it was easy to make a difference in the lives of these animals.

Congratulations to the pre-k class who participated in the stepping up ceremony at ACS on Tuesday June 7th. Congratulations, too, to their teacher Miss Julie Salamon for an excellent year! Family and friends gathered to support the pre-k class and to celebrate their successful school year. The children sang some of their favorite songs and showed their families some things they’ve learned in school this year. Afterwards everyone enjoyed a relaxing breakfast and enjoyed each other’s company. The pre-k class is well prepared for kindergarten and they are looking forward to coming back to ACS in September!

Early this week the sixth grade class at ACS presented their Wonders of the World projects.  Each student had to write a report, create a 3 dimensional replica of the wonder they selected and give a presentation to the class.   From Ancient Wonders to Modern Wonders, the students went above and beyond in their research and creativity!

The class ended this year’s Social Studies curriculum of ancient civilization studies by having a cultural celebration, trying new foods from different cultures and enjoying each other’s company. 

June is buzzing with activities in Assumption Catholic School. On June 7th the glee club and junior drama groups, comprised of third, fourth, and fifth grade students, presented "A Disney Revue." Three lively songs started the show followed by shortened versions of "Peter Pan" and "Snow White." The students under direction of Mrs. Lawrence are certainly accomplished performers! It was wonderful that so many friends and family members were able to join us for this special performance. A receptive audience of family and friends enjoyed the evening which was filled with fine performances and colorful costumes and scenery. Bravo.