News

During the month of May, first grade has learned that we honor our mothers.
Each student wrote about their mothers describing them using complete sentences with adjectives. They also made heart-shaped cards, and a secret letter tied with a bow, for their moms to open on Mother’s Day, May 11, 2014.
Students learned that Mary, Mother of Jesus, is the Mother of the Church. This means she is our Blessed Mother. Just like we honor our mother, we also do so for Mary, especially during the month of May.
Each student made an altar for Mary and placed it by her statue in the classroom. Students have been bringing fresh flowers to honor her. For afternoon prayer, they have been singing hymns to honor our Blessed Mother. The class learned that singing hymns is like praying twice. They were doing such a wonderful job and had memorized 3 songs (Ave Maria, Salve Regina, and Bring Flowers of the Rarest). On Tuesday, May 20, they sang these songs during whole school morning prayer time. Each first grader wore the necklace they made in class with the picture of the Madonna. Great job first grade!

Each year during the month of May teachers are acknowledged for their dedication to their students. It might be a thank you note, a Dunkin Donuts gift card, or some other type of acknowledgement. Here at ACS our Family School Association always makes sure that we teachers are treated to lunch for this special day. This year was no different. They went out of their way to make ACS teachers feel most appreciated! Before the teachers arrived at their first Wednesday of the month faculty meeting, the FSA board made sure that a variety of sandwiches, chips, and soft drinks were available for teachers to choose their favorite lunch items. To top off a delicious lunch there was a variety of cookies available to enjoy. Thank you to the FSA for your recognition and constant support!

On Monday, Grades 6, 7, and 8 visited  Historic Philadelphia . It was nice trip and students were able to explore America's Birthplace.

Students had many unique chances to see the animals up close and personal. Some of the student's favorites were the elephants, gorillas and lions. The zoo trip was great!

On Tuesday, May 6, 2014, the Diocese of Metuchen hosted a Liturgy, luncheon, and an awards presentation for all winners of the 2014 Respect for Life poster contest.  Representing Assumption Catholic School this year were two winners. Katherine Perez is the 1st place winner for the grade 7 category. Ishaani Purang is the 2nd place winner for the grade 3 category. Katherine and Ishaani were joined by their families to celebrate their accomplishments. You can see their artwork within the 2014-2015 Respect for Life calendar in the school office. Congratulations to both our winners for a job well done!

Students of the Terrific Third Class set out to determine if the length of a shadow will change throughout the day, and if so, why? Equipped with a sense of curiosity, black sharpie markers, a cardboard map, and a straw set in a mound of clay, the class set out to find answers! What did they discover? Students discovered that the length of the shadows indeed changed throughout the day – getting shorter as we approached the noon hour and and lengthening once again throughout the afternoon until dismissal. Students correctly surmised the length of the shadow changed because as the earth rotates on its axis, the angle between the sun and any given point on the earth changes

The students of Terrific Third Class of 2013-‐2104 are the proud recipients of cabbage plants courtesy of Bonnie Plants. Each year Bonnie Plants donate millions of cabbage plants to 3rd grade classrooms across the nation! The program has a mission to inspire a love of vegetable gardening in young people. Third graders at ACS have definitely been inspired! Not only are students taking care of their own plants, but each week students water, weed, and care for our classroom plant, fondly named “Cabbie”. We document Cabbie’s growth in our science journals using measurements and pictures. For more information about Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program, please visit http://bonniecabbageprogram.com/about. To see “Cabbie”, please visit our third grade classroom!

The Pontifical Mass and canonization ceremonies celebrated by the Holy Father, Pope Francis on Sunday, April 27, 2014, began with great solemnity but under dark clouds and with light rain falling.  At the moment Pope Francis prayed the Prayer of Canonization, “For the honour of the Blessed Trinity, the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the increase of the Christian life, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and our own, after due deliberation and frequent prayer for divine assistance, and after having sought the counsel of many of our brother Bishops, we declare and define Blessed John XXIII and John Paul II be Saints and we enroll them among the Saints, decreeing that they are to be venerated as such by the whole Church.  In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”, a visible brightness occurred in the skies above us and the light rain ceased.  It remained this way well after the conclusion of the Pontifical Mass.  

It was a privilege to be amidst others gathered in prayer, among them Pope Benedict XVI, the many Cardinals, bishops, priests, religious and faithful from throughout the world.  All came with loving devotion and praise of these two Popes now recognized as Saints.  We pray for their intercession for the needs of all humanity for which they consecrated their earthly life.

I especially prayed for the hierarchy, clergy, religious, seminarians, and faithful of our Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United States of America.  May that same brightness of light and the presence of Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II overtake all of us.  May the clouds and rain drops of earthly life, our hardships with which we must cope and overcome, disappear for all, allowing us to be consumed by the light of the lives of the saints.  May their intercession guide us to more brightly present the light of Christ to the world which surrounds us and thirsts for His light through you and me.

Pope John XXIII expressed a special love and dedication for our Ukrainian Catholic Church while our Church was in the catacombs, interceding in various ways to aid our suffering and persecuted Church during the harsh communist times.  He facilitated the release of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj from his exile in Siberia, initiating hope for a renewed Ukrainian Catholic Church worldwide.  With his calling of Vatican II, all Eastern Catholic Churches were recognized for their dignity as equal Christians.

Pope John Paul II showed much heartfelt affection for our Ukrainian Catholic Church, overseeing our Church’s rebirth with independence of Ukraine.  He personally visited our Ukrainian Catholic Cathedrals in Philadelphia, and in Winnipeg, and elsewhere throughout the world, offering encouragement and recognition of a universal Catholic Church breathing with two lungs, east and west.  Pope John Paul II visited Ukraine in 2001, celebrating Divine Liturgies in Kyiv and Lviv, and blessing many holy sites.  During the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, Pope John Paul II raised twenty-seven martyrs to the dignity of “Blessed”, giving recognition to the martyrdom of our Church and the holiness of its ministers and faithful.  He was steadfast in encouraging our Church to realize its full richness and experience of our rich traditions as a gift to be shared and appreciated by the entire Catholic Church.

I personally met Pope John Paul II on a number of occasions.  Especially I recall a lunch at his residence with eight other Eastern Catholic Bishops during the Special Synod on the theme of Bishops.  Pope John Paul II showed such intense interest  in the affairs of each of the Eastern Catholic Churches, and ensured that each of us were fully involved in the discussion, to the extent of even limiting one bishop who wanted to monopolize the discussion.  Pope John Paul II looked upon people as individuals even amidst crowds.  He expressed this saintly quality as did Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta whom he knew well.  His unconditional service of the Lord and of His Church was expressed in a vibrant, energetic, compassionate and joyful manner, giving you and me saintly example to follow.

Let us especially pray fervently to Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II asking their intercession for Ukraine.  Their lived commitment to strive for human dignity and freedom for all carries forth in their saintly lives.  Our sincere prayers to them will result in their intercession with the bright light of hope as followers of the Risen Christ.

The celebrations were solemn and spiritual, offering much hope in all times, and especially now with the challenges posed by totalitarian regimes in Eastern Europe and in various parts of the world.  May the intercessory power of Saint John XXIII and John Paul II convert hatred and hostility into passionate striving for human dignity for all.  Let us pray for this for people throughout the world, and for all amidst us in our communities in the USA.

CHRIST IS RISEN!

Mother's Day is the second Sunday every May and is a special day for all mothers. Today, our kindergarten students learned how to make crafts for their mothers in preparation for this celebration. This year, moms of our students, will love being showered with hand-made gifts from their own biggest fans.

Our first Family Game Night on Saturday, April 26  was a huge success. Close to 40 people, parents and students, spent an engrossing evening in the school cafeteria playing board games only. Our great thank you goes  to FSA for sponsoring a game night and for making the evening such a success. Thanks to all families for coming! It was tons of fun!