8:30am:  New Faculty Orientation
1:00pm:  Staff CPR/AED/First Aid Training

8:30am:  Teacher & Staff In-Service

8:00am:  Parent-Teacher Conferences PLC – Eighth Grade (More Information to Come)

8:15am:  First Day of School for High School Students
5:00pm:  Board of Trustees Meeting

7:45am:  First Day of School for PLC, LS, and MS

6:00-8:00pm:  MS Cheer Practice

8:00-8:30am: Senior Investiture Ceremony in Kirby Commons
4:00-6:00pm:  MS Football @ San Jacinto in Amarillo
5:00/6:00pm:  MS 7G/8G Volleyball vs. Lubbock Trinity

6:00-8:00pm: MS Cheer Practice

Labor Day Holiday– School Not in Session

HAPPY AUGUST! School is about to begin! If I did my math correctly, this will be my fifteenth year as chaplain and director of admissions at All Saints.  However, I began my time here as a parent 19 years ago, two weeks before September 11, 2001.

I’ve reflected back on that first year often over the last six months.  As a nation, we endured such national heartache and pain in 2001.  I feel that in many ways we were strengthened as a nation.  Bringing my daughter each morning to the haven of All Saints was a salve for me.  Knowing that Madeline was safe and nurtured allowed me to do the work I needed to do each day. We were forged as a school family in mission and focus.

There are some parallels in the emotions of 2001 and 2020. Safety continues to be a paramount concern for our children, families and nation.  The need for confidence in our school, its administrators and faculty, have never been more important.  The decisions made regarding almost everything have a ripple effect.  From morning drop off, to snack time, to lockers and lunch; everything needs to be examined.

As chaplain, I have spent literally months reviewing our worship services.  Also serving as a clergy person at a local church, I’ve been fortunate to participate on weekly COVID planning calls with our Diocesan Bishop.   I bring that information to the table when planning this year’s school worship.

If I’ve learned anything during this season, it is the importance of community prayer.  The time we can spend together in prayer is powerful.  It too is a salve for the soul. My heart yearns for our time together at All Saints.  Gathering in Jones Gym on the first day of school – full of hesitancy, uncertainty of something new, and yet, joyful and hopeful.  Joining together for a common message and drinking from a common cup.  We are forged as a community centered on His Word.

This year, we know we begin in remarkable times.  We will not be able to gather together as a group of 650+ on the first day of school, Holy Cross Day, or Saint Francis Day at a minimum.  These are the first three Eucharists of the school year.

As a result, our chapel plans for the fall will look different.  At this time, we are planning on having three different services.  The PLC (Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten) will gather each day as a division for an in-person chapel service.  This age participates best when it can be in person.  Based on our enrollment numbers for these three grade levels, we can physically distance and come together for an in-person service each day.  I will be leading these most of the time, and cannot wait!

The Lower School and Middle School will also have a daily chapel service.  We are developing a rotating schedule where each grade level will come to Jones Gym one day a week for in person worship, and they will worship remotely via a live stream in the classrooms on the other four days of the week. I will be leading this service most of the time.  Mrs. Scranton and Mr. Hutchinson graciously have offered to serve as well.

High School will follow the same worship schedule they have for the last few years, which is chapel on Mondays and Wednesdays. I lead those as well.

The PLC and the LS/MS services will be streamed live for parents to join in worship.  I am hoping that at some point in the year, we will be able to invite parents to join us for chapel in person.

The decision not to conduct Eucharists this fall was hard, but is very much in line with the limits set forth by the city and state. I am in close contact with many Episcopal School chaplains and I know of none who are planning on celebrating Eucharists this fall.  I remain prayerful about the possibility in the spring.

In addition to these facts, we also face the possibility of portions of our campus (or the entire city) having to switch to online learning, due to an outbreak or a city/state/federal mandate.

With the knowledge that we will not be gathering in large groups in the near future, the topic of need for dress uniforms was raised at a recent Leadership Meeting.

As a former All Saints Bookstore Manager, I know well the costs associated with uniforms and the added expense of the dress uniform items. Outfitting a child with one dress uniform is a minimum of $100.

It was actually my suggestion to suspend for one year the requirement of dress uniforms.   With everything else going on, the added expense of dress uniforms seemed an unnecessary addition. I am confident that for this year, dress uniforms are not necessary in our celebrations of Saint Francis, Holy Cross, All Saints Day, Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols, Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, and Easter.

Of course, families are still welcome to purchase dress uniform items – many of the younger girls are quite fond of their jumpers!

It is my fervent intention that we worship as fully as possible this year as a school family.  It is needed now more than ever. Our traditions are a salve to our souls during times of trial. They are safe havens.  I am going to work hard so that we follow the same lectionary in all three chapels. (Meaning, we talk about the same lessons and same stories on the same day.) This I hope will lead to interesting dinner time discussions at home with families when they include children in multiple divisions.

I pray that we will be able to safely gather as a school family for Eucharist in the spring at some point.  However, I feel strongly that our time together daily this fall will be holy and that our time will be pleasing to the Lord – and that isn’t dependent on what we are wearing!

I hope that these thoughts help to explain the reasoning behind these decisions.  Thank you for your support.

Blessings,

Chaplain Paige+

The All Saints team has been working hard this summer to prepare a safe learning environment for all children. Some parents have requested detailed information about All Saints’ plans for the coming school year. In an effort to be as transparent as possible about what is happening at All Saints, we are posting the school’s Reopening Plan for 2020-21 on our school website.

The Reopening Plan for 2020-21 is a living document. It is based on government regulations, health and safety guidelines, and successful practices. It is continually updated to reflect evolving regulations, changing local health conditions, and feedback from medical professionals and the All Saints community.  The Plan is dated to indicate the latest changes.  Please watch for updates from Mr. Latta that will be sent at the end of each week.

THIRD AND FOURTH GRADE ARCADE GETS A MAKEOVER!
We are excited to announce that the third and fourth grade hallway and classrooms will be receiving a renovation that includes new carpet, updated LED lights, painting the interior brick and an update to the lockers!

While crews will be working hard to make this happen before the start of school, it might still be a work in progress. We are excited for everyone to see the finished product.

NEW DEDICATED FIBER OPTIC LINES FOR PLC & LS
Fiber optic lines are not a “pretty package” that you can touch and feel and show off in the traditional sense.  But what a difference this will make for student learning!

Thanks to the generosity of our Parent Group, All Saints reached an important milestone. The school installed dedicated fiber optic lines to serve the Lower School and the Patriot Learning Center. Each division of the school now has its own fiber optic line to support student learning. 

What do fiber optic lines mean for our students?  There are lots of advantages.  Here are some notable benefits:  during periods of high demand for internet access, All Saints should not notice the internet slowing down, faster access to data stored in the cloud, reliable internet connections and strong signal strengths. The bottom line, fiber optic lines offer fewer technology headaches. That is something that we can all understand and appreciate. Thank you to our Parent Group!

JONES GYM RECEIVES RENOVATIONS
There have been lots of changes and renovations to campus this summer.  Our beloved Jones Gym has received a little love this summer, too.  With a fresh coat of paint and new LED lighting, Jones Gym is ready for the new school year!

LIBRARY NEWS
Ms. Gretzler is gearing up for back to school and really looking forward to spending time with your students!  There are still many, many books checked-out from last year.  If you would please look around your house and return any that you find, our sweet librarian and friend would appreciate the help.  Our books are important to us.  Thank you.

DISINFECTING WIPE SHORTAGE
Some grade levels have disinfecting wipes on the student supply list and there appears to be a shortage.  If you are unable to locate wipes, do not worry!  The school has a supply of wipes and will continue to identify vendors who can provide more.

LOCKER DECORATIONS
Please plan on limiting locker decorations to magnetized items that can be put in quickly on the first day of school.  The decorations need to be manageable for your child to handle on their own without an adult helping.  Simplicity is key.  Thank you for your understanding. We recognize how important this is for some of our Patriots and appreciate your help keeping things simple this year.

Printable PDF:  Back to School LS Checklist

SUMMER READING
Lower School
No assigned reading for grades First-Third.
Fourth Grade:
Magyk by Angie Sage or Nevermoor:  The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Printable PDF:  Back to School MS Checklist

SUMMER READING
Middle School
All Middle School summer reading assignments are found on Google Classroom. Students should know their passwords.  If you have questions, please email MS Division Head Greg Hutchinson @ ghutchinson@allsaintsschool.org).

Printable PDF:  Back to School HS Checklist

SUMMER READING
No required High School reading has been assigned for summer.

HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGE AND CAREER PREPARATION
Freshman Student & Parent Conferences
With the transition from middle school to high school, freshman students and their parents have been having one-on-one meetings this month with Mrs. Belk and Ms. Edmonson.  Students and parents are given an overview about transitioning into high school and the beginning steps for preparing for college.  The meetings have been a time to listen to freshmen and their parents and learn more about the incoming freshman class and ease their concerns with what to expect in high school.

Seniors – College Admissions Preparation
All Saints rising seniors have been provided videos for college admission preparation.   Dr. Hollie Stanton, a high school college advisor, has presented the following topics to assist seniors in the college admissions process.

• College Applications – Apply Texas and Common App
• ACT/SAT Information
• Personal Statement & Essay
• Resume
• College Tuition & Financial Aid
• Test Optional as it Relates to Admissions

NEW SHIRT OPTIONS ADDED TO HS DAILY UNIFORM

Check out the great new shirts that have been added to the options available for High School daily uniforms!  Go to the ASES Bookstore to order.

All Saints is still planning and working toward safe, fun and competitive seasons for all middle school and high school sports this year.  The situation with the COVID pandemic is fluid, and the start dates for practice and competitions have been adjusted by the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) for high school and the West Texas Christian Athletic Association (WTCAA) for middle school.

High School
Currently, all high school sports workouts are voluntary as detailed in the TAPPS “summer workout” rules which will remain in effect until school starts on Thursday, August 20.   Limited “non-voluntary” practice will begin once school starts and the first “official” day of in-season practice will be Monday, September 7 for the fall sports of volleyball, cross country, team tennis and football.  Following are the first dates for allowed competitions for high school sports:

Volleyball – Thursday, September 10
Tennis – Thursday, September 10
Cross Country – Thursday, September 10
Football – Thursday, September 24

Middle School
Middle school will begin athletics the first day of school, Thursday, August 20 with organization meetings during the regularly scheduled athletic period.  The first day of “official” middle school practice for volleyball, football and cross country will be on Tuesday, August 25.  Following are the first competition dates for middle school sports:

Volleyball – Monday, September 14
Cross Country – Saturday, September 12
Football – Thursday, September 24

All students in middle school and high school wishing to participate in competitive athletics will be required to have a completed Medical History Form and Pre-Participation Physical Examination.  Both forms are available by clicking the link.