February 17, 2020

Reflection

by Sheila O'Callaghan

This is a time for special prayer.  Prayer is important all the time.  We have to pray for the poor, the sick, lonely, homeless and those who lead us.  Winter is a harsh time especially for the homeless - they must feel very discouraged each day especially when night comes.  Keep in mind how much we must think of and pray for others.  The saints became saints because they reached out to help others.  Remember to pray always.  Prayer moves mountains.

Friday, February 14, was St. Valentine's Day.  Last week we asked you to think about St. Valentine's Day and how you were going to celebrate it.  Did you read Fr. Jasper's APP?  If you did, then you learned about true love.

St. Valentine was a bishop who died for his faith.  The name Valentine means "valiant" or "brave".  This day is connected with love because Valentine wrote to his people to encourage them to love God.  So, notes of love sent to parents, friends and those we love are called Valentines. There are two readings you should read, they tell us about true love.  They are 1 Corinthians 13:4-6, 13 and 1 John 4: 11-12, 16.  

St. Valentine shares his feast day with Sts. Cyril and Methodius.  These brothers were monks, missionaries and scholars.  They carried the good news of Jesus to the Slavic peoples. Let us see how we can carry the good new of Jesus to those who grace our lives.

On February 15, in the year 1564, a great scientist was born in Italy.  His name was Galileo.  He wrote about the solar system.  Some bishops thought it went against the Bible.  Galileo being a religious man believed that science could help us understand our faith. The leaders of the church ordered Galileo to stop teaching and writing.  Galileo went right on writing and teaching because he knew they were wrong about his scientific discoveries.  He did not let the bishops change his prayerful spirit or his love for the church.

On Monday we have a holiday so we can celebrate Presidents Day.  This is a good day to read about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington or study and memorize the names of the Presidents.

Enjoy your holiday weekend.

Please pray for the sick, especially Father Mink, Ms. Carmen, Mrs. Walker's great-nephew John, Miss C's brother Jack Conaty, Mrs. Bradford's mother, Mrs. Fetters' mother, Mrs. Raughley's sister Mary Ellen Quinn, Jackie Levett, for the intentions of Pat and Judy Colonna, and all the sick and injured of our parish.  

Our Armed Forces and First Responders need our prayers everyday.  Please pray for them.

SCHOOL NOTES

by Principal Pat Grant 

Corn Hole-- Thanks to Kristin and Gary Camp for organizing this fun H&SA event last weekend. Thanks also to Troy and Ellen Bockius who helped with the evening. A good time was had by all 34 teams and their enthusiastic supporters.  Approx $2,500 was raised for the school in this second year event! Don't miss out on the fun when we do it again next year!

Candygrams spread a lot of love throughout the school on Thursday. Thank you to Mrs. Alison Ray for coordinating the candygrams; we raised $500 for Catholic Relief Services. This was combined with over $200 from our last casual day to make a nice donation from SAS to this good cause.  Thank you, parents, for your contributions.

Teacher Retreat--  SAS teachers went on retreat on Friday to the beautiful Our Lady of Angels Convent in Aston, PA, the motherhouse of Sisters of St. Francis, including our esteemed Sister Mary and Sister Christa. Quite fitting for Valentine's Day, the theme was love. One of the quotes from the day was "Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." -- Rumi.  This is certainly the case for myself and the faculty at St. Ann School. 

Someone Special - Father/Daughter Dance -- Please save the date:  April 25th is the third annual Someone Special - Father/Daughter Dance!  Stay tuned for more information to come in the following weeks.

Summer Camp at SAS  We are excited to announce the possibility of Summer Camp returning to St. Ann School this year! Please contact Bonnie Dudley at BDudley@TheSaintAnnSchool.org if you would like to be added to a summer camp interest list for more information.

Monday, February 17 -- No School for Presidents' Day

More Useful Information

Winter weather: We get our closing and early dismissal direction from the Diocesan Catholic Schools Office. We use the School Messenger system to alert St. Ann families. You can also subscribe to WDEL SNOWATCH if you want text messages sent to you. Sign up for CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS-New Castle County. 

2019-2020 St. Ann School Calendar: Attached here is the detailed St. Ann School Calendar for 2019-20. Please note that changes may occur to this calendar during the course of the year, so check back periodically.

2019-2020 Diocesan Calendar: Attached here is the Diocesan School Calendar for the 2019-2020 school year.

Amazon Smile: Amazon Smile is a simple and automatic way for you to support St. Ann's every time you shop, at no cost to you. Next time you want to make a purchase through Amazon, sign up for Amazon Smile via this Amazon Smile link. Save it to your favorites or bookmark it.  That way, every time you buy, Amazon will donate 0.5% to St. Ann's. It's just that simple!

Volunteers needed

Background Checks: We need background checks on any adult who wants to spend time with our children in school or at a school-sponsored off-campus event. The cost is $30 and they are good for 5 years. Please contact Pat Walker at pwalker@stannwilmington.com if you are interested. 

Lunchroom:  We can always use volunteers. Please consider if you or another family member can help out. On the job training available! Contact Brook Rowe at bepers@gmail.com if you can help.