March 18, 2019

Reflection

Spring is almost here and the days are getting longer.

Sunday is the second Sunday of Lent. Here is an interesting fact. A long time ago, the word Lent meant "springtime". So cheer up, warmer days are coming. Also, there are two special days coming this week that call for a celebration. So you have time to make Saint Patrick's Day and Saint Joseph's Day special. 

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He was kidnapped as a teenager by Irish pirates and sold into slavery. He spent six lonely years taking care of sheep and pigs. However, Patrick learned to put his life in God's hands. He finally escaped and returned to his family and his studies. Patrick became a priest and a great preacher. Years later he returned to Ireland as a missionary and bishop.

The following prayer is taken from the Lorica of St. Patrick.

I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me,
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
I thank God through Christ our Lord. Amen.

March 19th is the solemnity of St. Joseph, the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus. He was a descendant of the royal family of David, but he was not rich. He was a carpenter. He lived with Mary and Jesus in Nazareth. The gospels call him a "just man". 

Many people have a special love for St. Joseph. On his special day many people celebrate it with great joy. So, on this day many parishes prepare a "Saint Joseph's Table". It is a potluck supper. Everyone brings something for the poor. 

We should ask our Loving God to put us in St. Joseph's care, just as he put His Son Jesus in Joseph's care. So let us take the responsibility to care for and feed the poor and comfort the lonely. 

Please pray for the sick of our parish especially Fr. Mink, Ms. Carmen, and baby William Kelley. 

Pray for our First Responders and Armed Forces. They need our prayers everyday.

Please pray for all those who have died especially Jennifer Fanny-Duncan, whose Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on March 13. Jennifer was a former student of St. Ann School.

Sheila O'Callaghan

School Notes:

Amazon Smile: AmazonSmile 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!

Cornhole tournament: The First Annual SAS Cornhole Tournament last weekend was a big success! Everyone had loads of fun and the event raised a good chunk of change for the school. Special thanks to Gary Camp and friends for making it happen. 

Uniform reminder:  This is a reminder that the school uniform policy states no logos on socks-- this means no logos on socks even if the logo is rolled-over.  St. Ann School logo is required on gym shorts and gym & polo shirts.  Oh, and the hair. Refer to page 22 in the school handbook for boys grades 4-8.  "Hair must not be touching the collar, hanging below eyebrows or covering the ears." Thank you for helping us enforce this policy.  

Used Book Sale: The used book sale will take place on March 18-22nd. All proceeds will be used to buy new books for the library.  See the attached flyer for all the details.

Girl Scouts: Help our Junior Girl Scouts earn their community service badges. Donate old blankets, sheets, towels during the week of March 18 and the Girl Scouts will collect and deliver to Faithful Friends.

Summer at St. Ann's: We have lined up several camps for summer fun and enrichment for St. Ann students. Click  on the Summer Camp page to find out more!

Reminders:

No Seams & Dreams: Seams & Dreams will not be meeting Monday, March 18th. Class will resume next week. 

Reconciliation: The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated by Grades 3, 4 & 5 on Monday, March 18 at 1:00 pm.

Rock Your Socks: "Rock Your Socks" Thursday, March 21st to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. Students can wear the "pair" of mismatched socks that they bought last week from Student Council, or wear their own mismatched pair for a $1 donation.  

Noon Dismissal: Friday, March 22 is a noon dismissal for a St. Ann School professional development half-day. Aftercare is available. Report cards go home.

Yearbook Orders: Order forms were sent home in the Friday Folders last week. Orders and payment are due by March 22. Attached was a form and pricing for an ad page. The deadline for ad space has passed. Attached here are the order forms for the yearbook and ad pages. 

4th Annual Pasta Dinner: Please join us for our 4th Annual Pasta  Dinner on Sunday, March 24th from 4:30 to 6:30. If you would like to attend, please register as soon as possible.The event sold out the last 3 years. Our guests will be treated to a preview of the upcoming Parish play The Wizard of Oz.  Attached here is the flyer with all the details and registration information.

No School: Wednesday, March 27 school is closed for a diocesan professional development day at St. Mark's High School.   

Honors Assembly: March 29 at 2:00 pm

Casual & Pretzel Day: On April 5, please bring $1 for Casual Day to support the missions and optional $0.50 for a pretzel.

The Wizard of Oz: Tickets are now on sale for St. Ann’s Church & School‘s performances of The Wizard of Oz.  The shows are Friday, April 5 at 7pm and on Saturday, April 6 matinee at 1pm and 7pm. You may purchase tickets through Parish Giving, or by visiting the rectory. The cost is $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children 10 or under.  For more info, email Jane at jmatyger@thesaintannschool.org or call the rectory at 654-5519.  

Special Someone/Father-Daughter Dance: Save the date--Saturday, April 13 for the Special Someone/Father-Daughter Dance. Invites were sent home last week.This is the second year for this fun event; you don't want to miss it! 

More Useful Information

2019-2020 Tuition: The 2019-2020 tuition rates and policies have been finalized. The website has been updated to reflect the rates for the upcoming school year. Tuition agreement forms, tuition policy information and Before care & Aftercare policy information were mailed to families Friday, March 1. Please return the Tuition Agreement Form to the school office no later than March 28, 2019. 

Uniform Policy: Students may opt for spring or winter uniform for the month of March. This is just a reminder that there will be a uniform shoe and possibly a few other modifications to the uniform and dress code next year 2019-10. 

In the event of weather-related school closing or delay, you will be notified via School Messenger using the contact information (text/phone) we have for you in PowerSchool. Notices will be posted on our school website and on SAS social media. School closings or delays will also be posted on the Diocesan website www.cdow.org and on WDEL SnoWatch and announced on WSTW/WDEL radio stations. We are included under "Catholic Elementary Schools -- New Castle County." We follow the directions of the Catholic Schools Office and will relay any decisions without hesitation.  

Important Safety Notice: Students in grades 1-5 who dismiss from the Social Hall "walker door" onto Union St. must have an adult out of their car and visible to the teachers on duty before the student is allowed to leave school grounds. If parents want to stay in their cars for end-of-day pickup, they should use the car line on Shallcross Ave. and their child should be dismissed as a car-rider. Thank you for not allowing students to use the Celebration Garden as a playground after school. 

Car line protocol: When you are dropping students off in the car line in the morning from 7:30-7:50 am, the driver should stay in the car. If you need to get out of the car to assist your child(ren), please park on a side street and walk students to school using designated crosswalks. Parents of K-8 children who arrive after 7:50 am should park in front of school and walk students into school and sign students in as late. PreK parents follow the same procedures, except students are not marked as late until after 8:00 am.

Padua Dance Team Clinic: Padua Dance Team is hosting a dance clinic on Saturday, April 13 from 6pm-8pm. The clinic is open to girls in 6th, 7th & 8th grade. Click here for more details about the event and how to register.

Padua Academy Summer Camp: Padua is hosting various summer camp opportunities for girls in grades 6-8. Themes include technology, science, spanish and crafts. Please see the attached flyer for dates, rates & registration details.  

St. Marks 7th Grade HSTP Prep Course & Practice Test: Please see the attached flyer with information regarding St. Mark's HSTP Prep course and test dates in March.

2018-2019 St. Ann School Calendar: Attached here is the current school year list calendar. Please be aware that some dates are subject to change and revisions will be communicated to families. 

2018-2019 Diocesan Calendar: Attached here is the Diocesan School Calendar for the 2018-2019 school year. The St. Ann School specific calendar which includes additional days off and noon dismissals is now available on our website calendar. The printable detailed calendar is attached above.