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November 19, 2018
Reflections:
This is a time of the year, when people's hearts turn toward sharing with others, especially the poor.
We are grateful to the parents for supporting the various food collections and the many other charities they support.
Speaking of charities, we want to give you a little insight into our Casual Day collection. Casual Day has been a part of St. Ann's history for many years, actually decades. This money has always gone to the Holy Childhood Association and continues to go to the Holy Childhood Association. However, every once in a while we make a decision to support other worthy causes. For example we gave money toward "Our Lady of Wilmington", the art piece commissioned by the Diocese commemorate the sesquicentennial. Another cause we supported was a contribution toward the upkeep of "Our Lady Queen of Peace" housed at Holy Spirit Parish.
We will continue to support the Holy Childhood Association. We are very proud of the St. Ann School community as we have been first in the diocese for many decades and we are sure this will continue for many years.
Thursday, November 22nd is Thanksgiving Day. While we are enjoying a few days of vacation there are many saints to celebrate. The saints were people who had kind, loving, compassionate hearts. They put their lives on the line for the love of God and others.
On Friday, November 16th we remembered St. Margaret, an English princess who married the King of Scotland. She was kind, prayerful, smart and energetic. She helped to reform the church. She was generous to all in her kingdom who needed help.
On November 17th, we remembered St. Elizabeth of Hungary. She did everything with her whole heart. What she did most was to spend money to help the sick and homeless.
November 18th is a day to celebrate Sr. Rose Philippine Duchesne. She came from France with the Sacred Heart sisters to open schools. She opened schools in Missouri. She also opened a school in Kansas for Native Americans. They called her "the woman who prays always."
About fifty five years ago on November 22nd President John F. Kennedy was killed in Dallas, Texas. President Kennedy was young and talented, and he had given Americans a spirit of hope for the future. He no longer wanted to send our men and women to war, but now he said we should send them to teach, to build and care for the needs of people in other lands. Thousands of Americans volunteered. He called them the Peace Corps.
Thank you for your prayers for Fr. Mink. We are confident he is doing well.
We continue to pray for the sick especially Michael Dadd, Ms. Carmen, Mr. Paranczak, Baby William Kelley and all the sick especially the sick or our parish.
Our Armed Forces and First Responders also need our prayers. Please pray for them.
Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to all our families.
Sheila O'Callaghan
School Notes:
Thank you: Thank you to all the St. Ann's families for their generosity. In the last few weeks, we collected coats and candy, turkeys and canned goods for those in need. Student Council delivered a mountain of food to the food closet; it will feed many families.
Adopt-A-Family: Please help us in reaching our goal of $2,800 to help 9 families out this holiday season. Each class will be assigned a family, so stay tuned to our social media pages to learn about the families we are helping. Your donations will make all the difference this Christmas. Fliers are going home in this week's Friday folders.
Snow Days and Early Dismissal: Well, Mother Nature showed us who's boss! We did not expect to be hit with all that snow and ice in November! Thank you all for your patience and calm as we safely dismissed our student body. 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. If you did not get a message on your phone on Thursday afternoon, that would mean we need to update your contact info. Please call the school office to let us know the best number for you. You can also subscribe to WDEL SNOWATCH if you want text messages sent to you. Sign up for CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS-In New Castle County.
Grandparents/Special Friends Day: is Tuesday, November 20. Please make sure that you let your child's teacher know in advance who will be your child's guest and what are your child's dismissal plans. We recommend that guests park in the church parking lot and walk over to the school at 8:30 am where the students will meet them in the Social Hall in the area designated with the letter of the student's last name. Students will walk over to the church together with their guests for 9:15 am Mass. After Mass, children and guests will go up to the classrooms for small presentations/activities. After that, students and their guests will go to Social Hall for refreshments. Dismissal is at noon, but grandparents/special guests can sign students out early after the reception in the social hall. Pie Pickup: It is very important that you let the grandparent/special friend know if you ordered pies that you need them to bring home for you. Pies will be available for pickup in the gym. This is the only chance to pick up the pies since school is CLOSED Tuesday at NOON with NO AFTERCARE. School will reopen on Monday, November 26.
2019-2020 Tuition Assistance Information: The Diocese is now accepting tuition assistance applications for the 2019-2020 school year. To be considered a parent must submit an application online to FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment. The deadline to submit the application is March 4, 2019. A letter and detailed instructions was sent home in the Friday Folder. A copy of that information is attached here.
Skating Party: Our annual skating party will take place on Monday, November 19. This event is suitable for students in every grade. Tickets were sold at school and can not be purchased at the venue. The event benefits Adopt-A-Family.
School Mass: The Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be celebrated on Tuesday, November 20, at 9:15AM led by Grade 6.
Thanksgiving Break: Begins Tuesday, November 20, with a noon dismissal. There is NO After Care that day. School reopens Monday, November 26. Enjoy the holiday.
First Reconciliation: Second Grade will celebrate the Sacrament of First Reconciliation on Tuesday, November 27 at 6:30PM at St. Ann Church.
End Of Trimester: November 30 is the end of the first trimester. Report cards will go home on December 14. The Honors Assembly will be on December 21.
St. Ann’s Church & School Musical: “The Wizard of Oz.” Sign-Up NOW to reserve your spot for auditions on December 1 and 2. The musical is open to any child in 4th – 8th grade at St. Ann’s School, PREP or Sacrament program or any child in the same grades who is a registered member of St. Ann’s Church. Rehearsals for the show begin in January. There is a place for any child who wants to be part of the show either as a performer or stage crew. For more info, email jmatyger@thesaintannschool.org or call the Rectory at 654-5519 and ask for Jane.
4-H Club: The 4-H Club will meet on December 15th and 19th from 3PM-4PM. The fee for the 4-H Club is $20 per student to cover the cost of supplies, projects and snacks for the year. Please return the fee, cash only please, in an envelope with your child's name on it attention Miss O. Fees are due as soon as possible.
Breakfast with Santa: Our annual event is back on Saturday, December 15 from 9am-11am. Click here for more details. To register, email the number of attendees to stannschurch@stannwilmington.com and to pay, go through the Parish Giving link here. Adults are $10.00 each, children 5-12 are $5.00 each and 4 or under free. The deadline to sign-up is December 7th. For questions, please call the rectory at 654-5519.
St. Ann's Family Christmas Caroling: This new family event will be held on Sunday, December 16 6 pm-8 pm. Families meet in the Social Hall and then join together in groups to walk St. Ann's neighborhood, caroling as they go. Then return to the Social Hall for holiday treats and hot cocoa! More information will follow in Friday folders after Thanksgiving break.
More Useful Information:
High School Placement Test (HSPT): The Diocese of Wilmington will administer the HSPT at our diocesan and parish high schools (Padua Academy, Saint Elizabeth High School, Saint Mark's High School, Saint Thomas More Academy, Saints Peter & Paul High School) the first weekend in December. The HSPT registration process must be completed online through Scholastic Testing Services Inc. at http://wilmington.stsusers.com Please see the attached flyer for more information regarding the HSPT.
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.