February 20, 2013

Dear Parents,

The word Lent has an interesting background. It means to lengthen and it is also an old English word for spring. Both of these meanings can be connected since during the season of Lent the days lengthen and the hope for the spring season grows in all of us. As the days open with a moderate amount of brightness and end that way, too, the idea of light does not have as much meaning as it does in the Advent Season. However, there is a way to celebrate the season using small candles that will help to add brightness to each day as well as to mark the weeks as they pass. Simply take a cake pan and fill the bottom with sand or good black dirt.  Place six small tea or vigil light type candles and one slightly larger candle in the soil.  Each week, light one of the small candles to mark off the weeks of Lent, lighting the larger candles on Easter Sunday. Small flowers or plastic eggs, little rabbits or other decorations can be added at Easter also to mark the new life of the season.  Such an activity can be a reminder that Jesus is to be the light of our lives and can help to make the six weeks of Lent a little brighter in your home.

At this time, many of you are in the process of preparing your taxes or you may have already done so.  Our Diocesan Office has asked us to inform all parents of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) in case you are unaware of these benefits for which you may be eligible.  A flyer is enclosed on the CTC and you can find more information on these at the following website: www.eitcoutreach.org. Information is available in both English and Spanish.  Please take some time to read these flyers and use this information as needed.

Last week’s envelope contained the Market Day Form for this month, which is Dessert Month. If you are planning ahead for Easter, this is the time to order those Easter Desserts and free yourself to enjoy your company rather than be in the kitchen all day. There is also a special drawing for all St. Anne School Families who order a dessert from Market Day this month. A flyer details what is being offered and hopefully, you will be the winner! Please consider ordering at least one dessert and encourage your friends to do the same.

Families are also reminded to continue to purchase SCRIP to fulfill your commitments for this year. Please remember that SCRIP totals should be reached by March 31^st so that the commitment to the school budget can be given shortly thereafter.

The contest is on for collecting Box Tops, and many have come in already. Enclosed is a flyer to make your collecting easier.

Our School Learning Fair is about one month away. Please continue to encourage your child to work on a project or to work on a story for the Young Authors Conference. Information on both of these programs has gone home in this envelope these past few weeks.

Each year, we encourage our children to take on a special project during the Lenten Season. In the past, we have sent home Rice Bowls or Holy Childhood Folders into which the children were able to place coins to be sent to the Holy Childhood Missions. This year, our project will be called Hope for Haitians. Each child’s classroom will have a little piggybank in which the children can place donations. This money will be used to buy bricks to build simple homes for the people of Haiti. This past Sunday, Father Dempsey, one of our retired priests of the Rockford Diocese, spoke of the great poverty of this country. Our Diocese has investigated this project and found it to be a worthwhile project and encourages us to do what we can. For each dollar raised, a brick will be placed on our Mission Bulletin Board in the form of a house to visually help our youngsters see what their sacrificing can do for others. If you wish to check out the facts on this organization, you can go to www.HopeForHaitians.org for more information.

Please remember that this Friday is our first Parish Fish Fry, beginning at 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM.  Stations of the Cross are held on Fridays also, beginning at 6:30 PM.

May God bless you in these busy Lenten Days.

Sincerely,

Sister Marcianne, S.S.N.D.