May 15, 2013

Dear Parents,

During the year, at least one apostle is celebrated each month of the year. In May, there are three--Phillip and James in early May and Matthias around the middle of the month. Matthias was chosen to replace Judas and you might say he won his spot by lottery. The story is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles and is an interesting one to read. It can serve as a reminder that God’s call to serve Him in a special way can come at any time in one’s life. Calls to the priesthood and religious life are given by God, and fostered in the home by parents who talk about these vocations with their children. In the area of a vocation to religious life, there are also other helps out there, such as the summer camps sponsored by the Rockford Diocese. At these camps, youngsters are able to meet a variety of priests and sisters and learn a bit more about the life they lead. Praying with your child to know what God is calling them to is perhaps the best way of helping your child in choosing a future vocation. No matter what saint one prays to, one can be assured that the graces needed will be given, as well as the grace to make the right choice!

Many thanks to all who came in to sign their Commitment and Fundraising Forms. The Drawdown is officially closed as it has enough workers at this time. Cookouts and the Turkey Trot are almost full also, so if you have not yet signed up, please come in soon. Please remember that after May 31st the $100.00 Registration Fee is raised to $125.00 and does not apply to tuition. 

Many thanks, too, to Mrs. Phelps for a great job at the recent Cookouts. This one raised $1,152.60, thanks to all the workers and those who assisted by baking those delicious goodies.

Enclosed in this envelope are the following:

1. Statements—Tuition should have been finished by this time except for the few families who make special arrangements.  Please check your balances and pay the remainder of your fees as soon as possible.

2. Summer Reading Flyer—The Dixon Library is again sponsoring this program. Please encourage your child to read over the summer as this makes a great difference when returning to school in August.

3. Market Day Flyer—This is a great way to stock up for the summer. We again are offering a chance for free items which will go to one winner—A package of Cheese Ravioli, a 2 lb. Package of baby peas, and a 2 lb Package of corn.  Anyone who places an order this month from school families will be the lucky winner.

4. Permission Slip for Kindergarten for Masses at the Nursing home next week.

A FEW NEW SPINS:

As mentioned above, the Diocese sponsors a summer camp for girls and one for boys. Flyers with information on these camps are available in the school office if anyone would like one. You can also go on the Diocesan Website for further information.

Flyers are also available in the office for Newman Basketball Camp which is open to both boys and girls entering Grades 3 to 8 in the fall. There are also flyers for a Volleyball Camp open to girls only and this is for those entering 4^th Grade to Grade 9.

Please remember that on Thursday, May 16^th, school will begin at 12:00 Noon.

Parents are also reminded to send in their forms for the School Picnic next Thursday. Room parents are expected to attend this event with their child’s class. You also have the responsibility of bringing dessert for your class. There are several classes that still need drivers for this event.

Last, but not least, congratulations to our Sauk Valley Saints Track Team. This is the second year in a row that the Saints have qualified for competition at the State Level. For a new program, the Saints are doing very well. From our school, Kirsten Tunink and Maddy Jacobs were on teams that did well at the competition. Kirsten placed 6^th out of 40 runners in the 400m dash and both girls were on the relay team that placed 5^th out of 47 teams in the 4 x 200 m relay and 3^rd out of 38 teams in the 4x 400 m relay. Coaches, parents and all those who participated are to be congratulated for all their efforts with the Team this year—especially with the many rainy and cold days this seasons offered.

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday—the birthday of the Church.  Enjoy the day and celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to our parish and our homes.

Sincerely,

Sister Marcianne, S.S.N.D.

May 8, 2013

Dear Parents,

Forty days ago, our Church celebrated the beautiful feast of Easter, and the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of Jesus Ascension to heaven on the fortieth day after Easter. In many areas of our country, this feast day is now celebrated on the Sunday following the 40^th day so that people can more fully celebrate this special event in the life of our Lord. In light of many other Church feasts, this one may seem a bit unimportant, but if one stops to remember why Jesus returned to heaven, it may have more significance. Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for us and that He would return and take us with Him to our real home. While we wait for that day, we also have the promise that He is always with us, giving us the graces that we need to “furnish that heavenly home.” So perhaps this coming Sunday, as the feast of the Lord’s Ascension is celebrated, you may want to talk with your family about what heaven will be like, how your home in heaven will look, and who you hope to greet when you get there. I bet it will make for interesting conversation! 

These days of May are very busy ones. Many thanks to all who came to sign their Commitment and Fundraising Forms. The Drawdown is now closed as it has enough workers, but all other fundraisers are still open.

This week’s envelope contains the following:

1. A short flyer from SCRIP about special offers to say Thank You for all your buying this past year.

2. A Box Top Collection Sheet—Now we are starting to collect for next year, so start saving over the summer and we will let you know how well we did in the Collection Contest.

3. Flyer regarding Sports Physicals at KSB Hospital

4. Permission Slip for Grade 8 for their Class Picnic

5. Vacation Bible School Flyer—St. Anne is once again sponsoring a summer Vacation Bible School. Please see the flyer for further information.

5. Home and School Connection Flyer—This is the last one for this school year

6. Cub Scout Flyer—For Boys in Kindergarten through 4^th Grade only

 A FEW NEW SPINS:

Congratulations to the Sauk Valley Saints Track Team for their great season. Two of our students, Maddy Jacobs and Kirsten Tunink will be heading to the State Track Competition this Friday and Saturday. Congratulations to our 7^th Grade Girls who placed 1^st at sectional. Great job, all track team members! 

If your child is planning to be in track next year, please send a note to the office by Wednesday, May 15^th. We must have this information by this date.

Congratulations are also due to our new Home and School Officers who were elected at our meeting on Tuesday Evening:

President—Andrew Accardi

Vice president—Betsy Partington

Secretary—Thomas Halla

Treasurer—Dr. Eric Riley

We also want to thank everyone for participating in the Box Tops collection this year. The winners of the spring contest are:

1^st Place—1^st Grade—Pizza Party and Dress Down Day

2^nd place—5^th Grade 5-- Ice Cream Party and Dress Down Day

3^rd Place—4^th Grade—Dress Down Day

The Finney Family is the family who won the $100.00 SCRIP Gift Certificate. Congratulations to all!

Flyers are available in the school office on the various Vocation Camps offered by the Rockford Diocese in the summer. These camps are not just for youngsters considering religious life, but give young people an opportunity to meet many more priests and sisters and to meet children from other areas of the Diocese than they normally see in their parish. They spend time sharing information, but also doing a variety of activities that make camping fun.

Seventh Grade Parents are asked to contact Mrs. Strum to assist with the 8th Grade Breakfast and Graduation Reception. Some Seventh Grade Parents have Eight Graders graduating and it would be great if they did not have to serve at their own reception. Mrs. Strum can be reached at 815-284-3407.

Please remember that next Wednesday, May 15^th is an early dismissal at St. Anne School. School will be dismissed at 11:00 AM that day and on May 16^th, St. Anne School will only begin at 12:00 Noon. No lunch will be served on either day.

In closing, we want to wish all the mothers a very Happy Mother’s Day. May our Blessed Mother ask her Son to shower many graces and blessings on you and your family!

Sincerely,

Sister  Marcianne, S.S.N.D.

May 1, 2013

Dear Parents,

Happy May Day! The celebration of May Day has a very interesting history. In the Middle Ages, it was a day to celebrate the coming of spring with its warm weather and flowers and a lot of frivolity, too. But some religious sects felt it was too frivolous and when they came to America, they did not celebrate at all. Today in some countries, this day is used to show off a country’s power—their armies march and their warfare weapons are paraded for all to see. Perhaps as Catholics, we, too, should bring out the weapons that we have to fight against the evils of our time—our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph. In May we honor Mary as our Mother and Queen and on May 1^st, the feast of St. Joseph, the Worker, is also celebrated. This silent saint reminds us that we cooperate with God as we work to make this world a better place. These two saints are very powerful, and perhaps we should ask their intercession more often for blessing on our country and its many needs.  As we begin this beautiful month, let us go to Mary and Joseph often and ask them to intercede for our families of today, for the sanctity of marriage, and for a greater appreciation of life at its many stages.

Not only is May a beautiful month, but it is also a very busy one. Here is some information you need to know:

1. Home and School Meeting is May 7th and our uniform company will be here that same day beginning at 3:00 to about 6:30—just when the H & S Meeting will begin.

2. NIU is offering an enrichment reading program for students in Grades K-4 this summer. A flyer is enclosed for those grades.

3. Book World, a store at Northland Mall, is also offering a special program for summer reading for all students.  Please see the enclosed flyer for more information.

4. School Picnic Permission Form—Please remember that our school pays for the picnic costs for everyone. Just come and have a good time.

5. Graduation Letter for Grade 8—This is for a count for the reception after Graduation.

A FEW NEW SPINS:

 You may notice that we have not had a Spring Book Fair. This year there are just too many events going on, and it is hard to find a time for a Spring Fair. I would encourage you to purchase books from the Book World Store in Northland Mall and use these for your children’s summer reading. We will host a fair in the fall.

Please make every attempt to keep to the days and times for Commitment Signup. I will need to be out of town on Monday and need to be at a meeting on Tuesday afternoon. I will be available at all the other times. I would like to thank Mrs. Cynthia Cantu for volunteering for the Auction Committee, and we do have a slate of officers for next year’s Home and School Association. Come to the meeting and find out who they are! 

At the Home and School Meeting, the St. Anne School Budget will be shown to all families and explained. If you want to know where your tuition and fee money goes as well as all the fundraising money, come to the meeting for a detailed presentation on the budget.

Market Day Pickup is also next Monday, so please be sure your order is in. This is a good time to stock up for the summer—though there is one more sale in June. I would like to say a big Thank You to Mrs. Sandy Halla and Mrs. Dianna Brady for all their work with the Market Day Program. They have chaired it for several years now and are “retiring”—to work other fundraisers!

Please be aware that on May 8^th there is the last Bake Sale of the year. That is the same day as our Talent Show, which will begin at 12:30 PM.  Parents are welcome to attend this event, which will be held in the Father Callahan Room.

Please continue to send in your Box Tops, Soup Labels, and bottle caps and save these over the summer, too. We have really raised our Box Top Intake this year and with our soup labels, we should be able to purchase some big items rather than just a small thing or two. Every little bit helps!

Just one more reminder to mark your calendars for the early dismissal on May 15^th  at 11:00 AM and a late start on May 16^th. We will begin at noon on the 16^th and no lunch will be served that day.

This Friday, we will honor Our Lady with our annual May Crowning Ceremony. Please join us for Mass as we pray for blessing on our families, our Church and our world.

Have a very joy filled month of May!

Sincerely,

Sister Marcianne, S.S.N.D.