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.