News from our Principal

February 28, 2014

Dear Saint Anne School Parents,

Next Wednesday... Ash Wednesday... we will gather together as a Catholic community and begin the season of Lent. We will journey together throughout these 40 days and focus our sights on prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We will be marked with ashes in the Sign of the Cross as a reminder that we are entering into Lent.   This powerful sign has been used by God's people for hundreds of years.  The cross of ashes reminds us that we are not perfect.  We do not always love God and one another as we should. We take this time during Lent as it leads us to the Triduum, to reflect on the things that are important and valuable in our lives.  We work to take steps each and every day which draw us closer to God. Our students will receive a "Pathway throughout Lent" that will be a visual reminder of this journey.  We will encourage them to use this as a daily diary of the decisions that they make which will help them to come to know our God more intimately.

St. Anne Parish School, in partnership with the St. Anne Catholic Community Human Concerns Commission will focus our almsgiving support yet again this year in the direction of Father Peter's wonderful, purposeful work with the Health and Maternity Clinic in the African Village of Nakasongola.  Father Peter had the opportunity early on in this school year to talk to our students about  his work, and he plans to present again during this Lenten Season to further the awareness with our students.  All of the monies raised (classroom collections, PI Day, Change for Charity Day, etc) will go toward this worthwhile cause. Please read the letter from Adrienne and Paul Kalmes, the facilitators of the St. Anne Faithjustice Committee which further explains this wonderful almsgiving effort. 

May our Lenten almsgiving allow us to experience the way in which Jesus' light is risen through us, with us, and in us as we prepare to celebrate this great mystery of our faith ever anew at Easter.

God's blessings today and always,

Mrs. Dawn Kapka

Principal

News from Human Concerns Commission 

Faithjustice Committee

February 28, 2014

TO:      St. Anne School Parents

FROM: Adrienne & Paul Kalmes for the St. Anne Faithjustice Committee

RE:      Explaining and Participating in the St. Anne Almsgiving Effort

Despite lingering snow, Lent calls us to begin our annual spring cleaning with its penitential triad of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Every Lent we adults set out with renewed hope: "This year I am going to pray more, give up the things that hinder my spiritual growth, do more for those who suffer material, moral and spiritual poverty...I am going to be more Christ-like." As parents, this promise to do better is even more critical. We shape our children's attitudes and behavior with our own. They look to us to lead the way, and it is this Lenten framework of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that helps each of us find it.

We write to you today to encourage your family to explore all the parish Lenten activities described below and in the upcoming weekly Clarions and Cardinal Connections.  In a special way Faithjustice asks you to also consider our parish almsgiving effort as part of your Lenten commitment. We ask that you do so as a family.

Throughout the year, many St. Anne ministries address almsgiving locally and within the Archdiocese. St. Anne is known as a generous community. For the past fifteen years, it has fallen to Faithjustice to organize a variety of connections in the developing world during Lent. Faithjustice's mission focuses on areas where "extreme" poverty is chronic; its projects have been developed to help people help themselves.

This year St. Anne hopes to raise the necessary monies to complete the construction phase of the Nakasongola Health and Maternity Clinic. We want to get a roof over the walls  that went up last year and complete all of the interior construction work. That means lots of lumber and nails, dry wall and cement, conduit and lights, doors and windows. Many of Fr. Peter's parishioners are involved in the construction, providing the local labor force.

Weekly updates of the effort will be provided in the Clarion. In their classrooms, your children will be learning in age-appropriate ways about Uganda and the developing world. Older students will consider issues associated with poverty. With this year's effort directed to a Health Clinic, they will learn about the importance of health to human development.

Here are some things that you might want to consider doing at home that will underscore our almsgiving effort.

• Discussion   Talking about poverty is a first step in finding out what your child understands about issues in the developing world. Whether you see a homeless person on the street or watch a show on television that highlights poverty, use the occasion to engage your children in conversation about almsgiving and why we do it. Ask them what he or she thinks about being poor and how it would feel to not have a home or a pantry full of food, not to have BandAids or vitamins, to have to walk long distances to fetch water or to go to school. Ask your daughters what it would feel like to be denied school. This can spark an important conversation and get them thinking about issues outside of themselves. Keep it very simple for young children.
• Where is Uganda?   Pull out your globe or an atlas and let them find Uganda. Measure distance in terms of time. Kampala is 7,651 miles from Chicago. "If you got in a car and could drive 12 hours a day, across the ocean and the Sahara Desert, how long would it take you to get Nakasongola..." (ANSWER: Almost twelve days if the weather is good!)
• Life in Uganda    Check out the vital statistics on Uganda with older children. You may be surprised to learn that life expectancy there is only 49 years for women and 47 years for men. Explain how many children get sick as babies and die before their fifth birthdays. Children are extremely visual. They usually do not understand something unless they see the object or issue with their own eyes. Use your best judgment and show them pictures from National Geographic or the web. There are many pictures on the websites of Catholic Relief Services, Church World Services, World Vision, Bread for the World, and others that depict life in the developing world.
• Encourage Empathy    When children take the time to compare their lives to those of the less fortunate, they naturally start to empathize and hopefully want to help. Encouraging genuine empathy helps them to understand that not everyone lives the way they do.
• Fr. Peter    Ask your students if they remember a visit from Fr. Peter last year. Ask them, too, about the picture of the Nakasongola Health Clinic in their classroom. Each class will have a picture of the Health clinic walls. Talk about what needs to happen to make it a real hospital.
• Develop an Almsgiving Plan that Works for Your Family   More important than how much money we raise for Fr. Peter (though, that is important!) is how many people participate in making it happen. Children can be encouraged to think about ways that they might earn some money by doing extra chores for you or for a neighbor. A few years back, an enterprising 5th grader assembled outgrown toys and games and held an impromptu garage sale as the weather warmed. Putting youngest child in charge of a pocket change jar on the kitchen table inspired everyone in another family. You can also combine almsgiving with sacrifice by giving up something that you might all like to do. Take what you would have spent and put it in the alms jar. Practice the adage: Live simply so that others may simply live.
• Teach by Example   Teach your children about giving by giving yourself. Make the connection between hard work and compensation, but go further and explain how you set aside a portion each month for charity. If kids see that you have the heart to give a portion of your earnings to people who are destitute, your children realize that giving is important -- and then follow your lead. By establishing giving as a routine part of family life, you encourage your child to have generous hearts.

We wish you a good Lenten journey. May the weeks ahead and the exercises of prayer, fasting and almsgiving renew your commitment to building God's kingdom in the here and now. May your celebrations of Holy Week and Easter be thoughtful and joyous. And may Spring soon come!

• Both Mrs. Dolan and Mrs. Decker volunteer at St Anne Parish School even though their children have graduated.   
• Our FACEBOOK page has over 200 likes.  Check us out and like us. 
  
  The Father Daughter Dance was a huge success.
  
   
     

Refer a Friend - We Love St. Anne Parish School

Do you love St. Anne Parish School? 

Do you want to see our school grow and grow?

Do you have friends and neighbors looking for a change?

Please shout it from the rooftops!!!!

St. Anne Parish School is the place to be!!!!

It is time to refer a friend.

One week until the District Speech Contest!

All participants should be polishing their performances and arranging to perform their program in two classrooms next week. Students should speak directly to the teachers about these arrangements.

Performance time sheets were given to all students participating in the Speech Contest  today. These times cannot be changed unless there is a medical or family emergency. Conflict with another activity is not considered an emergency. Please do not trade appointments with others on the program. There are behind the scenes arrangements with judging and paperwork that make this impossible.

If you are looking for a wonderful way to spend your morning next Saturday, please join us at the middle school and observe some of the fine performances by our students!

If there are any concerns, please contact Mrs. Meehan, Mr. Carter, Mrs. Callahan or Mrs. Cole.

FOLLOW RONALD AND RUN TO McDonald's

AFTER SCHOOL

ON MARCH 4 FROM 4-7PM

MCDONALDS 653 SOUTH RAND ROAD

IN LAKE ZURICH

• Come see your teachers work at the counter!
• Coloring contest!
• Shamrock Shakes will be available!

Reminder: Next Friday, Pizza Day.  Organic Life will not be serving hot lunch that day.  If your child has not ordered the special lunch, please send one from home.

Did you know you can use gift cards for everyday shopping?  Purchase gift cards with no activation fee.  Use enclosed order form or pick-up an order form from the office.

Submit your order forms by Mondays and pick up your cards Fridays.  Due to the holiday, the next order is due March 3 with order pickup on March 7.

Do you need a last minute present?  Something for your Valentine? Available now in the school office without pre-order - gift cards for California Pizza Kitchen, Barnes & Noble, Dunkin' Donuts, iTunes, Starbucks, and Walmart. 

Also, Mariano's and Heinen's gift cards are available in the office starting this Monday without pre-order!

Thank you for your Support and letting your Everyday Purchases work for St. Anne's School!

It's time for another Box Tops Promotion!  Be on the lookout for BoxTop collection sheets in your child's backpack! 

• For each sheet they turn in, they get a NUT (No Uniform Today) pass!
• Every grade that turns in 500 points or more will be rewarded with a popcorn party!
• Although the collection sheets are only for BoxTops, Labels for Education and Tyson labels count towards the class party!

Our 8th Grade Girls Basketball Team is in the Conference Championship Game at St. Viator High School on Sunday, March 2nd at 4:45pm. Congratulations on reaching this awesome goal!!! Come out and cheer on the Cardinals!!!

St. Viator High School

                    BASA SOCCER SPRING REGISTRATION

 Spring 2014 AND Spring Break Camp Information

BASA and FCB keeping our members informed and updated!