Saint Ann Catholic School

Newsletter

 

   


March 11, 2016

A Message from the Principal
Click HERE for Ms. Therrell's message for the week. Find out what our 8th graders have been up to, how our band students performed at the Diocesan Band Festival, and what our teachers will be doing on Monday as YOU enjoy your day of NO SCHOOL

We are proud of all those middle school students who earned 90% or above during the 3rd quarter, making the 3rd Quarter Honor Roll.
Congratulations to all?
In This Issue
Daylight Savings Time Begins This Weekend
 Remember to move your clocks forward this weekend!

Visit The Imprisoned/Ransom The Captive
Our March "Heroes of Grace"  virtue of the month focuses on the Corporal Work of Mercy Visit the Imprisoned/Ransom the Captive. Click HERE for resources to reinforce this virtue with your families at home.
 
Tuition Assistance 2016-2017
Families applying for assistance should submit their application and supporting tax documentation by March 14, 2016. Information can be found by visiting our website at [email protected]),visiting Smart Aids website at [email protected], or by calling Smart Aid directly at 1-800-360-8027.  

Justice Is Served
Justice is Served, a Friday collection of non-perishable food items, has been extended to all grade levels. All students are invited to participate and are asked to bring in nonperishable food items to be collected on all Fridays during Lent. We have one more week to participate.  
 
The food collected is given to the Arlington Food Assistance Coop to serve the needs of local families faced with not having the food they need due to poverty, loss of job, or other causes. Within the boundaries of our diocese, there are over 236,000 people who do not confidently know where their next meal is coming from. Last Lent we raised over 800 items, our goal this year is 900 items! 
                                Please be generous.
  
Student Council News
School Supply Sale
The Student Council will be sponsoring a school supply sale today and Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday of next week. Supplies will be sold during both lunch shifts. Supplies available are: pencils, mechanical pencils, pens, highlighters, colored pens, erasers, glue sticks, filler paper, sidewalk chalk and folders. Pricing for those items can be found HERE. For information regarding the sale, click HERE 

Jeans & Jerseys Day
In honor of March Madness, the Student Council is sponsoring a Jeans and Jerseys Day on Tuesday, March 15. Come dressed in your favorite team jersey or shirt.  Street sneakers are okay, but NO jeggings.

OPCYP Continuing Education Change in Policy 
GREAT NEWS! The Office for the Protection of Children and Young People (OPCYP) is currently making some changes to their requirements. One area of change will be the necessity of viewing the Keeping the Promise Alive video every year for continuing education. Going forward this is obsolete and will no longer need to be viewed each year. The diocese will be going to a new system where you will only need to update your continuing education every three years on your anniversary date of attending a seminar. All volunteers who attended a seminar prior to this year, and through 2015, will have a seminar anniversary date of July 1, 2015. This new system will begin in 2018.
 
The new program, Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse, will be conducted via an online video that will be sent to individuals on their anniversary date. For those who do not have email accounts, live viewing will be available on request. This program is updated and will provide more relevant information to assist our volunteers.
 
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact Judy Karinshak at 703-525-7599.    

Chess Tournament - 
            Saint Ann vs Saint Rita 
Following this week's Chess Club session Monday afternoon, our students were joined by members of Saint Rita's Chess Club and participated in a Chess Tournament.  During the afternoon, students commented frequently about how much fun they were having. So let's not mention how educational the experience was! Numerous research studies have found that the pattern recognition utilized in chess generalizes to both the pattern recognition skills needed in reading, as well as those necessary to do arithmetic and math.Thanks go out to Mr. Waddell for organizing this event and to Messrs.' Parformak & Norcross and Mrs. Sullivan and Waddell for supporting the event. Participants were treated to pizza and other goodies. Our Saint Ann students did a fantastic job in representing our school.
 
Sarah Greiner, coordinator for Saint Rita's said: "Thank you for inviting us! . . .  I was most impressed by how quickly the St. Ann's and St. Rita's students made friends and how eager they were to play each other informally during the down time. I had packed a bunch of chess puzzles and other games, but they weren't at all needed. All of your students were welcoming and polite; Abigail even thanked me for coming and bringing our kids. "

In chess 1 point is awarded for a victory, 1/2 for a draw and none for a loss. Our children scored an overall total of 19.5 points compared to Saint Rita's 16.5. Some children played 4 or more games only two of which were counted for the match. As a result the match score favored Saint Rita's 16 to 14, as we did not have as many players available.
 
We hope to engage St. Johns and St Bernadette in future chess tournaments before year end.

March is Nutrition Month
To increase health awareness during this month, the Wellness Committee has planned the following:
  • Update bulletin boards with health information in each building;
  • Hold class sessions by our counselor on respecting our bodies;
  • Nutrition lessons to be presented  in PE classes;
  • Healthy tips will be read over the intercom prior to lunch prayer on Tuesdays;
  • Healthy snack discussions on Thursdays led by the student council representatives. 
Help us to encourage healthy habits in our students this month and throughout the year. 

Season of Lent
Saint Ann Parish offers many opportunities to assist you along your Lenten journey.  We have listed them below for your convenience.  

Mass Times
Daily - 8:30AM  
Saturday - 8:30am and 5:30pm Vigil  
Sunday - 7:30am, 9:00am, 11:00am, and 1:30pm Spanish

Lenten Soup Suppers for Charity - 5:30-7:00pm - Parish Hall
March 16 - Hamburger ABC and Vegetarian (Chef's Choice)
March 23 - Beef Noodle and Chef's Choice

Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction
Thursdays in Lent through March 17 - 7:30-8:30pm - Chapel
Fridays (Except Good Friday) following 8:30am Mass in the Sanctuary or Chapel and concludes with Benediction at Noon

Stations of the Cross
Wednesdays March 16 to March 23 - 7:15pm - Church
School Stations - every Friday - 2:30pm - Church
School Living Stations - March 23 - 1:00pm - Church
Church Living Stations - March 23 - 7:15pm - Sanctuary
Hispanic Stations - Sunday's prior to 1:30pm Masses

Confessions - 7:00-8:00pm
Every Wednesday during Lent - 7:00-8:00pm
Saturdays - 3:45-5:00pm - English
Sundays - 1:00-1:30pm - Spanish

Holy Week and Easter Mass Times
Palm Sunday - Regular Sunday Schedule
 
Holy Thursday - 8:30am Morning Prayer, 7:00pm Bilingual Mass of the Lord's Supper, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until 12 Midnight
Good Friday - 8:30am Morning Prayer, 3:00pm Lord's Passion, 7:00pm Lord's Passion (Spanish)

Holy Saturday  
8:30am Morning Prayer 
7:30pm Easter Vigil (Bilingual)

Easter Sunday
7:30am, 9:00am, 11:00am and 1:30pm (Spanish)


Lenten Sandwich Making - Faculty & Staff
Our last sandwich making session will take place next week, Thursday, March 17, with our faculty and staff participating. This will end our Sandwich Making Project for this year. We wish to thank everyone who participated with this program. We were able to generate 300/400 sandwiches each week to help those less fortunate in our area.  

Arlington County Stream Clean-Up
The Madison Manor portion of the Arlington County Annual Stream cleanup would welcome the participation of Saint Ann students and Scouts. The cleanup will start with a brief presentation on stream conservation, introducing the concepts of surface water runoff, ground water, and watersheds.   

This event will take place Saturday, March 19. The group will participate in Arlington County's Annual Stream Cleanup by removing litter from our local stretch of Four Mile Run. All participating will gather at 9:30 am by the Madison Manor Park picnic shelter. Waterproof boots and work gloves are strongly recommended. Bags will be provided.  It is County policy that an adult must accompany children under 16 years of age. Please call 571-331-1478 or email [email protected] if you plan to attend or if you have any questions.

Family STEM Activity
Are you looking for an exciting, yet educational, family activity and outing? Check out the USA Science and Engineering Festival in April. Follow the link below to find out more information.
 
The USA Science & Engineering Festival will be held at the DC Convention Center on April 16 & 17, 2016. Click HERE for additional information.

2014-2015 Saint Ann Variety Show Video
THE 2014 AND 2015 Saint ANN VARIETY SHOW VIDEOS ARE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD!
As announced at the September PTO meeting, the 2014 and 2015 video editions of the Saint Ann Variety show are ready!  Given the preference in this day and age for all things digital, the shows will only be available as video files (.mp4 and .mov) which can be downloaded through the online file transfer service, Dropbox.  To access the content, please click HERE.

Volunteer Reminders & Needs
 
Below are sign up genius links for assistance.  Sign up where you can.
 
Lunch Duty:  
 
Library Assistance Needed:
  • All parents must be fully compliant with Diocesan Child Protection requirements if you wish to volunteer where supervision of students is involved. Compliance consists of attending a VIRTUS Child Protecton seminar, undergoing two background checks and filling out additional miscellaneous paperwork. Packets of paperwork can be obtained from the school office.  
  •  When visiting/assisting at the school you must sign-in at the front office upon arrival. Volunteers will be given a pass. The pass alerts the faculty and students that you are an approved visitor. 
A Message from Faith Formation for 6th, 7th & 8th Grade Students
The Faith Formation office has created a SignUpGenius site to pilot an online opportunity to inform Saint Ann teens and their families of opportunities to earn service hours needed for Confirmation. Some key dates/opportunities to consider include:
  • Classroom Aide for Kindergarten Faith Formation on Sundays
  • Office Assistant on Wednesdays, Fridays or Sundays
  • Penance Service Reception: March 12
  • 1st Communion Retreat (also known as Jesus Day): April 30
  • Vacation Bible School (VBS): August 1-5
Please use the following link to learn more:  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0f4baba929a7fb6-service

For students preparing for Confirmation at Saint Ann, please note the minimum number of service hours is 15. However, we encourage our teens continue to engage in service through spiritual and corporal works of mercy organized through Saint Ann School, Saint Ann Parish, family, and through their own initiative. For Confirmation, students are required to submit a written reflection about the service they performed. We will provide more details, including a deadline, in the coming weeks.
 
Faith Formation would also like to extend this invitation of service to any 6th and 7th grade student, as well as those 8th graders preparing for Confirmation.
 
Smart Lunches
Smart Lunches has provided us with their March Menu.  Due to popular demand, you will see that they have added another Menu Week this semester!  Once again, they are trying out some new menu options to keep their lunch offerings fresh, kid tested and approved!  
 
While several schools will be on Spring Break the week of March 21st, Smart Lunches will be providing lunch services that week. Following are new offerings that will be available for you:
  • Monday, Chicken Picnic Basket featuring classic picnic flavors of chicken, corn and cole slaw!
  • Tuesdau, Chili and Cheese Baked Potato
  • Wednesday, Corn Dogs
Check out the March Menu and give them a try, if you haven't done so already!!

Summer Camp Opportunities
Have you started looking for summer camp opportunities for your child(ren)?  See below for your consideration.

Saint Agnes Summer Camps
Saint Agnes has put together another great summer camp program. 
They will be offering a preschool and kindergarten camp and a camp for students in grades 1 to 8.  Click on the following attachments to view your options.

Bishop Ireton Summer Camps
Bishop Ireton's summer camp brochure is ready and attached HERE for your consideration. They offer camp opportunities for students in grades 1 to 12.     

CATHOLIC DRAMA & ART CAMPS
This camp has been providing day camps to students in Pre-K through high school in Theatre and Art for over 10 years. All instructors are faithful Catholics and VIRTUS approved. Registration is $20 off per camp through April 15th.  Plus, families registering 3 or more children take an additional 10% off.  All of the details can be found at www.SpotlightSummerCamps.com

Camp Veritas 
This is a one-week "pray-and-play" sleep away summer camp for teens going into 7th through 12th grades. It will be held at Summit Lake Camp in Emmitsburg, MD from July 31 to August 6. Details and enrollment forms can be found at www.campveritas.com.
 

Newsletter Submissions

Items to be included in our weekly newsletter must be submitted to [email protected] by Wednesday noon of each week in order to be included in that week's edition. All submissions must be in print ready form.  Any items received after the deadline will be included in the following issue.  

 

                           St. Ann School Mission Statement

 

We, the family of Saint Ann Catholic School, embrace and share the Gospel values of Jesus Christ and His Church by fostering a faith-filled community. We promote an educational environment where everyone is respected, everyone learns and everyone is encouraged to reflect the glory of God by contributing to the greater good of our world.

 

  
Believe          Achieve          Inspire

 

Saint Ann Catholic School is accredited by the

Virginia Catholic Education Association whose accreditation process has been approved by the Virginia Council for Private Education

as authorized by the Virginia State Board of Education.

 

 

  
Quick Links

 

[email protected]

 

arlingtondiocese.org

 

educationaloutfitters.com

 

 online.factsmgt.com

 

After School Enrichment Activities  
Monday
Chess Club 
3:15-4:15 - Library

Tuesday
Science Seed
3:15-4:15 - Room 137 

Peer Mentoring
3:15-4:15 - Parish Hall

Thursday
Choir
3:15-4:15 - Room 108  

Minecraft - Grades 1-3
3:15-4:30 - Room 105  

Friday
Advanced Band
3:15-4:15 - Room 105  

Abrakadoodle
3:15-4:15 - Room 137

Engineering for Kids 
3:15-4:15 - Room 108   

 
Dates to Remember
March 11
8:30am School Liturgy
2:30pm Stations of the Cross

March 14 - NO SCHOOL 
Professional Development Day 

March 16
2:15pm Dismissal

March 17
Sandwich Making with Faculty/Staff

March 18
8:30am School Liturgy
2:30pm Stations of the Cross

March 21
Chick-fil-A Lunch

March 22
Graduation Pictures &   PK-7th Grade Spring Individual Pictures

March 23
Pizza Lunch
1:00pm Living Stations
2:15pm Dismissal

March 24
NOON Dismissal - All School Lenten Retreat
Extended Day Closes at 4:00pm

March 25 - April 1
NO SCHOOL - Easter Holiday

April 4
Students Return - Begin wearing summer uniforms
7:00pm PTO Board Meeting


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Links

Procedure to Access School Website

 

 

Smart Lunches

 

 

2015-16 Diocesan Calendar  

 

 

NO School/Noon Dismissals & Hot Lunch Days

 

 

UNIFORM INFORMATION:

 

2015-2016 Uniform Requirements

                      

Saint Ann Boy's Uniform  

 

Saint Ann Girl's Uniform

 

Saint Ann Outerwear Uniform

 

 

 

  





Saint Ann Catholic School | 980 N Frederick Street | Arlington | VA | 22205