Mustang Memo

A Newsletter for Saint Ann School Families

October 20, 2024

Our Spiritual Theme

Our Spiritual Theme: We Walk by Faith

October Focus: We Walk by Faith... in Understanding

Spiritual Reflection by Miss Sheila O'Callaghan

Somehow and sometimes, we fail to see the love of God all around us. Have you noticed the beautiful, full harvest moon that is presently gracing the sky and giving us light? How blessed we are with God’s love; the sun to warm us during the day and the moon to guide us with its light at night.

There are many people God has placed in our lives to guide and encourage us to Walk by Faith. They help us to be kind, helpful, loving, and to reach out to help others, especially those in need.

The saints we have with us always. The sacrifices they made and their love of God are an inspiration for all of us.

On October 22, we remember St. John Paul II, Pope. He was born in Poland and became the first non-Italian pope. He served the church as pope for 26 years.

We celebrate St. John of Capistrano on October 23. He had many jobs in his life. He became a lawyer, judge, a Franciscan, and then the founder of a new order of priests. Finally, St. John of Capistrano became an ambassador for the pope. He died of the plague. There is a famous mission church in California named for him. On this day, October 23, the swallows that nest in the mission leave for the winter. They will return on Saint Joseph’s Day, March 19.

October 24, is the memorial of St. Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop. He was born in Spain in 1807. He founded the Claretian order of priests. For six years, Anthony was bishop of Cuba. His great love for others taught many people to be better Christians. His great concern for the slaves turned the rich slave owners against him. They had Anthony sent back to Spain.

Loving God, keep us close to you, just like the saints who have gone before us.

Please pray for the sick, especially Fr. Mink, Mrs. Miriam Harris, Oliver Conaty, and all the sick of our parish. Please continue to pray for Maureen Engelbert. Pray also for our Armed Forces and First Responders.

Reminders from the Admissions Office

A reminder: information on tuition assistance and applications for the 2025-26 school year is available here: https://www.thesaintannschool.org/admissions/tuition-fees

Tuition assistance application DEADLINE for current St. Ann students who will be enrolled in grades Kindergarten - 8 for the 2025-2026 school year is January 31, 2025.

In October, SAS staff and students will pay particular attention to creating and maintaining a safe school environment.

Thank you, Inspector Rose, for teaching K-5 students about fire prevention and fire safety! A few highlights of the assembly included the following reminders:

Every home should have a fire escape plan! It is important to locate 2 safe exits from every room and discuss an outdoor gathering place.
In a suspected fire, remember to get low and crawl to safety, testing doors with the back of your hand. Yell, "Fire! Fire! Fire!" to alert others to danger, but get yourself outside first.
The person in charge on a responding fire team will be wearing a white hat - you can find them and report anyone or any pets who you think may be inside and in need of rescuing.
Firefighters have to wear a lot of gear to protect them from fires, but when you see them, don't be scared! They are there to help you.

Home & School Association Notes

We hope to see you at the annual HSA Halloween Party!

🌟 Exciting Update! 🌟

Due to the high interest from families for our Halloween Party, we’re extending the sign-up and payment deadline until Monday at noon!

Don’t miss out—buy your tickets now to secure your spot!

Steps to Complete:

Sign Up: RSVP here
Payment: Payment Page

Please complete both steps to secure your attendance. Thank you for your cooperation and see you there!

As our Halloween party approaches, HSA needs your help! We’re looking for non-chocolate candy donations to make this celebration extra sweet. Please start bringing your candy donations to the office beginning October 21st. Every little bit helps, and we appreciate your generosity!

Thank you for making this Halloween party a spook-tacular success!

Order Holiday Pies!

SAS is once again partnering with Desserts by Dana to make your holiday baking needs a breeze!

Here are the details:

Pies are $23 each; orders and payments are due by Friday, November 1st
Pies will be ready for pick-up at SAS on Monday, November 25th after school. Pie pick-up will take place in the church parking lot.
To place your order, complete this google form
Payment must be submitted via the school payments page after you submit your order
Questions? Contact Brook Rowe at bepers@gmail.com or 302-562-8349 (texts preferred!)

Save the Date:

November 4th: HSA meeting on google Meet (email invite will be sent out)
November 20th: Metro Pizza Fundraiser dining night

Student Life Notes

Thank You, Mink's Mustangs!

Thank you to Sheryl Cook for organizing another fantastic year of support from Mink's Mustangs at the Northern DE Kidney Walk. Our team raised over $2,000! We repeat the prayer Fr. Dillingham shared on our team website here: "I send prayers of gratitude for the successful transplant and prayers of petition ask that God’s Healing Power continue to be with Father Mink."

If you would like to support the work of the National Kidney Foundation, you can learn more here:

https://www.kidney.org/

News from Kindergarten

Kindergarten has been very busy this fall! We've been having so much fun while learning a lot, too!

In phonics, we’ve already learned seven letters and their sounds, and we love putting them together to make words. In math, we’ve been counting, sorting, and even solving word problems. In science, we had a blast learning all about apples. We did a taste test to find out which kind of apple we liked best, and red delicious apples were the class favorite! We wrapped up our apple unit with a field trip to Milbourn Orchards in Maryland. We rode on a school bus, saw so many wonderful things on the farm, and got a tour of the apple packing house. We also enjoyed a hayride and visited with lots of animals. In the Schoolhouse, we learned about Johnny Appleseed, and we even got to eat our own apples—they were delicious! We brought a huge pumpkin back to school, and we’re excited to carve it for Halloween.

There’s so much more learning to look forward to this fall in Kindergarten. Gobble gobble!

NJHS Officers Installed

Students in the National Junior Honor Society had their annual election for the Executive Student Committee. The Installation of Officers was held after our school monthly Mass. Ms. Casey, our school principal, handed each officer his or her leadership pin while Mrs. Dickinson, our NJHS adviser, read the responsibilities of each position. We are so excited to begin our school year with many community initiatives, including providing Halloween costumes to needy children in our area and stocking Sunday Breakfast Mission with supplies to feed the homeless! Welcome and blessings to our new leadership team!

Please help support two initiatives of the NJHS this fall:

6-8th Graders Invited to Run for Student Council

Mrs. Kuha is looking for student leaders to join Student Council, a group that works to create community and serve the student body of the school with special projects and initiatives throughout the year!

The group of officers will be comprised of 4 executive leaders in 8th grade, and 2 representatives from each of the 6th and 7th grades. Information was given out at an interest meeting held on Tuesday 10/15. Any questions should be brought to Mrs. Kuha's attention! Important dates are outlined below.

CYM Cross Country Championships!

Please come out to support and cheer on our St. Ann Mustang’s Cross Country Team on Sunday October 27th at Brandywine Creek State Park as they compete in the CYM Championship meet!

Our Varsity girls are two-time defending champions, and our boys JV team are defending champions as well. This team has won 8 championships in different age groups and gender groups since 2019 and are poised for another! The meet starts at 1:30 at the Creek and we can’t wait to see you there!! GO MUSTANGS!!

Join St. Ann School's Team for the Bishop's 5K!

Click below to register.