
Mustang Memo
A Newsletter for Saint Ann School Families
September 15, 2024
Table of Contents
- Spiritual Reflection
- Tuition Assistance Information
- Counselor's Corner
- Home & School Association Notes
- Nurse Kerr's Health Notices
- Student Life Notes
- Mark Your Calendars!
Our Spiritual Theme
Our Spiritual Theme: We Walk by Faith
August & September Focus: We Walk by Faith... in Wisdom
Spiritual Reflection by Miss Sheila O'Callaghan
By now you are back in the swing of things. Have you noticed all the wonderful things Fr. Mink, the principal, teachers, custodians, and others have done to make St. Ann School beautiful? All these things have been done to make you happy to be here. There are new teachers and new students. Many of our students have new things for the school year too.
There are many people who love you. They have worked hard so that you have a good school year. Do not forget your parents, who made summer a special time and now have done so much to make this a happy school year. All these wonderful people deserve your thanks. Be sure to express your gratitude. Someone else deserves your thanks and that is God.
There are several saints to celebrate this week, who will help us Walk by Faith.
Sunday, September 15, is the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time. It is also known as Catechetical Sunday.
On Monday, September 16, we remember St. Cornelius, Pope, and St. Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs. They lived at a time when rulers were killing Christians. Pope Cornelius was a gentle man. He helped people to remain faithful to the church. Bishop Cyprian was a brave African and a famous teacher.
September 19, is the memorial of St. Januarius and his friends. They were put to death for their faith in the year 305. Januarius was bishop of Naples, Italy. In Italian, his name is San Gennaro.
September 21, is the celebration of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist. He was a tax collector, but left his job to follow Jesus. He was sometimes called Levi. This means he came from a family of priests. It also means he probably studied his religion well when he was young.
According to tradition Matthew wrote the gospel that has his name. The four gospel writers are called evangelists. This word means “someone who tells the good news”.
Please pray for the sick, especially Fr. Mink, Mrs. Miriam Harris and all the sick of our parish. Please continue to pray for Maureen Engelbert. Pray also for our Armed Forces and First Responders.
Tuition Assistance Information for 2025-26 School Year
Vision for the Future 2025-2026 Applications – September 15
Applications for tuition assistance (Vision for the Future) for the 2025-2026 school year open on September 15, 2024. This is a diocesan fund which provides merit-based tuition support across all CDOW schools.
The deadline for applications is January 31, 2025, and notification of awards will begin on March 1, 2025.
You can submit an application through FACTS here: https://online.factsmgt.com/SignIn.aspx.
St. Ann School Policies
See below or visit our website to learn more about St. Ann School policies for requesting tuition assistance:
Counselor's Corner
Miss Blakely is excited to be a new member of the SAS faculty, and she would like to share some reminders about the goals of the counseling program at SAS.
Overview of St. Ann School Elementary School Counseling Program
The school counseling program is designed to benefit students, faculty and staff, administrators, and parents. The program will provide specific skills and learning opportunities to students in a proactive and preventative manner, promoting success for all students through spiritual, academic, social/emotional, and college and career developmental experiences. The comprehensive school counseling program targets the following areas:
Spiritual Growth – Catholic identity is integrated into all areas of the school counseling program
Academic Growth – short and long term goal setting, organizational skills, study habits, time management, etc.
Social/Emotional Growth – understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive personal goals, feel and show empathy for others, maintain positive relationships, and positive decision making
College and Career Growth – learn and explore various careers, connect various careers to real world application
A comprehensive school counseling program helps children develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to become competent and confident learners. The emphasis is on meeting children's needs through prevention, early identification and intervention.
Miss Blakely will lead classroom lessons, starting next week. These lessons are based on the CASEL Framework for Social Emotional Learning (SEL). You can learn more about the core competencies which the CASEL Framework seeks to build in students, and what the school and parents can do to promote this learning by downloading an overview of the framework below.
In addition, Miss Blakely will be available to provide small group and individual counseling sessions. Students and parents can request a check-in meeting and learn more about the counseling program overall on her website!
https://sites.google.com/thesaintannschool.org/school-counselor-corner/home
Home & School Association Notes
A huge thanks to all of the families who made it to our first parent social at Trolley Tap House! We enjoyed great conversations, new friendships and delicious food.
We also want to thank the McCoy family and the staff at Trolley Tap House for hosting us.
Looking to meet parents and get involved in school community events? We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help us shape our calendar, make key decisions, and possibly handle some vendor and venue coordination. Your input and time are so appreciated to help bring our community together.
HSA meets virtually once/month. Please email hsa@thesaintannschool.org to sign up!
All volunteers must have a current background check on file. Please email Pat Walker at the parish office for background check information–pwalker@stannwilmington.com.
Our first meeting will be an in person meeting on Monday, September 30th at 6:30 pm. Hope to see you there!
Nurse Kerr's Health Notices
Nurse Kerr is an expert in fixing boo-boos, keeping track of how many teeth we've lost, and generally making us feel better and stay well! She has some items to bring to our attention so that we can support her efforts to keep our community healthy.
If a child is sick, he/she should stay home. It's a tough day at school for a sick student, and the old adage "sharing is caring" does not apply to germs! Please adhere to these guidelines:
- FEVER-FREE FOR 24 HOURS: Until a child's temperature is under 100.4 degrees for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, the child should stay home.
- TUMMY-TROUBLE FREE FOR 24 HOURS: If a child is vomiting or having diarrhea, he/she should stay at home until those symptoms are resolved for a 24 hour period.
- ALL MEDICATION ADMINISTERED BY NURSE KERR: The Diocesan policy states that children cannot carry or self-administer any medication during school hours. This includes all over the counter medications. All medications including cough drops must be given to the school nurse.
Thank you for helping us stop the spread of illness to fellow students and staff!
Student Life Notes
Spirit Wear Store: Closes Tomorrow, Monday 9/16!
The St. Ann Spirit Wear store is open for one more day! The store has some new items for soccer and volleyball.
Use the link below to shop. Personalization is available. Items will be delivered to the school and sent home.
Please contact Cristalyn Johnson at cjohnson@stannwilmington.com if you require any assistance.
Student Poster Contest Winners to be Announced on Monday 9/16!
The Religion Committee has asked grades 1-8 to participate in a poster contest to highlight our diocesan spiritual theme for the year: We Walk By Faith. The results are are! Winners will be announced during the morning meeting on Monday, and their posters will be displayed around the school as we focus on a new Gift of the Holy Spirit each month. Copies will also be sent to the Catholic Schools Office!
We thank all of our students for their thoughtful and creative work! All posters share important insight into our faith. Poster submissions will be returned to all students; maybe they can be featured on refrigerators in every Mustang home!
Car Line Safe Practices
Please help us to ensure student safety and drop-off, pick-up car line efficiency with your attention to a few important reminders:
- Please drive all the way up, toward the car line flag nearest the Shallcross Ave. & Union St. intersection at drop off and pick up times, regardless of where your students' classes congregate. This will help keep the line moving!
- Parents, please do not exit your cars while in the drop off line. The church parking lot is open and accessible should you need more time or need to provide assistance to students loading into/ out of cars.
- Parents and students must cross the street at the corner, using designated crosswalks (not in the middle of Shallcross Ave. car line traffic). Please utilize the services of our crossing guards and obey their instructions.
- Students must exit/ enter cars from the passenger side door.
Thank you!
Pop-Up Class: Shoelace Tying!
We’re excited to announce a special Pop-Up Shoelace Tying Class for our kindergarten to second grade students on Wednesday, September 18th, from 2:45 to 3:30 PM. This fun, hands-on class is designed to help kids master the art of tying their shoelaces with ease and confidence.
Due to space limitations, we have a cap of 20 participants, so be sure to sign up early! If the class fills up, don’t worry—just get on our waitlist by emailing Mrs. Kuha at ckuha@thesaintannschool.org, and you'll receive priority registration for the next session.
To reserve your spot, please sign up using the following link: Shoe Tying Class Sign Up. We look forward to seeing your child there!
Diocesan Events to Note:
CYO Joseph A. McNesby, Jr. Golf Outing (Wednesday, September 18) - The 32nd Annual CYO Joseph A. McNesby, Jr. Golf Outing will be held at Deerfield Golf Club in Newark. Proceeds support youth and athletic programs that benefit the young people within our diocese and community. More information on contributing to this event by becoming a sponsor, donor, and/or registering to golf can be found online.
Diocesan Eucharistic Congress (Saturday, October 5) – Register now for a Spiritual Journey! Join Bishop Koenig and our diocesan family on October 5, 2024, at the Ocean City Convention Center for the Eucharistic Congress, "The Eucharist: The Source and Summit." This day-long event will deepen our faith and strengthen our community through worship, reflection, and celebration. Don't miss this powerful opportunity to reconnect with the core of our Catholic identity! Register at https://www.cdow.org/EucharisticCongress/
Mark Your Calendars!
September 15: Catechetical Sunday - Parishes celebrate catechists & religious education programs
September 17: Picture Day, Formal Uniforms for Middle School
September 19: Back to School Night for parents, 6:30-7:30 pm
September 20: Casual Day - $1 to Support Missions
September 21 & 22: Share in the Sprit Collection at Weekend Masses - student volunteers needed! *Reflects a correction in dates!
October 5: Diocesan Eucharistic Congress
October 8: Diocesan Rosary Pilgrimage
October 11: T1 interim
October 14: NO SCHOOL, Columbus Day Holiday
October 15: School Mass, Formal Uniforms for Middle School
October 24*: Half-Day for Students, Parent Conferences
October 25*: NO SCHOOL for students, Parent Conferences
*Correction: Last week's Mustang Memo included a misprint of dates for the Parent Conferences; the dates listed here now match the school calendar - Thursday 10/24 and Friday 10/25!
Special Note: STAR Testing will take place during the week of September 23
School Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 7:30 am -3:30 pm