Mustang Memo

• Spiritual Reflection
• Notes from the Admissions Office
• Home & School Association Notes
• Student Life Notes
  
• Mark Your Calendars!

Our Spiritual Theme: We Walk by Faith

November & December Focus: We Walk by Faith... in Counsel

Matthew 14: 22-33

Spiritual Reflection by Miss Sheila O'Callaghan

We are now celebrating the Season of Advent. It is a time to prepare for a new coming of Jesus our Savior. Jesus came to history at Bethlehem. We know Jesus was born to Mary, grew up in Nazareth and became a carpenter, teacher and preacher. Our faith tells us that he was the Messiah.

Jesus comes in mystery each day because he is always with us and loves us. We find him in prayer, the sacraments, the Gospel, at home, in friends, and each other.

Jesus will come to us again in glory at the end of time. During Advent we look to Jesus coming in majesty as our Lord and King.

While we look forward to Jesus coming in glory, we ask the saints to help us. On Monday, December 9, we will celebrate the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. As a school, we will celebrate Mass.

On December 12, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In 1531, a poor native Mexican named Juan Diego saw a vision of Mary. She left her picture on Juan’s cloak to show her love for the poor. Juan Diego’s cloak now hangs in the Basilica in Mexico City.

We celebrate the memorial of St. Lucy on December 13. In Latin her name is Santa Lucia, which means “holy light”. Lucy died for her faith. She may have been about 12 years old. In some countries on this day, one girl in each family is the “Lucy Queen”. She puts a wreath of bright candles in her hair, wakes the family and serves them breakfast. What a beautiful way to Walk by Faith.

Remember the real purpose of Advent is to remember the coming of Jesus and his promise to remain with 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.

Happy Advent!

The lighting of the Advent candle each week fosters a sense of anticipation and spiritual reflection. It's a visual and contemplative way of marking the passage of time during Advent. In this second week of Advent, we light the Peace Candle, also known as the Bethlehem Candle. It is a symbol of Faith, Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem, and Peace.

Dear Jesus, you entered our world on Christmas as the Prince of Peace. This Advent, as we strive to become the-best-version-of-ourselves, fill us with a deep and abiding peace. Help us share that peace with everyone we encounter, especially those who need it most. Amen.

REMINDER: Vision for the Future financial assistance applications and St. Ann School financial assistance applications for the 2025-2026 school year must be submitted by January 31, 2025. Please scroll to the bottom of our tuition and fees page for application details.

Join us for a delicious way to support St. Ann School!
When: December 8th & 9th
Where: Cafe Riviera (located in the Concord mall)

Dine in, take out, or enjoy delivery—every bite benefits the HSA at St. Ann School!

Bring your family and friends to enjoy great food while helping our school community.

🎄✨Christmas Shop for Students ✨🎄

🎁 When: December 12th & 13th

🎅 What: A special shopping event where students can pick out perfect gifts for their families!

Information about the annual HSA Christmas Shop was sent home with students last week. Here are some important reminders:

1. Payment Options:

• Cash: Please send cash in the provided envelope, clearly marked with the amount enclosed. The envelope must be sealed and labeled with your child’s name and the total amount of cash.
• Voucher: You may also choose to purchase a shopping voucher using credit card. Please refer to the flyer from our supplier, Fun Services, for specific instruction. This is the ONLY form of advance payment that will be accepted. If you choose this option, please complete the Google form to provide your voucher details to HSA. Important: The voucher must be sent to school with your child on their shopping day and CANNOT be shared. One voucher per student.

2. Shopping Schedule:

Thursday:

8:15-9:00 am 1st Grade

9:15-10:00 am 3rd Grade

10:15-11:00 am Pre-K 3

12:15-1:00 pm Pre-K 4

1:15 - 2:00 pm 4th Grade

Friday:

8:15 - 9:00 am 2nd Grade

9:15 - 10:00 am 5th Grade

10:15 - 11:00 Kindergarten

11-11:30 am Last Call

We will also provide gift wrapping so their gifts are ready to go under the tree!

We look forward to a fun and festive shopping experience for our students! Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance--you can email us at hsa@thesaintannschool.org.

Final review of T1 report cards is underway and T1 report cards will be published in the PowerSchool parent portal this week. Parents will receive an email notification when report cards are published which will include reminders on how to log in to PowerSchool to view the official report. Furthermore, STAR reports will be sent home with your children in sealed envelopes.

STAR Testing Round 2 should communicate a bit about how your child is growing academically this school year. When comparing the first STAR test with this report, it is our goal that you will see growth in the scaled score. We are proud to announce that St. Ann students in each grade have outperformed STAR testing averages for the diocese in both the STAR Reading and STAR Math tests! Teachers have the benefit of tremendous testing detail to inform them where each child (and the class as a whole) is performing on key standard areas so that instruction can be focused with an eye on continued growth for the third testing cycle, which occurs in February.

T2 Dates to Know:

• Interim: Friday, January 24
• STAR Test Round #3: Week of February 10
• Last Day: Friday, February 28

Keep up the great work, Mustangs!

Bravo, St. Ann's Band & Choirs!

Congratulations to the 19 school band members, 30 school choir members, and members of the adult Parish choir for a fabulous performance today! It was a beautiful celebration of the season as a united parish community. Special thanks to our collaborative musicians Rowena Gutana (cello), Dennis Shrenk (clarinet), and composer and collaborative musician Rafael Scarfullery (The Shepherd's Story, piano and guitar).

Our students performed under the caring and talented leadership of Dr. Andrew Trites, Music Director for St. Ann Parish and school, and Mary Margaret Wilson, Band Director. Thank you both for your dedication to education!

St. Ann School is bringing a special holiday puppet show, RUFUS THE RED-NOSED RAINDOG, to the Pre-K through 2nd grade students on Wednesday, December 11! The assembly will help us to learn about acceptance and inclusion through a special Christmas story. Parents, we encourage you to talk about this show at home with your children! Here is the plot:

Rufus the dog has been rejected because he looks different from other dogs. Throughout the course of the story, everyone he meets tells him that he can’t be a real dog because of the way he looks. He goes to dog school to prove that he really is a dog. Eventually, the wildflowers talk to everyone and remind them that, just as every flower is different, so too is every dog and person. The difference is what makes us all special, not bad.

Winter Soccer Shots Registration is Open

St. Ann Students in PK 3 - 2nd grade are eligible to participate in the winter session of Soccer Shots, January 14 - March 4, 2025.

Click below to register!

• Week of December 9: T1 Report Cards & STAR Reports sent home

• December 8 & 9: HSA Restaurant Night

• December 9: School Mass for the Immaculate Conception & Reconciliation for Grades 6-8

• December 11: Christmas Assembly for PK3-2nd grade

• December 12-13: HSA Christmas Shop

• December 13: $1 Casual Day to Support the Missions & MS Movie Night, 7-9 pm

• December 14: HSA Christmas Caroling, 5-7 pm

• December 16: Reconciliation for Grades 3-5

• December 20: Half-Day for Students & "Hark! The Mustangs Sing" Performance

• December 23- January 3: Christmas Vacation, No School

School Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 7:30 am -3:30 pm

rcasey@thesaintannschool.org

302-652-6567