Saint Ann School families, Throughout the year, students will once again take the Renaissance Star Assessments to help teachers understand what their students know and what they are ready to learn next. These are given to all of the students in the 2nd through 8th grade. Typically, these assessments are administered in the school setting. This fall we will not just be administering this assessment in school but will also be providing tools so our remote learners are assessed. Please check my latest email to you to learn all the information necessary for your child to complete the tests. When schedules for the assessment are finalized, teachers will email them to you and also post them on Google Classroom. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. God bless!

The answer to Mrs. Laccetti's Trivia Tuesday is... Joseph Acaba. Did you guess it? Caleb in 7B did! Bien hecho! Stay tuned for next week's trivia question!

The National Theme for the Hispanic Heritage Month and throughout the year will be "the National Park Service and our partners, share history, heritage, and accomplishments of Hispanic and Latino Americans of past and present". Mrs. Laccetti will have a Trivia question for our students each week this month tied to the National Parks. This week's Trivia question is: "This National Park was established in 1906 to preserve and interpret the archeological heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from 600 to 1300 CE. Today, the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States. What is the name of the park, Where is it located and What does the name mean?" Take your best guess!

Tuesday, Sept. 15 marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from 09/15 to 10/15. This year's theme is "The National Parks Service Commemorates the rich Hispanic history and culture found in many parks". At Saint Ann School, students will be celebrating the Hispanic culture every day not only during Spanish class with Mrs. Laccetti but incorporating activities and lessons to the general curriculum with videos and articles that the teachers will share with their classes. Check out Mrs. Laccetti's web page for more information and resources that you can share with your children at home as well!

Saint Ann School families, if your child is learning from home, fully virtual or hybrid option, please remember to complete the Physical Education Virtual Assignment which must be submitted weekly, on the day of your child's class PE day. For more information and instruction on how to do it, please visit Mr. Zimmer's webpage on the school website under the Teachers Corner tab. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact Mr. Zimmer via email at jzimmer@st-ann-school.org. Stay active SAS!

Saint Ann School Families, There are currently three policy forms in the Genesis Parent Portal for parents to acknowledge. They include the Policy Handbook, the Acceptable Use Policy, and the Photo Opt-Out forms. These forms are only available until tomorrow and our records indicate that some families have not completed the acknowledgment yet. All students, even virtual, must acknowledge their agreement to these policy forms. If you have previously sent in a signed hard copy of one of these forms, you are still required to complete the electronic acknowledgment. If you have any questions or issues about accessing the Parent Portal, please contact Karen Meagher at kmeagher@st-ann-school.org. God Bless, Mr. C

Saint Ann School staff & students are happy to welcome Mrs. Krista Gladney to our school family! Mrs. Gladney is our new school nurse and will be helping us stay healthy during the school year. With the many challenges we encounter during these uncertain times, we are thankful for Mrs. Gladney who will make sure we are safe and sound every day! Welcome, Mrs. Gladney to our SAS family!

Saint Ann School staff & students are happy to welcome Mr. David Young to our school family! Mr. Young is our new Maintainance Coordinator. He helped us tremendously this Summer setting up and getting the building ready to welcome all of us safely back to school! He continues to assist us daily with all logistic challenges we might encounter. We are thankful for Mr. Young and glad he is part of our SAS family!

Saint Ann School Families, tomorrow we welcome students back for the first time since mid-March. We are excited to have students in the building and get started with the new school year. Here are a few reminders for a smooth back to school: Daily before drop off parents & guardians are required to complete the Genesis Daily Health check. This will become visible each morning on the Genesis app and Genesis website. A link to Genesis is also available on our website under the Parents Resources tab. Drop-Off: currently we are continuing with the same procedure, if a change is required, we will adjust accordingly. Doors will open at 7:30 am and all students need to arrive by 8:00 or will be marked tardy. Our week 1 will begin tomorrow, Tuesday, 09/01. It will be a half-day and dismissal will be at 12 noon. Wednesday and Thursday will be regular dismissal days at 2:30 pm. Please note that there will be NO ASP for the first week of school! Friday the school will be closed for Labor Day Weekend and will resume Tuesday, 09/08. ASP will begin on Tuesday, 09/08 as well. Thank you for your faith in us. These first few weeks we might encounter a few bumps and issues however, we are going to work to make sure issues are resolved as quickly as possible. Please be patient as we work in this new environment. We all want what is best. We have spent our summer months planning but until we have everyone in the building and begin the lessons, lunch, etc… we cannot know what unforeseen circumstance will arise. As always, if you have a question, concern, issue, need please let me know. Thank you and God Bless!

Saint Ann School Families, This year we are going to allow students in grades 5th through 8th to bring their personal devices (laptop or Chromebooks) to school to be used during in-person instruction. Any student who will not participate in the BYOD program will still receive a school-owned Chromebook. For more information regarding the BYOD Policy please refer to my most recent email or visit our website to download the BYOD form to be completed and submitted if your child will be participating in the BYOD program. Thank you!

Saint Ann School Preschool Families, I am reaching out with important information regarding this year. Unfortunately, Mrs. Juliano informed me this week that she is unable to return this year. While it is my intention to hire a replacement, I am unable to guarantee one will be in place prior to the start of the school year. Based on this fact we will be merging the preK4 and preK3 classes until a replacement teacher is hired. At the current time, this would still keep us below the maximum limit of students in the room, the most on any one day is 15 children. I understand that this is not ideal however, it is the best option for our students at the current moment. I will keep you updated on the hiring as it progresses. Thank you and God Bless!

Saint Ann School families, the After School Program (ASP) will start on Tuesday, September 8. The safety of our students is paramount to everything we do from the start of the day until the final student leaves the building. As such, we will be making changes for attendance at After School Program. In order to properly plan, students will not be able to attend unless registered in advance. Register your student by completing the form linked to the email you have received. You can also find the form on our website at www.saintannschool.org. If you do NOT plan to use ASP, you do not need to do anything further. Children not picked up during dismissal by 2:45 PM are charged a daily rate of $30 regardless of pick up time. Due to various conditions, we will not be providing snacks and drinks during ASP. All students attending will need to bring their own food and beverage for consumption during ASP. We understand for some this will cause an inconvenience however, it is the best solution so we can continue to provide the service while also maintaining our focus on student and staff health and safety. Thank you for your support and understanding.

Saint Ann School Families, we officially ended a school year that will not be forgotten any time soon. The last three months have shown the resiliency of our students and the adaptability of the teachers. I am grateful to all for the hard work, dedication, and communication you have had throughout the distance learning experience. Over the last weeks, we celebrated our smallest and largest graduates. The eighth grade will forever hold a special place in my heart for the amazing way they bonded and work through missing many of the typical end of year traditions. I am grateful that we were able to celebrate their diploma drive-up and virtual graduation. I hope you all are able to take the time to rest and relax this summer. At school, we have already begun planning and working on next year. During the summer we will have office hours of Monday – Thursday 9:00 AM-2:00 PM. Enjoy the Summer! Salvatore Chiaravalloti

Saint Ann School Families – The events unfolding in our country cannot and should not be ignored. False police reports while walking an unleashed dog in a park, the death of George Floyd at the hands of a law enforcement officer, protests, riots, looting and buildings aflame. Unfortunately, these events are not isolated nor are they new. It is difficult to watch and explain to my children why this is happening but one thing is clear – as human beings, Christians, Catholics we are unable to just idly standby. We must express the need for change and be willing to be the change in the systemic oppression of minorities. No parent, spouse, or child should ever need to worry if their loved one is going to arrive home safely simply due to the color of their skin. I watch the protests across our country and am heartened seeing new voices raised regarding this issue. I am encouraged by the peaceful protestors who are voicing the need to end these injustices while not being involved in the attempted hijacking of the cause by those looting or destroying properties. We cannot let the selfish individuals creating issues distract from the message of those who protest peacefully just as it is unfair to the honest, hardworking, dedicated law enforcement officers who represent the badge with honor to be called racist due to colleagues and others who do are not deserving of being officers of the law. Saint Ann School is a diverse school and part of our job is to instill in students’ knowledge based on truth and justice. Our faith is based on the teachings of Christ regarding love, unity, and peace. We, as a united people, must rise above the hatred to create an impactful, lasting change. Through these unfortunate events, an opportunity is emerging for true equality and transformation of our country to ensure all people have the same opportunities and rights. I know that I do not have all the answers but the minority community is suffering and we need to show them our support and love. God Bless!

Saint Ann School Families, We have entered the last weeks of school. This week we are winding down our distance learning experience, next week we will be celebrating the year with virtual end of year class parties. All student materials are organized and ready for pick-up. Pick-up Day will be Wednesday, June 10. We will be following the schedule below for the pick-up of student items as well as the return of materials to the school. When arriving for pick-up you will return textbooks, library books, and devices (Chromebooks for grades 6-8) as well as any other school items. The schedule for the return of materials will be as follows: K-1 8:30-10:30 AM; 2-3 10:30 AM-12:30 PM; 4-5 12:30-2:30 PM; 6-7 2:30-4:3- PM. Eighth-grade students will return and receive materials on Friday during the receipt of diplomas. Siblings will have items together. If you have a child in 1st and 4th grade you will only need to come during one of the times to get both students' materials and return their materials as well. As usual, if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me. God Bless! Mr. C

Saint Ann Families, like many other schools throughout our country, this year we will be having a Virtual Field Day. Mr. Zimmer has gathered a few challenges for our Virtual Field Day, scheduled for Wednesday, May 27th. Check your email for instructions on how to participate or visit Mr. Zimmer's webpage at www.saintannschool.org/john-zimmer for the links to the 7 challenges. Virtual Field Day will be optional for the students but if they do participate, please share their pictures and videos with us by emailing Mrs. Fallon at afallon@st-ann-school.org. We hope you'll give it a try and have fun with it!

Saint Ann School Families, we have entered the last few weeks of the school year. The teachers are beginning to organize any student materials still in the school building for pick-up. Once a date for pick-up of belongings, return of textbooks, and student devices, is confirmed, you will receive the instructions for the process. As a reminder, school will not be in session from Thursday, May 21, through Monday, May 25. Classes will resume on Tuesday, May 26. Eighth-grade families – you will be receiving an update regarding graduation by the end of this week. Know that Fr. Dela Cruz and I are working to make the best of the current situation. You and your families are always in my thoughts and prayers. God Bless, Salvatore Chiaravalloti

Saint Ann School families, Mrs. Ortiz is excited to share a new tool for reading online! And it's FREE! It's called Hoopla and is a digital media service offered by the local area Mercer County Public Libraries. Hoopla allows you to borrow music, movies, audiobooks, e-books, comics, and TV shows to enjoy on your computer, tablet, phone, and even your TV! Hoopla is like having your own public library at your fingertips anywhere, anytime! To find out more about Hoopla visit www.hoopladigital.com. Get started today and enjoy a new way of reading!

Honk if you love our 8th graders! On Tuesday, 05/12, Mr. C &Ms. Shields, representing all SAS Faculty and Staff, did what they do best: support our students in any way they can. They surprised our 8th graders by driving by their homes and hand-delivered signs to them, a little token of Saint Ann School love for our graduates! Congratulations Class of 2020! We are very proud of how you've been conducting yourselves during this unusual and difficult times. Keep shining and God bless you always!

Saint Ann Families, Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Governor Murphy announced on Tuesday, May 4, that all New Jersey Schools will remain closed for in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. Our cyberlearning program will continue for the remainder of the school year. Please refer to my latest email to you for a message from JoAnn Tier, Superintendent of the Diocese of Trenton Catholic Schools regarding this matter. Also, I am pleased to announce that Mrs. Meyer will be taking over the Classroom Science for the remainder of the school year for our middle school classes. Mrs. Daniel has supplied a syllabus and various materials to help with a smooth transition. As usual, if you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact me. Stay well and be safe!