This week, 4/19-23, Saint Ann School students are celebrating National Library Week. Slated for the week of April 5-10, because of Easter Break our students had to wait a little while to celebrate our school and nation's libraries but surely did not miss the chance to join in the fun! Our librarian, Mrs. Ortiz planned a week filled with book-smart fun: from daily trivia questions to Bingo, fun games, and virtual visits to the local and national libraries, such as the Mercer County Library and the Library of Congress. In the next few days be sure to visit our social media to find out more about SAS's belated celebration of National Library Week!

This year, seventh-grade students at Saint Ann School will be adding a walking trip to supplement their Social Studies Revolutionary War curriculum. New Jersey, Mercer County, and our local area played critical roles during this time in history and the goal of this trip is to assist students in realizing how much happened right in their “backyard”. Students will stop by carious markers and take note of the events that have occurred there. As part of this exploration of the role our area played in the Revolutionary War, students will be going to the Cemetery at Lawrence Presbyterian Church, where they will perform grave etchings as part of the experience. Following the excursion, they will have a picnic in Weeden Park, guidelines permitting. Special thank you to Ms. Shields, who will accompany the students, and Mr. C for another hands-on learning experience!

Are you a 5th grader? Then this year for you will be a walk in the park! Dear 5th Grade parents, you don't want to miss this AMAZING opportunity! For the remainder of the school year, U.S. fifth-graders can bring their families to any national parks, national forests/grasslands, wildlife refuges, and other Department of the Interior, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers- managed public land- for FREE!" This opportunity is usually provided for 4th graders, but since 4th-grade students missed out last year because of the pandemic, the Department of the Interior is providing this pass for the current 5th graders. For more information, visit nps.gov and the website will provide you with information, the voucher you can print, rules, and general questions. This offer expires on August 31, 2021.

Once again, Saint Ann School students participated in the Science Fair Week back in February. Middle school students presented their scientific findings on a research project of their choosing. Just to name a few, we've heard presentations about the energy usage of different computer modes, the behavior of a student's bearded dragon, and how different breeds of dogs respond to different genres of music. At the end of the week, the winners of the science fair were unanimously agreed upon by Mrs. Daniel and two community members. It was tough to determine first place as we had some really well-done experiments. the winner was determined not only by how well the scientific process was followed but also by the ingenuity of the project and the discovery of new information for the scientific community. 8th-grade student Spencer brought home first place with the project "Analyzing the effects of time, type, and cleaning method on bacterial growth/presence in disposable and reusable masks." The second and third places were Joice and Jillian, 7th grade. Some of our students went on to submit their projects to the Mercer Science and Engineering Fair and few 7th graders (Jillian, Lily, William, Jamison, and Joice) won prizes and recognitions. We are very proud of our students' accomplishments and we look forward to next year's Science Fair for more interesting findings!

A new youth initiative called "NeXt Level" is coming to our parish! NeXt Level is a pilot program of the Center for FaithJustice funded by the Lilly Endowment, which offers and is researching a new approach to youth ministry designed to strengthen Catholic parishes. For those of you who don’t know, our parish was selected to participate in this groundbreaking study! This is a selective program that gives the young people of our parish an opportunity to put their faith into action, be formed as leaders, and use their gifts to address the needs of our parish and surrounding communities. If you are a teenager in grade 8-12 who may be interested in joining please attend our information session this Tuesday, 3/16 at 6 PM! Please visit the Youth Ministry Page on the Parish Website or speak to the youth Minister Linh Nguyen for more information.

Saint Ann School's 8th-grade student Liz Ravenel shared her talent and performed in the Newtown Arts Center virtual show "Art from the Heat", an evening of songs that celebrated all things love. Liz has been part of the SAS Drama Club since 2nd-grade and showcased her beautiful voice with the song "I've never been in love" from Guys and Dolls. We are very proud of Liz, one of our many talented students here at Saint Ann's!

On behalf of the PTA Nominating Committee let me thank everyone who submitted applications for and/or on behalf of others for the open positions. The work of the PTA is instrumental in providing needed resources. I look forward to working with the incoming and returning members of the PTA Board. Hopefully next year we are able to host some of the various activities that we could not hold this year. Each of the individuals who have agreed to accept a position is, similar to our general population, motivated and dedicated to Saint Ann School. Please welcome them to their positions. Our newly elected members are President, Rachel Young (P’24), Co-Vice Presidents, Janet Ragan (P’20, ’24), and Lisa Rancan (P’21, ’26), Treasurer: Monica Haley (P’28). I am excited to work with these and all members of the PTA and our greater parent community. Sincerely, Salvatore Chiaravalloti - Principal

It's Science Fair Week! Middle school students are presenting their scientific findings on a research project of their choosing. Just to name a few, on day one, we've heard presentations about the energy usage of different computer modes, the behavior of a student's bearded dragon, and how different breeds of dogs respond to different genres of music. Students also presented projects on how music affects test scores, how salt concentration affects brine shrimp activity, how effective different disinfectants are, and more! Although students weren't able to show off their projects and findings to a live audience like in years past, they still worked very hard and presented in front of their classmates, in-person and virtual, through slide shows and PowerPoint presentations, using the smartboard in their classroom. As a few more students will get their turn to present this week, we look forward to discovering the winners of this year's Science Fair. Stay tuned!

Our Lenten journey begins on Wednesday, Feb. 17, Ash Wednesday. Saint Ann School students, faculty, and staff get ready for their Lenten Season by watching Ash Wednesday mass live-streamed from our parish and by receiving Ashes in their classrooms, administered by their teachers with the use of a Q-tip for each student following the guidelines of Bishop O'Connell and the Diocese of Trenton. In Fr. Dela Cruz's words, "As Catholics and Christians, we do not make the Lenten journey alone. We journey together as a community, a family of faith, and people of hope". We invite our students and families to visit the SAS Lent page on our website for suggestions and resources to help you along the way. Start with joining our 7th-grade students as they guide us in the first Stations of the Cross on Friday, Fe. 19. Let us all journey together this Lent and be people of hope!

Last week, Saint Ann School celebrated faith, excellence, service, and all things that Catholic education has to offer. Covid-19 restrictions or the snowstorm didn't stop our students and faculty from planning enjoyable and meaningful activities for them, recognizing their accomplishments, honoring teachers, administrators, and staff who support them in their work, and thanking those who serve our community. Following safety guidelines, our students and teachers came together in prayer, expressed their creativity, celebrated their academic success, and gave back to our community. Once again, Saint Ann School would like to thank everyone who plays a role in keeping the school moving forward, providing our students with quality education and a safe environment. Every week at Saint Ann's is Catholic Schools Week!

Once again, Saint Ann School is moving forward... safely! Our principal, Mr. Chiaravalloti approved the opening of an after-school Embroidery Club. The club will be open to 7-grade students and supervised by Ms. Casey Shields. The club will run every Monday, 2:30-3:45 PM, from February 8 to March 29. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines, space will be limited to 10 students only. To attend the club, families will have to fill out a registration form (which can be found on our website) and submit it to the office, attn: MS. Shields. First come, first serve! So hurry!

Saint Ann School PTA has kicked off their annual Read-A-Thon on Friday, Jan. 15, encouraging all students to read as many books as they can between Jan. 15-Feb.15, to raise money for the St. Ann School PTA. Students are asked to read 20+ minutes per day for the duration of the Read-a-Thon and record their reading time. The more they read, the more chances they will get to win prizes and a dress down day pass. All reading counts! Books, magazines, ebooks, audiobooks! Families and friends can pledge their support for a student's reading. They can pledge online or send in a check. All money raised will help the PTA efforts to support Saint Ann School. So spread the word and get reading!

Saint Ann School and all Catholic schools around the nation are getting ready to celebrate Catholic Schools Week. National Catholic Schools Week (CSW - 1/31-2/6) is an annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. Schools celebrate students during National Catholic Schools Week by planning enjoyable and meaningful activities for them and recognizing their accomplishments. We honor teachers, administrators, and staff who support them in their work and thank those who provide volunteer service. This year, CSW is going to be very different than normal. Because of COVID restrictions and guidelines, many of the activities and events will have to be canceled. Despite the challenge, our faculty and administrators are still planning a week focused on our students that will offer fun classroom activities, a virtual mass, and a chance to still do service and give back to our community even if from a "social distance". We invite you to celebrate with us! Visit our website to learn more about CSW, spread the word about our school community, and check our social media pages for glimpses of our celebration. Happy Catholic Schools Week everyone!

Saint Ann School families, as many of you have probably heard by now, we are sad to share the unfortunate news that Trenton Catholic Academy (TCA) will be closing its doors at the end of this school year. It is always difficult when a Catholic school closes, especially one in such proximity to us. Our prayers go out to all administration staff, faculty members, student body, and their families. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they cope with this upsetting news. To read more about this, visit www.trentoncatholic.org

On Monday, Jan. 4, Saint Ann School reopened the doors to welcome back staff and students after the Christmas break. Everything was ready to resume business as usual. Over the break, the school administration provided a deep cleaning and disinfecting of the building to provide a safe and healthy environment for all upon their return. As we move forward with the remaining of the 20/21 academic year, Saint Ann School keeps working hard and diligently to keep offering in-person learning. Thank you to all Saint Ann's families for doing their part outside the school to help preserve the safety of our school community. Welcome back and happy new year!

Saint Ann School students and staff had the chance to show some Christmas cheer during the week of December 14, before the school closed for the Christmas Break. With a different theme every day, they were able to sport different Christmas apparel and show their Christmas spirit; thanks to Fr. Dela Cruz, the school came together spiritually for a Christmas Prayer Service that was streamed on Friday, 12/18, in all classes; last but not least, thanks to our dedicated PTA members, students from all grades took a walk down "Candy Cane Lane" on Friday and filled their stockings with treats and their hearts with cheer. At Saint Ann School we are thankful for our committed principal and staff, faculty, students, and their families. We wish you all hope, peace, joy, and love this Christmas and always! Our doors will reopen on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. Have a healthy and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Next week is the last week of school before the Christmas Break for our students and staff. This year we have to forego many of our beloved traditions, including the Pageant, class parties, and other events but that won't stop us from celebrating the Christmas season safely. In order to allow for some school holiday cheer, we will be having a few different dress-down days next week. Monday – Regular Dress Code (uniforms – gym or regular); Tuesday – Christmas Sock Day (students wear uniforms and Christmas socks); Wednesday – Christmas Hat/Accessory Day; Thursday – Ugly Sweater Day (students may wear uniform bottoms OR jeans); Friday – Christmas Dress Down Day (Students wear green/red). We are planning additional activities throughout the week to engage our students and to continue celebrating the Advent season. Thank you to all our families for the continuous support during these extraordinary times, and thank you to our principal, Mr. C for his leadership and constant effort in giving our students the best in-person learning experience they deserve. Merry Christmas!

Saint Ann School will be closed for Christmas Break from Monday, 12/21/2020, to Friday, 1/1/2021. We wish all Saint Ann School families a blessed and joyful Christmas and a very happy New Year! Enjoy the rest of the Advent Season and be safe!

Tuesday, Dec. 1, Catholic schools in the Diocese of Trenton celebrated Giving Tuesday, a day of giving in support of Catholic education. Faculty and students at Saint Ann School would like to thank all our families for their support over the last few weeks during our #GivingTuesday campaign! Thank you for your generosity and your prayers! It's with your constant help that we continue to provide you and the community with the best education and service!

Joyful, Joyful, sounds of joy...ADVENT begins this Sunday, Nov. 29, and Mrs. Ortiz has a lot of great resources from the library to get us in the Christmas spirit! Check out some of these popular Advent books and begin preparing to meet the Christ Child...