One of our incoming 8th graders attended the Envision Leadership Alumni camp in Boston last week. Such an amazing opportunity for our young adults to grow and learn! We have had several students attend these awesome leadership programs over the summer in years past. Kudos to all!

To celebrate reading we'll have our third annual readathon from August 1 through September 6. All families will receive an email with information about prizes and the link to raise money for the kids through their reading. To get ready for the readathon, we'll be spending some DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) time every day. Everyone can participate - students, teachers, and staff! Families, you can spend some DEAR time at home or work - reading in front of your kids is a great way to get them excited about reading. (Any reading counts! Books, magazines, ebooks, audiobooks - it's all reading!) And don't forget! Each grade is required to read books over the summer to prepare for the 2019-2020 school year. Visit www.saintannschool.org/document-uploads to get the summer reading list for each grade. Want more? Visit your local Mercer County library and join their summer reading program. There is something for everyone in the family! So what are you waiting for? Drop Everything And Read!

As we enter our third week (yes! Already!) of summer vacation, remember to check out Saint Ann School Summer Camps page at www.saintannschool/summer-camps-2019. New to our list is the Hamilton Township Track & Field Camp running next week, 07/08-12 It's not too late to join the fun! And remember if you'd like to share pictures with us, tag us on social media @st.annschool_nj #sasummer!

Summer vacation has certainly begun for most students, parents, and teachers but not for a number of teachers from across the four counties of the Diocese of Trenton. About 15 teachers are attending a week-long workshop on the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching reading to those who have some difficulties in that area. Among them, our very own Mrs. Kelly Meyer. Sadly, many young students struggle with reading difficulties. This experience affords teachers the opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to help their students to become better and more effective readers. This is the second annual Summer Institute that has been sponsored by the Diocese.

We are into the second week of Summer vacation and our students are enjoying their time off in full, spending time with friends and family. One of our soon-to-be 6th graders had a wish come true! While attending a car race at the Wall Stadium Speedway, he received a visit in the stands from his favorite car driver, Alonzo Morales. We can't wait to see what other exciting experiences our students will have this summer!

Saint Ann School S.T.R.E.A.M. Camp just concluded its first week. Children grades 2nd through 8th were engaged in many activities from robotics to programming, to music and art. Check out our social media outlets for pictures and updates!

What a better way to start Summer Break than with a lemonade stand? Saint Ann's student and her neighbors set up "Luna & Emma's Lummanade" stand to help neighbors stay cool during a hot day. Among the many customers, special guests Prospect High Fire Department members and officers from Ewing Police and K-9 Unit. Our 3rd grader and her friends decided to donate their profits to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Calling all kids, ages 9 and up! Mercer County 4-H has a new club focused on teaching children about sustainable living and practices. Topics of discussion will include gardening, composting, recycling, and more! The club meets on a monthly basis at a local farm; if you'd like to attend the next meeting, taking place this Sunday, June 9, please contact club leader Arie at alcmanchen@gmail.com. The club will also have an info table at the Mercer County 4-H Fair, happening August 3 and 4 at Howell Living History Farm (https://mercer.njaes.rutgers.edu/4h/fair/).

A little over one week has passed since Saint Ann School 7th graders turned upcycling cartons into planters and nature did its course! Check out the classroom version of it, which was just planted today. Kidney beans are fast growers!

On Wednesday 6/12 the new members of our PTA executive board were installed and sworn in during the Installation Service. We welcome Patricia Williams as President, Janet Ragan and Rachel Young as Co-Vice Presidents, and Lora Heady as Recording Secretary. Thank you, ladies, for taking on these important roles on our PTA! We would like to thank our outgoing Executive Board members- Beth MacKinnon, Mary Ravenel, and Merry Socha for their service over the last 3 years! We would also like to thank and acknowledge the members of our current PTA Board that will be stepping down from the board next year. Thank you to Laurie Klama, Beth MacKinnon, Karin Poveromo, Mary Ravenel, and Jen Rice. Your service and dedication to our PTA and our school have not gone unnoticed. We have been very blessed to have such a wonderful team of parents working together for our school and our children!

Pay it forward... Aaron Greco, CEO, and Co-Founder of TreeRing Corporation congratulates Saint Ann School on being a TreeRing Green Yearbook School! Since we have sold 162 yearbooks this year, TreeRing will be working with their partner, Trees for the Future, to plant that many trees in our school's name.

Math & Music come together! Saint Ann School 3rd-grade students experienced the connection between fractions and the element of Meter in music as they play the “ Rhythm Pie” Game in Mrs. Moya's class. This is one of many interactive lessons our faculty provides our students with. Another great example of SAS STREAM in action!

After watching earthworms compost flowers in the Science Lab for the last couple of months, 5th-grade students in Mrs. Daniel's class released them to the school garden. Much fun was had by our young stewards, who enjoyed seeing these decomposers up close and were able to watch them move. We assured them a safe transition by making sure they were buried in the soil away from birds!

Congratulations to Mrs. Breslin, SAS Guidance Counselor, and her husband who welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Kerry Breslin on Tuesday, May 28. Everyone is healthy and settled at home. We wish Mrs. Breslin and her family all our best and we can't wait to meet Kerry! God bless!!

We've all heard of reducing, reuse, and recycle, but how many people upcycle? Students in Mrs. Daniel's Science class turned milk cartons, juice cartons, and plastic containers into flower pots, and then planted their choice of beans. How tall will they grow at home this summer? Check back with us in September and you'll find out!

Saint Ann School student representative joined other students from the Diocese of Trenton to deliver some of the items that were collected during the 2019 Day of Service "Hearts to Hospitals". The items, which included toys, coloring books, pillows, and blankets were donated to different area hospitals. Capital Health used its donations to fill their Toy Closet in the Pediatric Ward and E.R. Earlier this week the 7th and 5th grade at Saint Ann School enjoyed a pizza party as a reward for the most monetary donation collected during the Penny Jar Contest. Once again, Many thanks to all who contributed to this service project with their time and donations!

It's graduation week at Saint Ann School and our class of 2019 is getting ready to close a chapter of their academic lives and move on to higher education. With so many choices in our area, most of our students are heading to Notre Dame Catholic High School for the next 4 years of learning. This week also marks graduation week for Notre Dame. 98% of the Class of 2019 will head to competitive universities such as Cornell University, University of Southern California, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, New York University, Berklee College of Music and Boston College. This year the 2019 senior class at NDHS includes 17 SAS alumni, class of 2015 (picture). We congratulate these students and keep them in our prayers.

STREAM is in full speed at Saint Ann School! 3rd-grade students were tasked with building a structurally sound rainbow sculpture using only fruit loops, play-doh, & a pipe cleaner. They had to decide how to build it and how to make it withstand a small “earthquake”. They did it successfully. They were joined by some 4th graders who built beautiful sculptures along with them. Science fun never ends at Saint Ann!

At Saint Ann School, not only do students learn how to be better stewards toward other people, but they also learn how to be stewards toward our environment. This past month, students have observed and learned about how you can turn kitchen scraps that would normally go into a landfill into a bountiful harvest in the future! A fun and environmentally friendly way to limit food waste! Check out the celery, carrot greens, and scallion that are now planted in our garden next time you come by the school!

Mrs. Bickham's Kindergarten class read a story about how the Superkids (characters of K's reading program) collected different kinds of boxes and transformed them into something new. Students in Kindergarten worked in pairs and did the same thing. The groups used their imagination and teamwork to make something new out of a plain box. The results? A fancy pig, an American jet, a playground, and a flying car! Oh, the possibilities when you let your imagination fly!