Saint Ann School News

• Congratulations to our students who made their First Holy Communion on Saturday. Thanks certainly go to the teachers and parents/guardians who have helped prepare the students for this very important event in the life of a Catholic Christian.

• This Friday, May 14, is our annual Teacher Planning Day. This will be a Minimum Day with 11:30 AM dismissal for students. Please let us know if you are planning to use the Extended Day Program after school until regular dismissal time (11:30 AM – 2:40 PM) if you do not have an EDP contract. We want to make sure that we have enough staff on hand.

• The 21st Annual Saint Ann / Knights of Columbus 5th Grade Basketball Tournament is this week (Thurs – Sat). Admission is free, and all games will be in the James Monroe Middle School gym. Game times will be posted on the bulletin board by the office door. Please come support our teams!

• I invite all of you to our Ice Cream Social tomorrow, May 11, at 6:30 PM in the Parish Center. Our first and third graders will provide some entertainment for us as we enjoy our ice cream. Please help us welcome new families who are enrolling their children in the fall. Jenny Hunsaker will have our used uniforms available for purchase at the Ice Cream Social.

• Our students will celebrate this month of Mary by saying the rosary daily and taking part in the May Crowning right before Mass this Friday. Parents and guardians are invited to join us in honoring the Mother of God as we say a decade of the rosary at 7:30 AM each Wednesday morning at the grotto.

• Our Annual Sports Awards Ceremony will be a potluck dinner on Monday, May 17, at 5:30 PM in the Parish Center. If your child played basketball or volleyball this year, mark your calendars for this date. Coaches, players, and players’ families are welcome to join us for this awards potluck. For more information, please see the flyer in this Monday Envelope.

• Please see the order form for our Saint Ann yearbook in this Monday Envelope. The yearbook will be available only to those who preorder by the deadline listed on the form.

• The next meeting of the School Advisory Council will be next Monday, May 24, at 7:00 PM in the school library. Items to be discussed include efforts to increase enrollment, recruitment for teachers, efforts on starting a pre-school and school improvements.

PTG News:
• We are looking for someone to serve as PTG Vice President for the 2010-2011 school year. If you are interested in this position (which is a great way to earn parent participation hours), I would very much appreciate hearing from you before the Ice Cream Social tomorrow.

Upcoming Events:

Tues., May 11
Ice Cream Social, 6:30 PM, Parish Center

Wed., May 12
Rosary at the Grotto, 7:30 AM
Ridgecrest Police Department Open House, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Fri., May 14
May Crowning & Mass, 8:15 AM, 3rd Grade
MINIMUM DAY, 11:30 AM Dismissal, Teacher Planning Day

May 13, 14 & 15
21st Annual St. Ann/Knights of Columbus Basketball Tournament, Monroe Gymnasium

Mon., May 17
Sports Awards Ceremony & Potluck, 5:30 PM

Mon., May 24
School Advisory Council Meeting, 7:00 PM, School Library

Monday, May 10, 2010

Dear Parents,

Congratulations to all children who received First Holy Communion this weekend! St. Ann teachers, Mrs. West-Bruna, Mrs. Horn and all of the CCD teachers worked very hard to prepare the first communicants for the beautiful celebration on Saturday. These wonderful teachers deserve our thanks and congratulations.
The children have been learning about our wonderful 50 states. We are getting close to taking the fill-in quiz.
This Tuesday, May 11, is the date for this year’s Ice Cream Social. The third graders will be singing and playing their recorders as part of the program. The social starts at 6:30 pm.
We have been invited to the Ridgecrest Police Department Annual Open House for schools on Wednesday, May 12 6-8 pm. There will be tours and Police K-9 demonstrations. When you go your child should check in at the Explorer’s booth. The police department will award our school with a demonstration by the K-9 unit if we have the highest percentage of students in attendance. Students who attend may write a one-page essay about the RCP Open House to enter another contest with a prize package awarded by Officer Agostinacci.
We will continue to celebrate Mary’s Month by praying a decade of the rosary each day. Seventh graders will lead the school in one decade of the rosary on Wednesday morning. This Friday, May 14, third graders will be special helpers at Mass. The May Crowning will take place at the beginning of Mass at 8:15 am. Please join us as we honor our Blessed Mother.
This year instead of having a printed school yearbook, we will be having a digital yearbook. So that the children will have something to sign autographs, please send in a notebook such as a composition book. I will provide decorations for the autograph books, and we will decorate the books the last week of May. We will spend some time during the last week of school signing the autograph books.

God bless,

Susan McDonald
 
Third Grade Goals This Week

Religion: We will study chapter 18, “Jesus Teaches Us How To Love.” Check out the website www.faithfirst.com weekly for activities for your child.
Reading: We will finish reading Charlotte’s Web. In “Reader’s Workshop” we will read the story, “Leah’s Pony.” We will study drawing conclusions.
Language: We will continue to work on the writing process. In “Writer’s Workshop” we will study nouns, pronouns, verbs and sentences. Writer’s Workshop is a time the students will work on reports they write, revise and edit. Our vocabulary words are: saddle, girth, pasture, auction, gullies and cultivate.
Spelling Words: Students will have a spelling test this week. The spelling words that have –er and –est are: dizzier, happier, heavier, hungrier, prettier, drowsier, dizziest, drowsiest, happiest, heaviest, hungriest, greater, greatest, finest and taller.
Math: We will finish our timed multiplication and division quizzes this week. We will compare fractions and decimals as well as add and subtract decimals.
Handwriting: All students are practicing writing the letters in cursive using correct form and posture.
Social Studies: We will continue our study of Unit 5 with Lesson 2 “Where are Goods Made?” We will continue the mini state reports.
Health: We will continue to study the human body and its systems.
P.E.: We will continue kickball this week.

“There will be great joy for those who are ready and waiting for His return.” Luke 12:37

Spelling List
useless playful along recycling
clueless hopeful might bustling
jobless harmful sound invitations
shapeless shameful white steeple
helpless wonderful next ferried
*Please work with your child to learn the spellings and meanings of these words this week.

May Crowning and Field trip
This Friday, the entire school will have a special May Crowning for our Mother Mary. This will be at the beginning of Mass. You are encourage to attend. We have the special privilege of being the Honor Guard for Mary. It is another opportunity for us to dress up in our beautiful and handsome First Holy Communion clothes as well. This year presents a special twist because we have students who don’t have communion clothes. They still deserve to be members of the honor guard and dress up for the occasion. Those who do not have communion clothes are welcome to wear their Easter clothes or Sunday best. This includes dresses for the girls and nice pants with shirt and tie (if they have one) for the boys. This is not meant to be a pressure situation where you have to buy a new outfit for your child. If your child doesn’t have something to fit this description they are welcome to wear their uniform. We will be changing back into our uniforms in the Parish Hall restrooms directly after Mass and I would welcome help for the students if you can be there. Please let me know if you have any questions.
After we have changed, we will be going to Leroy Jackson Park to celebrate our completion of First Holy Communion. Departure time will be around 9:30am. We will spend the morning playing and enjoying a well earned rest from our academics. Please make sure that you send a water bottle and sunscreen for your child. Hats or sunglasses are also welcome. We will return back to school at approximately 11:25pm. I am in need of chaperons for this trip. You need to have all of your paperwork up to date in the office in order to go. Please indicate on your child’s permission slip, if you are able to help out. Thank you!

Autograph books
Last week, Mrs. Little mentioned autograph books for students to collect signatures of friends to go along with our digital yearbook. If you or your child would like to bring a book in for autographs, they are welcome to do so on the Thursday, June 3 or Friday June 4. We will not be making such items in class so you will need to purchase or provide the autograph book. This is not required and is purely up to each family.

Here’s What We Are Learning This Week
Every week I highlight what I am covering in class. This will give you an opportunity to talk with your child about specific subjects that we are covering. Not all topics are covered everyday. Be sure to always check to see what we are doing in 2nd Grade!
Reading –We are reading the story New Hope.
Phonics – Reviewing homophones, past tense verbs, and position words.
Writing – We are finishing writing fairy tales.
Grammar - Review grammar lessons from unit 2.
Health - Discussing how drugs affect our body.
Math –We are finishing our chapter on 3 digit numbers.
Spelling – Review words with suffixes.
Religion – This week we talking about the prayer the Our Father.
Science – We are discussing the life cycle of frogs and butterflies.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Dear Parents,

This week we will continue our mini-state reports. Please encourage your child to practice the names of the states.
We will celebrate Mary’s month by praying a decade of the rosary each day during May. Eighth graders will lead the school in one decade of the rosary this Wednesday morning at assembly in front of the grotto. Please join us as we honor our Blessed Mother together.
As the days get warmer, please be sure your child brings a bottle of water.

God bless,
Susan McDonald

Third Grade Goals This Week

Religion: We will study lesson 26, The Hail Mary - A Scripture Story. Check out the website www.faithfirst.com weekly for activities for your child.
Reading: We will continue reading Charlotte’s Web. In “Reader’s Workshop” we will read the first story in the last unit called Country Life. It is called The Country Mouse and the City Mouse. Students will study comparing and contrasting.
Language: We will continue to work on the writing process. In “Writer’s Workshop” we will study commas and effective endings. Writer’s Workshop is a time the students will work on reports they write, revise and edit. Our vocabulary words are: sensible, morsel, quantity, condescending, splendid and scurried.
Spelling Words: Students will have a spelling test with 15 words this week. This week’s words are irregular plurals. The words are: deer, geese, fish, wolves, leaves, loaves, scarves, selves, shelves, calves, sheep, shrimp, wives, mice and lives.
Math: We will continue to take timed division quizzes. We will continue to study the unit on fractions and decimals.
Handwriting: All students are practicing writing the letters in cursive using correct form and posture.
Social Studies: We will study the ways in which local producers have used and are using natural resources and human resources, and how they have produced goods in the past and present. We will work on mini state reports.
Health: We will study the human body and its systems.
P.E.: We will continue kickball this week.

• Please join me in praying for our 2nd grade students who are making their First Holy Communion this Saturday. The students have spent many hours learning about the Eucharist – this wonderful gift of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Congratulations again to all our students who participated in Junior Olympics – Emily A., Hana B., Madelyn C., Sara O. (3rd Place 800m Run), Victoria P., William T., Lillie H. (3rd Place Long Jump, 3rd Place50m Dash), Nathaniel A. (1st Place 1500m Run, 1st Place 3000m Run), Christopher S., Adison B. (2nd Place 400m Dash), Jacob T., Desteny S.-V. (1st Place 1500m Run), Mitchell W. (1st Place Triple Jump, 2nd Place 3000m Run, 2nd Place 100m Hurdles, 3rd Place High Jump), Alex S. (3rd Place 1500m Run).

• 5th Grade Basketball – Free admission at the Kerr-McGee gym! Please come support our boys and girls! This is our last regular season game. May 4 (Tues), Girls @ 5:30 PM, Boys @ 6:30 PM vs Faller

• I invite all of you to our Ice Cream Social next Tuesday, May 11, at 6:30 PM in the Parish Center. At least one class will provide entertainment as we sit back, enjoy a treat and visit with other Saint Ann families. Although the focus of this evening is to socialize and enjoy our treat, we do ask that while the students perform, you give them your full attention. Please also help us welcome new families who are enrolling their children in the fall.

• Used Uniform Sales / Swap Jenny Hunsaker will have our used uniforms available for purchase during next week’s Ice Cream Social. Used shorts, skorts, jumpers and pants sell for $5.00 each. Used white polo shirts sell for $3.00 each. Or . . . bring your used uniforms to trade.

• Our students will celebrate this month of Mary by saying the rosary daily and taking part in the May Crowning right before Mass next Friday. Parents and guardians are invited to join us honoring the Mother of God as we say a decade of the rosary at 7:30 AM each Wednesday morning at the grotto.

• Since we are producing a digital yearbook this year, this gives us the opportunity to make it a “complete” yearbook. Teachers will submit pictures all the way through the end of the year parties and the 8th grade promotion. The yearbook will either be available for pick-up after school gets out, or it will be mailed to you. Yearbooks will only be available through pre-sale so keep on the watch in the Monday Envelope for the order form.

Since students will not have a paper yearbook, it was suggested that students have the opportunity to bring autograph books for their friends to sign. This can be a small memo pad, composition book, journal, etc. Please look for information from your child’s teacher on whether the class will be doing anything special with their autograph books. If the class is not, decorating whatever form of book you choose might be a fun home project. Students may bring their autograph books for their friends to sign on the last day of school unless directed otherwise by their teacher.

PTG News:
• We are looking for someone to serve as PTG Vice President and as Parent Participation Coordinator for the 2010-2011 school year. If you are interested in this position (which is a great way to earn parent participation hours), I would very much appreciate hearing from you before the Ice Cream Social on May 11.

Reminders –

 Additional Parish Contribution payments are due today. If you have not yet paid, please do so by tomorrow morning.

 Tuition / EDP payments are due by Monday, May 10.

 Late registration forms and fees are still being accepted. Please remember that your child’s spot is not considered “held” unless you are officially registered.

Upcoming Events:

Tues, May 4
5th Grade Basketball Game (see above)

Wed., May 5
Rosary at the Grotto, 7:30 AM, 8th Grade

Fri., May 7
Student Mass, 8:15 AM, Church, 4th Grade

Sun., May 9
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY !

Tues., May 11
Ice Cream Social, 6:30 PM, Parish Center

Fri., May 14
May Crowning & Mass, 8:15 AM, 3rd Grade

May 13, 14 & 15
21st Annual St. Ann/Knights of Columbus Basketball Tournament, Monroe Gymnasium

“Turn from sin, and turn to God, for the Kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 4:17

Spelling List
aunts rabbits line reservation
tapped packed own qualified
met uncles read swirling
whales dropping set gymnasium
animals bravest under spider
*Please work with your child to learn the spellings and meanings of these words this week.

Rosary
May is the month of Mary. We are saying the Rosary in honor of her this month. Your child is invited to bring a rosary to school to use for this prayer. They are welcome to leave it in their desk if they would like. Thank you.

Calendar of Event
Communion Practice – Wednesday, May 5 & Friday, May 7 both @ 5:30pm
Communion Mass - Saturday, May 8 at 10am
Please mark your calendar!

Here’s What We Are Learning This Week
Every week I highlight what I am covering in class. This will give you an opportunity to talk with your child about specific subjects that we are covering. Not all topics are covered everyday. Be sure to always check to see what we are doing in 2nd Grade!
Reading –We are reading the story Brave as a Mountain Lion.
Phonics – Reviewing compound words, antonyms, long /I/, blends, and the /j/ sound.
Writing – We are finishing our fairy tale picture books.
Grammar - Review grammar lessons from this unit.
Health – Creating our own balanced meal.
Math –We are working on 3 digit numbers.
Spelling – Review spelling rules from this unit.
Religion – This week we finishing our unit on the Mass.
Science - We are learning about the differences between baby and adult animals.

• The deadline for earning Parent Participation Hours is May 1! Please remember to log your hours by this Friday, April 30, at 2:45 PM after which time the book will be closed for tabulating. The only hours that may be added after that point will be hours worked at the First Communion reception.

• The deadline for paying the Additional Parish Contribution ($100 per child) is also May 1 but you have until next Monday, May 3, to pay since the deadline is on a Saturday. Miss Rossi has summarized your contributions on a yellow sheet in your Monday Envelope.

• Congratulation to our students who participated in the Solo & Ensemble Festival this weekend. Awards received were: Sam M. & Garrett S. – excellent rating percussion duet; Amanda C. – superior rating flute solo; Robert D. – superior rating trumpet solo; Sarah C., Alex S., & Leah O. - superior rating clarinet trio.

• Thank you to the parents who volunteered for our Junior Olympic training – Mrs. Welsh, Mrs. Blubaugh, Ms. Egipto, Mrs. Griffis, Mrs. Hernandez and Mr. Aralar. We will announce the Junior Olympic official results as soon as we know.

• 5th Grade Basketball – Free admission at the Monroe gym! Please come support our boys and girls! We have only two more games before our big Saint Ann / Knights of Columbus tournament on May 13, 14 and 15.

April 26 (Mon), Girls @ 5:30 PM, Boys @ 6:30 PM vs Pierce

• The next meeting of the School Advisory Council will be on Monday, May 3, at 7:00 PM in the school library. (The date was changed from that listed on the April calendar.) Items to be discussed include efforts to increase enrollment, recruitment for teachers, efforts on starting a pre-school and school improvements.

• Order Marie Calendar pies (WYD fundraiser) by calling the Church Office by this Friday! Delivery will be made to your house on the Saturday before Mother’s Day!

• This Saturday is a WYD Cinco de Mayo Dinner fundraiser in the Parish Center from 5:30 PM–8:00 PM. Mariachi music will be featured. The menu is chicken tostadas, beans, rice and lemonade for $6.00/plate.

• Mrs. Silong, our 5th Grade teacher, has informed me that there are individuals from among the Saint Ann parents, teachers and students who are taking part in the Locks of Love program. I would like to challenge others to take part also. If you are unfamiliar with this program, Locks of Love uses donated hair to create hair pieces free of charge for children ages 6-21 with long term hair loss due to medical conditions. The Saint Ann group is trying to meet an October deadline for donating at least 10 inches of hair per person in a ponytail or braid. For more information about the program requirements, please look on-line or ask Mrs. Silong.

PTG News:
• We are looking for someone to serve as PTG Vice President for the 2010-2011 school year. Mrs. Kim Metcalf has graciously served in this position for a number of years. However, since her daughter is going to be in high school next year, she will no longer have a student here. If you are interested in this position (which is a great way to earn parent participation hours), I would very much appreciate hearing from you before the Ice Cream Social on May 11.

Upcoming Events:

Mon, April 26
5th Grade Basketball Games (see above)

Fri., April 30
School Mass, 8:15 AM, Grade 5 students responsible

Tues., May 11
Ice Cream Social, 6:30 PM, Parish Center

Fri., May 14
Mass and May Crowning, 8:15 AM

Monday, April 26, 2010

Dear Parents,

Today I have challenged the students to learn the names of all 50 states. They should study them each night. I will give them a test in two weeks that will have the first and last letter of each state (for example
C_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ a) to help them get started. They will fill in the rest of the name. Please encourage them to practice. The children are learning the difference between cities and states.

The children will bring home the “newspaper” they created to report on the field trip to St. Andrew’s Abbey. They worked hard in groups to complete this job.

God bless,
Susan McDonald

Third Grade Goals This Week

Religion: We will study lesson 8, We Are the Church. Check out the website www.faithfirst.com weekly for activities for your child.

Reading: We will continue reading Charlotte’s Web. In “Reader’s Workshop” we will read the sixth story in the unit titled Storytelling. It is called Aunt Flossie’s Hats (and Crab Cakes Later). Students will study sequence and author’s point of view.
Language: We will continue to work on the writing process. In “Writer’s Workshop” we will review simple and compound sentences, colons, conjunctions, interjections, and capitalization. Writer’s Workshop is a time the students will work on reports they write, revise and edit. We will continue to work on our mini state reports this week. Our vocabulary words are: memories, terrapins, trillion, rescue and buglers.
Spelling Words: Students will have a spelling test with 15 words this week. This week’s words are words that use the same patterns we have studied for the last five weeks. The words are: police, wrote, plunge, huge, quake, seven, shelf, city, stripe, spray, racing, wrestle, buttons, story, and engines.
Math: We will continue to take timed division quizzes. We will continue Data and Probability and Division.
Handwriting: All students are practicing writing the letters in cursive using correct form and posture.
Social Studies: We will finish our study on Unit 4 with “How have people worked for freedom?” We will continue our mini state report as part of our social studies this week.
Health: We will study the human body and its systems.
P.E.: We will continue kickball this week.

“If you are friendly only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else.” Matthew 5:47

Spelling List
higher sillier should emperor
highest biggest big courage
slower silliest air perfume
slowest bigger home successor
happier happiest give burst
*Please work with your child to learn the spellings and meanings of these words this week.

Calendar of Event
Communion Practice – Wednesday, May 5 & Friday, May 7 @ 5:30pm
Communion Mass - Saturday, May 8 at 10am
Please mark your calendar!

First Communion Notes
Clothing Reminder – Boys: Dark pants, solid colored tie, white shirt (long or short sleeved), neat clean shoes. Suits may be worn.
Girls: White dress (long or at least to child’s knees), no bare shoulders or spaghetti straps, white socks or stockings, white shoes, white veil or flowers may be worn in the hair. If in doubt as to what is appropriate please ask me.
Important Change This Year – This year Fr. Paul has asked that only parents or guardians who are able to receive the Eucharist approach the altar with the First Communicant. If the adult(s) sitting with the child are not able to partake of the Eucharist, he/she is to remain in their seat while the child goes forward. Please give this matter careful consideration when deciding who will be sitting with your child. If you have any questions, please ask. I am sending home the form from Pat Walters requesting the names of the 2 adults who will be sitting with your child. Please complete this form and return it by the end of the week so I can start preparing place tags for the church.
Photography – Group photos will be taken at 9:31am on the day of First Communion. Families will be able to take individual photos after Mass. Please be considerate as there will be 40 or so families taking pictures. Absolutely no photography during Mass. Parents, it is your responsibility to let your guests know this rule. Thank you for your cooperation.
Banners – Your child’s blank banner kit is included in this Monday Envelope. Please work with your child to decorate this banner. It will hang in the church as a representation of the Communicant and/or their family. They are due back at the first practice (May 5). If your child finishes it before then, you are welcome to return it to me early.
Readers – If your child has been chosen to help with Mass, their reading part and/or a parent note is included in this Monday Letter. Please begin practicing readings with your child.

Here’s What We Are Learning This Week
Every week I highlight what I am covering in class. This will give you an opportunity to talk with your child about specific subjects that we are covering. Not all topics are covered everyday. Be sure to always check to see what we are doing in 2nd Grade!
Reading –We are reading the story The Empty Pot.
Phonics – Reviewing bossy r, diphthongs, contractions, and suffix -ed. Writing – We are working on fairy tale picture books.
Grammar - Reviewing apostrophes and colons.
Health -We are talking about trusting people and being safe.
Math –We are finishing our chapter on telling time.
Spelling – Words with -er and -est.
Religion – This week we are learning about the Road to Emmaus story, the Lamb of God and starting to talk about receiving Communion.
Science – Starting our unit on life cycles.

April 26, 2010

Dear Parents,

As we continue our celebration of the Easter season, we are watching the life cycle of a butterfly…a way of combining science and a symbol of the new life of the Resurrection. The caterpillars arrived April 13 and have grown so quickly! It is great to see so many of the children come in the room and walk directly to the Discover area to enjoy watching LIFE develop before their eyes!

This month of April is coming to an end. With the start of May, we will once again pray one decade of the rosary each day in class. If your child wants to bring a rosary that is NOT a treasure or heirloom, please put a piece of tape around it with your child’s name and have your child keep it in his/her backpack. By keeping the rosary in the backpack, your child can use it to pray with us at school and have it to pray a decade of the rosary with you at home during this month of Our Lady. I have plenty of extra rosaries in the classroom if you prefer that your child not bring one or if all you have are the “special” ones that hold memories. Our daily praying of a decade of the rosary will begin next week.

We have had some difficult math activities involving time, calendar, tables and word problems. Keep reviewing the type of problems on the math sheets to practice during the summer! We are moving on to add two digit numbers that do NOT involve regrouping. We will continue to review elements of time.

Our unit in science helps us explore and see differences in different types of matter. Last week we had fun touching honey, syrup, salad oil, vinegar, water and colored water. The children were very good about NOT licking their fingers because they knew this was a science exploration. The children recorded differences that they could feel even though all were liquids. This week we will do experiments that will help us know that gases do exist even though we cannot see them.

We are practicing to read for you at our Author’s Tea this Friday, 11:30 a.m., in the parish center. Please come to relax and enjoy these first graders!

Please return April’s Reading Record by the end of April so that your child may receive his/her treat. The pizza coupons ended in March, so when a child turns in a booklist he/she will receive a treat from me at school.

The class has enjoyed our Easter season prayer time. A Scripture verse is read each day and a sticker representing what has been read is placed on a “prayer board.” Each verse from the Bible shows us the great love that God has for each of us. Have a grace-filled week!

Respectfully,

Christine Simolon