God's Grace Raining Down

Fr. Ernie DeBlasio

Fr. William Parham

There is so much good going on at St. Ann.  It is as if God's grace is raining down on us. St. Ann has in Fr. Ernie DeBlasio one of the most charismatic and dynamic pastors of our diocese. Now, we have an associate pastor, Fr. William Parham, who is one of the most intellectual biblical scholars of our diocese.  We have the honor and privilege of Mass celebration with these two priest every day. Since my time at St. Ann, I rarely miss daily Mass. I find myself continuously growing in faith. The Holy Spirit works through both these priests to touch many hearts, minds, and souls. I greatly appreciate their work and devotion.

Our efforts are coming together well. The new school sign has been installed at the school entrance.

New Fountain & Garden

Through the generosity of parishioners, the school has been retiled, the hallways have been repainted, the kitchen is being renovated, gardens are being planted, and fountain and statues are being installed. Our parish family continues to grow every week as is evident in the new members listing in the parish bulletin. To me, it appears that Mass gets a little more crowded every week.  The church and school are working together more like one. I appreciate the great working relationship we have between the parish and school staff.

Mrs.Trouy & Mrs. de Jong with the Coat of Arms

God's grace is raining down on the school staff as well. We have continued to do some shuffling of personnel. And, we have an 8th grade religion teacher!  First for the shuffling. Erica Winchester will not only teach Language Arts for grades 6-8, but also Social Studies for grades 6 & 7. Stacey Griffith will not only teach Science for grades 6-8, but also Religion for grades 6 & 7.

Our new 8th grade religion teacher is Abe Abuelouf. Mr.

Mr. Abe Abuelouf

Abuelouf is a retired nurse anesthetist with 37 years of experience in the field of medicine. He holds a Master's of Art in Catholic Studies from CBU, and is a certified chaplain with Methodist Hospital. Mr. Abuelouf has teaching experience in medical school.  I am excited that Mr. Abuelouf has agreed to teach our 8th graders. His main responsibility is to help prepare the 8th graders for confirmation.

Mr. Donnie Shea will not be returning to St. Ann. Instead, he will be applying to graduate school. His goal is to be a graduate assistant in a college football program. We are thrilled for Donnie Shea, and wish him much success and happiness as he follows his dream. Tracy Angotti will take over the Physical Education classes, and continue as the school's Athletic Director.

As for the 8th grade Social Studies class, I will be the instructor. Having ten years of experience teaching Social Studies at CBHS, I look forward to the opportunity to be back in the classroom. I have already started to work on developing a Project Based Learning (PBL) 8th grade social studies curriculum for my students. Project based and interactive learning are great ways to engage students in their learning. Today's students want to learn actively. They are used to getting information online, and using tech tools to communicate and collaborate.

If you want to learn more about PBL, just do a search and you will find more research and examples than you will ever be able to read. Believe it or not, one of the best examples of PBL projects is Pinterest.  If you are a teacher and don't have a Pinterest account, it is time to sign up.

The 8th graders are raising money for their end of the year 8th

8th Grade Car Wash for D.C. Trip

grade trip to Washington D.C.  They held another car wash this past Saturday at Buffalo Wild Wings.  I was able to support their efforts and got my car washed.  My wife and I also ate lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Here is a list of their upcoming fundraising events for the Washington D.C. trip.  Please support our 8th graders when you are able.

Wed Aug 1 - Detergent Fundraiser will begin- Kick off at School Registration

Wed Aug 22- Give back night at Buffalo Wild Wings Wolfchase

Thursday Aug 30 - Detergent Fundraiser Orders and Money Due In to the school

Sat Sept 15- Bake Sale after the 4:30 mass at St Ann

Sun Sept 16 - Bake Sale after all of the masses at St Ann

Thurs Sept 20 - Give Back Night at McAlisters Bartlett

Sat October 20 - Booth at Fall Fest (tentative)

Sat October 27- Bake Sale after the 4:30 mass at St Ann

Sun October 28 - Bake Sale after all of the masses at St Ann

Mon November 12 - Give Back Night at Buffalo Wild Wings Wolfchase

Sat December 8 - Bake Sale after the 4:30 mass at St Ann

Sun December 9 - Bake Sale after all of the masses at St Ann

This week, I hope to compile a wish-list for the school and teachers. There are many non-budgeted items we would like to purchase in order to help our students. In order to improve the quality of the education we offer our students, it takes training and hard work to do a better job. If you want to improve, you cannot keep doing the same thing. We will need your support so that we can improve on the quality of education we offer our students.

As always, your support is welcomed any time throughout the year.  Click on the school logo if you would like to help our students.

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal