Welcome back! I hope you had a joyous Easter break and are ready for our last ten weeks of school. Where did this year go? I wish the sun would take note and give us just a bit of spring!
As preparations are gearing up for next school year, I wanted to share with you the 2018-19 yearly calendar for your planning purposes. More details on activities and events will be added to the St. Anne Google calendar as soon as they are scheduled, but this calendar gives you an overview of the entire year with starting, ending and vacation dates.
Just before our Easter break we were able to enjoy some beautiful Triduum events. Steven Nolan Shafer (father of Helen and Olivia, Class of ’16) presented the history of the Passover with a symbolic Seder Meal to connect our Christian faith with its Jewish roots. He explained that the Last Supper was a Seder Meal, the traditional meal of Passover and described the meaning and history behind each food consumed during the Seder. Special thanks to Mr. Nolan Shafer for his presentation and Amy Graff and her team of parents and parishioners who prepared the authentic food.
On Good Friday, we remembered the Passion of our Lord and the suffering of those around the world by sharing a simple meal of ramen, water and crackers at lunch. Eating in silence and listening to quiet music gave the students a chance to reflect on those without access to enough food or clean water. Thank you to the parent volunteers for preparing and serving the Simple Meal. In the afternoon, we joined with parishioners in the Living Stations of the Cross, presented by the 5th and 8th graders. It was a reverent reflection of the solemnity of Jesus’ time on the cross.
Finally, the Bon Voyage – Love Boat auction may have headed for the horizon but our school was left with a treasure trove of funds to keep us sailing along. Preliminary numbers indicate the gross income to be over $410,000 with $170,000 designated for Fund-It projects. Expenses are still being tallied but appear to be around $70,000. The remaining funds will meet the amount ($190,000) that goes directly into next year’s operating budget. Without this crucial fundraising income, tuition would need to be increased approximately $750 per student, and without this amazing event, we’d never have the enjoyment and excitement of our two-day event! Thank you again to our chairs, Andrea and Nelson Nakata, to our donors, to attendees who opened their wallets, and to our Development Director, Monica Flora and assistant Ester Burkhart for their organization and support in making this such a huge success.
Have a great week!
