Dear Families:
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to turn my office and the management of the school over to our “Principals for the Day”. The Downs family purchased this for Liam (7th grade) and Evelyn (6th grade) at our 2020 auction. Due to Covid restrictions, we were not able to let them “rule the school” until this year. They did a wonderful job and their first act of the day was to proclaim this coming Friday, May 6th as a FREE DRESS day for all.
What a MARVEL-ous weekend! The auction was a huge success. Many, many thanks go to chairs, Ester and Kevin Burkhart and Kim Tossman and Sean Matt, for amazing creativity and organization. It was an overwhelming success with a current gross of over $400,000 (including just over $200,000 for Fund It)! Expenses are still to be tallied but it appears that this may be our most successful auction ever! Thank you to committee chairs and all who offered a helping hand to assure the success of Marvel at the Possibilities. We also can’t forget the calmness and attention to every detail displayed by Development Director, Monica Flora. This is the third Covid-impacted auction she has had to oversee and nothing has phased her, from an online format to a hybrid online/in-person design to this weekend’s in-person, “in-tent” event. Next year, hopefully, all will return to normal and an indoor affair in Banchero Hall.
We have (almost) completed our staffing for the 2022-23 school year. We recently hired Mrs. Becky Mullin as the middle school Math/Science Specialist replacing Mrs. Nenninger. Mrs. Mullin has spent the last year working in the Math department at St. Joe’s. She and her husband, and 6 children, live on Magnolia and are parishioners at Our Lady of Fatima. Mrs. Mullin will be with us occasionally through the end of the school year learning more about our program. The only position left to fill is the long-term substitute PE teacher while Mrs. Scheller is on maternity leave. We are looking for someone who can teach PE from September until Thanksgiving. Please let Heidi or me know if you know of any candidates. We’ve advertised on multiple job sites but have yet to find a qualified applicant.
The national celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week is held every year during the first week in May. Due to the timing of our auction, we moved our celebration to the week of May 16th. We plan to pamper our staff and parents are providing an hour-long lunch for teachers on May 19th. Unheard of on any regular school day that a teacher has an entire lunch hour!
Finally, I spent the weekend trying to think of the words to thank you all for the incredibly kind words/video that were shared at our auction gala on Saturday. There are no words… I can only say that those same feelings, I reflect back on all of you. The phrase, “It takes a village,” is overused and worn out, but in this case, St. Anne’s truly is a family in every sense and purpose. And it has been, for me and my family, for my entire life and career. It doesn’t end here. And I thank you all for being part of the ride of my life! Thank you!
Have a great week!
Mary
