"Be it known to all who enter here that CHRIST is the reason for this school. He is the unseen but ever present teacher in its classes. He is the model of its faculty and the inspiration of its students."

St. Anne strives to embody the truth of these words.  Jesus is our center: physically, as the church occupies the very center of our school building; mentally, as his words are taught by and lived in our teachers and staff; and spiritually, as his presence is sought in our prayers and relationships.

We hope that the information on the following pages will help you to see how we make Jesus "the way, the truth, and the life" in our lives and the lives of our students and families.

At any school, students must take math and reading.  But, at St. Anne, studying our Catholic Faith also occupies a preeminent place. In this way, students turn not only their hearts to Jesus, but also their minds.

Religion classes are taught every day on every grade level.  All of St. Anne's teachers have been or are being certified by the Rockford Diocese for catechetical teaching, ensuring that the lessons learned by the students are faithful to Catholic teaching.  The curriculum is focused on the sacraments, the Bible, and the saints in order to show students how to live out their relationship with Jesus.

Religious imagery and art also fill the classrooms and hallways.  These images encourage devotion and recollection in our students, and are often student-generated.  Also a regular feature of the classrooms and hallways is the presence of the parish priest, who is frequently available to the students for a friendly wave, a prayer intention, or answers to their important questions

The sacraments are special encounters with Jesus, making him truly present in our lives.  As such, St. Anne's students celebrate the sacraments frequently so that Jesus will always be part of their lives.

At each weekly Mass, students from all grades participate in different ways: lectors, servers, gift bearers, and cantors.  By leading their fellow classmates in prayer and liturgy, they take a more active role in making the Faith part of their lives.  In addition, the sacrament of reconciliation is offered to students during Advent and Lent; but it is also available to them at any time by asking the parish priest.

St. Anne also places great value on preparing our students for receiving the sacraments.  First Communion preparation takes place during the second grade, but all grades focus on the sacraments in some form through their classroom study.  Sacramental preparation for non-Catholic students and their families who may wish to join the Church is also available by asking the Pastor.

Prayer is our way of listening to God's voice and speaking to Him in return.  Therefore, St. Anne's students are encouraged to pray often in order to develop their relationship with Jesus.

St. Anne School begins each day with prayer and a reading of the gospel, to make Jesus our first focus.  From then on, prayer is a feature of our classrooms and hallways, where we ask God to bless our meals, our families, and all of our intentions.  At the end of the day, we pray the act of contrition, to tell Jesus that we are sorry for the times we have failed to love him and our neighbor during the day.

In addition to these moments of daily prayer, St. Anne's students gather for Mass every Friday.  On the first Friday of every month, they join the parish community in offering devotions to the Sacred Heart.  To honor Our Lady, they also pray a weekly rosary together.  Many times, our students will even take their recess time to adore Jesus in the tabernacle.  But, any time, the church is available to the students.

“Happiness is secured through virtue; it is a good attained by man’s own will” 

~St. Thomas Aquinas

A key part of St. Anne School’s educational philosophy is that of helping our students grow in virtue. We want our students to go beyond the realm of what the world tells them to be and instead, focus on growing into the person that God is calling them to be. Providing opportunities for growth in virtue is a clear focus of the school’s planning and is integrated consciously and meaningfully into our teaching. We believe that natural virtues empower individuals to become a more complete person. It is the growth in virtue that leads to the development of competent, responsible, respectful and hard-working people.

St. Anne School is focused on building a Catholic foundation and helping each student realize their potential in all facets of life--spiritually, intellectually, morally, physically, and socially—nurturing  each student’s character to grow and mature. A St. Anne Student is Kind, Respectful, Courageous, Generous, Honest, Prudent, Patient, Responsible, and Moral.

The Virtues Program is focused on a school-wide (Pre-K---5) approach, with a new virtue introduced every month of the school year. These virtues will be further developed at each grade level with pertinent sub-virtues appropriate to each grade level.  The virtues introduced by this program should not take away from or replace the Theological and Cardinal Virtues that our teachers are introducing during their religious instruction.

The tentative break down of instruction for the school year by month is as follows:

• - Kindness
• - Respect
• - fortitude-patience
• - Generosity
• - Honesty
• – Prudence
• - Patience
• - Responsibility
• May – Morality

A corresponding Saint and scripture references will be introduced and used for modeling each of the virtues listed above for each of the nine month program. Our hope is that the families of St. Anne Parish are inspired by this program and incorporate the school’s monthly virtue into their daily home life as well.

“Virtue demands courage, constant effort, and above all, help from on high.”

~St. John Marie Vianney

Living out one's relationship with Jesus is not just confined to the walls of a classroom or church building.  That is why the students of St. Anne's can be found growing spiritually outside of our building.

Our students may often been found at one of the local nursing homes visiting residents and praying the rosary.  Students are also known to volunteer at local events or in the larger parish community.  They act, too, as an "honor guard" for funerals at the church to support the families of the deceased.  In these ways, our students put into action the lessons that they have learned from their prayer and study.

A longstanding Catholic tradition, the May Crowning of Mary honors the Virgin Mary.  A May Crowning is typically held, where Mary is presented with a floral crown.