St.+Anne+School

=__**Welcome to the St. Anne School Page**__=

[|Visit the St. Anne School Website]

St. Anne School History: St. Anne Parish was founded in Lancaster, PA, in 1923 by the fourth bishop of Harrisburg, Philip R. McDevitt. A year later, St. Anne School opened, with the help of three Sisters of Mercy who came to teach 72 children. When St. Anne parish exceeded its capacity, St. John Neumann parish was founded in 1978. Saint Anne School continues to be supported by both the St. Anne and Saint John Neumann parishes, and currently serves 224 students in Grades K-8, as well as another 27 students in its Pre-K program.

St. Anne School Mission: St. Anne School is a Catholic faith-filled educational community dedicated to the spiritual growth and academic success of all children. The school provides an environment of faith, hope, love and discipline, preparing students to become responsible, respectful and active Catholic leaders and citizens.

The St. Anne School PLP Team:

Mrs. Janet Dubble -Instructional Media Specialist Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit - PLP Fellow Dr. Chris Kennedy -- Principal Mrs. Jan Molchany -- 8th Grade/Science Mrs. Karen Henry -- 7th Grade/Language Arts Mr. Bill Traphagen -- 7th Grade/Social Studies Miss Erin Boley -- 6th Grade/Math --**PLP Team Leader** Mrs. Nicole Augustine - Technology Coordinator/Computer K-4 Miss Maria D'Isabella - Technology Coordinator/Computer 5-8

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In 1962, Marshall McLuhan used the term “Global Village” in his book // The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man  // to describe how the globe has been shrunk into a village by electric technology and the instantaneous movement of information throughout the globe. It’s important for villagers to know their neighbors. This was the genesis for St. Anne School’s Action Research Project, a multicultural day that allowed each of our school’s classes to learn about a foreign country through a variety of media activities. =====

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The faculty and staff of St. Anne School decided that, in an era where the world was getting smaller, it was important for our students to better understand other cultures. If students are to interact with others as adults, it is important for them to understand their values and practices, and to see them as good people, even if they have different customs. It is far easier to do so as children, when minds are open to new ideas. =====

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// o // Sample training sessions included: Integration of technology into classrooms – student stations/whole-group, Culturegrams, WAN updated resources, and // continued use of United Streaming video clips (through our Discovery Education subscription). // =====

· Participants were introduced to the specific 21st century skills that dealt with global awareness and explored video conferencing opportunities.
o Learning from and working collaboratively with individuals representing diverse cultures, religions and lifestyles in a spirit of mutual respect and open dialogue in personal, work and community contexts. o Understanding other nations and cultures, including the use of non-English languages. ** Performance Based Assessments: **
 * Participants were accountable for implementing new strategies and were evaluated through the use of formal teacher observations as well as authentic project-based outcomes.

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// As a culminating celebration of global literacy skills, we have had a school-wide Multicultural Fair. We expect our students have developed an appreciation for cultures around the world, unlike their own. Students were immersed in activities and learning throughout a day-long celebration of world cultures and all which that entails. Classroom teachers had, prior to the celebration day, explored a select country with their students. Students learned, in depth, about the chosen country’s customs and traditions, both past and present. On March 31, there was a global celebration day where visitors and staff, together, provided opportunities for our students to explore their world and all it has to offer. We had various sessions for students to visit, including a Skyping opportunity with foreign exchange students, an art station where a representative from the Bead For Life organization shared about Ugandan women and their trade, a theatrical station where students explored culture from around the world through drama, a music session where our students participated in African rhythm building and a speaker session where students explore the rich culture and traditions of Peru, Puerto Rico, Greece, Mexico and India. //=====

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// We are blessed to have a richly diverse population within our school and we believe that by exploring varying cultures, our students were able to develop more of an appreciation for one another and what we have to offer as individuals and as a community. //=====

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// Much of our success was determined by students’ reactions to activities and their interactions with one another. We feel confident that students thoroughly enjoyed the days’ activities and have also developed a sense of ‘global community’. Our goal was, that by experiencing the Skyping opportunity, our students will wish to connect with others again. As an extension, we have encouraged all of our teachers to explore outreach opportunities that we can accomplish during the last week in April. //=====

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// · ////__ January 2011 __//// : Preparation and planning for upcoming Multicultural Fair. Collaboration between special areas and within classrooms to develop a plan of action for student learning. Classroom teachers implement cultural lessons/mini-unit on their chosen region/country of the world. // =====

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// · ////__ March 2011 __//// : Final preparation and planning for upcoming Multicultural Fair. Classroom teachers implement cultural lessons/mini-unit on their chosen region/country of the world. // =====

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// · ////__ March 31, 2011 __//// : Multicultural Fair – Students are treated to over 10 activities celebrating various regions of the world/culture including a Skyping session with International Students participating in Youth For Understanding. // =====

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// We currently have completed the culminating activity, Multicultural Fair, which took place on March 31, 2011. There was a great response to the use of technology resources and many teachers are planning Skyping sessions before the school year’s end. //=====

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// In reflection, the technology training sessions could have been more directed with specific timelines for tasks that we wished teachers to fulfill. Some sessions seemed //// counterproductive //// because some teachers found it very difficult to ‘see the big picture’ and had some anxiety over the lessons they were asked to implement. All in all, our staff made an admirable effort to use the new technological resources and use them well. We were able to integrate new technology and students thoroughly enjoyed each piece of the experience. //=====