St. Ann Elementary School

A Member of the Bread of Life Schools

"Sowing Seeds for the Future"

Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges

    Mission Statement

Philosophy

     The philosophy of St. Ann School is based upon the premise that a sound and complete Christian education is the right of those who seek it.  The educational process is designed to develop intellectual strength, social consciousness, personal responsibility and Spiritual awareness.

     The interaction of faculty, clergy, students and their parents is vital to the fulfillment of this mission.  It is our goal to maximize the potential of each child and to promote a positive concept of self-worth. 

     In order to achieve these goals, St. Ann School will provide a learning environment that capitalizes on the child's natural curiosity to learn. Experiences will also be provided which enhance the decision-making process, independence and self-direction.  Religious values will permeate all areas of the curriculum and become part of the child’s daily life.

     Opportunities will be provided for involvement in social, political, civic and religious activities in order to help develop a child's growth and awareness of all spheres of life.  Direction will be provided in the proper use of leisure time, recreational facilities, and the entertainment media to provide more adequately for students’ emotional, physical, spiritual, and social well being.

The History of St. Ann School

     Since the early 1900's, the education of the children of St. Ann Parish has been a priority.  Monsignor Anthony Bove, the first pastor of the Church, announced his desire, in 1910, to construct a parish school.  While plans were underway for a school, a nursery school was established to care for the children of the working mothers of the parish.  With permission to seek funds outside his own parish, Father Bove gave more than 200 lectures in English, Italian, and French to obtain money for the construction of his proposed school.  By 1915, he had acquired enough to start construction on the school and the cornerstone was blessed on August 3, 1916.  St. Ann School, the first Italian-American school in the diocese, opened on January 28, 1917.  It contained ten classrooms and could accommodate five hundred children.  Here, students received a well-rounded education that was rooted in Christian values.  The Sisters of Mercy taught in the school and the Venerini Sisters staffed the nursery.

     After fifty years of service, the old St. Ann School building was demolished in July 1966, and replaced by a new and larger school building on the same site.  The new school was completed on February 19, 1968 and came into use on March 11 of the same year.  This school, designated as the Monsignor Bove Memorial School, was designed to accommodate a total enrollment of 320 students.  Facilities were provided for grades one through eight, a pre-primary classroom, an arts and sciences room, an audio-visual room, a large library, gymnasium, and kitchen facilities.  Rooms have been changed with increased enrollment.  The school was re-named St. Ann School in 1990.

     Today, eighty-three years after its founding, St. Ann School continues its long tradition of Catholic education while recognizing the multicultural backgrounds in its school and parish.  It continually strives to build a Christian community where Roman Catholic values are the foundation upon which knowledge of God and the world are built.

    On July 1, 2007, St. Ann School became part of the "Bread of Life" schools.  Although the spiritual life of the school and the parish will remain intertwined, all other aspects of the life of the school will be directly involved with the "Bread of Life" schools, a consortium of seven inner-city schools.  The schools of the consortium are:  St. Ann School, Bishop McVinney School, Holy Ghost School and St. Patrick School, all located in Providence; St. Mary School of Pawtucket; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School of Central Falls; and Christ the Redeemer Academy of West Warwick.

About St. Ann:

Mission Statement

Philosophy

History of School