St. Stephen Catholic School
October 12, 2023
Important updates in this week's Tidbits
Boo-Grams
PTCO General Meeting
Christmas Card Contest
Spirit Nights
Trunk or Treat Signup
Father-Daughter Dance
30th Annual Men's Club Golf Scramble
Principal's Points
Hello St. Stephen Families!
Today I ask you to join me in prayer for peace in the Holy Land. As you may have read or heard on the news, there is a call for a global mobilization against Israel on Oct. 13. Our plan is remain vigilant and follow all our safety protocols. I am also in contact with the Office of Catholic Schools and will follow any directives that come out of that office or from the Bishop.
Today you received an email from me regarding the opportunity to support our school in a meaningful way. If you missed the email, you will find a copy here.
In two weeks we will have our first PTCO General meeting of the year. It will take place in the evening in the Family Life Center. One of the speakers that evening will be Office John. Please be sure to come out to meet him. Childcare will be available for school children. If there are specific topics you would like me to address that evening, please complete this form and I will do my best to include everything. Remember to sign in for your one volunteer hour and pick up free dress passes for your children.
Thank you for your support and for trusting us with your beautiful children. Have a wonderful rest of your week!
Peace,
Linda Umoh
Upcoming Events
October 3-15 - Boo Gram Sales
October 16 - No School
October 20 - Movie Night
October 26 - PTCO General Meeting
October 27 - Marvelous Mustang
October 27 - Noon Dismissal
October 27 - Trunk or Treat
October 27 - Christmas Card Contest Entry Deadline
October 28 - Feast Day of St. Jude
October 31 - Halloween Shirt and Jean Day
November 1 - All Saints Day
November 3 - End of Trimester 1
November 9 - Report Card Day
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
PTCO EVENTS for OCTOBER
GET READY TO BE AMAZED
Week of 10/20 Movie Night 6PM
10/26 PTCO General Meeting 5:30PM
10/27 Trunk or Treat 6PM
Watch Tidbits for event details and volunteer opportunities
The 2023 SSCS Christmas Card Contest is Here!
Calling all student artists:
All students are invited to participate in the annual SSCS Christmas Card Contest. Card designs should reflect the seasons of Advent or Christmas and the birth of our Lord. Students should use a plain white 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. The winning design will be printed on Christmas cards sent out by the school to individuals and schools throughout the Diocese. The student will also receive a set of 25 cards with their design to send to family and friends. All submissions should be students original artwork and should include the student’s name and grade written on the back in pencil. Designs must be submitted to the front office by Friday, Oct. 27. Drawings sent in after that date/time will not be considered.
Hispanic Heritage Month
Our students are embracing and celebrating their Hispanic heritage in Music and Spanish classes! In Spanish class, they're enjoying reading books and watching videos about a young mariachi. In music, they're playing fishing ocean rhythm games tied to "Vamos a la Mar," a beautiful Guatemalan song.
As a community, we honor and celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and invaluable contributions of our Hispanic brothers and sisters. Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
As a community, we honor and celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and invaluable contributions of our Hispanic brothers and sisters. Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
Pumpkin Patch 2023
The sun and heat did not damper the fun our families enjoyed at the 2023 PTCO Pumpkin Patch. The students did not hesitate to run through the maze or jump in the bounce house. Mini pumpkins were painted as well as some mini faces. It was a great time for all!
Thanks to all the volunteers for their hard work with planning, setting up and breaking down; especially Vanessa, Mandy, and Vickie. PTCO appreciates the parents who supported the event with a pumpkin purchase and the school families whose generous contributions allowed PTCO to offer this amazing event!
Please remember our seasonal events continue with Trunk Or Treat. Please sign up in Tidbits if you will be joining us as a decorated car offering the children treats. There is no fee to join in the fun so please wear a costume and come to enjoy our SSCS DJ and all the hilarious and scary decorated cars.
Mustang Trunk or Treat
Join us for a Spooktacular night!
Friday, October 27 from 6 to 7:30 pm. Below is the sign up if you decide to come as a decorated car.
Click Here! for signup. Please sign up with your name only if you plan on attending with a parked decorated car offering treats to our students. The list is to get an approximate number of cars that will be parked and offer treats.
Decorated cars can start to park at 5pm. No cars can park after 5:45 pm. Trunk or Treaters please arrive at 6 pm. We will have our DJ, food trucks, and the best decorated car and costume contest. Please bring and show your SSCS car tag.
Angels Volunteer Opportunity
Volunteer Hours earned for taking videos with your phone at school events. This opportunity is available through December and includes Trunk or Treat, All Saints Day Parade, Thanksgiving and Christmas school events, and is open to other video event possibilities. Opportunity available to the first two parents who email interest to ngallagher@sscsfl.org.
Capitol Tacos Spirit Night Thursday, October 12, 2023 from 5-8 pm.
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
Guaranteed For Christmas Delivery!
The reaction to the spirit wear has been so positive, PTCO is offering the online store to help with your Christmas Shopping. Surprise your Mustang on Christmas morning with a Mustang sweatshirt or a new water bottle. The online store will open Sunday, October 15, at midnight for two weeks only. It will close on Sunday, October 29, at midnight in order to insure before Christmas delivery. Mark your calendar. The link to the store is below. PTCO thanks all families, friends and teachers for their support!
Mustang Sports
MUSTANG SPORTS:
Coed Soccer: The soccer team lost to Christ the King 3-1, with the Mustang goal scored by Ethan D. The Mustangs finished the regular season with a record of 2 wins, 3 losses, and 2 ties and the 5th seed for the playoffs. They played St. Lawrence in the quarterfinals on Tuesday and lost 2-1, with the Mustang goal scored by John Michael R. Thank you to parent volunteer Sean Heaberlin, for doing such a great job coaching the soccer team this season.
Girls JV and varsity basketball tryouts are next week. Girls varsity basketball tryouts are Tuesday, October 17, from 3:00-5:30 pm and the JV tryouts are Wednesday, October 19, from 3:00-5:30 pm.
Boys JV and varsity track practice starts next week. Practice is Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:00-4:30 pm.
All student-athletes must have the FHSAA sports physical and the Diocesan consent form turned in to the office or Coach Green to be eligible to participate on a school sports team. Student-athletes can practice without the forms, but they must be turned in by the start of the games/matches/meets to be eligible play. The two required sports forms are available on the school website under Athletics and Forms.
GO MUSTANGS!
Coach Green
The Knights of Columbus Soccer Challenge
Date: Saturday, October 21st 2023
Time: 9:30 am to 1:00pm
Location: St Stephen Soccer Field
The Knights of Columbus Council 14084 invites ALL Boys and Girls, Ages 9 to 14 to come out and participate in the 2023 Soccer Challenge. Parents, please pick up the Participant/Entry Form from the School Office or see below the Link to the Form.
Request you please turn in entry forms no later than Wednesday, October 20th to the School Office or bring the completed form with you to the Soccer Challenge.
There will be water and snacks available during the event.
Parking: Park in front of the Family Life Center and check in at the table at the front entry. We warmly welcome you to this year’s event and hope to see a good turnout from each age group!!
Own The Avenue is a year-round fundraiser for the PTCO and gives you a great way to give your child a shout out for the school community to see! Birthdays, achievements, any positive vibes and kudos are welcome, and they certainly make your student feel special!!
The sign is located on the corner of our school parking lot and will be viewed and celebrated for the entire week. A PTCO member will be responsible for putting up the sign and after the week is done, the sign will be sent home with your student for yours to keep or to reuse for a future week!
In a nutshell here’s how it works:
If you have an existing sign, the cost is $30 for the week. If we need to order a new sign, the cost is $50 for the week. Please make payments through the school’s front office. To sign up, please use the following link and more details will follow. Please note, new signs take up to 2 weeks to process and receive from our vendor. If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Nicole Rodriguez at nicrodriguez0722@gmail.com. Thank you in advance for your support!
IMPORTANT: Please note, this is a yearly fundraiser that is on a first come, first served basis (via SignUpGenius). For example, if you purchase a sign this year for a specific week 9-17-23 thru 9-23-23, that same week is not guaranteed to you for future years. It is required that you sign up each school year if you
wish to participate.
POSTER CONTEST
The Knights of Columbus are offering all students from K through 8th grades an opportunity to enter their annual Christmas Poster contest. Please see the fact sheet and entry form below. All entries (student name on back) must be submitted to the school office no later than 12/15.
Carl Alerta with the Knights visited with our students to talk about the Poster Contest.
Angel 2024 Preview
Angels Among Us volunteers are planning many surprises for the Angel guests at our 2024 Gala on 2/10. Plan on joining us for an evening of laughter and fun. It may make last year’s gala seem boring!
We are currently soliciting donations for both our live and silent auctions.Invitations will be sent to parents, parishioners and friends in December. Seat reservations, sponsorships, advertising opportunities etc. are accepted now and through mid-January.
Please click on this link to read and share important information about our gala with family, friends and business acquaintances.
Your generosity ensures Angels will continue as an amazing community event that provides unparalleled support each year for our school.
Time To Clean Your Closets
COVID 19 Decision Tree
Safe Environment Training and Fingerprints
Everyone needs updated safe environment training and fingerprints in order to volunteer in the school or to chaperone a field trip. Safe environment and fingerprints are good for 5 years. Attached here are the instructions on how to get your safe environment certificate and to have your fingerprints done. If you have any questions please contact Karen Biase at kbiase@sscsfl.org or call the front office at ext. 1100. Click the link for information here regarding fingerprints. Click for the live link here. For the safe environment click here for the live link .
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Mission Statement
St. Stephen Catholic School is devoted to inspiring students to achieve their full academic potential while demonstrating a desire to continue Jesus' mission by applying Catholic morals, beliefs, values, and practices in their everyday lives. We are committed to motivating students to sustain a lifelong love of learning.