St. Stephen Catholic School
October 26, 2023
Important updates in this week's Tidbits
PTCO General Meeting
Christmas Card Contest
Trunk or Treat Sign Up
Walk A Thon
Spirit Night
Father-Daughter Dance
30th Annual Men's Club Golf Scramble
Principal's Points
Hello St. Stephen Families!
Tonight is the night when all your general questions will be answered! At least that is our goal. Please join us at the PTCO meeting at 6 pm in the Family Life Center. Doors open at 5:30 pm and there is babysitting for St. Stephen students in the FLC Youth Room. Tonight you will hear updates from PTCO on past and upcoming events, learn more about our fabulous Officer John, and will hear me talk on the ongoing struggle with the road leading to the school, our upcoming reaccreditation visit, academic goals, and my letter regarding Supporting Excellence. I look forward to seeing many of our families there. Remember, you can earn a volunteer hour and your children have free dress on Friday if you come.
I also hope to see you all on Friday at Trunk or Treat for a spooktacular time!
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 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
November 10 - Jean Day
November 10 - PTCO Walk A Thon
November 10 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
November 10 - Noon Dismissal
November 11-12 - Holy Card Uniform Weekend
November 13 - Holy Card Free Dress
November 20-24 - Thanksgiving Holiday/No School
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
PTCO EVENTS for OCTOBER
GET READY TO BE AMAZED
Week of 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, October 27th. Drawings sent in after that date/time will not be considered.
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.
The Walk-a-thon will be on November 10 and take place in the school parking lot. If it is raining on Friday, we will move the event into the FLC. All Family and Friends are welcome to come watch the students walk. The schedule for the grades is below.
8:45AM – 9:30AM PreK3, PreK4, Kindergarten and 1st grade 9:45AM – 10:30AM 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades
10:45AM – 11:30AM 6A & 6B, 7th, and 8th grades
This year every child will have their own fundraising page where parents can add a photo and share on social media with friends and family. Families will receive an email with directions, or anyone can use the link below and search for a child’s name or make a general donation.
In appreciation of the students’ effort to promote the Walkathon:
- Each class that reaches the class goal and has a contribution from every student will get 15 minutes extra recess time on a day assigned by the teacher.
- The class that raises the most money will receive a class treat.
The winners will be announced in Tidbits in November.
All students will wear their Lead Me Lord spirit shirt and PE shorts or PE sweatpants and are encouraged to wear Red, White and Blue (Patriotic) accessories.
Parents are welcome to walk with their students. The school parking lot will be restricted during the event, parents and guests should park in the FLC parking lot and walk to the school. The God Bless America Walkathon Committee is looking for volunteers to help during the event and some work at home. Please find the sign-up link below.
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:
MUSTANG SPORTS:Girls Basketball: The girls varsity and JV basketball teams have a couple weeks of practice before their first game on Tuesday, November 7th, against Mother Teresa at Mother Teresa. The varsity plays at 4:15 pm and the JV at 5:15 pm. The complete girls basketball schedule is available on the school website under Athletics.
Boys Track: The boys track team has a couple weeks of practice before the first meets. The field events are Thursday, November 9th, at Christ the King from 3:45 -5:30 pm and the first running and relay meet is Saturday, November 11th, at Tampa Catholic H.S. from 8:00-11:30 am. The complete boys track meet schedule is available on the school website under Athletics.
GO MUSTANGS!
Coach Green
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.
We Love Spirit Events!
PTCO thanks all school families for supporting our Spirit Days and Nights. The revenue we receive from the business who partnered with us helps PTCO provide fun activities and events during the year. Please continue to support our Spirit Events and always mention you are a SSCS family. We are happy to share the good news that Carlos Carrion was the lucky winner of 12 free Duck Donuts. Carlos supported our Spirit Event, entered the raffle drawing and won! Tidbits will continue to post Spirit Events each week. If you would like to volunteer to contact businesses and set up Spirit Events, please contact ngallagher@sscsfl.org
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.
Angel Class Baskets
Classroom Moms and Dads have been reaching out to parents requesting donations for themed basket items for Angels Among Us. It is a 24 year tradition that each class donates a basket for the silent auction. The dollar amount of each item donated is solely at the discretion of the donor. The class baskets are marked with the grade so guests are able to appreciate the many beautiful baskets donated from school parents. The bidding wars are fun and often get very competitive.
Please contact me at ngallagher@sscsfl.org or your room parent if you have any questions.
Remember to Save The Date, February 10 to join school families and friends of our community at the FCL for dinner, dancing and an open bar all evening. There are a few surprises planned and the silent and LIVE auctions are always amazing.
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.