St. Stephen Catholic School
November 9, 2023
Important updates in this week's Tidbits
Walk A Thon
Altar Serving Training
Spirit Night
Volunteer Opportunities
Wonderland Gift Shoppe
Pre Angels Gala Silent Auction
Principal's Points
Hello St. Stephen Families!
I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather, at least in the morning. Tomorrow should be a beautiful day for our annual Walkathon. Students will wear their Lead Me Lord spirit shirt and PE shorts and are encouraged to accessorize with patriotic colors (jewelry, shoes, socks, hair accessories, hats, etc.). However, students may not dye their hair or wear face paint. Please be sure you are working toward asking for at least $100 in donations for this fundraiser to help you meet your $200 mandatory fundraising amount. Our goal is $25,000 which we need to pay for the three Flat Panel Interactive Boards which arrived at the school this week. These will go into two middle school classrooms and the Media Center.
Carline will be open tomorrow in the morning as usual and then at 8:00 am part of the school parking lot will be blocked off. If you are coming to volunteer or participate in the Walkathon, please drop your children off in carline and then park in the Family Life Center parking lot. If you are coming later in the morning to participate, you should park in the FLC parking lot and walk through the black gates which will be open.
A big THANK YOU to St. Vincent de Paul Society who just donated one of their golf carts to us for Officer John to use. We are very grateful that they thought of us and we no longer need to purchase one at this time.
Finally, as you know, last week we had a team of administrators visit the school to review our self-study and approve us for reaccreditation. They were very pleased with everything they saw. In the end they said that their visit was to validate everything we said about ourselves. They reviewed all of our evidence before arriving and were able to see everything in practice when they arrived. There were many benchmarks that they felt we were better at than we thought and they moved our rating up. The two areas they felt we excelled at were: students understanding and living our mission statement and the relationship we have built with the parish.
In speaking with and observing students, they could see how they were working toward achieving their full potential and living Jesus' mission. They also heard from parents of alumni that when they leave, the students continue to live our mission. The team was very impressed with how well church and school work hand in hand. Not every school is as lucky as we are to have priests helping at carline and visiting classes on a regular basis. They were witness to the mutual respect and support that we have for each other. It was a wonderful experience for everyone to be validated for all the good work we do at St. Stephen and we know that it's the support of our parents that help make this possible.
Today, report cards for students in grades 1-8 will be available. Please check your email for the link to view the report card. Also, remember that students should wear their uniform to Mass this weekend for a free dress pass on Monday.
Mrs. Gurley and I will be attending the Florida Catholic Conference Administrator's Conference on Monday and Tuesday next week. We will be available by email if you need us. Mrs. Neal and Mrs. Dieringer will be available at school for any urgent matters.
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
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
December 3 - First Sunday of Advent
December 4-7 - PTCO Wonderland Gift Shoppe
December 5 - 7th Grade Science Fair
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.
Capital Tacos Spirit Night Thursday, November 9, 2023 from 5-8 pm.
Volunteers Needed- Can Work From Home
If you would like to contact local businesses to set up Spirit Events, please contact ngallagher@sscsfl.org. Volunteer hours will be given for your time.
Mustang Sports
MUSTANG SPORTS:
Girls Basketball: The girls basketball season got off to a great start with the varsity and JV both beating Mother Teresa. The varsity won 33-28 and were led in scoring by Anelisse S. with 25 points. The JV won 24-6, and they were led in scoring by Christina F. with 8 points and Ronette L. with 8 points. The Mustangs played local rival Nativity yesterday and the varsity lost 18-15, and the JV won 11-2. The varsity was led in scoring by Anelisse S. with 8 points. The JV was led in scoring by Christina F. with 5 points and Ronette L. with 4 points. The JV plays against St. Joseph on Monday at home in the FLC at 4:00 pm. The Mustangs also play Tuesday against Villa Madonna at Villa Madonna. The varsity plays at 4:00 pm and the JV at 5:00 pm.
Boys Track: The boys track team has their first event of the season this week. The first field event meet is today at Christ the King at 4:00 pm. The Mustangs participating will be competing in the long jump, high jump, discus, and varsity shot put. The first running and relay meet is Saturday at Tampa Catholic from 8:00-11:30 am. Results will be posted in next week's Mustang sports.
GO MUSTANGS!
Coach Green
SUPPORT THE PTCO AND PURCHASE YOUR HOLIDAY GIFT CARDS With SCRIPP
If you use gift cards to make your Holiday Shopping easier, please use the attached form and return it with your check or cash to the school office on or before Monday, November 27. The cards will be available for your pickup no later than 12/12. We will notify you as soon as they arrive. You can pick the cards up in the office or we can send them home with your student.
Contact nqallaqher@sscsfl.orqwith any questions.
Volunteers Needed for Thursday, 12/14
Three volunteers are needed to work in storage unit (off premises) to sort, pack and move items to school. Storage Unit is within a mile of the school and a pick up truck or SUV would be helpful. Nothing is too big or too heavy. Volunteer time is estimated to be 3 hours. Volunteers will meet in school office after drop off. Please email ngallagher@sscsfl.org if you can help or call the office with any questions. You will receive a confirmation if you are one of the first three to offer to help.
St. Stephen Basket
Bidding Starts at $100
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 .
Check out our
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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.