St. Stephen Catholic School
December 14, 2023
Important updates in this week's Tidbits
SVDP Advent Food Drive
Christmas Concert
Spring Ice Cream Friday Sign Up
Spirit Night
Volunteer Opportunities
Poster Contest Deadline 12/15/23
Principal's Points
Hello St. Stephen Families!
We have so many exciting events to pack into the next few days before Christmas Break. I am looking forward to seeing the students tomorrow night for our Christmas Concert. Mrs. Santana and Mrs. Stanley have put together a beautiful program! The PTCO has been hard at work preparing their Jingle and Mingle event taking place after the concert. Please be sure to stop by for tons of fun activities including face painting, food trucks, games, and Build-a-Teddy or Buy-a-Mustang.
This weekend, we celebrate Bambinelli Sunday. All families are invited to bring their Baby Jesus figure from home for a special blessing.
Next week brings more excitement with a special Wednesday Mass celebrated by the Bishop. We are delighted that he has decided to come and spend some time with us as we proudly represent our school. Parents are always welcome to join us at Wednesday Mass!
Lastly, next Friday is a Christmas Shirt and Jean Day. We have a Noon Dismissal and please remember that there is NO AFTERNOON EXTENDED DAY CARE next Friday, December 22nd.
Peace,
Mary Gurley
Upcoming Events
December 15 - Marvelous Mustangs
December 15 - Christmas Concert
December 15 - PTCO Christmas Event
December 17 - Third Sunday of Advent
December 18-19 - Math Mid-Term Exams(Grades 7&8)
December 20 - 8:30 am Mass with Bishop Parkes
December 22 - Christmas Shirt and Jean Day
December 22 - Middle School Brunch
December 22 - Noon Dismissal (12pm)/NO AFTERNOON EXTENDED DAY CARE
December 24 - Fourth Sunday of Advent/Christmas Eve
December 25 - Christmas Day
December 25-January 5 - Christmas Holiday Break/NO SCHOOL
January 1 - Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
January 6 - Epiphany
January 8 - Students Return to School
NO AFTERNOON EXTENDED DAY CARE on DECEMBER 22,2023
PreK-3 Book Store
The three year old class as part of their study on "Store", will open a bookstore on December 13th - December 15th. All books will be a quarter. There will be books for all ages.
All money that is collected will go towards the St. Stephen Catholic Church Angel Tree Gift Collection.
Christmas Concert Information
Attachment for the above letter Click Here.
Jingle and Mingle Volunteers Needed
We need volunteers to help set up, run the event, and cleanup.If you are able to help volunteer please Click Here.
To make our event spectacular, we are in need of BORROWING inflatables/lights/extension cords as well as Christmas trees and a chair/bench for Santa. Items can be dropped off 12/14 or morning of 12/15. If you have any items we can borrow, please Click Here.
Spring Ice Cream Fridays
I scream, you scream, Ice Cream Fridays!!! If you have not filled out the form that was sent by email then please use the link below if you wish for your student(s) to participate in Spring Ice Cream Fridays. Please sign up on the link no later than Friday, January 12, 2024 . There will be NO additions to the ice cream list after that date except for new students. The cost is $36 for the semester which will be billed through your FACTS account.
Note: For early dismissal Fridays or when there is no school, ice cream is given on Thursday.
Sign Up Link
Student Christmas Newsletter
Eight students from 5 thru 8 grades selected "Newspaper" for their elective this semester. They unanimously agreed the theme should be the Christmas Season and explored various ways to express their Holiday ideas. The students considered how to use their creativity and skills to create something of interest for their fellow students to read. The end result is a Christmas newsletter that includes interviews, sports forecasts, puzzles, technology advice and a heart warming story.
Although technology is great and we cannot live without it, we still love reading books, magazines and news from paper every once in a while. Attached below is a copy of the newsletter for your enjoyment. Print or read digitally!
Click Here for the Newspaper
Volunteer Opportunity
If you can help take down and put away the school holiday decorations, please see the sign up attached below. You can start after drop off and we anticipate the work will take approximately two hours. PTCO appreciates your help!
We will be placing digital and vinyl billboard ads on eight stands on major highways throughout the Diocese, including at least one in each of our five counties. Click here to view a Google map that indicates the billboard locations.
These billboards will be seen an average of 1,677,582 times weekly and over 4 weeks, 6,750,088 times. The campaign started November 27th and continues through December 24th. The ad directs people to visit MyCatholicMass.org where they can find a list of parishes and Mass Times. We will also be inviting people to Mass on Spirit FM 90.5 and via ads on Facebook and Instagram.
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.
Capital Tacos Spirit Night Thursday, December 14, 2023 from 5-8 pm.
SSCS Alumna Publishes Second Book
Our very own Anna - Hoffmann Kelson and her husband just published their second book. Congratulations to Anna and her husband. It can be purchased through Amazon(see link below) and makes a great Christmas gift. Anna is the daughter of our much loved teacher, Maria Hoffmann. The star of the book, Bubba, is a sibling of an Angel Puppy that was donated by Anna a few years ago and found a good home with a guest that was at the gala.
Items Needed for PreK3
PreK3 needs large cleaned prescription bottles. If you have any please drop them off at the Office.
Egg Cartons Needed
The Art Department is in need of plastic 18-Count Egg Cartons. If you have any please drop them off at the Office.
Mustang Sports
MUSTANG SPORTS:
Girls Basketball: The girls JV playoffs were last week and the Mustangs beat St. Joseph, 22-2, in the quarterfinals, and they were led in scoring by Sofia S. with 6 points. The girls advanced to the Final Four Saturday at Nativity. The girls beat Nativity, 15-14, in 3 overtimes, and were led in scoring by Sofia S. with 6 points. The Mustangs beat St. Lawrence, 13-11, in the championship game to finish the season undefeated, 11-0. They were led in scoring by Christina F. with 9 points.
Congratulations to the Girls JV Basketball team for being the 2023 HCYSL Girls JV Basketball Champions. The girls varsity basketball team lost to Nativity, 28-6, in the quarterfinals of the varsity playoffs. The Mustangs were led in scoring by Ronette L. with 3 points and Karly L. with 2 points.
The St Stephen Boys JV Track team are the 2023 Catholic League Boys JV Overall Season Champions. The boys JV team won Meet 1 at Tampa Catholic and Meet 2 at Jesuit. Congratulations to the JV boys and parent volunteer coach Jenn Daoud.
The first day of boys JV basketball tryouts was yesterday and the final day is today from 3:00-5:30 pm in the FLC. Boys trying out should attend both days of tryouts.
Girls varsity flag football tryouts are Tuesday, December 19, and Wednesday, December 20, from 3:00-5:30 pm. Girls trying out should attend both days of tryouts.
Boys varsity basketball tryouts are Wednesday, December 20, from 3:00-5:30 pm in the FLC.
The St Stephen Boys JV Track team are the 2023 Catholic League Boys JV Overall Season Champions. The boys JV team won Meet 1 at Tampa Catholic and Meet 2 at Jesuit. Congratulations to the JV boys and parent volunteer coach Jenn Daoud.
The first day of boys JV basketball tryouts was yesterday and the final day is today from 3:00-5:30 pm in the FLC. Boys trying out should attend both days of tryouts.
Girls varsity flag football tryouts are Tuesday, December 19, and Wednesday, December 20, from 3:00-5:30 pm. Girls trying out should attend both days of tryouts.
Boys varsity basketball tryouts are Wednesday, December 20, from 3:00-5:30 pm in the FLC.
GO MUSTANGS
Coach Green
Angels Among Us Invitation 2024
Angels Among Us News
Coming February 10 to the FLC
Please watch for your invitation or check out all the info you need on the school website. Seat reservations, Sponsorships and Advertising Opportunities are available on the school website. Volunteer opportunities for the Gala weekend will soon be in Tidbits. If you need volunteer hours, you can donate wine(red or white) and you will receive one volunteer hour for wine valued at $40. Each bottle should have a value of no less than $15. There is no limit to how many bottles you can donate. Please drop off the bottles in the school office with your name clearly noted. We are also in need of donations of baskets for our auctions.
Please Click Here for the Angels 2024 Wish List for donated items. All donated items will be acknowledged at the Gala and used in auctions or as prizes to raise funds for our school projects. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact ngallagher@sscsfl.org or vylamli@hotmail.com."Welcome to the Jungle" will be full of surprises this year and you do not want to miss out on the fun!
Please Click Here for the attached answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Gala.
Surprise Your Mustang with a Message Sign on "Own the Avenue"
Great for Birthdays, Congratulations, Job Well Done, Thank you, Proud of You
Easy to do.... use link below or call the school office with any questions
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.
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.