St. Stephen Catholic School
February 22, 2024
Important updates in this week's Tidbits
St. Vincent DePaul Lenten Food Drive
March Madness Raffle
Rice Bowls
Lenten Fish Fry
Yearbook Custom Pages and Recognition Ads Information
Volunteer Opportunities
Principal's Points
Hello St. Stephen Families!
We continue to process donations from the Gala which means the final numbers are not yet available, but it looks like we received at least $75,000 and most likely it will be more. More details to follow and thank you everyone who contributed!
Please be sure to read through all of Tidbits so you are aware of the events that are coming up. Our Spirit Raffle begins soon which is your second opportunity to meet your $200 fundraising obligation. This is also the time of year to be thinking if you are interested in or know someone who would make a good candidate for the open positions on the 2024-25 PTCO Board. See below for more details. Remember, if you are nominating someone other than yourself, but sure to speak with the person first to be sure they are willing to be nominated.
Finally, tomorrow is Report Card day. Watch for an email with a link to view your child's report card.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Peace,
Linda Umoh
Re-enrollment 2024-2025
(Click the links below)
Upcoming Events
February 20-March 7 - Terra Nova Testing
February 23 - Report Card Day
February 25 - Second Sunday of Lent
March 1 - Marvelous Mustang
March 1 - NOON Dismissal
March 1 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
March 1-21 - Spirit Raffle
March 3 - Third Sunday of Lent
March 10 - Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 9-10 - Holy Card Uniform Weekend
March 11 - NO SCHOOL
March 12 - Holy Card Free Dress
March 13-15 - Nature's Classroom
March 15 - Green Shirt and Jean Day
March 17 - Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 19 - Spring Picture Day
March 22 - Living Stations at the Church
March 24 - Palm Sunday
2024-25 School Calendar Dates
First Day of School August 12
Thanksgiving Break November 25 - 29
Christmas Break December 23 - January 3
Easter Break April 21 - 25
INFORMATION FOR TERRANOVA TESTING
Hello St. Stephen Families,
As you may know, next week is when we have TerraNova testing for our 2nd through 8th graders. During these four days, students will complete the TerraNova InView assessment to measure cognitive abilities. They will also complete the TerraNova Next assessment which will measure achievement abilities in Mathematics, Reading, Science, and Social Studies.
We realize that we will be coming back from a holiday weekend when we begin testing. However, it is very important for students to be present at school to complete the assessments over this four-day period. Testing week requires the combined efforts of every faculty and staff member at this school to make sure that students have what they need to do their best during the designated time. It involves schedules being changed, extra staff being brought in to help proctor assessments, and the use of almost every square inch of the school to accommodate the needs of every student.
This is why attendance is extremely important for this week because it is very difficult to continue this type of process past these four days. We realize that illnesses happen, and we don’t expect a student to show up and do their best when they are truly sick. That is not what we want. However, if your child is in good health and can come to school, it is highly encouraged that they be here. It is also necessary for them to arrive at school on time. If they arrive late and miss the beginning of the assessment, they will have to remain in the office and wait for the next portion of the assessment to begin. Whatever they miss will have to be completed the following week.
We appreciate your cooperation during this time. And.... If you read this far and are the first to respond, you will receive a free dress pass for your child(ren) to be used tomorrow, Feb. 23. First parent to email StStephen@sscsfl.org today (Feb. 22) gets the prize! Be sure to include the names of your children. Please do not email after today (Thursday) and if you do not receive a reply it means we already have a winner.
Thank you,
TerraNova Testing Team
THANK YOU
Thank you to all the families who so generously sent in snack items to help us create bountiful gratitude boxes for First Responders. Thanks to the overwhelming generosity by SSCS families, the Catholic Schools Week committee created very full boxes of snacks and treats that were shared with Tampa Police officers, Hillsborough County Sheriff deputies, Marines, TECO linemen, and a local firehouse. The recipients were beyond thankful with the unexpected gift.
SSCS Animal Policy
It is the policy of the Diocese of St. Petersburg that animals are not permitted on school property. An exception would be a service animal. This is due to safety and allergy precautions. The other reason for the policy is to keep the grounds clean where children play and have PE and sporting events. Lately, our maintenance crew is having to clean up an abundance of dog poop all over the property.
Please do not bring your pets to school. If you are driving through carline with your pet, that is fine, but you may not take the pet out of the car. This is more likely to happen when people arrive very early for afternoon carline or come to sporting events. Please leave your pets at home to avoid taking them for a walk.
Thank you for your cooperation. The same is being asked of all ministries which use the property.
Items Needed for PreK3
PreK3 needs large cleaned prescription bottles. If you have any please drop them off at the Office.
Rice Bowls
As the students continue their Lenten journey, hopefully they are reminded to practice almsgiving, prayer, and fasting (from things like sweets and electronics). They can practice almsgiving by donating part of their allowance or money earned from chores to the Catholic Relief Services rice bowls they brought home last week. Rice bowls are due back at school by March 22.
Thank you for encouraging them to live our faith.
Yearbook Custom pages and Recognition Ads available.
Please see below.
Mustang Sports
MUSTANG SPORTS:
Girls Flag Football: The Mustangs beat Villa Madonna, 28-0, to finish the regular season with a record of 5 wins and 1 loss. They will be the second seed for the playoffs. Anelisse S. had three touchdowns, two on interception returns on defense and one on offense with a long run. Morgan C. had an interception return for a TD for the other Mustang score. Camila R. and Leah M. had an interception for the Mustang defense. The defense led the way during the regular season allowing only 12 total points in 6 games. The playoffs start Tuesday with a quarterfinal home game here at St. Stephen at 4:00 pm. The opponent is to be determined. If the Mustangs win on Tuesday, they will host a semifinal game on Wednesday here at St. Stephen at 4:00 pm.
Boys Basketball: The varsity lost to Nativity, 50-18, and they were led in scoring by Hunter A. with 8 points. The JV lost to Nativity, 29-11, and they were led in scoring by Justyn L. with 6 points. The varsity played yesterday against St. Peter Claver at home and the result will be posted in next week's sports. The Mustangs have their last regular season game today against St. Lawrence at St. Lawrence. Varsity plays at 4:00 pm and the JV at 5:00 pm. The varsity and JV playoffs start Tuesday with the opponent and game site still to be determined.
GO MUSTANGS
Coach Green
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
Information about OWN THE AVENUE CLICK HERE
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.
Please Note: February Bingo has been cancelled due to church activities. March Bingo has been changed to March 12, 2024.
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.