St. Stephen Catholic School
May 2, 2024
Important updates in this week's Tidbits
School Theme T-Shirt Contest
Scholarship Information
Festival of the Arts
Volunteer Opportunities
SSCS Basketball, Volleyball, and Soccer Camp Registration
Jesuit Theatre Summer Camp
Tampa Catholic Cheer Youth Camp
USF Summer Reading Program
Tampa Catholic Lacrosse Summer Camp
Principal's Points
Good Afternoon St. Stephen Families!
There are 15 days of school left this year.... but who's counting? With this in mind, please read Tidbits and review the calendar to keep up with end-of-year events.
I have some good news to share about next year. We have hired a music teacher! Mr. Jeff Daignault has accepted the position. He is currently the music director at St. Joseph in Zephyrhills and will be sharing both his musical talents and his love for our Lord. Our 5th graders were lucky to have participated in a demo lesson with Mr. D. and they had a great time. In ten minutes, he had them singing and rapping a song written by his prior students and it was amazing. We look forward to having him join our family.
We have also found a replacement for Mrs. Steiner here among our current staff. Mrs. Dautzenberg has a great background in special education and will be moving into that position. We continue to interview for our 3rd, science, and now 1st, grade positions. Keep praying that great teachers will come.
The results of the School Culture Survey arrived yesterday. A quick look shows that the adults (parents and teachers) agree on most topics. Where our scores go down is with the students. As I take time this weekend to look through the details, it will be interesting to see what the students are saying. I will share the results in next week's Tidbits.
On the topic of results, we also received our Terra Nova scores this week. A BIG shout-out to our teachers and 8th-grade students. As a class, their scores are in the 80th percentile which is fantastic. This is no surprise given that 11 students received scholarships to Tampa Catholic. Our 8th graders stand out among all 8th graders in the Diocese with these scores. We are so proud of them. We are also pleased with the overall results of all the students. When we complete our analysis, we will share those results with the community.
NJHS will continue selling the pink wooden roses for Mother's Day to support PTCO on Monday and Tuesday of next week. They are priced at $1 each and all funds will go to PTCO to help fund our end-of-year events. Roses will be delivered next Friday.
The Step Up Scholarship renewal window has opened. New families are also able to apply. Please forward your award ID number to Gail Leung as soon as you receive it.
Peace,
Linda Umoh
Upcoming Events
May 3 - NO SCHOOL
May 6-7 - Spring i-Ready READING
May 6-10 - Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week
May 7 - School Council Inauguration/NJHS Induction
May 8 - May Crowning
May 8-9 - 8th Grade Math Final Exam
May 9 - Festival of the Arts
May 10 - Marvelous Mustang
May 10 - Middle School Social
May 11-12 - Holy Card Uniform Weekend
May 12 - Mother's Day
May 12 - Ascension of Jesus
May 13 - Holy Card Free Dress
May 13-14 - 8th Grade Trip to St. Augustine
May 16 - 8th Grade Brunch
May 17 - Last Day of School for PreK
May 17 - 8th Grade Graduation
May 19 - Pentecost Sunday
May 20 - Uniform Exchange
May 20-21 - 6th and 7th Grade Final Exams
May 24 - Last Day of School
May 24 - End of Year Celebration
May 24 - Noon Dismissal/NO AFTERNOON EXTENDED DAY CARE
2024-25 School Calendar Dates
First Day of School August 12
Thanksgiving Break November 25 - 29
Christmas Break December 23 - January 3
Lent Pause March 17-21
Easter Break April 18 - 22
2024-25
SCHOOL THEME
T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST
All students are invited to participate in the School Theme T-Shirt Contest. Designs should reflect the theme for the 2024-25 school year, Be Kind. Students should create their design on plain white 8 1/2 x 11 paper. The winning design will be used on our Spirit Shirt next year which is given to all students and staff. Students should use a maximum of 5 colors in their design. If the drawing is outlined in black, that is considered one of the colors. All submissions must be students' original artwork and must include the student's name and grade written on the back in pencil.
Designs must be submitted by Friday, May 10, 2024, at 8:00 am to the front office. Good Luck!
Joke of the week
What do you call a bee in May?
See below for the answer.
Scholarship Information
Now OPEN Renewal and New Application Scholarships: Families should have received emails to renew their scholarships! New Applications are open too!
Once you have renewed or filled out the new application your student will be awarded an AWARD ID NUMBER. This may take up to two weeks.
REMEMBER TO EMAIL the AWARD ID NUMBER
to gleung@sscsfl.org. This Award ID Number needs to be given to me before June 15th, 2024.
To find the student's Award ID, the parent/guardian should log into their EMA account and follow the below steps. Please click here to watch a video about locating Award IDs or view the screenshots below.
- Click on "My Students"
- Click on "View" by the student's name
- Scroll down to view the student's Award ID
Florida Bishops Letter to Vote NO on Amendment 4
Click HERE
Loving the Hot Lunches
First Grade Cuties Thanking Chef Vylam for the hug and the delicious hot lunches.
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 the link below or call the school office with any questions
Information about Own the Avenue
IMPORTANT: Please note, this is a yearly fundraiser that is on a first-come 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.
Items Needed for PreK3
PreK3 needs large cleaned prescription bottles. If you have any please drop them off at the Office.
Mustang Sports
MUSTANG SPORTS:
Boys Flag Football: The boys flag football team lost to Mother Teresa, 33-0, to finish the regular season with a record of 2 wins and 4 losses. The Mustangs played Nativity in the quarterfinals on Tuesday and won 20-0. John Michael R. had a catch and run for a touchdown and a pick 6 on defense and Ethan D. had three interceptions including one returned for a touchdown. The Mustangs played Christ the King yesterday in the semifinals, and they lost, 27-6. The Mustang touchdown was scored on a catch and run by John Michael R. from QB Kellan B.
Girls Track: All of the girls did a great job at the second and final running and relay meet on Saturday at Tampa Catholic. The varsity finished 3rd and the JV 4th. Here are the Mustang runners that placed in the top 8 and earned points for the team.
JV
Sofia S.-2nd Disc (47'6")
Alannah M.-T-5th High Lump (3'6")
Ronette L.-6th 100 (15.28)
Sofia R.-7th 100 (15.29), 8th 200 (33,41)
Gabby H.-3rd 200 (32.37), 3rd 400 (1:17)
Apple M.-5th Mile (7:22)
4x100 relay-3rd (1:05)
4x200 relay-3rd (2:24)
4x400 relay-2nd (5:37)
Alannah M.-T-5th High Lump (3'6")
Ronette L.-6th 100 (15.28)
Sofia R.-7th 100 (15.29), 8th 200 (33,41)
Gabby H.-3rd 200 (32.37), 3rd 400 (1:17)
Apple M.-5th Mile (7:22)
4x100 relay-3rd (1:05)
4x200 relay-3rd (2:24)
4x400 relay-2nd (5:37)
Varsity
Anelisse S.-1st 400 (1:12), 8th 100 (DNR), 3rd Shot Put (23'5")
Leah M.-3rd disc (64'1")
Karly L.-1st 100 (14.40), 4th 200 (30.71)
Mariana M.-6th 400 (1:16)
Sophia W.-7th 800 (3:22)
4x100 relay-2nd (1:00)
4x200 relay team 2 (2:11), 4x200 relay team 1 (2:19)
4x400 relay-2nd (5:15)
Thank you to parent volunteer coach, Jenn Daoud, for her hard work and commitment coaching the girls track team this season. She does a great job coaching our boys and girls track teams and you can see it in the results. Both teams were very successful this year.
The St. Stephen Sports Banquet is Wednesday, May 15 from 5:00-7:00 in the FLC. We will celebrate the student-athletes, coaches, and all of the accomplishments for the 2023-24 sports year. A flyer/RSVP was emailed and handed out to all of the student-athletes and their families. Pizza, drinks, and cake will be provided to the student-athletes and their immediate families. The RSVP is due to the office by Friday, May 10th.
Please see the St. Stephen Sports Summer Camps flyers in Tidbits if you are interested in attending soccer, basketball, or volleyball camp this summer on the St. Stephen campus. The sports camps are open to all students and parishioners.
GO MUSTANGS
Coach Green
Leah M.-3rd disc (64'1")
Karly L.-1st 100 (14.40), 4th 200 (30.71)
Mariana M.-6th 400 (1:16)
Sophia W.-7th 800 (3:22)
4x100 relay-2nd (1:00)
4x200 relay team 2 (2:11), 4x200 relay team 1 (2:19)
4x400 relay-2nd (5:15)
Thank you to parent volunteer coach, Jenn Daoud, for her hard work and commitment coaching the girls track team this season. She does a great job coaching our boys and girls track teams and you can see it in the results. Both teams were very successful this year.
The St. Stephen Sports Banquet is Wednesday, May 15 from 5:00-7:00 in the FLC. We will celebrate the student-athletes, coaches, and all of the accomplishments for the 2023-24 sports year. A flyer/RSVP was emailed and handed out to all of the student-athletes and their families. Pizza, drinks, and cake will be provided to the student-athletes and their immediate families. The RSVP is due to the office by Friday, May 10th.
Please see the St. Stephen Sports Summer Camps flyers in Tidbits if you are interested in attending soccer, basketball, or volleyball camp this summer on the St. Stephen campus. The sports camps are open to all students and parishioners.
GO MUSTANGS
Coach Green
When signing up please mention Anna C., thank you!
Summer Reading Skills Program
The University of South Florida Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education will be offering a series of summer reading skills programs taught by instructors from the Institute of Reading Development. The programs start for 4-year-olds entering Kindergarten and go up to students entering the 10th grade. Families can choose between classes offered in Brandon at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church or on campus at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
For more information, call 1-800-499-8557 or visit https://readingprograms.org/. Click HERE for the Flyer or the flyer can also be found outside the school office.
ANSWER to the Joke of the Week:
MAY bee
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.