St. Stephen Catholic School
December 11, 2025
Important updates in this week's Tidbits
Christmas Concert
Catholic Schools Week Bulletin Contest
Spring Ice Cream Friday Sign up
Spirit Night
Volunteer Opportunities
Angels Among Us
Principal's Points
Good Afternoon St. Stephen Families.
This is my favorite time of the year and what better way to get ready for the holidays than the sound of children singing. I am looking forward to tomorrow night and the joy it will bring to everyone. Come ready to be Wowed!
As I mentioned last week, we are streamlining the Retake Policy so that it is consistent across all grade levels and to allow for more efficient use of student and teacher time. The school retake policy for all grades, effective Jan. 5, 2026 will be:
Students who score under a 70% on a summative will be given the opportunity for a retake. Teachers will attach a copy of the Retake Request to the summative. A student has two school days from the receipt of the summative and request form to submit the form back to the teacher signed by both student and parent. The form will include the retake date and may also include any required work and/or a required reteach session. The maximum grade a student may earn on a retake is 70%.
If you are new to the school this year, or if you just have some questions about upcoming events, join the New Family Chat Forum tonight at 6:30 pm. Details for the Zoom meeting can be found below.
Lastly, don't forget this weekend is Holy Card/Uniform weekend. Have a great weekend!
Peace,
Linda Umoh
Upcoming Events
December 12 Marvelous Mustang @8am
December 12 Christmas Concert @6:30pm
December 13-14 Holy Card Uniform Weekend
December 15 Holy Card Free Dress
December 16-17 Middle School Math Mid-Terms
December 19 Christmas Shirt/Jean Day
December 19 NOON Dismissal
December 19 NO EXTENDED DAY
Dec 22 - Jan 2 Christmas Holiday/NO SCHOOL
January 5 Classes Resume
January 10-11 Holy Card Uniform Weekend
January 12 Holy Card Free Dress
Catholic Schools Week
Bulletin Contest
To celebrate Catholic Schools Week, we are hosting a bulletin contest for all students! The theme of this contest is to showcase the values, spirit, and mission of Catholic education. This is an opportunity for students to express their creativity while reflecting on what Catholic schools mean to them.
Theme: Catholic Schools – United in Faith & Community
The picture should focus on the theme of Catholic Schools Week, incorporating elements like faith, service, community, and education. All entries must be submitted to the school office by 8:00 a.m. on Friday, January 9, 2026. Winning designs will be the front page of the bulletin for Catholic Schools Weekend on January 25.
Click here for full contest details.
Thank you to school families for taking the time to decide which Holiday decorations they were willing to part with for a good cause. The clients of SVDP will have a happier holiday season because of your generosity. We received more donations than we dreamed of and know the kindness of the SSCS and parish community will bring joy to so many.
Center Hall Is Ready For The New Year
Thanks to the Bosley Family for their generosity in providing what was needed to make the Center Hall benches look better than new. Mr. Bosley's time and talent to make the wood shine and again be sturdy is much appreciated.
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 Tuesday, January 6, 2026. There will be NO additions to the ice cream list after that date except for new students. The cost is $33.75 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.
Joke of the Week!
What’s Frosty’s favorite dessert?
See answer way below.
The FACTS Grant and Aid application setup for the 2026-2027 school year is complete. Applications and documents received after May 1, 2026 are considered late for initial consideration.
All Diocesan High Schools utilize the FACTS Grant & Aid Application in the determination of in-house tuition assistance and the Catholic School Tuition Aid Grant (CSTAG). Additionally, all elementary/middle school families are required to submit their financial documents via the FACTS Grant & Aid Application, unless your school is a "community eligible" school.
Note: Pricing for the 2026-2027 FACTS Grant & Aid Application Fee will remain the same at $38.00.
Resource for Families:
Diocesan aid is limited. Applications received after the initial consideration deadline of May 1, 2026 for the 2026-2027 school year will be subject to a reduced rate, provided that funds are still available. Appeals are to be made directly to the school.
Frequently Asked Questions-Gala
Angels Among Us invites you to Celebrate their 26th Gala Fundraiseron 2/14. Helpful info can be found in Frequently Asked Questions ( see link below). The Gala is a great way to make new friends, and enjoy a fun night out while supporting our school.
Need Babysitting For Angels?
Many parents have asked Angels to help with watching their children while they attend the Gala on 2/14. We recently began offering the service with a nominal charge and it was very well received. We are happy to announce sitting will be available again this year. It will be available to all SSCS students while parents attend the Gala. The children will be watched in our school building.
The nominal charge of $25 for the first child and $10 for each additional child is to compensate the school employees who have agreed to attend to the children. The child can be brought to the school office between 5:15 pm and 5:45 pm. Registration and the fun begins at 5:30 pm. Please feel free to bring water, snacks, a pillow, blanket etc.
Notify ngallagher@sscsfl.org if you plan on using the service.
Please come and enjoy the dinner, open bar, auction opportunities, music and dancing knowing your child is close by.
Use BOGO to get Volunteer Hours And Support the Angels Gala
A volunteer hour is valued at $50 and this is the amount you are charged for every hour not earned. Each school family is required to do 20 hours of volunteer time during the school year. BOGO can help you meet the 20-hour requirement. New families must have 4 of the 20 hours volunteering for the gala.
Angels Among Us will trade volunteer hours for your donation of wine (red, white, Prosecco, Champagne, Rioja). For bottle(s) valued at $45, one volunteer hour will be credited. Your out-of-pocket cost does not have to be $45 but the value of the donation must be at least $45. Thus, BOGO or store sales are great ways to spend less than $45 in exchange for one hour volunteer credit. Each bottle should have a value of no less than $15. Donations are accepted now through 2/1. Please plan on attending the gala fundraiser on 2/14 and join in Celebrating 26 years of Angels supporting SSCS.
Mustang Sports
Girls Basketball:
The varsity beat Christ the King, 33-14, and they were led in scoring by Alannah M. with 10 points, and Sofia S. with 9 points. The Mustangs won their second game in a row, beating Corpus Christi, 42-6. Alannah M. had 13 points, and Christina F. had 12 points, to lead the team in scoring. The JV lost to Christ the King, 18-6, and they were led in scoring by Brielle Mc. with 4 points. The Mustangs are back on the court today for their final regular season game of the season against St. Lawrence here at St. Stephen in the FLC. The varsity plays at 4:15 pm and the JV at 5:15 pm. The girls basketball playoffs start on Tuesday with the quarterfinals. The varsity and JV opponents and game sites are still to be determined.
Boys Track:
This is the last week of the boys track season. The field event meet was Tuesday at Christ the King, and all of the Mustangs did a great job. The final running and relay meet is Saturday, at Jesuit High School, from 1:30-5:00 pm. The second track meet results will be posted in next week's Mustang sports.
Boys JV and varsity basketball tryout sign ups are this week and next. Boys in 5th-8th grade interested in trying out should sign up with Coach Green by next Friday, December 18. Boys varsity basketball tryouts are Monday, January 5, and boys JV basketball tryouts are Tuesday, January 6, from 3:00-5:30 pm. Boys basketball season lasts from January till the first week of March, and is a 4-5 day a week commitment.
Coach Green is still looking for volunteers to coach the girls varsity flag football team. The season starts in January when we return from Christmas break and runs through the end of February. If you are interested in coaching, please contact Coach Green for more info. Thank you.
Boys JV and varsity basketball tryout sign ups are this week and next. Boys in 5th-8th grade interested in trying out should sign up with Coach Green by next Friday, December 18. Boys varsity basketball tryouts are Monday, January 5, and boys JV basketball tryouts are Tuesday, January 6, from 3:00-5:30 pm. Boys basketball season lasts from January till the first week of March, and is a 4-5 day a week commitment.
Coach Green is still looking for volunteers to coach the girls varsity flag football team. The season starts in January when we return from Christmas break and runs through the end of February. If you are interested in coaching, please contact Coach Green for more info. Thank you.
GO MUSTANGS!
Coach Green
Brother Knights, Families, Fellow Parishioners and Friends,
It's that time of the Year where our awesome PARISH ARTS & ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY are preparing to Decorate the Church Sanctuary to enhance our Celebration of The Birth of Christ!
We are once again being asked to lend our 'backs' and 'balance' to assist the Ministry in moving and setting up the Christmas Trees on our Church Sanctuary.
TASK 1: We need those of you who are able to do a little heavy lifting to move the materials (boxes and such) from the Storage Room on North End of the physical Church over to the Saint Stephen Room (relatively quick short distance task) on Saturday morning, 13 December, at 10 AM; and...
Our efforts and assistance have been lauded by the Ministry due to our assistance over the past years; therefore, the Ministry Lead, Ann Michelle, is once again counting on our Knights of Columbus and fellow Parishioners to help make this happen. We are looking to provide 8-10 Volunteers on Sunday evening.
If you are able to lend your valuable time and talent, PLEASE CLICK ON THE SIGNUP LINK BELOW right away so that we may start giving the Ministry confidence that many hands will be there to lend a hand:
Click Here to Volunteer
Thanks, God Bless and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Julio Alvarez
PK-3 needs cleaned, empty
16 oz Jif Peanut Butter jars.
Kiddos Lunches
Homeroom Moms
Homeroom moms now have dedicated email addresses. Add them to your contact list and check your junk mailboxes to be sure you do not miss any important classroom information!
Emails for HomeRoom Moms
Answer to the Joke!
Ice Krispie Treats
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
Mustang News morning show!
You can join our Mustang News team each morning at 7:50 as we stream live on YouTube to begin the day with prayers, the pledge of allegiance, and news. Subscribe to our channel here.
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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.