St. Stephen Catholic School
January 8, 2026
Important updates in this week's Tidbits
Catholic Schools Week Bulletin Contest
PTCO General Meeting
Bricks4Kidz
Spirit Nights
Volunteer Opportunities
Angels Among Us
Principal's Points
Good Afternoon St. Stephen Families.
Happy New Year! May 2026 be filled with much joy and many blessings for you and your family.
Before Christmas break, PTCO sent an email to everyone asking for ideas and a commitment to be a part of our Spring fundraiser. Since they did not receive any responses, it was decided at the last PTCO Board meeting that they will proceed with the raffle fundraiser as planned. Some of the feedback I did receive regarding fundraising is that some parents wait for the raffle so they can take a chance on winning the big prize, and this information played a part in the decision.
Please mark your calendar for the next General PTCO meeting. Thank you to Mr. Ellis for agreeing to be our guest speaker on technology and college readiness. I will speak about tuition and fees for next school year and our plans for fundraising.This information will also be sent to everyone via email and Tidbits before the end of the month. As a reminder, if your child will not be returning next year, reach out to Gail Leung gleung@sscsfl.org, and she will send you the Continuous Enrollment Opt Out form. Everyone else will be automatically re-enrolled on Feb. 1 and billed for the registration fee.
Tomorrow is the last day to submit a drawing for the Catholic Schools Week church bulletin. Students should bring their submissions to the office in the morning. You can find more details regarding the contest below. Speaking of CSW, I am so excited about the plans for this year. We will be having our annual Penny Wars that week, so start collecting your pennies (while you still have some) and other coins for the event.
Finally, the Angel's Gala is coming soon and with it our pre-gala auction for school families. Please continue to read Tidbits for more information and have a fantastic rest of your week.
Peace,
Linda Umoh
Upcoming Events
January 10-11 Holy Card Uniform Weekend
January 12 Holy Card Free Dress
January 12-16 Winter i-Ready Math
January 19 NO SCHOOL/MLK Day
January 20 PTCO Gen Mtg @6:30 pm
Jan 20- Feb 2 SVDP Food Drive
January 20-23 Winter i-Ready Reading
January 25-30 Catholic Schools Week
January 26-30 Penny Wars
Jan 26-Feb 6 Student Council Valentine Sale
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.
Joke of the Week!
Where do you go to do math homework on New Year's?
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.
Angels Pre-Gala Auction
Because Celebrations Are Better Together
Angels Want You to Bring Someone Special with You to the Gala
Angels is excited to offer your guest or spouse a seat reservation at a special reduced rate.
The seat reservation is $185 for one guest but $330 for you, your spouse, friend or
someone special. A great opportunity for school parents, parishioners and friends in the community to mingle and have a fabulous evening.
When you reserve your seat on line (www.sscsfl.org ), you have the option of selecting one seat at $185 or two seats at $330. You can pay online or if you prefer to pay by cash or by check, please feel free to stop in the school office.
Volunteer Sign Up for the Angels Gala
Voyage of the Hearts Angels Among Us Gala 2026
Santa Made A Mistake
Are you kidding me??????
Everyone gets a gift occasionally that makes
them think Santa really does not know what I
need or like. It happens to the best of us.
There is a solution! Regift the item to Angels for
their Gala. Angels needs all kinds of things to
complete baskets for the auctions. Drop off
those funny, confusing, I have too many
already, what is this? gifts to the front office.
Someone will love it, and your recycled gift will
help Angels reach their fundraising goal.
Donations accepted now through 2/13.
them think Santa really does not know what I
need or like. It happens to the best of us.
There is a solution! Regift the item to Angels for
their Gala. Angels needs all kinds of things to
complete baskets for the auctions. Drop off
those funny, confusing, I have too many
already, what is this? gifts to the front office.
Someone will love it, and your recycled gift will
help Angels reach their fundraising goal.
Donations accepted now through 2/13.
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.
Spirit Raffle Committee - Need of One More Volunteer
Mustang Sports
Boys Basketball: Boys JV and varsity basketball tryouts were this week. Both teams have a couple of weeks of practice before games start on Tuesday, January 27, against St. Lawrence at St. Lawrence. Varsity at 4:15 pm, and JV at 5:15 pm. Please see the school Athletics webpage to see the complete 2026 boys basketball schedule.
The girls flag football team still needs a volunteer coach or two so the girls can play the season. Please contact Coach Green ASAP if you are interested in coaching and/or need more info. Thank you.
The girls flag football team still needs a volunteer coach or two so the girls can play the season. Please contact Coach Green ASAP if you are interested in coaching and/or need more info. Thank you.
GO MUSTANGS!
Coach Green
***Restrictions apply. The offer is valid on all new student enrollments at ALL Dance Quest locations when using Promo Code 2026DEAL. The $35 Registration Fee and $75 Performance Costume Deposit are due at the time of registration. The DQIStore.com Promotional code will be emailed after the promotion period has ended. The promotion code may not be exchanged for cash. Withdrawal from class may result in forfeiture of the promotion.***
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!
Times Square!
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.