So long, Farewell.....

 Those are the words we will soon be saying to our soon-to-be graduates, along with congratulations and best wishes for the future.  I will also be bidding Adieu to my blog until after the summer.  So here is a rundown of the next three weeks.  

Monday - 8th grade along with Connor, Mary, and Lisa will be in St. Augustine Monday and Tuesday.

Tuesday—The calendar says grade level for the faculty meeting. Please meet in whatever way works best.  You can meet as a grade level if needed, or meet as a CIPA committee to wrap up your work, or use the time to work on individual end-of-year lists.

Wednesday - No school Mass.  School Mass will be on Thursday when we say good bye to the graduates.  The sports dinner is that night.

Thursday - Mass and the 8th grade brunch.  The clap out will be at approximately 11 am.   We will make an announcement or send a runner.  Grades K-5 will eat in their classroom that day.  Grade 6 and 7 will eat in the FLC.  Remember, no one on the playground on Thursdays from 1-3 pm.  

Friday - Last day for PK classes and 8th grade graduation at 4 pm.  (We are trying an afternoon ceremony this year.)

Week of May 26

Monday - No School

Tuesday - Grades due

Wednesday - Talent show in the afternoon

I will send a separate email to teachers this week about Wed-Fri of the last week. 

Thank you all and have a great week!

Happy Mother's Day!

 I hope everyone is having a marvelous day.  I know I had a fantastic night on Friday.  Our students have so many hidden talents, and I greatly appreciate how Jeff has tapped into them.   Everything was beautiful, and the audience was in awe of what they saw and heard.  Thank you to Heather for sharing her voice and helping with logistics, and to Yesenia for helping with everything technical.  Well done, everyone!

You know we are close to the end when you look at the calendar and see things like math final exam (8th grade only this week).  This week, we also have i-Ready testing, Student Council Inauguration, NJHS Induction, and the final week of collecting cereal.  Connor and David will send information about when the Inauguration/Induction will occur on Thursday and who will attend.  Lisa will let you know when we will domino the cereal boxes.  Heather and Mari, let Lisa know when you will be at school on Friday since you are both on a field trip.  

Finally, all teachers should attend Tuesday's faculty meeting. Thank you, and have a great week!

You Are Appreciated!

 Happy Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week! I want to extend my gratitude for everything you do each day to nurture, guide, and inspire our students. Your dedication, compassion, and faith-filled example make our school special. You are the heart of our mission, and this week, we celebrate YOU!

In case you missed PTCO's email, they have planned a week full of treats and surprises just for you:

🍽 Monday – Enjoy a Chicken and Steak Taco Bar from Chipotle!
🍿 Tuesday – Customize your own snack gift bag from our Wild Things Snack Bar!
🍕 Wednesday – Grab some Papa John’s pizza and a hearty salad bar to keep you going.
🥓 Thursday – Start the day right with a hot/cold breakfast buffet (featuring Chick-fil-A chicken minis), served starting at 7:00 AM.
🍪 Friday – Pick and pack your favorites from our family-donated cookie bar to create your own bakery box to take home.

🎁 And don’t forget to stop by the teacher lounge each day for a special gift prepared just for you!

For lunches, they will be available at the start of the first lunch period.  If your lunch time is prior to 11:10, see what you can work out or let Mary or I know and we will help you find a time to have lunch.  

This is a busy week.  Here's the play list:

Mon-Tues  IXL Math diagnostic

Wednesday   May Crowning and 2nd grade Communion celebration hosted by 3rd grade.  Also, please come support family night at the Talking Pint from 6-9 pm.  20% of the proceeds to go the school.  

Thursday  I will be out but working from home in the afternoon.  

Friday is Marvelous Mustang, Concert practice, and finally the Spring Concert.  Whew!

Thank you again for your tireless efforts, your joyful spirits, and the many ways you reflect Christ’s love to our students and one another.  Have a wonderful week!

Five more weeks, but who's counting?

 Yes, it is almost May, with all its many activities and events, as we ensure students are ready for the next grade. Please be sure you are reviewing the remaining standards to teach, and if they seem too much, then focus on the Power Standards.  They are there for a reason.  

Mary will be out again on Monday, so please contact me if you need anything.  I will be gone on Tuesday with Connor, Melissa, and the 8th grade at the Ringling Museum, but Mary will return.  I will also be out on Friday at a principal's meeting (last one of the year!).  

Once again, this week's morning show will be a little longer than usual, with election speeches and voting on Friday. Finally, the Art Show is taking place after school on Thursday. Moms will be around this week, hanging up the artwork. Please take some time that day to visit all the masterpieces our students have created. We will also have classroom pickup on that day.  

If you wish to discuss the Pope's funeral and what comes next, here is one video of the funeral https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EozhjyuLZmY.  I would not suggest watching all of it, but for older students, seeing the massive number of people in St. Peter's Square is impressive.  Once the conclave begins, we will say a special prayer each morning to select a new pope.  The date has not been announced, but it should take place 15-20 days after the death of the pope.  Here is a resource to help explain the purpose of the Conclave https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/scripture-and-tradition/church-leadership/what-is-a-papal-conclave-and-frequently-asked-questions-about-the-pope/  

Have a wonderful week!

Field Day

 noun: a day devoted to athletic contests or other sporting events.  

Teacher definition: one less day I have to make lesson plans.  Thank you, George!

Here's what's happening this week...

• Mary will be out on Monday, so please ensure everyone behaves.
• Field Day is on Thursday
• PK/K are having their annual Trike-a-thon on Friday.  
• 6th and 7th grade will attend Reconciliation this week.  
• Rice bowls are due on Friday, which is also our last hot-lunch day this year

On a sad note, Kenny is no longer employed at St. Stephen.  He needed to resign effective immediately on Friday due to personal reasons.  We will miss him.  Continue to use School Dude to submit any maintenance requests.

Have a great week!

2025-26 Already?

 Yes, it's time to think about 2025-26 already (even though some of us have been planning that for months now).  What we need to focus on now is the calendar.  As you saw, a copy of the calendar was attached to the email with the blog link.  Please look over it and see if there is anything you need to add to it (Field Day, Penny Wars, Art Show, Nature's Classroom, final math exams, St. Augustine, etc.) and let me know.  Gail will start putting these events in School Dude which needs to happen ASAP so that our events take priority.  If you have any questions about the calendar, please come see me.

This week 4th and 5th grade have reconciliation and 7th grade is off to Nature's Classroom (Wed-Fri).  I will be at an administrator's meeting on Friday and Mary will only be in for the morning.  

That's all for today.  Take the time to look at the calendar.

Spring has Sprung

 The grass is riz. I wonder where the warm weather is.  Yes, I changed the words a bit, AND it does look like the warm weather is finally here to stay.  I hope you all had a fabulous week and did something amazing, even if it was waking up late and reading a book in the peace and quiet of the morning.  I'm sure there will be many sleepy children tomorrow, but they won't take long to get back into their routines.  

Tuesday will be a bit chaotic with Spring Pictures, but otherwise, it's a quiet week.  I hope many of you will join us Thursday after school in the FLC for the Dads vs. Students basketball game.  It will start at approximately 3:15. This will be a classroom pick-up day, allowing parents to collect their children and head over to the game.  

Friday is Marvelous Mustang.  Please be sure you have added yours to the spreadsheet and informed the parents to join us.  

Have a wonderful week, and stay strong; Easter is only a few weeks away :)