Happy Catholic Schools Week

Happy Catholic Schools Week!  First let me say Friday's Open House was a success.  Thanks to Nicki's hard work, the people coming through were not just window shoppers.  These were people serious about sending their children to St. Stephen and they all were excited after the tour.  One decided not to wait for next year and enrolled on the spot for this year.  We noticed that the majority of the people put down "church" as how they found out about us.  The saying is true... "if you build it they will come" and they came.  

This week we celebrate who we are - a Catholic school with students who are learning, serving, leading and succeeding.  Thank you to everyone who help plan this week and I'm looking forward to all the activities.  A special thank you to Jennifer for overseeing all the planning.  Be sure you are talking up the Walkathon and if you have a chance on Thursday, stop by the FLC to spend some time with 8th grade during Interfaith Day.  Friday is Professional Development in the afternoon from 12:30-3:30 and the topic is Differentiation.  

Have a Blessed Week! 

Busy weeks ahead

Patience will be needed as we navigate the next two weeks.  The front office will be a bit crazy as we manage getting everyone re-enrolled with our new RenWeb online registration.  For the most part it's going smoothly but there have been a few snags.  Charles will be out at a conference on Tuesday and Wednesday and I will be at FETC on Thursday.  Friday is Open House and then comes the start of Catholic Schools Week.  By the way... if you haven't seen the CSW t-shirt yet, it's AWESOME!  Please attend whatever Mass you normally attend next weekend.  You may want to switch if you have a student reading their essay at Mass and be there to support them.  Sunday, Jan. 28 is the Food Truck Rally.  I previously reported this to take place on Jan. 27, but at some point it changed to Sunday. 

Don't forget... tomorrow (Monday) is a grade level faculty meeting.  Please send minutes of your meeting to both Charles and me.  If you are meeting at a different time/date, that is fine, just send the meeting notes.  At this meeting you should be discussing possible retentions/remediations, curriculum questions - what do children need to know for the next grade?, plan for communicating conduct grades for trimester 2 report cards, and any grade level specific needs.  Also send names of students in danger of failing 2 or more classes to Charles so he can send out a letter.

And just in case you miss the cold...

Re-enrollment Time

If you didn't read Tidbits last week, it might be a good idea to look at it.  I wrote a letter regarding re-enrollment and it's good you know what is said in case parents ask questions.  This week, students will be receiving information regarding re-enrollment on Thursday.  Every family (oldest child) will have a folder on Thursday.  Please be sure they go home as it will explain how to re-enroll online.  After our current families have re-enrolled, Nicki and I will look at where there are possible spots in all the grades. We support Fr. Dermot's vision of having a parish school with filled classes, a waitlist, and families who are active participants in their faith.  We understand we must accommodate students who are already here, however, we cannot open up 2nd classes of a grade unless both classes are filled.  If their comes a point that our enrollment is stable and we have the resources to build onto the school, we can then look at expanding our number of classes.  

I will be with 7th and 8th grade Wednesday afternoon at Bell Shoals Baptist to hear the Holocaust speaker.  Charles is out on Thursday.  Friday is the final round of the Geography Bee (Jennifer will send out details) and Friday night is the Middle School Social.  Have a great short week!

Get ready to iReady

It may be cold in Florida, but thank goodness none of this!

I hope everyone had a good weekend.  Full week this week and then a 3 day weekend!  Monday's faculty meeting will be important.  Jennifer will be telling us all about Catholic Schools Week and what to expect.  Gina is out this week but most of her classes are filled with iReady testing. 

I don't have much else to share.  Please refer to last week's blog for activities in January.  Take good notes at the PD on Friday.  I will be at a Principal's meeting.  Keep your notes and the next time we meet for a faculty meeting be prepared to share one thing you took from the presentation and how you have implemented it in your classroom/lessons.

Have a good week!

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2018 and the second half of our school year.  I hope everyone is feeling refreshed and enjoyed some time away from school with friends and family.  January holds many events for us so hold on, be sure to read everything, and keep up with what's happening.  

First, I'm excited to see our enrollment increasing with new and returning families.  We must be doing something right!  I also think that our hopes that the new church would help the school have become a reality.  It will be interesting to see how our enrollment for next year looks after this month.  Please remember to be positive and welcoming as new families tour our building in the coming weeks.  

Here are this month's happenings: