Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

 Good morning on this beautiful Sunday as we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord into Heaven.  If you are interested in an explanation of the importance of today, Bishop Barron shares these words with us in his article Why the Ascension of the Lord Matters.

As you are enjoying your day, keep saying these words... 3 more weeks, 3 more weeks!  The end is near but it's important to keep teaching.  Even if grades are done, there are many things our students can learn to make up for the time lost last year or to prepare for next year. If you keep them busy, it will be easier to maintain your sanity.  

If you are not reading Tidbits, it's important that you do to keep informed of the many events taking place around the school in the coming weeks.  Some may not pertain to you, but it will keep you aware of who is on the property.  For example, next Monday, May 24, the PTCO will be having a uniform exchange in the breezeway.  

Tomorrow's faculty meeting is a PLC in Heather's room to grade the Spring Mustang Writes.  Please check with Gina if you are unsure if you need to attend.  

Thank you for all you do and have a wonderful week.  

Happy Mother's Day

I hope all the moms are enjoying their special day.  In his homily this morning, Fr. Dermot reminded everyone how special moms are.  We put all our needs and wants aside for the sake of our children without any regrets.  Our love is unconditional, we welcome our children back when they go astray, and we treasure every moment we have with them.  May the Lord bring many blessings to all mothers on this special day.  

I was so proud of our 8th graders this week as they honored our Blessed Mother.  Having a May crowning felt "normal."  I am excited to continue some of our traditions this month as we come close to the end of the year.  This week our new student council will be inaugurated into office on Thursday at 2 pm in the Church.  Grades 5 through 8 will attend.  Mrs. Robles and Mr. Doody will send details with the exact time to arrive.  

This week we will see how far the students have come this year as they take their final i-Ready assessment.  It's always exciting to see how much our students have grown during the course of the school year.  

As a reminder, Fr. Dermot will be on vacation for the next two weeks and, therefore, will not be available for class visits.

If you have not completed the School Culture Survey, please take some time this week to complete it.  Everyone's opinion matters and the more responses we have, the more accurate the results.  

Teachers, please be mindful of your assessments and make sure you have the minimum for the 3rd Trimester.  Also, it's important that grades are posted within a few days of the assessment so that there are no surprises for parents when the report card comes out.  If there are students you are planning to retain, be sure that has been communicated to Gina and to the parents.  All final decisions will be made once the report cards are complete.  

I hope everyone enjoyed all the amazing treats provided by PTCO and the Bufanos.  Our parents are grateful for all you have done during this very unique year.

Have a wonderful week!

Happy Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week! Even the President says so...

 "NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 4, 2021, as National Teacher Appreciation Day and May 2 through May 8, 2021, as National Teacher Appreciation Week.  I call upon all Americans to recognize the hard work and dedication of our Nation's teachers.  

Please know that you are very much appreciated, this year more than ever.  I know how hard everyone has worked this year and the end is almost in sight.  

I heard some good news at my principal's meeting on Friday.  Next year, all students will be expected to attend school in person.  If some cannot attend temporarily with documented good reason, there will be a virtual option available for them through the Diocese of Miami that will allow the student to remain a student of St. Stephen yet it will require no work from our teachers.  The program has also been approved for scholarship students.  The superintendent is planning to create another committee like last year to develop a reopening plan for August.  If anyone is interested in serving on the committee, please let me know and I will forward your name.  The plan is for the committee to meet early in June.  

For now, if anyone asks about next year, here is what to say, "Our goal is to return to normal as soon as possible while keeping students and employees safe.  Decisions about masks and our reopening plan will be made in the summer.  Please do not say anything about in-person learning.  I have been mentioning it in Tidbits and in emails to FLP parents and I will continue to let parents know our plan.  You may direct parents to me with questions.  

At Wednesday's Mass, the 8th Graders will be crowning Mary.  I will be taking the entire 8th-grade class to church during FLEX time on Tuesday in order to practice with them.  If you went to church this weekend you saw how beautiful the new Mary statue looks on the altar.  Something else that was beautiful in church this weekend was our 2nd-grade class receiving First Holy Communion.  Everyone looked beautiful and Fr. Dermot gave a very beautiful homily to all the Communicants.  Thank you to Krista C. for taking pictures!

Tomorrow is a STREAM Faculty Meeting.  All teachers should attend as we have two important pieces of business to complete.  

Have an extra fabulous week everyone!