A Message from Mrs. Perrault, Principal
As we approach the final days of this school year, I wanted to extend my appreciation to our families who worked closely and partnered with our school to provide our students a safe successful school year. We truly could not have accomplished this task without the support, patience, and dedication of our staff and parents! This year demonstrates what it means to be United in Christ to Ignite the joy of faith, community, and learning. We are living our mission!
I want to say a special thank you to Dr. Greco. As you are aware, he will be leaving us in July. I am so thankful that we started our journey together at SSM, and I value what he provided us with his leadership. He certainly has had a very positive impact on the school and the school community.
I also want to congratulate our 8th grade Rotary Scholars. The Rotary Honor Roll, a time-honored tradition, distinguishes 8th grade students who represent the highest characteristics of leadership, character, scholarship, and presence. I am proud to announce that the 2020-2021 St. Stephen the Martyr Rotary Scholars are Ella Hoge, Sadie Snyder, Tommy Rice, and Kalen Borngrebe. I am confident that they will continue to do great things in the future.
I wish everyone a fabulous end to the school year! Hang in there - WE GOT THIS!!
Mrs. Perrault
In this issue of Martyr Messenger you will find information about:
- Reminders: Medication Pick Up & Tuition in Full Payment
- Spring Appeal Challenge & Joy of Giving Announcement
- Home & School Updates: 'Night at the Ballpark', School Supplies Boxes & Used Uniform Sale & More!
- PAL Volleyball & Mercy High School Summer Camp Registrations
- Middle School Volunteer Opportunities at VBS
- Important Upcoming Dates (see bottom of this email)
- ...and more!
Medication Pick Up
If your student has medication in the school office, a parent or guardian will need to stop in to pick it up. If you can’t make it in by the last day of school, our summer office hours are Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. - Noon.
Reminder: Tuition in Full Payment Due Tomorrow, May 14
The due date to pay tuition in full for the 2021-2022 school year is, tomorrow, Friday, May 14. If your family is choosing this option, please submit your payment by tomorrow.
Spring Appeal Challenge Update - It’s Not Too Late to Support Our School!
We are thrilled to announce that, thanks to your generous support, we met our Spring Appeal Matching goal of $20,000! Congratulations and thank you to all who supported our school and parish.
We had 17% of our school families contribute to the Spring Appeal, but you still have an opportunity to give! Wouldn’t it be great if we could get our participation up? This is why we are excited to announce there is an additional opportunity to support our school yet this school year.
The Archdiocese of Omaha is hosting Joy of Giving, a 24-hour day of giving set to benefit the schools, parishes, ministries & organizations of the Archdiocese of Omaha on May 19th. While we work to wrap-up and finalize our Spring Appeal, we still wanted to participate in this event to be united with the other parishes and schools throughout the Archdiocese. If you’d like to donate on May 19th for the Joy of Giving, we invite you to do so. Please remember, every gift helps, regardless of size.
To learn more about Joy of Giving and to directly give to St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic School visit: school.stephen.org/joyofgiving. We thank all our families who support our school through your time, talent, and treasure!
Parents With Their Last Student Graduating St. Stephen the Martyr!
We send our best wishes to the below parents whose final student will graduate from St. Stephen's this Spring. We thank you for your support and dedication to SSM over the years. Your family will be in our prayers!
- Dave & Erin Audino
- David & Beth Beecham
- Dominic & Janelle Bentley
- Michelle Brester
- John & Elizabeth Collard
- Tim & Amy Connors
- Steve & Katie Cords
- Tomas & Martha Elvir
- Bill & Mindy Geis
- Tom & Cheri Hassenstab
- Ashley Hobson
- Kevin & Deborah Jarosik
- John & Anne Kalkowski
- Kevin & Patty Kolega
- John & Lisa Legel
- Nicholas & Nicole Liebentritt
- Tim & Amanda Lukowski
- Mark & Cheri Olderbak
- Chris & Chloe Sorensen
- Dale & Jaya Stiles
- Javier & Brenda Urrutia
- William & Sue Westmore
- Darren & Mary Wisniski
PAL 5-8th Grade St. Stephen Track & Field Season Concludes!
The PAL 5-8th grade St. Stephen Track and Field Team wrapped up their season with the Super Meet this past Saturday. Congratulations to the boys taking home the runner-up trophy, and the girls' team 1 point off from the 3rd place trophy!
The season was very successful with athletes not only growing in strength and speed, but in integrity and perseverance. We especially want to thank our 8th grade athletes who did a great job of being role models to all. No doubt the future is bright is for you!
Run
with purpose.
Be on the lookout for Cross Country sign-ups with practice starting in August. Both sports are open to multi-sport athletes.
Lastly, a big shout out to our coaches for volunteering their time and talent!
Coaches: Jen Carda, Megan Jones, Janet Driml, Jamie Harr, Charles Cooper, Kevin Rice, and Tom Hassenstab. Thank you - we so appreciate you!
Principal & Assistant Principal for the Day!
Mrs. Perrault and Dr. Greco got time off on April 30th thanks to Principal Calabrese and Assistant Principal Donohue. They did an amazing job taking care of our school!
These students were given this opportunity due to their families' generous donation to our Martyr Mission last spring!
From Home and School
Join Us for A Retirement Open House!
Order Your EPI School Supplies Box
New This Year: Preschool Boxes & Flat $10 Donation for Copy Paper Option
No more lugging reams of paper into the school!
For all school supplies details (including EPI info) visit: school.stephen.org/school-supplies
Used Uniform Sale - Save the Date!
Martyr Marathon - Save the Date: September 24th
We have set the date for our school's largest fundraiser, Martyr Marathon! Add it to your calendars today!
Yearbooks - Last Chance
- Purchase: There is still time to purchase your yearbook(s)! Use the link below or send $25 to the office.
- 8th Grade Baby Pictures & Tributes: Submit your 8th Grade Baby Pictures by tomorrow, Friday, May 14th. This is also the last day to purchase an 8th grade shoutout. Email them to ssmyearbook2021@gmail.com or upload them to the website.
- Submit pictures from the 2020 - 2021 School Year: Upload photos to the website or email them directly to ssmyearbook2021@gmail.com.
commpe.pictavo.com
School Code: 92789
If you have any questions please reach out to Jenny Escobar or Kathy Gesch at ssmyearbook2021@gmail.com.
Faith at Home
It's time for some fun in the SON!
Make a bucket list of ways to grow as a family this summer. Here are ideas!
- Plant flowers for Mary
- Attend a weekday Mass
- Bake cookies for a neighbor
- Celebrate a saint's feast day with an ice cream run. Here is a good calendar for saint days.
- Create a work of art and mail it to someone you haven't seen in a while
- Say a rosary while on a hike
- Attend a parish event (Registration is still open for Totus Tuus)
- Go to adoration (it's nice and cool in the adoration chapel!)
- Sing songs about Jesus around a campfire
- Read your bible outside
PAL Volleyball Registration Now Open
New This Year: Open to 3rd Grade Girls!
Reminder: Don't forget to register for the SSM Volleyball Clinic. All registrations are due by noon tomorrow, May 14. See the below flyer for more details!
Mercy High School Summer Camps
Mercy High School invites students entering grades 3rd - 8th to join us for one of our many camps this summer including volleyball, basketball, show choir, soccer, and a multi-sport camp! Each camp will help students develop her skills, get to know Mercy a little better, and meet some new friends while having tons of fun.
Use the button to the left to register by May 27th.
Vacation Bible School registration is CLOSED, but we are still in need of many adult volunteers. Please consider volunteering during the week. Your help would be greatly appreciated!
If you have a middle school or high school student that could use some service hours, we also need Crew Leaders and Station Helpers for VBS.
Use the below links to sign up!
Teacher Associates Needed for the 2021/2022 School Year!
Do you love children and education? Are you a parent or grandparent of any of our school students? Are you looking for an opportunity to work in a fun, faith-filled positive environment? We are looking for a few teacher associates for the 2021-2022 school year. There is some flexibility with days/times/etc. If you would like to talk more about this opportunity, please contact the school office and set up a time to chat (402) 896-0754. I would love to tell you more about the positions.
Mrs. Perrault
Kidzone is now accepting enrollment for Summer Camp and for Fall 2021!
Kidzone is available for enrolled TK-8th grade St. Stephen's students.
Questions? Please contact our Director, Cheryl Connolly, at c.connolly@stephen.org or call the Kidzone office at 402-896-4316.
Our Parish is excited to bring the beautiful model of faith formation, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, to the parish’s preschool-age children. Volunteers are needed to help! Click the below link to learn more.
Totus Tuus - Still Space to Register!
St. Stephen the Martyr, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Omaha, is excited to offer Totus Tuus this summer! Totus Tuus, meaning Totally Yours was St. John Paul the Great’s motto. It signifies the desire to give oneself entirely to Jesus through Mary. This week-long program, led by trained college students, inspires in children a true longing for holiness, a deep desire for daily conversion, and openness to vocation. Registration is now open!
St. Stephen/St. Wenceslaus parishes Parochial Athletic League (PAL) football team registration for the 2021 season is open! All 2021 fall semester 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th-grade boys who attend the five-day school or whose families are St. Stephen parish members are eligible to play. The PAL league consists of teams from Parishes in the Omaha and Council Bluffs Archdiocese. Practices are at Skutt H.S. and we will play a minimum of eight varsity games and six JV games plus an end-of-season tournament.
Important Dates Coming Up
- May 20: 8th Grade Last Day of School & Volleyball Game!
- May 21: No School (Preschool - 8) 8th Grade Graduation & Teacher Work Day
- May 24:
- Field Day
- Last Day of School, MWF Preschool
- May 25:
- Last Day of School, Tu/Thurs Preschool & PreK
- Retirement Open House, 3:30 - 5 p.m. in the GPC honoring Mrs. Kathy Jones (25 years), Mrs. Margie Crowe (23 years), and Mrs. Connie Bredemeyer (17 years)
- May 26: Last Day of School, TK - 7th, 10 a.m. Dismissal
Early Childhood Education Graduation Ceremonies:
- May 19: TK, 2:30 p.m. outside
- May 24:
- MWF Preschool, 10:20 a.m. in the GPC
- PreK PM Class, 2:50 p.m. in the GPC
- May 25:
- Tu/Thurs AM Class, 10:10 a.m. outside (short recess to follow)
- PreK AM Class, 10:30 a.m. in the GPC
- Tu/Thurs PM Class, 2:45 p.m. outside (short recess to follow)