A Message from Mrs. Perrault, Principal

Dear Families,

I want to extend a heartfelt wish of Easter joy to each of our families. I hope your Easter celebration this weekend will provide an opportunity for your family to relax and enjoy one another’s company as we remember the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Just as the promise of springtime reminds us of the renewal of life, Easter reminds us of the possibilities in our own lives. In that spirit, I wish you all an Easter full of hope, possibility, and joy.

As many of you already know, Ms. Jonas will be leaving us after this school year. We are sad to say goodbye, but I am happy to announce that we have hired a 5th grade teacher. Mrs. Jennifer Jensen will teach math and science next year. Mrs. Jensen comes to us with 11 years of teaching experience in the public school system. For the last few years, she has had her own childcare business. Mrs. Jensen is ready and excited to get back into the classroom. As of today, we have all of our open teaching positions filled. If you are interested in a position as a teacher assistant, please contact Mr. Verraneault at g.verraneault@stephen.org.

I am certain that after Easter break, the final quarter of the school year will zip by quickly. Please continue to check emails and the Google calendar for all Spring events. Also, if you have not enrolled for next year, you will want to do so very soon. We have reached capacity for certain grade levels and will begin ordering instructional materials for the 2024-2025 school year. If you have questions about the enrollment process, please contact the school office at 402-896-0754.

United In Christ,

Mrs. Perrault

In this issue of Martyr Messenger:

Admin Updates: Emergency Preparedness Drills, Saint of the Month, Merit March Earned Dress Down Day, Rotary Scholars, 8th Grade Shoe Drive, Spring Music Program, Mark & Rose Delaney Memorial Scholarship, End Of Year Award Nominations, Library Volunteers Needed
Home & School Updates: Easter Egg Hunt, Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week, Yearbook Order Open April 1, First Communion Celebration, Boden Reischl Artist of the Month
Men's Club Update: Men's Club Triathlon Registration Open
Parish Updates: Holy Week At St. Stephen, Dinner & Auction: Raffle Tickets & Sign Up Parties, Vacation Bible School, Totus Tuus Registration
Community Updates: SSM Buy-Sell-Trade Facebook Group, SSM Alumni on High School Honor Rolls, Skutt Girls Basketball Camp, Flaming Hoops Basketball Camp Registration, Play It Forward Spring Camp

Administration Updates

Upcoming Emergency Preparedness Drills

As part of our commitment to emergency preparedness, we will have several drills during April. Teachers will discuss the drills with students to prepare them. Parents/guardians are also welcome to discuss the drills with their children. All students, preschool-8th grade, will participate if they are on campus during the designated time. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Mr. Verraneault.

Severe Weather Drill: Wednesday, April 3rd, 9:15 AM
Evacuation Drill: Thursday, April 4th (pending weather), 9 AM
- Evacuation drills are practiced for an emergency situation (i.e. a gas leak) when students and staff need to leave the St. Stephen campus.
- Our evacuation location is YMCA - Armbrust.
- Our evacuation route is down the south drive, west on 'V' street to the crosswalk to cross 168th street; north on 168th Street sidewalk to the YMCA.
- For the drill, we will practice our evacuation route but will stop before crossing 168th Street.
Lockdown Drill: Monday, April 8th, 9:05 AM
- Teachers discuss with children that this drill is for very rare situations in which we need an added layer of protection for the safety of our students and staff within our own building.
- Students are trained to move away from sight and maintain silence.
- Teachers are trained to lock classroom doors, turn lights off, move out of sight, maintain silence, not unlock/open doors except to first responders, and take roll call of students.
- During the drill, K-8 students can expect that administration will be walking halls and verifying that doors are locked and teachers do not open the door when someone approaches.
Fire Drill: Monday, April 15th, 1:50 PM

Saint of the Month

Our Saint this month was St. Patrick. St. Patrick is known for bringing Christianity to Ireland. This month's award was given to students who daily bring Christianity to St. Stephen the Martyr through leadership and a strong vision of what they want to achieve. Congratulations to our March Honorees!

Early Childhood Honorees (L-R):

Annelise M. (Preschool-Gentile), Aubrey L. (PreK-Tabaka), Maverick M. (TK-Ferrante) & Zooey Z. (TK-Foster)

K-8 Honorees

Back Row (L-R): Matthew K. (8A-Brown), Sienna K. (8C-Berry), Lexi A. (8B-Harvey), Lily V. (7B-Mullen), Carter F. (6A-Pestel), Makenzie G. (6C-Mabeus), Olivia H. (6B-Bolton)

Middle Row (L-R): Camdyn G. (5B-Jonas), Talan K. (5A-Freeman), Keegan G. (5C-Keating), Audrey P. (4B-Haack), Cooper P. (4C-Hermann), Joseph M. (4A-Roche), Reid O. (3C-Niehaus), Declan L. (3A-Mancilla), Marcetta J. (3B-Lowry)

Front Row (L-R): Rowan K. (2A-Gill), Brady G. (2C-Schweers), Parker K. (2B-O'Leary), Beau H. (1C-Keller), Mateus B. (1B-Heidrick), Ellie R. (1A-Fitch), Kennadi M. (KB-Rezac), TJ D. (KC-Schrage), Lilly S. (KA-Hoff)

Not Pictured: Declan P. (7A-Peetz)

Merit March Earned Dress Down Day!

We had a record year with students earning 783 Merits! We are so proud of our students for PRAYing every day!

Rotary Scholars

We are very excited to share our Rotary Scholars for the 2023-2024 school year. The selection for Rotary Scholar is based on the following criteria:

Leadership - works well with others, respects the opinions of others, is honest, dependable, and reliable;
Character - kind and courteous, responsible, demonstrate respect for others and for the environment;
Scholarship - demonstrates a thirst for knowledge, shows ownership of academic outcomes, respects teachers and the learning environment;
Presence - behaves appropriately, respects self and others in dress, speech, and actions, portrays a positive self-image

Tessa Raynor, Reyna McGregor, Cole VanDorn, Callie Boko were nominated by their current and past teachers. This is quite an honor and well-deserved. Congratulations!

The students will attend the Rotary Luncheon on April 30th at the CHI Health Center Arena.

8th Grade Shoe Drive

3rd-5th Grade Music Program

The 3rd-5th Grade Music Program will be on Thursday, April 25th at 2 PM and 6 PM! Families are invited to join us for either or both performances. Students will wear uniforms for the afternoon performance and dress up in the evening. Students should report to their homerooms before the evening performance by 5:45 PM. All 3rd-5th graders will perform at both concerts – please contact Mrs. Tucksen at j.tucksen@stephen.org if your student will be absent from a performance. Thank you and we look forward to singing for you!

Mark & Rose Delaney Memorial Scholarship

The Delaney family annually distributes one $500 scholarship to be applied toward a current or incoming high school student’s yearly tuition. The student must have/had cancer affect their life (student, student’s immediate, and/or extended family) and attend a high school that the Archdiocese of Omaha operates.

Mark and Rose Delaney Scholarship Application 2024.pdf

End Of Year Nominations

Our School Advisory Board is accepting nominations for this year's teacher, staff member, and volunteer of the year! Please use the button below to nominate the individuals you believe are most worthy of the honor! Nominations will be accepted now through May 8th. Awards will be announced at Mass on the last day of school.

Submit Your Nominations

Volunteer in the Library!

Are you looking for a fun way to volunteer? Mrs. Tessari is looking for volunteers to help in the library with check-out times in grades K-2 and a few volunteers to shelf books. The check-out time slots are 30 minutes and the shelving slots are 45 minutes. Kids love seeing their parents or grandparents volunteering in the school! **You must be Safe Environment trained to volunteer in the library.**

Sign Up Here

Home & School Updates

Celebrate Easter with Us on April 7th!

Please join the St. Stephen the Martyr Parish family on Sunday, April 7th after the 10:30 AM Mass for an Easter celebration!

We'll start in the Parish Center with donuts, Sleepless from Seattle coffee cart, and face painting. Then we'll head out to the field to continue the Easter fun with an egg hunt and a visit from live bunnies for the kids to pet and hold!

Please RSVP using the button below!

RSVP Here

We need donations and volunteers to make sure the event is a success. Sign up using the button below!

Donation & Volunteer Sign Up

Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week: April 15th-19th

We need your help to show our teachers and staff how much we appreciate and love them! Please sign up to donate items or to volunteer during Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week. Thank you for helping us celebrate all the amazing people who love and care for our children all year long!

Sign Up Here

Order Your Yearbooks April 1st - 30th!

Yearbooks will be on sale beginning Monday, April 1st through Tuesday, April 30th. They are $25 and you can order using the button below. You can also order in person after school on Tuesday, April 16th from the Yearbook Club in the front of the school (north side).

Order Yearbook April 1st

First Communion Celebration for Second Graders

Second Grade First Communicants will be honored at Mass and may wear their First Communion outfits to school. Students who won't be receiving first communion (i.e. non-Catholic students), may also dress up. Following Mass, breakfast will be held in the Dining Room for second graders, their parents (or two special guests), and teachers. Younger siblings who are not in school may attend breakfast, too. After breakfast, second graders will change out of their dress clothes and into Dress Down Day clothes for the remainder of the school day. Please plan to help your child change and to take their First Communion outfits home.

Artist of the Month

Congratulations to our students who were selected as the Boden Reischl Artists of the Month! This month's art features desert animals, tree frogs and so much more! Click the button below to view their art.

View Art

Men's Club Updates

mensclubssm.org

Parish Updates

Holy Week at St. Stephen the Martyr

Please note: Our Parish Offices closed at Noon on Good Friday. There will be no regularly scheduled Reconciliation on Holy Saturday or donuts and coffee on Easter Sunday.

Four Hours Left to Reach Our Goal!

We have four hours left to sell 36 raffle tickets in 36 hours! We're placing our bets on you and your generosity! Can you help us reach our goal? You may even hit the jackpot! Miss Father's message yesterday? You can view it below!

Buy Raffle Tickets

Sign Up Parties Now Live for Purchase!

Our 2024 K-8th grade Sign Up Parties are live in Bidpal! Sign Up Parties are a fun way to support St. Stephen the Martyr. Your $25 donation secures a spot for your child to attend a party hosted by fellow parents from your child's grade. The host will contact you directly this summer to give you additional details. Your child gets a chance to see their classmates and have a fun time. Thank you to all of the generous family hosts! We couldn't do this without you. Get more info and sign up using the button below.

Sign Up Here

Vacation Bible School

We are so excited to dive into friendship with God this summer at our SCUBA Vacation Bible School. Registration is now open! We are also recruiting for both youth volunteers and adult station leaders. Register and sign up to volunteer using the button below.

stephen.org/vbs

Totus Tuus

Totus Tuus is a Catholic Summer Camp run by a collaborative effort between leaders of St. Stephen the Martyr and St. Wenceslaus and young adult missionaries hired by the Archdiocese of Omaha. Register for this awesome summer camp using the button below!

Register Here

Community Updates

SSM Buy-Sell-Trade Facebook Page

Does the beautiful weather have you spring cleaning?! Join the SSM Parish Buy/Sell/Trade Facebook group and sell your gently used items (sports equipment, clothing, uniforms, furniture, toys, etc.) to fellow parishioners. Join the group at facebook.com/groups/ssm-bst. Questions? Contact Annie Sanderson at Annie.Sanderson.as@gmail.com.

Join Group

SSM Alumni on High School Honor Rolls

We are proud of all of our alumni who continue their academic success in high school! When we are notified by high schools, we will share the achievements on our webpage: school.stephen.org/alumni. Third-quarter honor roll students at Duchesne Academy have been added to the website. Congratulations to all of our alumni!