A Message from Mrs. Perrault, Principal

Dear Families,

The Martyr Marathon was an absolute success. We exceeded our goals, and the students and staff had an amazing day celebrating our school and community. I am so grateful for our Home & School Association and all of the volunteers who made this an incredible day for all! I am also so appreciative of all of our sponsors and the generous donations from families and friends. The Lord continues to bless our school.

Recently our students took the Fall STAR Assessments. We assess our students three times per school year. The Fall testing is utilized to get a baseline for where students are at the beginning of the school year, and they are also used to look at school overall growth from the previous year. These results inform our teachers’ instruction and provide a basis for growth. The results also align with individual grade level standards and skills so teachers can use the individual data to provide targeted instruction. Our goal is to have our students meet and exceed proficiency benchmarks, but even more importantly, we want to see individual growth as new skills are introduced. The teachers will share this baseline data at conferences, but here are some overall results as a school from Fall 2023 to Fall 2024:

Reading: 86.7% Proficiency Rate (up 9% from last fall)
- 69% Growth Rate (our goal is to have 60% Growth Rate)
Math: 89% Proficiency Rate (up 6% from last fall)
- 70% Growth Rate (our goal is to have 60% Growth Rate)

I will continue to share overall results after each testing window.

October will be a busy month. Continue to check your Google Calendar for upcoming events. Thank you for your continued support.

It is a privilege and a blessing to partner with all of you as we continue to provide a faith-filled Catholic education.

Blessings,

Julie Perrault

In this issue of Martyr Messenger:

Admin Updates: Textbook Loan Form, Library Volunteers Needed, Fall Conference Sign-Ups, Progress Reports, Thank You from the Food Pantry, Middle School Music Club, Picture Day, Weekly Announcements on the School App
Home & School Updates: Martyr Marathon Thank You, Fall Family Frolic, Trunk-or-Treat, Liturgical Living at Home, Submit your Dues
Sports Club Updates: PAL Basketball Registration Open
Parish Updates: Knights of Columbus Culture of Life T-Shirts, Knights of Columbus Breakfast, Save the Date for the Dinner & Auction, Parish Retreat, Respect Life Month
Community Updates: Middle School Girls Events at Duchesne, Marian Ghouls Night Out, Mercy Girls Night In, Skutt Catholic Dance Clinic

Administration Updates

Important! Text Book Loan Form

Sign & Return by October 4th to Earn a Free Dress Day on October 7th!

Your children brought home a letter that must be signed by October 15th. The Nebraska Department of Education will now oversee the Textbook Loan program for all school districts. In the past, we have partnered with only Millard Public Schools, but now we have the opportunity to borrow books and materials from all districts. We value this program, and it is essential because it provides resources that contribute significantly to our budget. It is very important that you sign the form for each child and return it before October 15th. Students who return it by October 4th will earn a free dress day on October 7th. The form is linked below for those who need another copy. Thank you for your attention to this.

TEXTBOOK LOAN 2025-26.pdf

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 shelve 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.**

Volunteer

Fall Conferences Sign Up

Fall Conferences are scheduled for Thursday Oct. 10th. Please select a timeslot to meet with your teacher(s) before the sign-up closes on Oct. 9 at 3:30 PM. After the sign-up closes, you will need to contact the teachers directly by email to schedule, reschedule, or cancel a conference.

You can navigate to your student's teacher’s sign-up by:

Mobile Device: Use the Drop-Down Selection Tool to choose the teacher’s name and then click "Go"
Desktop/Laptop: Click the tabs on the top of the sign-up. Use the "+37 More" button, located to the right (or left) of the tabs, to view and sign-up for additional teachers.

Please note:

Preschool – 4th Grade: Families are encouraged to schedule a conference with their student's homeroom teacher.
5th – 8th Grade: Families are encouraged to meet with any of their student's teachers they wish to meet with.
Specialists Conferences: Our Specialists (Art, Counseling, Library, Music, PE, Spanish, Technology) are available to meet with you! Please schedule a slot with any of our Specialists you would like to meet with.
Student Services Team: Please email your teacher if your student is currently receiving assistance from our Student Services Team, and you would like a staff member from their team included in your conference. Otherwise you can schedule conferences with Student Services Team members individually.
All conferences will be in person: If you cannot find a time to meet with your student's teacher(s) please email them to schedule another day/time.

Sign Up for Conferences

Progress Reports

You will receive an email tomorrow, Friday, Sept 27, from Mrs. Courtenay Swanstrom with a link to your student's Progress Report.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email your student's teacher(s).

Thank You from the SSM Food Pantry Staff

Thank you for your generosity to the SSM Food Pantry during Martyr Marathon week! The Pantry families will be truly blessed! Please continue to pray for those in need. “Each of us will be a blessing to the other.” Romans 1:12

New! Middle School Music Club

Music Club is for students who enjoy singing and performing pop music in different ways. The club is open to all Middle School students, and we practice in the music room on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:30 - 4 PM. When songs are learned, we start adding solos, instruments, or movement as appropriate so that each member has a chance to find and show off their personal strengths. Performance opportunities may include caroling at Christmas and performing in the Talent Show in January. Please email Mrs. Tucksen with any questions at

j.tucksen@stephen.org.

Save the Date: Picture Day

Reminder: Find Weekly Announcements and much more in the SSM School App!

Families can download or update the St. Stephen School App for easy access to Weekly Announcements, Martyr Messenger, grades, lunch menu, signups and so much more! Be sure to allow notifications to get reminders from the school. Please note that we no longer email the weekly announcements. App users will receive a notification each Friday to access them via the SSM App or via FACTS on your desktop. Thank you to our Home & School Association for paying for the app every year so families can download it for FREE!

Home & School Updates

Thank you for a great Martyr Marathon!

WOW! Martyr Marathon was a HUGE success! The kids had a blast, we surpassed our Family Goal of $90,000, and couldn't have done it without all of our amazing volunteers and families. Please follow up with family and neighbors to secure any last minute donations for our school!

We still need your help!

Goal bags will go home with your students on October 9th. We need help to stuff Goal Bags on Oct. 8th from 6-9 PM in the Dining Room. Sign up to volunteer here.
If you enjoyed Martyr Marathon, consider joining the team! Planning for next year begins in November. We have positions available to fit your time and talents. Reach out to Frances Anderson at andersoncatholics@gmail.com. We value new ideas, community, commitment, leadership, and hard work.

Fall Family Frolic: Monday, Oct. 14

Join us at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch on Monday, October 14th from 11 – 4 PM for our annual Fall Family Frolic. Your family is responsible for admission at the door; no advanced ticket purchase is required. We have the Jack O’ Lantern Party Barn reserved for a SSM meet-up space and we’ll provide s’mores from 1 – 3 PM! Wear your SSM spirit or Martyr Marathon shirt, grab your friends and join us for lots of St. Stephen family fun!

Want to lend a hand? We could use s'more volunteers in the Jack O' Lantern Party Barn! Sign up using the button below.

Sign Up to Help with S'mores

Trunk-Or-Treat at St. Stephen the Martyr

Learn More

Liturgical Living at Home

“Everyone of us needs half an hour of prayer each day," remarked St. Francis de Sales, "except when we are busy—then we need an hour."

How’s your prayer routine going? Are you finding it easy to open your heart up to God? Does your family have a new, favorite prayer to recite together? Does life seem so busy that at times, it’s difficult to even find 15 minutes of free time, let alone an hour to quiet our hearts? God is not asking for a perfect routine, the perfect words, or a specific amount of time each day for prayer—he desires that we grow in our relationship with Him. We can trust that God meets us where we are, as even in the busiest and noisiest of all days, He can still speak to us. In those hectic days, stop for a moment, call to mind God’s presence, and give Him thanks for His unconditional love. That’s prayer and God delights in it.

There's still time! Submit Home & School Dues

There is still time to submit your Home & School Dues & Contributions for the school year! Home & School provides many amazing benefits to our school such as our school app, facility improvements and teacher classroom funds. Use the button below to complete your Dues & Contributions form. Get several annual donations and your dues paid all on one form online! As a thank you for paying the $30 annual H&S Association Dues, you will be provided with a hard copy of the School Directory.

Dues & Contributions Form

Needed: Volunteers for EPS Penny War

We are still in need of Home & School volunteers to help with the EPS Penny War. Help organize the EPS Penny War (Tuesday, Jan. 21st- Friday, Jan. 31st). Volunteer would be responsible for organizing some details, recruiting volunteers to help bag and count money and communicate current standings after each count. Sign up here if you are interested!

Sports Club

Registration for PAL Basketball Now Open

Register Now

Parish Updates

Knights of Columbus Culture of Life T-Shirts

Wear these on Martyr Mondays!

Learn More & Purchase

Join us for Breakfast after Mass next Sunday!

Save the Date for our Dinner & Auction!

Register for our Parish Retreat

Learn More

October is Respect Life Month

Community Updates

Duchesne Academy Events for Middle School Girls

Cardinal Fan Night– September 24^th 7:00 PM. Join us for an exciting volleyball game night! Cheer on our Duchesne Cardinals and experience the energy of our student section.
Harvest Party- October 4th, 8:00PM -10:00 PM Get ready for fall fun with bounce houses, face painting, a spooky haunted tour, hayrack rides, pumpkin carving, and more!
Dinner and a Show– October 26th, 6:30 PM Be part of history at our "Sleepy Hollow" production - the first high school performance of this show! Enjoy dinner and watch our talented performers bring this classic tale to life.

Register for these events at duchesneacademy.org/admissions. For questions, contact Maggie Vazquez at mvazquez@duchesneacademy.org.

Marian Cheer Ghoul's Night Out

Mercy Girls Night In

Skutt Catholic Dance Clinic

Important Upcoming Dates

September 27: Progress Reports
October 10: Conferences; No School
October 11: No School
October 14: No School; Fall Family Frolic at Vala's
October 18: End of First Quarter
October 23: Picture Day

Update Your Contact Information

To ensure you receive these emails, please keep your FACTS Family Portal updated with your correct email. If you have questions, please contact the school office at: school@stephen.org or (402) 896-0754. Martyr Messenger newsletters are archived for one school year at school.stephen.org/martyr-messenger. Enrolled families are required to have one adult designated to receive correspondence emails. To remove yourself from the emails, please click 'unsubscribe' below. Thank you!