A Message from Mrs. Perrault, Principal
As we prepare for the Thanksgiving break, I want to reflect on a few of the reasons I am so thankful. I am so blessed to have our students who come to St. Stephen the Martyr School every day ready to learn. They are a daily reminder of what the joy of learning truly means.
I am so grateful for the support of the parents and our school community. You trust us to care for and guide your most treasured gifts–your children. I appreciate the sacrifices you make so your children can attend SSM, and I am so grateful for your partnership and trust.
I am also so grateful for the teachers, teacher assistants, priests, office staff, and all of our support staff who care so much about our students’ success both academically and emotionally. They love and teach like Jesus did. They are wonderful examples of being Christ-like everyday. I see dedicated and hard-working individuals going above and beyond to make sure that great things happen in our school. They do make a difference and that our students benefit from those efforts.
I am so blessed to be a part of this community, and I thank God every day for the gift of St. Stephen the Martyr School. I would like to wish all of you and your families a healthy, relaxing and prayerful Thanksgiving break!
In this issue of Martyr Messenger:
- Admin Updates: Safe Environment Training, Progress Reports, Hat & Mitten Drive, New Lego League, Advent Prayer Service, Picture Retakes, Inclement Weather Policy, Cold Weather Recess Reminders, Construction Notice, Thanksgiving Food Drive, 3rd-5th Grade Music Program, Talent Show Sign-ups, Winter Book Fair
- Home & School Updates: Breakfast in Bethlehem, Musical Registration Open, Christmas Gift Program, Santa Shoppe Information, 2025 Martyr Marathon Planning Meeting
- Parish Updates: Thanksgiving Day Mass, Angel Tree Project
- Community Updates: SSM Daisy Troop, Catholic High School Entrance Exam Dates, Skutt Catholic Music Bingo, Archbishop Scholars Application
Administration Updates
Safe Environment Training Tonight
All volunteers who plan to be in the school must Safe Environment Trained. This training is free but must be renewed every six years.
Progress Reports
You should have received an email today from Mrs. Swanstrom with a link to your student's Progress Report. If you have any questions or concerns, please email your student's teacher(s).
7th Grade Mitten and Hat Drive
7th grade is collecting new and used hats & mittens for Project Harmony! Send donations to any 7th grade classroom or with a 7th grader. Thank you for your generosity!
New! Lego League Starting at SSM!
We have been unable to find an adult(s) who can coach a Robotics team this year, but we have been looking into information and interest in forming a Lego League! We would love to have an Explore Team (ages 6-10) with 2-6 students and a Challenge Team (ages 9-14) with 2-10 participants. Please let Mrs. Perrault or Mr. Verraneault know if you are interested. Learn more about Lego League locally.
Order Uniforms from DiGiorgio's Early!
Dennis Uniform has closed it's business. DiGiorgio's Custom Apparel will now handle uniform needs for all the Catholic schools in the area. If you need to order more uniform pieces, please order early! See pg. 42 of the Family Handbook for Uniform Guidelines. Reminder that khaki colored shorts/skorts/skirts are options for grades 6-8.
Advent Prayer Service
Our 8th grade students will host an Advent Prayer Service for the whole school on Thursday, December 5th at 2:30 PM in the Worship Space. Families are welcome to attend.
High School Placement Exams
Our area Catholic High Schools will use the HSPT again this year and NOT the PreACT as previously communicated due to a recent discovery that the integrity of the exam was compromised. Our 8th grade teachers have valuable resources for test practice. All the area Catholic High Schools have used the HSPT for the last 25 years and are confident in it's validity. The 7th graders will still take the PreACT. Please contact your child's teacher with further questions.
Picture Retake Day
Picture Retakes will be December 4th from 8-10 AM in the Dining Room. Bring your original photos. Students may come to school in Picture Day clothes. They may choose to change into their uniform but they will not be required to do so. Retakes are complimentary only if the retake is for a reason like the child's eyes being closed, etc. If the retake is for cosmetic reasons, parent will be charged for half the price of the original photos.
Inclement Weather Policy
As we enter December, it is a good time to review our inclement weather policy. St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic School (SSM) observes the school closing policies of the Millard Public Schools (MPS) and/or Omaha Catholic Schools (OCS). When school is canceled, SSM will send families an email (using the “Correspondence” email(s) the family has on file in FACTS). If either district calls off school due to inclement weather, SSM will be closed. In the event that MPS and/or Omaha Catholic Schools issues a late start, SSM will issue our
own weather announcement via email by 6:15 AM based on weather conditions impacting our
school. If MPS or OCS announces a remote learning day in lieu of a snow day, SSM will not have remote school unless all allotted snow days are already used. The full policy can be found on page 26 of the Family Handbook.
own weather announcement via email by 6:15 AM based on weather conditions impacting our
school. If MPS or OCS announces a remote learning day in lieu of a snow day, SSM will not have remote school unless all allotted snow days are already used. The full policy can be found on page 26 of the Family Handbook.
Cold Weather Recess Reminders
Please ensure your student is appropriately dressed for the weather. We will have outdoor recess as long as the actual or the "feels like" wind chill temperature is at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Please send students to school with labeled jackets, hats, gloves/mittens, etc. When there is snow to play in, students may bring snow pants/bibs and boots, but they must wear shoes while inside. Please make sure these items are labeled. Sending them in a labeled plastic bag can be helpful for keeping their items together and provide easy storage should they get wet at recess.
Construction on South Portable
Please be aware that there will be construction in that area of the campus as repairs are being made with the South portable. Those TK students affected will be relocated to the GPC until repairs are finished. Extend extra patience in our South parking lots as there will potentially be additional vehicles or areas blocked off.
Thanksgiving Food Drive
Food will be blessed at the All School Mass on Nov. 26th at 8:15 AM.
3rd-5th Grade Music Program
This year’s 3rd-5th Grade Music Program will be on Thursday, Dec. 12th at 2 PM and 6 PM! Families are invited to join us for one or both performances. All 3rd-5th graders are expected to perform at both concerts – please contact Mrs. Tucksen at j.tucksen@stephen.org if your student will be absent from a performance. Students will wear uniforms for the afternoon performance and dress up in the evening.
Guidelines for 6 PM concert:
- Performers should report to their homerooms before the evening performance by 5:45 PM
- Ladies: skirts, dresses, or slacks, nice tops with covered shoulders
- Gentlemen: khakis, slacks, or uniform pants, and a polo, sweater, or dress shirt
- Uniforms are fine as well, but no jeans, printed T-shirts, sportswear, or flip-flops
- Students should leave any jackets or bags with a parent for the performance as they will not be returning to their classrooms afterward
Thank you and we look forward to singing for you!
Music in Catholic Schools Honor Band
Music in Catholic Schools has named it's Honor Band Members for the School Year. The following St. Stephen students were included:
- Eva Guthmann-Leany
- Bo Herdzina
- Elizabeth Keating-Manzitto
Congratulations to our students whose hard work and practice paid off. Keep making beautiful music!
Second Annual Catholic Schools Week Talent Show
Register by Dec. 13th to participate! Find all the details are below.
Our Talent Show takes place during Catholic Schools Week, scheduled for Jan 27-31st. Please contact Mrs. Tucksen at j.tucksen@stephen.org with any questions.
- Open to all 5th - 8th graders
- Up to 6 students per act
- Auditions on 1/8 and 1/9 after school on the music stage
- All acts should be 2 min 30 sec or less
- Selected acts will attend a final rehearsal on 1/22/25 after school
- Great ideas include singing, playing instruments, dancing, skits, magic acts, acrobatics, and unusual stunts /tricks
- All acts should be appropriate in every way, including language and costumes if applicable
- No lip - syncing or improvisation
Brrrr! Time to Cozy up with a Good Book from our Winter Book Fair!
December 9th-12th in the Library
★ Every dollar you spend will benefit our school directly
★ Our Fair is CASHLESS: Credit/Debit cards, ApplePay, GooglePay and eWallet only
★ You can sign up for Book Fair eWallet, a convenient digital payment account, so your child can shop the Fair cash-free. Use the button below to set up eWallet.
★ Middle schoolers may attend on their own and bring any younger siblings. All students who do not have middle school siblings must attend with a parent/guardian.
★ You can order online and have books shipped to your home! Online orders are open Dec. 6th-19th.
★ We need volunteers to help make our Winter Book Fair a success! Please use the button below to volunteer to help with setup/teardown and checking out students. Thank you!
Home & School Updates
Breakfast in Bethlehem: Sunday, Dec. 8th
Registration Now Open for 2025 Musical: Matilda Jr.!
Participation in the Musical is a wonderful opportunity for our students! From acting to set design, backstage management and lighting, our students shine, learn and grow!
- Participation is open to 1st-8th graders.
- Auditions are for grades 6-8th grades only. All middle school students must register before auditioning. All 1st-5th grade students who would like to be in the musical will be given a role.
- Auditions are on the stage from 3:30-5:30 PM on Monday, Dec. 9th and Thursday, Dec. 12th.
- We ask that parents volunteer to help supervise a minimum of two rehearsals. A SignUp Genius will be sent in January.
- There will be a parent meeting in January.
- Rehearsals start the week of Monday, Jan 6th.
- Tech week is MANDATORY for all students (March 30th – April 2nd).
- School performance: Thursday, April 3rd, 2025.
- General Audience performances are the evenings of Friday, April 4th and Saturday, April 5th, 2025 (presence is mandatory for all).
- Questions? Contact Jenny and Nicole at ssm.musical1@gmail.com
Christmas Gift Program for Teachers & Staff
We will again offer all SSM school families the opportunity to participate in the annual Teacher/Staff Christmas Gift Program. Consider each of the wonderful teachers and school staff members who interact with your child throughout the year. Then consider the time and number of gifts it would take to individually thank all of those teachers and staff members. Participation in the Christmas Gift Program saves you time and money during the hectic holiday season! Donations are used to give a gift to each of St. Stephen the Martyr teachers and staff members who share in the daily education and care of your child.
This program is optional, of course. However, we ask you to please give serious consideration to participating. The Christmas Gift Program has been a huge success in the past and we look forward to continuing the tradition this year and showing our teachers and staff members how much they’re appreciated by our school families! Give Online using the button below. Donations will be collected through Wednesday, December 11th.
Ho! Ho! Ho! Santa Shoppe is set for Dec. 16th & 17th!
Get ready, Christmas Elves! Santa Shoppe is scheduled for Monday, December 16th & Tuesday, December 17th! Santa Shoppe is open to K-8 grade students. Our Early Childhood students will visit the Shoppe to see Santa but will not be shopping.
Volunteer Opportunities Coming Soon!
We need YOUR help to make Santa Shoppe festive! Please save the date and consider volunteering to help set up, wrap gifts, help our younger students shop, facilitate activities for non-shoppers, or tear down the event! Keep your eyes peeled for a signup coming soon! Please note that if you'd like to volunteer during your student's class, the sign-up will include shopping times.
Join us for a Martyr Marathon Planning Meeting!
It's that time again! We are beginning the initial stages of planning Martyr Marathon for the 2025-2026 School Year!
Everyone is invited to a Planning Meeting on Dec. 3rd from 8-9:30 in the Dining Room. Bring your ideas for a fun, safe and memorable event!
Parish Updates
Angel Tree Project
Thanksgiving Day Mass & Blessing of Food
Parish Office Closed Nov. 28 & 29
Community Updates
New Daisy Troop for Kindergarten & 1st Grade Girls
Contact Kelli at kjwiebelhaus@gmail.com for more info!
Catholic High School Placement Exam Dates
Test will be the HSPT and NOT the Pre-ACT. The 8th grade teachers have resources to help you succeed!
Skutt Catholic Music Bingo Tonight
Archbishop Scholars Application is Open
With the success of the Archbishop’s Dinner for Education, we are pleased to announce applications are open for the Archbishop Scholars. The Archbishops Scholars provides a four-year, renewable scholarship to attend an Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic high school. This scholarship is available to current 8th graders who are Children Scholarship Fund recipients. You are invited to complete this short, three-minute survey to help us learn more about you and provide you with next steps on your educational journey.
Important Upcoming Dates
- Nov. 21st: Safe Environment Certification, 6:30-8:30 PM, Dining Room
- Nov. 26th: All School Mass & Blessing of Food
- Nov. 27th - Dec. 2nd: Thanksgiving Break
- Dec. 4th: Picture Retake Day
- Dec. 9th &10th: First Reconciliation
- Dec. 9-13th: Winter Book Fair
- Dec. 11th: 2 PM Dismissal for Staff Professional Development