A Message from Mrs. Perrault, Principal
Dear families,
As we continue through this semester, we are so grateful for the time we have had with our students in school. Every morning as I stand in the commons to greet your children, I see happy faces and kids who really want to be in school. As I visit classrooms, I see teachers who genuinely love teaching and students eager to learn. I am so proud to be a part of this positive community. We pray together that the school year continues to be a success and that we can stay safe and remain in the school building. Thank you for all of your efforts in making this happen. I say this with 100% sincerity and honesty-- St. Stephen the Martyr School is “united in Christ to ignite the joy of faith, community, and learning”.
As we continue through this semester, we are so grateful for the time we have had with our students in school. Every morning as I stand in the commons to greet your children, I see happy faces and kids who really want to be in school. As I visit classrooms, I see teachers who genuinely love teaching and students eager to learn. I am so proud to be a part of this positive community. We pray together that the school year continues to be a success and that we can stay safe and remain in the school building. Thank you for all of your efforts in making this happen. I say this with 100% sincerity and honesty-- St. Stephen the Martyr School is “united in Christ to ignite the joy of faith, community, and learning”.
Mrs. Perrault
In this issue of Martyr Messenger you will find information about:
- Cognia Accreditation
- Updates from Home and School
- Liturgical Living at Home
- Middle School Honor Roll
- Thanksgiving Pantry Collection
- Parish Annual Report
- .. and more
Cognia Accreditation
St. Stephen the Martyr School is an accredited Rule 10 school in the state of Nebraska! What does this mean?
Accreditation – Rule 10, Regulations and Procedures for the Accreditation of Schools Accredited schools must comply with 92 NAC 10, the rules and regulations which govern standards and procedures for the accreditation of all public schools and any nonpublic schools that request state accreditation. An engagement review is conducted every 5 years.
Last year, Nebraska changed from AdvancED to Cognia. To find out more about Cognia please see the link: https://www.cognia.org/services/accreditation-certification/
We have our scheduled review on November 18-20. The review was originally scheduled last April. The evaluation team consists of area metro principals and teachers. The goal of the review is to evaluate our continuous improvement process and make recommendations based on the evaluation. They will conduct interviews with all stakeholder groups and review information collected throughout the last five years that pertains to the improvement process.
Once the review process is completed and we receive the report and feedback, we will meet with our school board to review our strategic goals, strategies, and action steps.
Updates from Home and School
- Next Meeting: Our November 18th meeting is canceled
- Box Tops: We are still collecting Box Tops! We know there are not many left on boxes but keep your eyes open. Also sign up for the app! https://www.boxtops4education.com/ Our next submission isn't until March 1st. But still keep collecting and sending to school with students to take to the office. All money awarded goes to the school overall.
- Santa Shoppe: Watch for more details coming soon on our new event replacing Santa Shoppe this year due to Covid.
- Thankful Thursdays: Check your emails for details each Thursday this month from the H&S on how we can be thankful.
- Art to Remember. It's not too late! Orders can still be made at https://arttoremember.com/school/xx68qm
TODAY is the last day to register for SSM/PAL Basketball
Did you know?
Uniform shorts are now allowed all year! Previously, shorts were only allowed until Daylight Savings ended in the Fall. The 2020-2021 handbook reflects this change.
Middle School Honor Roll
Congratulations to our 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students who earned First Quarter Honor Roll! Students achieving an average of 93 percent and above in their "core classes" that meet daily earned Gold Honor Roll. Students with grades averaging between 86 and 92 percent in their "core classes" that meet daily earned Red Honor Roll.
Thanksgiving Pantry Collection
Thanksgiving will soon be here! Every year the students at St. Stephen the Martyr have a food drive to help “stock the shelves” of our Parish Food Pantry. Students may bring donated items between November 16th to November 23rd.
Listed below are the food items for your child’s grade. The items will be placed on tables in the Commons area. On November 23rd, the donations will be taken to the GPC Food Pantry. This is a wonderful way for our students to help those in need.
Thank you for your help with this project!
The Catholic Identity Committee and Deacon Denny
- Pre- School: cereal
- Pre-K: pancake mix or syrup
- TK: peanut butter or jelly
- K: brownie mix, cake mix, or frosting
- Grade 1: hamburger Helper, any flavor
- Grade 2: spaghetti or pasta sauce
- Grade 3: canned tuna or chicken breast
- Grade 4: toilet tissue-4 pack
- Grade 5: ready-to-serve soup
- Grade 6: boxed potatoes or boxed Rice
- Grade 7: toothpaste or brushes, deodorant, body wash
- Grade 8: canned chili or baked beans
News from our Parish
Our 2020 Annual Report is ready for your review!
This Report tells our story well and illustrates that we remain focused on our mission: St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church is a community for all people to encounter Christ, know Christ, and proclaim Christ.
Liturgical Living
Christ the King
Even though in the United States we have presidents, there is still one king above all kings: Jesus! We celebrate this on November 20, right before we start Advent. This signals us to remember that Jesus came once into the world at Bethlehem, but the Gospels tell us he will come again at the end of time in GLORY and SPLENDOR! The Catechism and the Gospels tell us that the forces of evil will make one last stand against Jesus, but he destroys them all! So when you're scared or think things aren't going well, ask Jesus to fight for you -- he will bring all the power and might in all the heavens and on earth!
Gratitude: The Mother of Virtue
"Give thanks to the Lord for he is good! His love endures forever!" The act of lifting up your heart in gratitude is a virtue that feeds all the other virtues. You need gratitude to pray, work, and even love! Think about it. Are you having trouble loving your neighbor? Start by giving thanks for certain traits they have and your love will grow. Having trouble praying? Start by just telling God what you're thankful for and see what happens next. (Hint: Jesus takes it from there!) In anything you do, try first giving thanks to God, and see how he transforms you!
CARES and GEERS Funding
We are so happy to share that we will be receiving 100 Ipads through CARES funding. These Ipads should be arriving very soon to be used in our classrooms. Also, during the summer I worked on a Digital Profile and Plan to submit to the Nebraska Department of Education, Our profile and plan was accepted and has qualified us to receive GEERS funding from the state. This means that along with the 100 Ipads secured through CARES, we will also be getting almost 150 more devices (Ipads and Chrome Books for grades PK-5). This is very exciting that we will now have more devices to implement BlendED learning and digital platforms in our instruction.
Inclement Weather
A reminder on how we will handle “snow days” this year. Although some districts plan on snow days being remote learning days, we have plenty of hours/days built into our schedule, so we will not be using “snow days” as instructional days. We also realize that when school closes, parents are not always able to work with their children and will be seeking childcare (and providers may not be familiar with online platforms). This may change if we have too many days canceled for weather. We will still use Millard Public Schools and the Catholic Schools Office announcements for snow days or inclement weather. This means if Millard and/or the Omaha Catholic Schools announce a snow day (possibly for Millard it would be called a “remote learning day”), St. Stephen the Martyr School will not be in session. We also will always try to post on social media and send an email as soon as the decision is made. For more information from the Catholic Schools, office please see the attached letter below.
Important Dates Coming Up
- Wednesday, November 11: Veteran's Day
- Friday, November 20: Picture Re-takes from 8-10 AM
- Wednesday, November 25 - Friday, November 27: No School / Thanksgiving Break
