St. Stephen Mission Statement: As a ministry of the parish, St. Stephen Catholic School inspires academic excellence by the pursuit of Truth, formation of disciples of Jesus Christ, growth in virtue, and service with mercy.

Dear St. Stephen Families,

It was great to celebrate with many families on Thursday November 7th at our 1st Quarter Honors assembly. I receive a lot of positive feedback from both parents and staff that the assembly honored students for academic achievements, witness to Christ, growth, and athletic efforts. Our next Honors Assembly will be January 23rd (mark your calendars) to celebrate Quarter 2.

I also received great news about many successful conferences from Thursday night's event. Conferences are a great way to continue the partnership between the school and parents.

As we inch closer to winter, please be attentive to the daily weather forecasts, and make sure your children have the appropriate outerwear when they leave for school so that they will be prepared for outdoor recess.

Regarding inclement weather, you will be notified via e-mail, Remind, and our social media. Please make sure your FACTS contact information is up to date. If you need to be added on Remind, please see Mrs. Oziem in the front office.

Reminder: PE classes will now be held on Wednesdays instead of Mondays starting Wednesday November 6th. This is due to a shift in our weekly Mass schedule.

Many blessings.

In Christ,

Bradley J. Stalder

Principal

Our school is surveying families to determine which parishes our students most often attend. Please fill out the survey this week. We plan to use this information to better serve our community. Thank you!

2025-2026 AOD Tuition Assistance Application Window

The Department of Catholic Schools is finalizing details for the 2025-2026 AOD Tuition Assistance Application.

All families are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to fill out the Tuition Assistance application provided by the AOD, regardless of income level.

• December 16 - Application Opens
• February 28 - DEADLINE for Pastor Verifications to be submitted to school offices.
• February 28 - DEADLINE for on-line FACTS applications
• Please note: The Parent Information Document (English & Español) and Pastor Verification Document will be available, and linked on our website, for the 2025-2026 AOD Tuition Assistance Application by December 1, 2024.
• Link to AOD Tuition Assistance Information Web Page

Please be on the look out for "support" days upcoming in January where staff members will make themselves available to assist our families with this process.

Reminder: 14 Hours of Service are an obligation for school families.

Forms to record and sign-off for the service hours can be picked up in the front office OR downloaded below ⏬

Please see the Full-Day Pre-K4 Interest form for the '25-'26 School Year. This program would be in addition to our current half-day program. Please share with friends and neighbors.

For:

- The Parent Support Group

- The Special Intentions of the Stalder Family

- Fr. John Hedges

- For Sterling as she recovers from her surgery and outcome

- For the Armstrong Family

- For St. Stephen students for their spiritual, social, and academic health

To add your prayers/ intercessions, fill out the form below ⏬

During the Month of November, the "Glory Be" in Latin will be included in our morning school prayer. I encourage you to also pray this simple prayer at home with your child.

During the Month of October, the "Sign of the Cross" in Latin will be included in our morning school prayer. I encourage you to also pray this simple prayer at home with your child.

Dear parents,

School pictures are ready!

To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.com or create an account using your student's student ID number.

Don't Forget to Order This Year's School Pictures

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Don’t forget to order your FREE Digital SmileSafe card!

More about the Smilesafe program here.

11/20 - Jean Day for November

11/27-11/29 Thanksgiving Break

12/2 - Q2 Progress Reports

12/17 - Advent/Christmas Music Program - 230 PM

12/23-1/5 Christmas Break

1/6 - Return to Classes

1/14 - End of Q2

1/23 - End of Semester 2 Pep Rally (Honors Assembly)

1/24 - St. Stephen School Art Show - 5-6PM

1/26 - Open House & Begin Catholic Schools Week

The school calendar has changed slightly from earlier this summer. The St. Stephen mid-winter break is now better aligned with Huron School District’s break. Please see the updated school calendar linked here.

The Fall pilgrimage for the Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders to the Solanus Casey Center will be Friday, November 22nd. More Details and permission slips will be going out soon.

Our next Jeans Day Wednesday November 20th and then the last Wednesday of the month moving forward. Per the handbook, “Jeans must be blue denim and loose fitting. Gym shoes are to be worn with jeans. Money collected on this day is put into the Technology Fund.”

All parents/guardians volunteering in any capacity for St. Stephen are REQUIRED to complete Protecting God’s Children. This includes volunteer drivers. Please read the information here. Use the following link to register here.

Any parent planning to drive for field trips will need to complete the form linked here and submit the required driving information to the front office.

Additionally, volunteers who have not already completed a background check this year should complete this form and return it to the front office OR e-mail to schooloffice@ststephennb.education

If there are any boys in 4-6th grade interested in playing basketball please contact us. We are also still needing bowlers in 4-6th grade.

Contact AD@ststephennb.education with questions/interest

St. Mary’s Catholic Central High School is inviting our community to their Open House Sunday November 3rd. Please see the flier linked here.

Senate Bill 280 was signed into law in December 2023. Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, the parent/guardian, who registered a child for the first time in kindergarten or first grade in a school in Michigan, must comply with the following:

Have a dentist or dental hygienist conduct a dental oral assessment on the child not earlier than six months before the date of the child’s registration with the school and obtain from the dentist or dental hygienist a written statement certifying that the child has received the dental oral assessment.

Please utilize the form linked here for all kindergarten and first grade students.

Please see the information regarding concussion awareness linked here and the AOD policy here. Please sign the following concussion material acknowledgment linked here and bring it to the front office or e-mail to schooloffice@ststephennb.education.

Please contact the St. Stephen school office if you wish to find out more information about Huron District provided bussing– even if your family utilized district bussing in previous years.

One of our parents is looking for immediate babysitting support. Please see this link for details.

Thanksgiving and Christmas time are right around the corner, and now more than ever, with the rise of inflation, Christian Services is reaching out to our generous parishioners to help provide for those in need. The items in need are as follows: gift cards, donations to buy gift cards, stuffing, cranberry sauce, canned vegetables, canned fruit, any type of box desserts, potatoes, gravy canned or, powdered, cereal, chips, dehydrated onions, Macaroni, and cheese, and baked beans.

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Facebook Parent Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/805655842880562/?ref=share&mibextid=adzO7l

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ststephennb/