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.

Greetings St. Stephen Families,

What a tremendous blessing the Advent Tea Event was on Sunday. I was told that there were the most tables and tickets bought in recent memory-- all of which go to support the school. The music, friendship, contemplation was a beautiful way to start the Advent season. Many thanks to Mary Elliott, Cricket Bodary, Ms. Hutcherson, Mrs. Frank, the Parent Support Group, the many donors for the raffle, and hosts of the tables, and countless volunteers who helped to make this such a successful event.

With the Advent season comes colder, winter weather. First, a reminder about appropriate outerwear-- students often travel to the Church, have outdoor recess, or practice emergency drills throughout the winter season and should normally have a coat, hat, and gloves/mittens to keep warm. Second, St. Stephen Catholic School normally follows Huron Public Schools when calling a snow day. Please be on the lookout via e-mail, Remind, Instagram, and Facebook notifications if such days are called. The links to the IG and FB pages are always located at the bottom of the newsletter. Third, there seems to be a surge in student fevers and sickness. Please keep students home while sick. General practice is that a student should be fever free for 24 hours.

Mark your calendars for January 26, 2025 from 12-Noon until 3 PM for the St. Stephen Open House. Later this month, your family will be receiving fliers to share and invite others to come to the Open House.

Thank you for your many prayers and Advent blessings.

In Christ,

Bradley J. Stalder
Principal

Students in Grades PreK3 thru 8th Grade will have the opportunity to purchase small gifts at Santa's Secret Shop. Sign up to Support.

Join us for our 3rd Annual Afternoon with Santa!

Please help make this event special. We need volunteers for set-up, pictures w/Santa, Santa Secret Shop, Cookie Decorating, etc.

https://www.signupgenius.com/.../53173da06a7c9efc53...

Our 2nd annual Holiday Lock in is Saturday, December 14!

We have tons of fun planned for this kids night out, providing the perfect opportunity for a holiday date night, or some kid free shopping. Pizza, snacks and drinks provided while we craft, play games and watch a Christmas movie!

Lock in is from 5pm-9pm. Doors open at 4:45pm.
Doors will be locked at 5:15pm. Pick up children at 9pm sharp!

All families are required to complete at least 14 hours of service this school year. Consider meeting this requirement with volunteering for one of the following opportunities coming up:

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

During the Month of December, the first verse to "O Come All Ye Faithful" 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 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.

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.

12/4 - Students are permitted to wear school-appropriate crazy socks to school for "Crazy Sock Day"

12/4 - Santa's Secret Shop for Pre-K, Kinder, and 1st Grade in AM, for 5th/6th, 7th/8th in PM

12/5 - Santa's Secret Shop 2nd thru 4th Grade in AM, Make-Ups/Last Call in PM

12/7 - Afternoon with Santa. Santa time from 2-4 PM, Food 4-6 PM.

12/9 - Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception - Holy Day of Obligation - School Office Closed until 9:30 AM

12/14 - Holiday Lock-In

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

12/18 - Jeans Day OR Comfy Cozy Day - $1

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

2/2 - Ice Cream Social for Pre-K and Visitors/Guests

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.

Our next Jeans Day Wednesday December 18th and then the last Wednesday of the month moving forward. The students may have the option for a school-appropriate comfy/cozy wear on that day as well. 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.”

The Athletic Booster Club wishes to remind parents that tickets for the Cooler of Cheer Raffle are available in the office.

We are excited to announce that our school will be hosting a book fair on January 26th thru the 31st.

It's a wonderful opportunity for us to come together and celebrate the joy of reading and learning.

The book fair is not just an opportunity to expand your personal library but also a chance to support our School. We will be using Ignatius Book Fairs to be sure that the books offered foster a love of reading and ensure that our community can access literature that aligns with our Christian values.

Let’s discover books that will edify our children’s minds, character & deepen our faith.

We encourage you to share the shopping link https://store.ignatiusbookfairs.com/ with your family, friends, and neighbors to join us in celebrating the joy of reading and discovery. Your participation will make this event truly special.

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you at the book fair!

God Bless!

To create an account to place an order: https://store.ignatiusbookfairs.com/

1. Click “Sign Up”

2. Click “Create an Account” then Choose your role

3. Fill out your information: name, email, create password

4. Add your child’s name

5. Find your school with zip code and/or State. Click “search” and select your school

6. Choose Classroom

7. Confirm

8. Click “Get Started” or click “Add another 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

ENJOY 10% OFF

your order!

CODE: F202410OFF

EXPIRES: July 31, 2025

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

More about the Smilesafe program here.

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

-For the St. Stephen staff

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@StStephenNewBoston

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StStephenNB/

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

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