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 Catholic School Families,

As we prepare for the 2025-2026 school year, I speak for the entire faculty and staff when I say that we are deeply grateful for your commitment to our school community and your partnership in the formation of your children. Together, we embrace our mission to inspire academic excellence through the pursuit of Truth, formation as disciples of Jesus Christ, growth in virtue, and service with mercy.

I am writing to inform you of the tuition and fee structure for the upcoming school year. The tuition for one full-day Catholic student will increase to $5,800, which includes book fees and Parish Raffle Ticket obligation. This adjustment reflects our commitment to three important goals:

1. Supporting our dedicated teachers through increased salaries, recognizing the vital role they play in your children’s academic and spiritual formation.

2. Offsetting the impact of inflation to ensure we can continue to deliver the high-quality education you expect.

3. Sustaining and enriching the classical curriculum we have successfully integrated, which nurtures a love of learning and strengthens students' intellectual and spiritual development.

We are also pleased to continue offering a multi-child discount to support families with more than one child enrolled. For Catholic families with two students, there is a 17.2% discount per student, and for Catholic families with three students, there is a 24.7% discount per student. Please see the attached breakdown for further details.

Tuition Assistance and Enrollment Support
We are proud to share that last year, through generous support from parish and school donors, our families received over $40,000 in tuition assistance.

This includes:

• Nearly $30,000 AOD Tuition Assistance

• $12,000 from the St. Stephen Scholarship Fund

• Thousands of dollars donated by the Endowment Fund team and private donors

We will continue to offer assistance for the 2025-2026 school year. To help families navigate the application process, we are hosting webinars and providing one-on-one support. Re-Enrollment for the new school year is now open here . Remember, the District code is SS-MI.

Enrollment and Fee Details

• Families who register by April 1, 2025, will earn a $200 enrollment fee credit in alignment with their payment plan. Please note that this fee remains non-refundable.

• Additional incentive for early payment includes:

• A $100 tuition discount if paid in full by April 1, 2025 OR

• A $50 tuition discount if paid in full by June 1, 2025.

• Parish Raffle Tickets: Families are required to sell four parish raffle tickets, with each ticket sold earning a $50 credit, for a total $200 obligation.

• Sold tickets will be credited upon returning the completed tickets to the parish office.

• Information about the Parish Raffle and tickets will be sent out in May of 2025.

• Tickets will be due October 3, 2025.

• Included in tuition is a $150 book fee per student to support classroom resources.

Your commitment to Catholic education not only invests in your children’s future but also in our shared mission to inspire discipleship, virtue, and academic excellence. Together, we are building a thriving community rooted in Truth, mercy, and service.

Thank you for entrusting your children to our care. We look forward to another year of growing together in faith and learning.

Yours in Christ,

Bradley J. Stalder
Principal

Our Open House has been generating significant excitement in the community! Over the past few weeks, both Mrs. Oziem and I have received multiple inquiries from prospective families interested in enrolling students across all grade levels. They’ve heard about the wonderful experiences in our school community and are eager to learn more. Currently, we have at least a dozen prospective students whose families are strongly considering St. Stephen Catholic School for the next school year.

Volunteering for Open House is an excellent way to complete your required family service hours while contributing to this exciting event. Opportunities include:

1. Giving Tours – Share your insights and enthusiasm about our school with visiting families.
2. Greeting at the Door – Offer a warm welcome to our guests and capture contact information.
3. Preparing for Open House – Help with setup to ensure a successful event.

Additionally, we have extra physical flyers available to share with prospective families. These are a great way to invite others to experience what makes our school so special.

To volunteer for Open House service hours, please sign up using this link: Open House Volunteer Sign-Up.

NOTE: The Parent Support Group Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 8th at 5:30 PM has a CHANGED TIME to 3:30 PM. The meeting will be held at the school.

We are looking for 3-4 Parent Volunteers from 11:15 AM until 12:35 PM to help watch students while the teachers have lunch with Bishop Monforton on Monday, January 27th. Please call the office or e-mail schooloffice@ststephennb.education to coordinate.

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 January, the "Hail Mary" 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 2025-2026 AOD Tuition Assistance Application opened on December 16, 2024, and will close on February 28, 2025. Parents may visit the Detroit Catholic Schools Tuition Assistance Page for application information.

• Link to Tuition Assistance Information

Parents should reference the Parent information Document for details regarding the application and contact FACTS Customer Service for individual application questions.

• Parent Information Document:
• English
• Español
• FACTS Customer Service
• 866-315-9262

For Catholic Families only: All awardee families must be current members of a Catholic parish within the Archdiocese of Detroit. Your Pastor’s signature on the form below is required to complete your application. Forms must be turned into your school’s office by February 28, 2025. Non-Catholic Applicants do NOT need to turn in a Pastor Signature Form.

• Pastor's Signature Form

New for the 2025-2026 AOD Tuition Assistance application, the Department of Catholic Schools alongside FACTS Grant & Aide will be hosting three webinars for parents. These webinars will be a chance for applicants to fully understand the application requirements and ask any questions they may have. The dates, times and webinar links are posted below.

Please note: These webinars will be recorded and posted on the Tuition Assistance page of the Detroit Catholic Schools website.

DCS & FACTS Parent Webinar Flyer & Dates:

• Parent Webinar Information
• Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at 5:30 p.m.
• Registration link

• You can submit a question here prior to the webinar.

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

1/26 - Open House & Begin Catholic Schools Week

1/27 - 815 AM Mass with Bishop Monforton to launch Catholic Schools Week. All families are invited to attend. Prompt arrival to school for students is expected.

2/2 - Ice Cream Social for prospective Kindergarteners

2/12 - 3rd Quarter Progress Reports

2/14- 2/17 - No School - Winter Break

3/14 - No School

3/17 -

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 February 26th -- 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.”

St. Stephen School celebrates Catholic Schools Week with themes and activities throughout the week.

Students are to bring shirt/ outfit to change into after Mass on Mon/Tues/Thurs/Friday.

Note the following themes:

Monday - Full Uniform Required for Mass with the Bishop. Students may bring their Favorite colored T-Shirt to change into after Mass.

Tuesday - Career Day - To Change into after Mass

Wednesday - Decades (Choose a decade's notable outfit)

Thursday - St. Stephen Spirit OR Sports Day. Jeans/Sweatpants are acceptable; leggings and shorts are not permissible). St. Stephen Spirit Wear is permissible to Mass. Students opting for Sports-wear may change after Mass.

Friday - Comfy Cozy/Pajama Day- Full unform for Mass, then change into school-appropriate pajamas after Mass.

Orders for Spirit Wear are processing and should be ready in approximately 2 weeks. Thank you for your patience as we receive these items.

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

Redeem Now

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/