St. Stephen Mission Statement: St. Stephen School seeks to educate the whole child in mind, body, and spirit as we provide a faith-based community that assists children in developing a Christian conscience and attitude along with an understanding of the Catholic faith, centered in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Dear St. Stephen Families,

I'm happy to report that we received very positive feedback from the Trabbic Farm field trip. The students were very well behaved, interacted well with each other, and gave us great reason to continue this wonderful school tradition. I extend much gratitude to Dcn. Trabbic and his family for opening up his space for us to share.

The month of October is Respect Life Month. At the bottom of this newsletter is a flier for Plymouth Right to Life's Junior High Oratory Contest. There are only a few entrants so far, so there is great opportunity for our 6th-8th grade students to speak about Pro-Life issues, represent the school, and win a monetary prize. Please see the flier for details.

October is also dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. At Mass on Monday October 7th, Father John led our community in a Rosary to honor Our Lady of the Rosary I would like to challenge our families at 3 levels the remainder of the month.

Level 1: Praying 1 Hail Mary daily as a family,

Level 2: Praying 1 Decade of the Rosary as a family.

Level 3: Praying the Rosary as a family.

Meeting this challenge at different levels should give access to our families who have varied daily and weekly schedules. While one day meeting the challenge at Level 2 is best, maybe the next day there's time to meet Level 3; perhaps the following day there's only time for Level 1. Meeting the challenge is the goal at each of our own family situations. I look forward to seeing our families rise to the challenge this month dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary.

Please see the visual below to support your family's prayer of the Rosary-- whether this family prayer is new or habitual.

Many blessings.

In Christ,

Bradley J. Stalder

Principal

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

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 here.

We are excited to announce that MS Teacher Ms. Rachel Hutcherson has been selected as one of two MANS Faith-Filled Teacher Award Winners.

From the award letter:

This award is conferred to an educator who exemplifies the very best in faith-based educaton. Your nominator, and the peer review team, noted that you have been a dedicated educator demonstrating unwavering commitment to both the academic and spiritual growth of students. Your award includes a complimentary registration to the 2024 MANS Education Conference and Expo in Detroit, Michigan. You will be recognized before your peers during the morning welcome on October 18th.

Congratulations on being recognized for your commitment to guiding the intellectual and spiritual formation of the St. Stephen Catholic School students you teach every day. We join the St. Stephen Catholic School community in thanking you for your service to Christ through your service to students.

This is a well-deserved recognition for Ms. Hutcherson. Please extend your congratulations as you see her during school.

A tremendous word of thanks to Apple Charlie's for Donating all of the apples that were used to make 425 World Famous Apple Pies.

Thank you to our PSG who worked tirelessly to make AppleFest such a rousing success!

I received feedback that this was the smoothest AppleFest event in recent memory.

The Parent Support Group (PSG) October Newsletter is linked here.

PSG Sponsored Trunk or Treat will be hosted at St. Stephen on Monday October 28th at 4:30 PM. Guidance for car designs will be provided soon.

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.

All families can also log on and order a FREE Digital SmileSafe card.

More about the Smilesafe program here.

Thank you!

Consider watching this video as a family this week as we prepare for Bl. Carlo Acutis' feast day on October 12.

We will be celebrating All Saints Day on Friday November 1st. Students are strongly encouraged to dress as a Saint that they wish to honor or is meaningful to them/their family on Friday November 1st. More Details will be coming soon.

Our school will be in session during Halloween. In the past, students have been permitted to dress in costume. Please consider the following guidance regarding costumes: refrain from costumes containing or referencing blood/gore, masks, swords/weapons (including play versions), devil/demon/witches, etc. We want to honor the fun of this holiday while also ensuring appropriate attire for a Catholic school.

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.

Picture Re-Take Day is November 5th.

The Fall pilgrimage for 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue, OH is scheduled for Thursday, October 24th. Permission Slips have gone out and should be returned ASAP.

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 October 30th and then the last Thursday of the month moving forward. Thursday October 31st is the last Thursday in October, and we will be celebrating Halloween. 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.”

Volunteers are needed for the CYO Junior I-League Soccer Tournament. Use this link to sign up to volunteer.

JV Soccer Upcoming

Saturday Oct 12 TBD St. Stephen

VARSITY

Wednesday Oct 9 515 PM Anderson

Friday Oct 11 515 PM St. Stephen

8th Graders are also invited to University of Detroit Jesuit High School’s Open House Sunday October 27th. Details are linked here.

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

Gabriel Richard Catholic High School is inviting our 7th & 8th grade parents to Arnaldo's Banquet Center on October 16. See this link for more information.

Gabriel Richard Catholic High School is also hosting a Pioneer Exploration Day Friday October 25th. The student will experience what it's like to be a student at GR by attending interactive "mini" classes and workshops. They will be escorted by our Student Ambassadors and have an opportunity to ask about our academic, athletic, and extra-curricular activities. We also provide free lunch and a t-shirt. E-Mail Mr. Lamb at lambs@gabrielrichard.org to confirm attendance. Notify Ms. Hutcherson if your child plans to attend.

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.

The Knights of Columbus at St. Stephen Catholic Church are inviting our school community to join them in a Rosary Rally at Lajko Park at 12-Noon on Saturday October 12th. Please contact Jim Cislo (313) 405-2683 for more information.

Plymouth Right to Life is sponsoring a Jr. High Oratory Contest. $100 to 1st Place, $50 to 2nd Place, $25 to 3rd Place.

If St. Stephen has the highest number of participants, Plymouth RTL will award our school $500 toward pro-life efforts.

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