St. Mark School E-Newsletter

St. Mark School

A 2009 National Blue Ribbon

School of Excellence

St. Mark School is a Christ-centered learning environment that teaches Gospel values and fosters academic excellence. Aware of the dignity and uniqueness of all students, we are committed to the spiritual, intellectual, moral, social, and physical development of each child.

April 28, 2023

Dear St. Mark Families,

The fourth Sunday of the Easter season is sometimes called Good Shepherd Sunday because the Gospel reading invites us to reflect on Jesus as the Good Shepherd.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, John 10:1-10, the Pharisees fail to accept Jesus’ ministry and teaching. They show themselves to be “robbers and thieves” because they try to lead the sheep without entering through the gate, Jesus. Through these metaphors, Jesus is telling his listeners that those who follow him and his way will find abundant life. He identifies himself both as the shepherd and the gate. The shepherds who are faithful to him are the ones whom the sheep (Jesus’ disciples) should follow.

The relationship between the sheep and their shepherd is based on familiarity. Sheep recognize their shepherd and will not follow a stranger. At the end of the day, shepherds lead their sheep from pastures to a common gated area called a sheepfold. There, one shepherd protects all of the sheep until the next day when each shepherd returns to lead his own sheep to pasture. As shepherds move among the sheep, the sheep follow only their shepherd.

Today’s Gospel also gives us the opportunity to reflect on Christian leadership. Jesus’ words suggest to us that those who will lead the Christian community will be known by their faithfulness to Jesus. The leaders will recognize that Jesus is the gate for all of the sheep and that having a good relationship with Jesus is the primary characteristic of a Christian leader. Jesus’ allegory also suggests that faithful Christian leadership requires a good relationship with the community: the shepherd knows his sheep, and they know him. Christian leaders follow the example of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, by being faithful to him and by being a good shepherd. © Loyola Press Sunday Connection

I wish you all God's Blessings and Grace.

Yours in Christ,

Mrs. Warner

Mass With Bishop Caggiano

Bishop Caggiano will celebrate Mass for St. Mark School students on Thursday, May 4th at 9A. All are welcome to attend. Please be advised, students in Grades K through 8 should be dressed in spring uniform (Grade 8 students will be asked to remove their HS or Class of 2023 sweatshirts for Mass) and no dress down passes will be accepted.

Preschool 3 and 4 will join us in Mass.

Save the Date

Grade 8 vs. Faculty Volleyball Game will be held on Friday, May 5th at 12:45P.

May Crowning of the Blessed Mother will be presented by Grades 2 & 8 on Wednesday, May 17th at 9A in our church. All parents are welcome to attend.

Friday, May 12th is an early dismissal day at 11:25A for students.

Grandparents & Special Friends Day will be held on Thursday, June 1st 12P-2P. Stay tuned for more details!

End of Year Dates

With the approval of the Diocese of Bridgeport Catholic Schools, Office of the Superintendent of Schools, the last day of the 2022-2023 school year for Kindergarten through Grade 7 will be Thursday, June 15th, 2023.

Early Dismissal Days in June

Wednesday, June 14th, 11:25 Dismissal, PK3 through Grade 7

Thursday, June 15th, 11:25 Dismissal, PK3 through Grade 7

Little Lions Preschool Program (PK3 & PK4)

The last day of Little Lions Preschool (PK3 & PK4) Program will be Wednesday, June 14th, 2023. Please note that the day is an early dismissal at 11:25am and there is no After School Program. We will celebrate our PK4 students moving up to Kindergarten with a Graduation Celebration on the last day of the program, Wednesday, June 14th at 9A.

If your child is in PK3 and does not attend school on Wednesdays, their last day of school would be Monday, June 12th or Tuesday, June 13th.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten Graduation will be celebrated on Thursday, June 15th at 9A. Please note that the day is an early dismissal at 11:25am and there is no After School Program.

After School Program

The last day of St. Mark School's After School Program will be on Tuesday, June 13th, 2023 for all grades, PK3 through Grade 8.

Lunch

The number of K-8 students coming to school without lunch has increased dramatically over the last few weeks. If you have not ordered a hot lunch, please send your child to school with enough to eat for snack and lunch.

Additionally, we have been overwhelmed by the number of food deliveries. These deliveries cause a great deal of upset to younger children who do not have McDonald’s, french fries or other foods delivered to them. If for some reason you forget to send your child lunch, please pack a lunch in your child’s lunchbox and drop it off at the Main Office before 11:00 am. If you do not recall if you have not ordered a hot lunch, please reach out to Mrs. Mannino.

Please note: Tuesday, May 16th there will be no hot lunch served per Sodexo Food Services. Please send your child to school with lunch from home, not a restaurant or fast food delivery.

Social Media

The best advertising our school can do is through parents and supporters of St. Mark School. Please like and share our St. Mark School Facebook and Instagram posts.

In our Community

St. Mark School celebrated the Feast of St. Mark, our patron saint, with our 3rd annual HSA Walk-A-Thon. Students in grades PK through 8 took turns walking, dancing, skipping and celebrating while raising funds for the HSA. A great time was had by all, including parent volunteers and parents that came to walk with their children! We are proud of all of our students at St. Mark School and thankful for all of the pledges that were brought in for this fun event. Prizes included a bike for the highest pledge earner in the lower school, an Amazon gift card for the top pledge earner in the upper school and MANY dress down passes for students entered into a raffle.

I’d like to thank our event chairpersons and volunteers, Mrs. Lisa Christoffersen, Mr. Charlie Huda, Mrs. Suzanne Adams, and our DJ, Mr. Jared Forcier.

Facilities Update

I’m pleased to announce the completion of an additional security update to our school and parish facility. A door control system with intercom and camera has been installed at the main entrance to St. Mark School. When visiting the building, please ring the intercom button found to the left of the exterior door. Visitors will be asked to identify themselves before access to the interior vestibule hallway is granted. Please be advised that the existing, secondary door control and intercom system is still in effect in the vestibule hallway.

High School Open House

At this time of year, 7th grade students are encouraged to begin thinking about the high school admissions process. Current 7th grade girls are invited to spend a day at Sacred Heart Academy to get a jump start on their high school search. Families may select a date for a visit by clicking this link . Personal tours for families are also available.

St. Mark Pet Policy

We understand that Spring weather brings an opportunity for families to walk to school for morning drop off and afternoon pick-up. As a gentle reminder, families are asked to adhere to St. Mark School's pet policy to ensure student and staff safety.

Pets and non-service trained domestic animals are not permitted on school grounds during school hours and during school events, except when in a vehicle. Pets are not permitted to leave a vehicle without prior permission of school administration or parish officials.

Parish News

Adoration Chapel

Father Birendra has approved that our Adoration Chapel will now be open 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.

Rosary and Litany Devotional

Knights of Columbus, Council #8, St. John Paul II

Our Knights will be praying the Rosary for the entire month of May. The Knights will meet at 7:00 p.m. weeknights; Saturdays at 6:00 p.m. (after the 5:00 p.m. Mass), and at 1:00 p.m. on Sundays (after the 12:00 noon mass). Weather permitting, the group will meet at the statue of Our Blessed Mother outside the church; otherwise, we will meet in the church or Upper Room. All are welcome.

Malta House/Birthright

St. Mark Respect Life will be having a Diaper Drive to benefit Malta House and Birthright in Norwalk. We will be collecting diapers (larger than newborn) on two weekends in May: May 13/14 and May 20/21. Containers will be placed at all entrances of the church for your use. Thank you for your support of Moms and their babies!

Vacation Bible School

We are proud to announce that Vacation Bible School is back at St. Mark! Bible School runs from July 10 thru July 14, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. till 12:00 noon in the Parish Center. For children in rising grades K-4. Cost is $75 per child. Information and registration forms can be found at www.stmarkstfd.org.

REMINDER

There is no 8:00 a.m. Mass on Saturday, May 13, due to the celebration of First Holy Communion.

St. Mark Youth Group

BACON, BACON, AND MORE BACON! Who doesn’t love bacon? Please help our St. Mark Youth Group offset the costs for attending Steubenville East Youth Conference this summer. Youth group members will be cooking and selling bacon after Masses on Sunday, June 30. Yummy!

The Power of Prayer

If you have a prayer intention, please submit your request to St. Mark School's prayer line by clicking here. Your intention will be remembered during our Afternoon Prayers and Announcements.

For Parish information, visit: https://www.saintmarkchurchstratford.org/

For important information and updates visit the

Diocese of Bridgeport Catholic Schools website

Please visit our school website regularly at www.stmarkschool.org. Important school updates including copies of notices, newsletters, HSA links, and school calendars can all be accessed on the website.

Visit our social media pages for updates on our school community.

Don't use social media? Not to worry...Our social media posts feed to our school website home page!