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.

February 11, 2022
Dear St. Mark Families,

In this Sunday’s Gospel Reading Luke 6:17,20-26, Jesus teaches the crowd the way to happiness in the beginning of what is often called the Sermon on the Plain. As Luke introduces the location of Jesus' teaching, Jesus teaches on level ground, alongside the disciples and the crowd. Luke presents Jesus' authority in a different light. He is God among us.

As we listen to this Gospel, the Beatitudes jar our sensibilities. Those who are poor, hungry, weeping, or persecuted are called blessed. This is, indeed, a Gospel of reversals. Those often thought to have been forgotten by God are called blessed. In the list of “woes,” those whom we might ordinarily describe as blessed by God are warned about their peril. Riches, possessions, laughter, reputation . . . these are not things that we can depend upon as sources of eternal happiness. They not only fail to deliver on their promise; our misplaced trust in them will lead to our demise. The ultimate peril is in misidentifying the source of our eternal happiness.

The Beatitudes are often described as a framework for Christian living. Our vocation as Christians is not to be first in this world, but rather to be first in the eyes of God. We are challenged to live as disciples and real world examples of God’s grace and good work. As a Catholic school community, we look to each other for grace, compassion, love, respect, empathy, kindness, honesty, and understanding.  © Loyola Press Sunday Connection

I wish you all continued good health and God's blessings.

Yours in Christ,
Mrs. Warner 

Please do not reply to this email. If you have questions, comments or concerns please email me directly.
Dismissal

Please be advised that beginning Monday, February 14th, students will no longer be permitted to walk out to parent cars for an early pickup. If your child needs to be dismissed early for any reason, please come into the office to sign them out.

For safety and the efficiency of our dismissal process, students will not be dismissed early from the office after 2pm. If you need to pick up your child early from school, please do so no later than 2pm. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
Indoor Mask Mandate Update

Please be advised that masks will continue to be worn when inside the school building and at school sponsored events on Monday, February 14th, 2022 per the most recent communication from Dr. Cheeseman, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Bridgeport. Please click here to read his message in its entirety.
From the Nurse's Office

We are continuing to monitor all updates from the Connecticut State legislature and the Diocese of Bridgeport regarding changes to masking protocols and mitigation strategies. As we move towards anticipated new guidance from the DPH and SCDE, we will begin to relax some layers of mitigation including the gradual removal of plexi-dividers in classrooms and the cafeteria.

Of note we will no longer be temperature screening staff, students, and visitors upon entry to St. Mark School.  In conducting temperature screenings beginning with the return to in-person learning in 2020, we have not identified one individual with an elevated temperature. If a student or staff member is not feeling well during any part of the school day they can be assessed in my office. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at [email protected].
Professional Development Day

In accordance with the Diocese of Bridgeport Office of the Superintendent for Schools, a Personal Professional Development Day for faculty and staff has been added to the 2021-2022 School Calendar on Monday, March 14th, 2022.

Please be advised that school will be closed for students. There will be no virtual learning on March 14th. This will not add an additional day to the end of the 2021-2022 school year calendar.
2022-2023 School Registration

St. Mark School returning student registration is now open. Please contact the school main office if you need additional registration information.

The Current Family Registration form, registration fee, and tuition agreement must be submitted for your registration to be complete. All three forms are due by Friday, February 25th, 2022 and will reserve your child’s spot in next year’s class if returned by that date. As you may know, we have had a lot of new families express interest in St. Mark School and we expect to have wait lists in multiple grades next year. We will begin accepting enrollment from new families after February 25th, 2022.

For this 2022-2023 school year only, returning families with children in grades Kindergarten through Grade 8 that submit the registration form, tuition agreement and registration fee by February 25th will receive a St. Mark Thank-You pack. The pack will include a dress down pass, pencil and a slice of pizza for each child registered. Please note, registration forms and/or fee received after February 25th, 2022 will not qualify for the Thank- You pack.
Please Make Note

Beginning March 1st, 2022, the playground will be open for our students to use after dismissal. Feel free to stay and let your children play, but please be mindful of our after school program use at 3:30pm.
Faculty Update

Miss Ashley Skipp, Certified School Social Worker for Catapult Learning, has taken leave due to personal reasons. To ensure a smooth transition for students, Jennifer Pelazza, Certified School Counselor for Catapult Learning, will be taking over Miss Ashley’s caseload effective immediately. 
Counselor's Corner

During February, students will be learning all about kindness. In addition to this being our theme for Models in Christ, students will participate in Kindness Week from the 14th to the 17th. During the week, students will have activities based on the theme of the day. I invite you to also have conversations at home about the importance of being kind not just to others, but to ourselves.  

Monday, February 14th: Kindness Begins with Me
Tuesday, February 15th: Kindness Matters
Wednesday, February 16th: Spread Kindness Wherever You Go
Thursday, February 17th: Random Act of Kindness Day
Dress Code Reminders
 
Thank you for your attention to ensuring our students are wearing shoes to school that align with the dress code. We understand that it is cold outdoors, however with the exception of Grade 8, sweatshirts are not permitted as part of the school uniform unless it is gym day.

Grades K-8 sweater: If a student chooses to wear a sweater, it must be plain navy blue with or without our school name

Grades K-4: If a student does not wear a sweater, he/she must wear a knit navy vest with our school name. This is a part of our school uniform and not an option.

Grades 5-7: If a student does not have a sweater on, he must wear a zip up navy fleece vest with our school name.

Grade 8: Students may wear their Class of 2022 sweatshirt or their chosen high school sweatshirt. All other sweatshirts are a violation of the dress code.

Repeated violations of the dress code may result in disciplinary action.
Yearbook Cover Contest

St. Mark School is excited to announce the first annual Yearbook Cover Design Contest! Students in K -8 are invited to participate in the fun. The theme for this year’s yearbook is: MOVIES. Grade 8 Students have the honor of picking the winning cover! Any questions, please contact Ms. Zenowich at [email protected].

Submit Art on:
  • 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper
  • Vertical orientation

All Entries Must Include:
  • Our school name  
  • The school year 2021-2022
  • Your name and grade should be on back of page
  • All entries must be school(age) appropriate

Entries Due By: February 17, 2022

Failure to follow the discussed guidelines will result in a disqualified entry. 

Tips for a Good Entry:
  • Use lots of color, including the background.
  • Don’t leave uncolored white space.
  • Mix up your medium, use crayons, watercolors, markers, pastels, etc.
  • Do not add text too close to the edge of the page. Leave 1 inch of space around the edges, (no text) just color. This will avoid print issues when the art is applied to the cover.
Grades 7 & 8 Confirmation Class

Please be advised that The Most Reverend Bishop Frank Caggiano has changed the age requirement for the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Diocese of Bridgeport. In previous years, the age requirement was the beginning of Grade 9. The new standard will be at the end of 6th grade. Due to the number of children enrolled in religious education through St. Mark Parish, as well as students of St. Mark School, our Director of Religious Education, Mrs. Patricia Nettleton, will be preparing the children in 7th and 8th grades this year. Please be advised that Confirmation dates are chosen by the Bishop, and typically are scheduled in the Fall. Further information will be communicated by Mrs. Nettleton.
 
Mrs. Nettleton will visit Grade 8 students on Wednesday mornings and Grade 7 students on Thursday mornings to prepare for Confirmation. Instruction will be a combination of textbook and video lesson format called Chosen. The program is geared for young people eager to learn why they indeed have been "chosen" by God. The book and video feature a nationally known speaker/writer Chris Stefanick and many other notable figures in our Catholic faith, such as Father Mike Schmitz and Sarah Swafford. Each week the chapters include stories of faith, morals and lessons on being an adult in the faith. There are stories of various saints and how they led their lives of holiness. Posing compelling questions and intriguing ideas are only the start as to why and how we have been Chosen. 
In Our Classrooms

This week our students and faculty celebrated the 100th Day of School and our beloved Color Wars traditional Catholic Schools Week event!
For Parish information, visit: https://www.saintmarkchurchstratford.org/

For important information and updates on COVID-19, visit the
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!
  • Monday, February 14th: Valentine's Day

  • Monday, February 14th-Thursday, February 17th: Kindness Week

  • Thursday, February 17th: $1 Dress Down Day

  • Friday, February 18th: No School, Presidents' Day Weekend

  • Monday, February 21st: No School, Presidents' Day Weekend

  • Wednesday, February 23rd: HSA Snack Shop
St. Mark School | 203-375-4291 | www.stmarkschool.org
500 Wigwam Lane, Stratford, CT 06614
Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.
Helen Keller