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.

March 11, 2022

Dear St. Mark Families,

On the second Sunday of Lent each year, we hear the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration. The Transfiguration follows Jesus’ first prediction of his death and his teaching about the costs of discipleship. Jesus’ Transfiguration is a promise of his Resurrection, and may have been an event from which Peter, James, and John drew courage when they faced the difficult events of Jesus’ Passion.

In Sunday's Gospel, the voice from heaven speaks to the disciples saying, “Listen to him.” The Transfiguration was a focused moment for the disciples when they heard God speaking to them and experienced Jesus in glory. They most certainly left this focused moment with a new appreciation for the importance of Jesus' words even if they did not yet understand everything that he had taught them. During Lent, we are invited to consider our attentiveness to Jesus and to one another. I encourage all St. Mark families to take the opportunity to listen to one another and carve out time in your day for quiet prayer this Lenten season.

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

Yours in Christ,

Mrs. Warner

Please do not reply to this email. As a reminder, I have an open door policy for all parents and students. If you ever have any questions and/or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at any time.

From the Nurse's Office

As we transition to a new approach to the management of COVID-19, I would like to remind families to be cognizant of the health of your child. Most importantly, please keep your child home if they feel sick or have any COVID symptoms.

Click here for the updated guidance from the State DPH and CSDE regarding the new approach to COVID-19 management in schools and settings outside of school.

We will continue quarantine/isolation guidance for those individuals who test positive or are not feeling well and are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. Please see the chart below for this information and click here to read the guidance in its entirety. Please note that if an individual tests positive for COVID-19 they may return on day 6 as noted below. The individual will need to wear a mask for days 6-10 upon return to school.

Important Reminders

St. Mark School will be closed for students on Monday, March 14th, 2022. 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.

Per Sodexo Food Service providers there will be no hot lunch served on Wednesday, March 16, 2022. Please send lunch from home for your child.

We have been informed by some parents that phone calls from St. Mark School have been filtered or blocked as spam by some cell service providers. Please save the St. Mark School phone number (203) 375-4291 in your cell phone contacts to ensure you receive phone calls and voice mail messages.

Parents are asked to please adhere to the 5mph speed limit in the parking lot during drop off. Our fellow parishioners on their way into daily Mass appreciate your attention to the speed limit.

Living our Faith

This week, students in Grades 2, 3, 4 and 5 received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. May God keep them close as they now prepare for their First Holy Communion.

Service

Thank you to our families, students, and faculty for participating in the service dress down day in support of the people of Ukraine. Together we raised $1,400 in direct donation to the American Red Cross. Please continue to keep the people of Ukraine and all those in the world affected by war in your prayers.

2022-2023 School Registration

Thank you to all the families that have registered for next year. If you have not registered, and wish to reserve your child's spot for next year's class, please do so ASAP by submitting the following:

2022/23 Current Family Registration form
2022/23 Tuition Agreement form, and
Registration fee ($150 for first child and additional $50 for each sibling)

We have begun accepting 22-23 registrations from new families and are conducting tours on a daily basis for prospective families. We expect to have wait lists in multiple grades next year.

Bishop's Scholarship Fund

Bishop’s Scholarship Fund (BSF) provides tuition assistance to help families afford a Catholic Education.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2022-2023 school year!

All families with students in next year's grades Kindergarten through Grade 8 are eligible to apply.

Families apply online via FACTS Grant & Aid www.FACTSmgt.com/aid.

Complete all questions regarding BSF, submit supporting documentation and the $30 FACTS processing fee.

The application requires the entire 2020 (or 2021) IRS Federal tax return along with 2021 W2s. If applicants do not receive W-2s, then they must submit a 2021 tax return.

Deadline to apply for current families is March 15th, 2022. Award notifications will be communicated in early May.

For more information visit: http://www.foundationsineducation.org/bishops-scholarship-fund

Children's Educational Opportunity Foundation of Connecticut, Inc.

Since 1995, Children's Educational Opportunity Foundation of Connecticut, Inc. (CEO), has been awarding scholarship monies to families residing in Bridgeport, Hartford, East Hartford, and New Haven

who strive to have equal access to quality education for their children.

CEO will provide half of the annual tuition – up to a maximum of $2,100 per academic year.

Guidelines:

Students must reside in Bridgeport, Hartford, East Hartford or New Haven and live in the home of the applicant parent or guardian.

Students may enter CEO between grades K-5.

Renewing students may be supported through grade 8.

Families may choose any accredited private or parochial school in Connecticut.

Online applications are available at www.ceoct.org for the 2022-2023 school year!

IOWA and CogAT

Standardized Testing

IOWA and CogAT standardized testing for Grades 1 through 7 will begin the week of March 21st, 2022. Testing for St. Mark School will be an audio-led computer based test.

Parents in grades 1 through 7 are asked to check in with your child to determine if they have properly working headphones or earbuds at school. If not, please send proper equipment in a ziplocked baggie, labeled with your child's name to school this week.

During testing weeks, teaching and learning will continue on in classrooms. Teachers will keep homework, tests, and quizzes to a minimum during this time.

How your child can prepare for test taking:

A student who is well rested and well fed and has a positive attitude about testing is best prepared for testing. You can help your child do his or her best by considering these tips:

Ensure your child has properly working headphones or earbuds at school.
Make sure your child is in school and on time on test days. Reschedule dentist appointments and other out-of-school time on non-testing days.
Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast before each day of testing.
Remind your child that these tests are only one part of the school day. Emphasize that you have confidence in his or her ability to do the best job possible.
Remind your child to listen carefully to the directions and to each question as it is read aloud during testing. Encourage your student to ask the teacher for help if he or she does not understand the directions.

Models in Christ

St. Mark School is proud of our students who were recognized in February for being Models in Christ. Unfortunately, there was a typo in last week's graphic. We apologize for the error.

Athletics Update

Our 2022 St. Mark Basketball Tournament concludes this Saturday, March 12th. Come cheer on our St. Mark Boys JVV team playing tonight. On Sunday, Girls Varsity, Boys JV, and Girls JV teams are all playing in championship games! click here for more info on the tournament and here for the master schedule. Be sure to check the schedule often as game times are subject to change. Good luck to all our St. Mark teams and May God bless you.

Parish News

St. Mark Parish’s Social Events Committee will be hosting a Corned Beef and Cannolis event celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and St. Joseph’s Day on March 19, 2022, at 6:00-9:30 p.m. in the Parish Center. Entertainment includes Brennan- Lucey Irish step dancers of River Dance Fame, Shooting Star Music, and Italian music and memories with Richard DeLibro.

Seating is limited, $25/adults and $15/children.

RSVP to [email protected]

St. Mark Parish Knights of Columbus, St. John Paul II, Council 8 are hosting their traditional Palms and Pancakes Sunday! Please join the Knights for a free breakfast after all the masses on Palm Sunday, April 10th in the Parish Hall. If you wish to make a donation to defer expenses, you may do so at the breakfast.

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

For important information and updates on COVID-19, 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.

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