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.

August 24, 2022

Faculty and Staff Updates

Grade 8

Please join me in welcoming our new Grade 8 ELA Teacher Mrs. Kelly Heider. Mrs. Heider is looking forward to joining the St. Mark School team and partnering with you to provide our students with an excellent educational experience. This will be her 20th consecutive year of teaching. Mrs. Heider holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in teaching and a Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership and Curriculum. Both of these programs emphasize the importance and value of building a community in the classroom. Mrs. Heider says, “my Catholic faith equips me to help each individual student through a mindset of faith, hope, and love.” Some things she enjoys doing outside the classroom are spending time with family and friends, swimming, reading, attending concerts and sports events, and she has recently started guitar lessons.

Preschool 3

I am pleased to announce that Kathleen McManus will be our Preschool 3 teacher this year. Mrs. McManus has been blessed to work in early childhood education for the past 21 years. Mrs. McManus was our Preschool 3 aide during the 2021-2022 school year. Mrs. McManus attended Central Connecticut State University, Housatonic Community College, and Charter Oak State College, respectively, earning degrees in Social Work, her CDA in Early Childhood Education, and Management & Leadership. Mrs. McManus is a devout Catholic, and an active member of our St. Mark Parish family.

Kindergarten Meet & Greet

There will be a Kindergarten Meet & Greet for parents and students on Thursday, August 25th at 7:00 pm. Due to limited classroom space, siblings are not permitted to attend. Kindergarten families are welcome to bring their child’s supplies to this Meet & Greet.

Preschool Popsicle Social

Preschool 3’s - Sunday, August 28th from 2:00-3:00 pm

Preschool 4’s - Sunday, August 28th from 3:30-4:30 pm

If we experience inclement weather, we will move indoors to the gym. Siblings are welcome to join us.

Supply Drop Off Dates

Supply Drop off Dates

New and returning (Kindergarten through Grade 8) parents and students are invited to drop off classroom supplies prior to the first day of school. Supply drop off is planned for Monday August 29th from 12:00-2:00 pm and Tuesday August 30th from 5:30-7:30pm. Preschool families are invited to bring their supplies to their preschool popsicle social on Sunday August, 28, 2022.

New Parent Orientation

There will be a New Parent Orientation for incoming families of students in Grades K through 8 on Monday, August 29th at 7:00pm. Students may accompany you but are not required to attend.

Student Supplies

By now you should have received a class supply list for your child for both the classroom teacher as well as an Art supply list. If you haven't received the list, please contact Mrs. Mannino at cmannino@stmarkschool.org as soon as possible.

First Day of School

Grades K through 8

Thursday, September 1, 2022

All K-8 parents are welcome in the gym at 7:45A as we start the new school year.

We will welcome the St. Mark Class of 2023 and pray together as a school community.
Parents are required to enter at the Parish Center (gym) doors.
Students should enter at their designated drop off locations.
Parents will be asked to promptly leave the gym at the conclusion of morning prayer and pledge so that we can transition our students to the classrooms.

First Week of School

Grades K through 8

Thursday, September 1st -- Dismissal at 11:25, regular fall uniform

Friday, September 2nd -- Dismissal at 11:25, regular fall uniform (not Gym uniform). Grades 1 through 8 will be attending 8am Mass. All families are welcome to attend.

Monday, September 5th -- NO SCHOOL, Labor Day

Tuesday, September 6th -- First Full Day

First Week of School

Little Lions Preschool

Preschool 3’s Orientation: Thursday, September 1st 9:00-10:00 am

Parents are requested to attend.

Preschool 4’s Orientation: Friday, September 2nd 9:00-10:00 am

Parents are requested to attend.

Tuesday, September 6th -- First Full Day of Preschool (for those that attend PK on Tuesdays)

Gym Schedule

Beginning the week of September 6th, gym classes will meet according to the following schedule:

Wednesdays: Grades 3 through 8

Fridays: PK3 through Grade 2

First Week of School

Grades K through 8

Thursday, September 1st -- Dismissal at 11:25, regular fall uniform

Friday, September 2nd -- Dismissal at 11:25, regular fall uniform (not Gym uniform). Grades 1 through 8 will be attending 8am Mass. All families are welcome to attend.

Monday, September 5th -- NO SCHOOL, Labor Day

Tuesday, September 6th -- First Full Day

First Week of School

Little Lions Preschool

Preschool 3’s Orientation: Thursday, September 1st 9:00-10:00 am

Parents are requested to attend.

Preschool 4’s Orientation: Friday, September 2nd 9:00-10:00 am

Parents are requested to attend.

Tuesday, September 6th -- First Full Day of Preschool (for those that attend PK on Tuesdays)

Gym Schedule

Beginning the week of September 6th, gym classes will meet according to the following schedule:

Wednesdays: Grades 3 through 8

Fridays: PK3 through Grade 2

Uniform Reminder

The School Uniform & Dress Code will be strictly enforced this school year. Click here to review my recent newsletter regarding the 2022-2023 St. Mark School Uniform and Dress Code Policy.

Milk

This year, St. Mark School will not be offering milk for purchase for lunch. Due to lack of participation and the price increase from the dairy, it has become cost prohibitive for us to offer milk.

Forms

Lunch Forms

Mrs. Mannino sent out the September Lunch Form, please submit your order with payment no later than September 1, 2022 at 9:00am. Lunch form can be found here.

Food Permission Slips

Mrs. Mannino sent out the Food Permission Slip. This form covers all potential snacks that could be served at Class Parties or sold at monthly Snack Shops. The food permission slip form can be found here.

Class Dues

In order for every class to have holiday parties and for each teacher and staff member to receive gifts for birthdays and holidays, families are required to pay class dues. The Class Dues form can be found here.

Prepaid Dress Down

St. Mark School offers a convenient Dress Down Pre-Pay Program. Scheduled Dress Down Days are planned for once a month throughout the school year for students in Grades K-8. In order to participate, the student must pay $1 for this privilege. The proceeds from this collection benefit Graduating Class Scholarships. Please find the Prepaid Dress Down Form here.

Afterschool Program

Registration for our After School Program is open now! All registrations must be received by September 1, 2022. Click here for registration forms.

Office Payments

For proper bookkeeping purposes, we will no longer be accepting combined checks. Each payment needs a separate check.

For example: If you are paying for afterschool and lunch for two children, you must send in the afterschool payment for two children separate from the lunch payment for the two children. Any combined checks will be returned to you by the Main Office.

Food Allergy Awareness

As we prepare to return to school, I want to remind you of our Food Policy. It is important that we all do our part to be sensitive to those with life threatening food allergies. As a reminder, foods containing nuts or items that are made in a facility that processes nuts may not be sent to school. Thank you for your cooperation.

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!