St. Mark School E-Newsletter - January 21, 2022

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.

January 21, 2022

Dear St. Mark Families,

Jesus was sent by God to bring salvation to the world. In this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus announced that mission using the framework we hear from the prophet Isaiah: glad tidings will be brought to the poor, liberty to captives, recovery of sight for the blind, and freedom for the oppressed. As a Catholic school community, we are charged with the task of continuing the mission that Jesus began and bringing others into our shared faith so that they too may enjoy everlasting life. Jesus gave us, the Church, the help we need through the Holy Spirit to enable us to participate in his mission and serve the Kingdom of God. © Loyola Press Sunday Connection

One way our community can welcome others into our Catholic faith is by spreading the good news of all our Catholic school has to offer. We know our parent testimonials and positive "word of mouth" marketing is a significant factor in the continued growth our school has been blessed with over the past 2 years. Our upcoming Open House event on January 30th is a perfect opportunity for us to continue the mission Jesus began.

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.

From the Nurse's Office

Clarification of notification of cases of Covid-19

In lieu of contact tracing, we will be notifying families, by affected classroom only, if there are any positive COVID cases that arise and have been in school within a 48 hour period from being symptomatic and/or testing positive. If you do receive a notification of a positive case being in your child's classroom, your child may still come to school, but should be monitored for any COVID symptoms.

Our COVID Dashboard on our website will continue to be updated weekly.

Testing

Testing allows us to identify positive cases in a timely manner and limit spread. At home self-tests, rapid antigen, and PCR tests will all be accepted.

Masks

We ask that all parents pease speak to your child(ren) about appropriate mask wearing, ensuring both nose and mouth are covered. Be assured that teachers provide mask breaks indoors throughout the day for students when they are socially distanced.

**If you are having trouble finding an appointment or test kit, or have any questions or concerns please contact Nurse Frate fratew@stratk12.org.

2022 Catholic Schools Week

January 30th-February 5th

Due to scheduling conflicts with the special surprise presentation, Student Appreciation day needed to be rescheduled. Any grade level with PE class on Wednesday may dress down in PE appropriate clothing. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Please make note of the revised schedule below:

Schedule of Events:

Sunday, January 30th: Open House School Tours, PK-8

by reservation only, 10am-12pm

Monday, January 31st: Silly Sock/Silly Hat Day

Wear a silly hat and/or socks to school with your uniform
Special Event from Mrs. Warner (Grades K-8)

Tuesday, February 1st: Community Service Day

Catholic Schools week is a celebration! We will be collecting boxed cake mix, brownie mix, frosting to be donated to local food pantry

Wednesday, February 2nd: Student Appreciation Day

Free Dress Down Day *
No homework
Special Surprise Presentation

Thursday, February 3rd: Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day

Thank a teacher and staff member day. Please feel free to make a card, send in a flower or little treat for your teachers and/or staff.
Faculty/Staff Appreciation Lunch
1960’s Themed Dress Down Day in honor of St. Mark School, founded in 1964
Faith-based Service projects

Friday, February 4th: Color Wars

Free color war dress down
Classes will be paired up and assigned a color

PK3--any of the colors: blue, green, yellow, red, purple

PK4 & Grade 2 -- Green

K & Grade 8 -- Blue

Grade 1 & Grade 6 -- Yellow

Grade 3 & Grade 5 -- Red

Grade 4 & Grade 7 -- Purple

The group with the most “color” spirit wins!
Grades K-8 will attend First Friday Mass. Students will be asked to remove any Color War accessories prior to Mass. Accessories can be added back on after students return to their classroom.

Please note, due the ongoing pandemic and current mitigation best practices, the Grade 8/Faculty volleyball game and HSA PJ party have been postponed to the spring.

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.

Listening Session

Pope Francis wants to know what’s on your mind! As part of the global Catholic church, YOU are invited to a listening session to gather input for the 2021-2023 Synod on Synodality.

A team from St. Mark Parish will be compiling comments from our community into a report to be submitted to the Diocese. If you know of Catholics who are no longer practicing, please spread the word and let them know they are invited to the listening session as well. Our listening session will take place on Sunday, January 23, 2022, at 1:00 pm in the Church. We hope to see you there!

Supply Reminders

Headphones/Earbuds

Please check with your child or his/her teacher to ensure they have properly working headphones/earbuds for use in school. Many of our digital learning tools require headsets for online use.

Water Bottles

Recently, there has been an increase in student visits to the nurse's office for a cup for drinking water. Please send a water bottle to school with your child daily. Water bottles can be disposable or reusable. No glass bottles, please.

Virtual Learning Snow Day

Our first virtual learning snow day went well with very minor hiccups. Thank you parents for your support as we understand learning from home comes with it's own challenges. We have decided to incorporate virtual learning snow days in an effort to not add an excessive number of days of school to make-up in June.

Please note that yesterday's $1 Dress Down Day has been rescheduled to Thursday, January 27th.

Please be advised that all future weather related school closings will be designated virtual learning days, 8am-12pm. Student in Grades 2-8 will use Google Classroom and Google Meet. Kindergarten and Grade 1 use SeeSaw Learning Platform. Further details will be provided on virtual learning days by classroom teachers. In order for attendance to be marked present, your child must participate in virtual learning for the day.

HSA Lunch Volunteers Request

As you know, St. Mark School thrives because of our parent volunteers. We are grateful to those that were able to answer the call for lunch volunteers.

At this time, we are still in need of additional volunteers that can commit to Wednesdays. The volunteer commitment is approximately 1.5 hours. Volunteers are asked to arrive at 11:30. Lunch volunteers are responsible for preparing the lunch tables, serving hot lunch and replenishing supplies.

Volunteering at lunch is a great way to help out at school and brighten your child’s day. This is also a great opportunity for Grandparents to be involved in the school. Please note, volunteers must be VIRTUS trained.

Please contact homeschoolassociation@stmarkschool.org if you are interested in volunteering for lunch duty on Wednesdays.

Thank you for your continued support of St. Mark School.

Athletics Update

Basketball Tournament Sponsorship Opportunities are still available! Please consider sponsoring the St. Mark 2022 Basketball Tournament which attracts hundreds of families in and around Fairfield and New Haven counties. It’s a great way to promote your business in our school gym! Click here for more information.

St. Mark School Athletics Mask Policy for Home Games

Masks must be worn at all times by spectators and student athletes in the gym and restroom areas. Masks must be worn above the nose and cover the mouth area.

Click here to read the complete Connecticut Interscholastic Conference 2021-2022 Winter Sports COVID-19 Guidance (Updated Jan. 11, 2022)

AMEN Team Update

OPEN HOUSE

Sunday, January 30, 2022 10A-12N (by reservation only)

Please help us spread the word! We have a few more OPEN HOUSE yard signs if you'd like to post one on your front lawn. Please call Mrs. Mannino at 203-375-4291 if you can help. Thank you in advance for helping in marketing our wonderful school!

2022-2023 ENROLLMENT

New 2022-2023 tuition rates will be distributed next week, along with an invitation to register your child(ren) for next year.

As you may know, we have had many new families express interest in St. Mark School and we expect to have wait lists in multiple grades next year. Early registration will reserve your child’s spot in next year’s class if returned by February 4th, 2022, as we will begin accepting enrollment from new families after that date.

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.

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