Dear St. Mark Families,

In Sunday’s Gospel, Matthew 9:36-10:8, Jesus shares his mission to proclaim the kingdom of heaven with his disciples. The signs of the kingdom's presence consist of the work that Jesus has already been doing: the sick are cured, lepers are cleansed, demons are driven out, and the dead are raised to life. The disciples are sent to continue doing the work that Jesus has begun. This is a moment of transition in Matthew's Gospel. The focus has shifted from the ministry of Jesus to the work of the community that he has inaugurated. More than any other Gospel, Matthew's Gospel elaborates on the work of the Church, which is to continue after Jesus' death and resurrection.

The Gospel reports that Jesus commissions twelve disciples, Matthew’s Gospel also uses the word apostle when referring to the Twelve. The word apostle means “one who is sent.” In this context, Matthew is calling attention to the mission that the twelve disciples are being given. They are sent by Jesus to proclaim the kingdom of heaven in word and deed.

As Jesus sent his disciples to continue his work and mission, so too the Church is sent by Jesus. The Church is his continuing presence on earth. Every member of the Church is sent by Jesus to contribute to this mission. © Loyola Press Sunday Connection

I wish you all God's Blessings and Grace.

Yours in Christ,

Mrs. Warner 

Please do not reply to this email. If you ever have any questions and/or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at any time.

In Gratitude

It’s amazing to see that the end of the school year arrived so quickly. I want to thank you all for the support and patience shown these past 10 months. We had successes and some challenges, yet despite all, we continued the work that had to be done to ensure the spiritual, moral, social, and academic growth and development of our students.

There are countless people to whom I owe an expression of gratitude. To Father Birendra, Father Russ, Mrs. Nettleton, and all our clergy and parish staff, thank you for supporting our students on the path that God has set forth for them.  Special thanks go to Nurse Wendy Frate, Room Parents, St. Mark School Advisory Board, HSA, volunteers, and Ms. Alicia, our school custodian. Their presence and support made a stronger working community to achieve our goals and helped ensure our students were and always are our top priority.  

I would like to thank our hard working and caring faculty and staff who have made a huge difference to our students. Their commitment is outstanding and our students are the beneficiaries. Thank you for providing a Christ-centered learning environment that is full of rich and engaging, well-rounded experiences for our students. For this, and a million other things, I am truly grateful.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our Little Lions PK4 class and Kindergarten students! You have learned and grown so much this past year. May God guide you and direct you to a bright and blessed future. 

I wish the entire St. Mark School Community a happy, safe and enjoyable summer. Please be sure to take time as a family to talk, pray and READ together.

I look forward to seeing you in September!

Yours in Christ,

Mrs. Warner

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.  

Summer Work

Studies show that when students don’t engage in learning activities over the summer months they could lose up to two months of math and reading skills. Keeping students engaged in fun learning experiences over the summer months will set them up for success the following school year.

Classroom teachers in Kindergarten through Grade 7 will share information with parents for recommended summer work to maintain students' academic skills over the summer including:

• 30 minutes of work on each Edmentum Personalized Exact Path (Mathematics, Reading, Language) per week for current 2nd through 7th grade students.

• 30 minutes of work per week on Reading Eggs and Math Seeds for current Kindergarten and Grade 1 students.

• participation in the CT Governor's Reading Challenge. Student Summer Reading Journal can be found here. Visit the Connecticut Reads website by clicking here for more information and click here to learn how to find "just right" books for your child and recommended book lists.

• Daily reading with a parent, family member, or independently.

Summer Learning information will be sent home with students via backpack mail on his/her last day of school, depending on grade level (please see End of Year Dates, above). Links to summer work will be posted to our school website under the students tab on the homepage.

Students in Grades K-7 will receive a 9 x 12 manila envelope with the following items included:

• Report card in the 22-23 report card signature envelope
• Summer work introduction letter
• Math choice boards for students entering Grades K through 5
• Math review packets for students entering Grades 6 through 8
• Reading choice boards for students entering Grades K through 8
• Edmentum/Personalized Learning Informational Resource Parent Pack 
• 2023 Governor’s Reading Challenge information and Reading Log

Math and Reading Choice Boards

Please note that Math choice boards for students entering Grades K through 5 are built upon math skills students have been taught in the current school year. Therefore, students will be provided an opportunity to strengthen their skills and reinforce the foundation established this year in order to continue to grow their academic success in the next grade level. Students entering Grades 6 through 8 will be provided a math skills review packet.   

Reading choice boards do not specify specific books for students to read. Students are encouraged to choose engaging books of high interest that they can read and comprehend independently.

There is no minimum amount of choice board squares to complete. Students are encouraged to complete as much as they can, and will be asked to return summer work to their teacher in September.

2023-2024 Student Supply Lists

2023-2024 student supply lists will be posted on our school website under the students tab on the homepage in August, prior to the start of school.

Faculty Update

It is with a heavy heart that I share with you Mrs. Alyssa DiMaio, Grade 5 teacher, has decided to leave the field of education at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 school year to pursue a career in the private sector. Please click here to read Mrs. DiMaio's letter to all St. Mark Families. Please join me in wishing Mrs. DiMaio all the best in her future endeavors.

Mrs. DiMaio leaves big shoes to fill! The Diocese of Bridgeport Human Resource Department and I will work closely together this summer to find the best candidate for this position.  The current educational climate makes this quite a challenge.

Staff announcements will be communicated prior to the start of the new school year.  Much like our public school counterparts, we cannot concretely announce faculty for the next school year until closer to the start of school. From past experiences, I have introduced new staff to our school community, only for the person to then accept a different position elsewhere. 

For the sake of the children and stability in our school, I pray that the educational landscape changes in the immediate future.  When I am able to concretely announce faculty for the next school year, I will communicate it to the entire school community.

Preschool Graduation

Kindergarten Graduation

Parish News

Food Needed

Fr. Skip from Blessed Sacrament Church, Bridgeport, is desperately in need of non-perishable food items. He distributes over 400 large grocery bags full each week! And that amount will increase substantially over the summer as children are out for the summer recess and will not be getting their breakfast and lunch at school. To help, we will be holding a food collection “drive-through” in the school parking lot on Saturday, June 24^th, from 9: a.m. till noon in front of the Parish Center. Please stock up and bring as many items as you can. Fr. Skip and the poor from Blessed Sacrament thank you so much!  

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.  

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.

God gives each one of us sufficient grace ever to know His holy will, and to do it fully.

St. Ignatius of Loyola