This coming Sunday is the Second Sunday of Easter. In the Gospel, we will hear Jesus greet his disciples with the gift of peace and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also commissions his disciples to continue the work that he has begun. As Jesus was sent by God, so too does Jesus send his disciples. This continuity with Jesus' own mission is an essential element of the Church. Jesus grants the means to accomplish this mission when he gives his disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit binds us together as a community of faith and strengthens us to bear witness to Jesus' Resurrection.© Loyola Press Sunday Connection

Parents of students in Grades K-8 are asked to please sign and return Quarter 3 report card envelopes (only the envelope) to your child's teacher by Friday, April 29th. As a reminder, a PDF copy of Quarter 3 Report card can also be downloaded from the e-locker found in parent's PlusPortal. 2022 Iowa and CogAT testing reports for students in Grades 1-7 were included in the report card envelope.

Our patron, St. Mark was an evangelist, or Gospel writer. In fact, he was the pioneer in Gospel writing. His is the shortest and the oldest of the Gospels. Little is known of Mark except from the New Testament. He was not one of the twelve apostles, but was a member of the first Christian community. Mark had firsthand experience of the early Church and apostolic life. He was a traveling companion and assistant of Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey.

Mark’s Gospel was a great contribution to the Church. It included oral and written tradition concerning the words and deeds of Jesus. He shows Jesus as the suffering Son of God. Mark knew that to accept the Risen Jesus meant to come to terms with the cross. Jesus was glorified because he willingly allowed himself to suffer death for our salvation. Mark writes that anyone who wishes to follow Jesus must accept the cross.

Over the years artists have given a symbol to each of the evangelists. Mark’s symbol is a winged lion because his Gospel begins with the story of John the Baptist who, like a roaring lion, called people to repent. © Loyola Press

On Monday, May 25th, St. Mark School will celebrate the Feast of St. Mark with our 2nd Annual St. Mark School HSA Walk-A-Thon and free Dress Down Day. Students are invited to participate in a free Dress Down Day by wearing St. Mark School Spirit Wear (and sneakers) to show their love and support for St. Mark School on the Feast of St. Mark.

May Crowning of the Blessed Mother will be presented by Grades 2 & 8 on Wednesday, May 11th in our church. All parents are welcome to attend.

Grandparents & Special Friends Day will be held on Thursday, June 2nd. Stay tuned for more details!

Please review the spring uniform dress code below for Grades K-8. Please note that students have the option during this time to wear their winter uniforms (long pants, jumpers, plaid skirts, and plaid skorts).

Starting on Tuesday, April 26th, K-8 students who are not in compliance with the uniform dress code will be issued a uniform violation slip. Violation slips will be required to be signed by a parent and returned to the classroom teacher. Repeated violations could result in disciplinary action.

PE uniform for boys and girls remains unchanged from the winter. However; navy blue athletic shorts with the school logo is added as an additional option for spring uniform.

If you have questions about the uniform policy, please email Mrs. Mannino cmannino@stmarkschool.org.

St. Mark School has partnered with Catapult Learning Services to offer an Extended School Year/Summer Learning Program to students currently in Grades K-5.

The summer learning program will be offered July 5th-29th, Monday-Friday, 9am-12pm. Please click here to read program details. Program registration form can be found here. Click here to read program FAQs.

Space is still available and registration forms will be accepted through Friday, April 29th. Contact tabatha.giribaldi@catapultlearning.com with questions.

Blake's School Uniform Company is offering early bird specials on uniform sales for the 2022-2023 school year. Click here for pricing information and click here to download early bird coupon. For store information visit www.blakesschooluniform.com

I'm so happy to see our children enjoying the playground after school once again. However; it has been brought to my attention that some of the preschool playground toys are being broken. Therefore, we will no longer be unlocking the preschool portion of the playground for after school use at this time.

Parents are asked to please supervise your children closely while using the playground. For everyone's safety, please do not allow your child to squeeze through any locked gates to enter the playground.

With the approval of the Diocese of Bridgeport Catholic Schools, Office of the Superintendent for Schools, the last day of the 2021-2022 school year for Grades Kindergarten through 7 will be Friday, June 17th, 2022.

Kindergarten Graduation will be celebrated on Friday, June 17th. Please note that the day is an early dismissal at 11:25am.

The last day of St. Mark School's After School Program will be on Wednesday, June 15th, 2022 for all grades, PK3-8.

Notre Dame High School, Fairfield is offering a practice entrance exam for current Grade 7 students on Saturday, May 1st at 8:30am. The pre-HSPT is a seventh grade edition of the HSPT. Students will still need to take the exam again in the fall. Click here for more information from ND, Fairfield.

Students and parents are welcome to visit the Notre Dame, Fairfield campus for Spring Open House on Wednesday, April 27th at 6:30pm.

St. Mark Parish Easter Egg Hunt is back this year! All children ages 2-10 are invited to join the parish on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 24, after the 9:00am Mass to hunt for Easter candy and prizes in each age group. Children will even be treated to a visit from the Easter Bunny!

Hosted by St. Mark Parish Youth Group, there is no charge for this event, though donations will be accepted to benefit Al's Angels, a local charity helping local youth and families as well as Ukrainian refugees.

Anyone in, or out, of the Parish, who needs food assistance, should contact Deacon Paul at pkurmay45@optimum.net or call him at 203-378-8025. You may also leave a message at the rectory office 203-377-0444. Discretion and confidentiality are a priority. Please don’t be nervous to reach out to us.

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.

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