Welcome to The Hallway, the official newsletter of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, Houston!
In the summer months, The Hallway will be published on June 14, June 28, July 12, and July 26.
Introduction to St. Stephen’s by Jenn Hardy
Magnus Health Registration
In partnership with Magnus Health, St. Stephen’s provides an online portal for health forms, such as the Annual Physical Exam Form and current immunization records. Annually, your child must have documented immunization records and receive a comprehensive physical examination. Please watch for an email from St. Stephen’s Episcopal School – Houston (no-reply@magnushealthportal.com).
Thank you for your cooperation in this essential process.
Questions? Contact the Office of Campus Life at admission@ssesh.org
2024-25 Academic Year
Key Dates
June 2024
- Health registration via Magnus Health is live
- Extended Care registration is open for 2024-25 here: https://ssesh.org/extendedcare/
- Letters from teachers to be sent to families
August 2024
- 08/09 – Conferences and Meet & Greet; Summer Work, as applicable, is due at this time
- 08/11 – Blessing of Backpacks & Lunch Bags at St. Stephen’s Church
- 08/11 – Back to School Rally from 3 to 5 pm in Pecore Hall
- 08/12 – New Student Orientation
- 08/13 – First Day of School
September 2024
- 09/02 – No School; Labor Day
- 09/08 – Block Party in the parking lot at 1805 W Alabama
October 2024
- 10/11 – 10/14 – No School; Fall Break
November 2024
- 11/8 – No School; All School Conferences
- 11/22 – Grandparents and Special Friends Day; Early Dismissal; No Extended Care
- 11/25 – 11/29 – Thanksgiving Break
December 2024
- 12/20 – All-School Chapel; Early Dismissal; No Extended Care
- 12/23 – 1/3 – Winter Break
January 2025
- 12/23 – 1/3 – Winter Break
- 1/6 – No School; Teacher In-Service
- 1/20 – No School; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
February 2025
- 2/21 – No School; All School Conferences
March 2025
- 3/10 – 3/14 – Spring Break
April 2025
- 4/18 – 4/21 – No School; Good Friday and Easter Monday
May 2025
- 5/23 – Last Day of School; Early Dismissal; No Extended Care
- 5/26 – Memorial Day
- 5/27 – 5/30 – Teacher In-Service and Conferences; Summer Camp Prep
Join us at the Back-to-School Rally on Sunday, August 11, 2024, from 3 to 5 p.m.
- Community
- Classroom Visits
- Meet the Parent Teacher Organization
- Head of School Presentation
- And More!
Orientation and Primary families meet in Pecore Hall at 1800 Sul Ross at 3 p.m.
Elementary and Middle Years families meet in the Gathering Area at 1805 W Alabama at 3 p.m.
Summer Work
(rising 4th – 8th graders)
OPTIONAL: Rising 4th – 6th graders are invited to engage in weekly English practice on IXL.
This summer, rising 4th – 6th graders are asked to engage in 100 minutes of weekly math practice on IXL, aiming for a SmartScore of 90 or higher. Students can choose skills from their diagnostic arena, IXL dashboard recommendations, or the teacher recommendations section. To maximize learning, we ask that students complete their work without using a calculator; scratch paper and pencil are encouraged. All students will be guided on how to navigate the platform, and login information will be sent home via email in addition to helpful information for navigating the platform.
This summer, rising 7th and 8th graders are asked to engage in 60 minutes of weekly English practice on IXL.
This summer, rising 7th and 8th graders are asked to engage in 125 minutes of weekly math practice on IXL, aiming for a SmartScore of 90 or higher. Students can choose skills from their diagnostic arena, IXL dashboard recommendations, or the teacher recommendations section. To maximize learning, we ask that students complete their work without using a calculator; scratch paper and pencil are encouraged. All students will be guided on how to navigate the platform, and login information will be sent home via email in addition to helpful information for navigating the platform.
Welcome, Rev. Ray Wilson
The Vestry of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church is excited to announce that we have entered into a Letter of Agreement with Rev. Ray Wilson to serve as our Interim Rector! Ray will begin his ministry with us starting Monday, June 10th with his first liturgy celebrated on June 16th. The Interim Rector will serve St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church until a permanent Rector is called, which process could last several years. Please see the letter from Rev. Ray Wilson below.
To the Church and School community of St. Stephen’s:
What a joy for me to join you at St. Stephen’s in our mutual ministry. As the Interim Rector, I look forward to meeting each of you as together we continue the ministry of this parish.
Before serving several parishes as an Interim Rector in the Diocese of Texas, I served seven parishes in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts while co-owning and operating The Village Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts, a 32-room inn built in 1771. Being an Interim has become a real calling.
My parents were native Texans and as an Army family we travelled to various U.S. and overseas postings, including Maryland, Texas, Virginia, Austria, and Panama. I graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. with degrees in International Relations. I was on the staff of St. Stephen’s School, an American High School in Rome, Italy. My theological studies were in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Episcopal Divinity School.
During that time, I also served as a prison chaplain in North Carolina and Boston. Diverse ministries I have served include parishes in Washington, D.C., and here in Houston on the staff of Christ Church Cathedral and teaching at the Briarwood School.
The experience of travel and living in different places has given me a curiosity and excitement in meeting and working with people in a common purpose. I am glad to begin that with each of you in St Stephen’s parish and school.
Rev. Ray Wilson
Bulldog Compliments
At St. Stephen’s, we have an easy way for anyone in the St. Stephen’s community to show their appreciation for a faculty, staff, or leadership team member. We call it sending a “Bulldog Compliment.”
Here is how it works. Click the Send A Bulldog Compliment image and follow the prompts. It only takes a few clicks, and you are done.
All compliments are anonymous and will be sent to the person (or persons) you choose to recognize. There is no limit to how many you can send, so be as generous as you wish!