Spring Break is next week: March 11 – 15.
Re-Enrollment Reminder!
Dear St. Stephen’s Community,
St. Stephen’s is a special place for all of us — it’s where our kids take their first steps out of the home and into the classroom, where they learn to read and write, where they make friends, and where they grow into the human beings we want to lead the world. St. Stephen’s offers amazing teachers, an inclusive community, and a path that is guided by the mission of making the world kinder and smarter. It is my privilege to share the testimonial below by Marcus, a 7th grader, who explains why you should enroll your student at St. Stephen’s! Thank you, Marcus, for your eloquent advocacy.
To the many families who have re-enrolled their students for the 2024-25 academic year, thank you for your continued support and partnership. On behalf of the faculty and staff of St. Stephen’s, we are honored to be your school of choice.
If you have not yet re-enrolled, now is the time to do so. We are experiencing an extremely high demand for Orientation and will be filling this level along with all our levels on a first come, first served basis. Enrollment contracts for new students will be issued today, March 8, 2024.
St. Stephen’s website has everything you need to know about:
If I can be of any assistance, please do reach out. Here we GROW!
Best,
Jen
Outstanding Support for Kids’ Meals Houston
Thank you to everyone who donated applesauce and decorated paper bags to SSESH Shares Love 2024, a service project led by the PTO. As you can see by the photo, the stacks of applesauce and bags were like a small mountain in the Nave!
The donations and bags benefit Kids’ Meals Houston, whose mission is to end childhood hunger by delivering free healthy meals to the doorsteps of Houston’s hungriest preschool-aged children and through collaboration provide their families with resources to help end the cycle of poverty. Kids’ Meals is a first responder to children age 5 and under facing debilitating hunger due to extreme poverty. Every weekday, year round, volunteers prepare thousands of healthy lunches consisting of a sandwich, nutritious snack, fruit item, and 100% juice or milk. Their vans deliver the meals M-F to children enrolled in the program.
Upper Elementary Cultural Fair on March 1
The St. Stephen’s community packed their bags and traveled to Africa for the Upper Elementary Cultural Fair.
Upper El students researched countries throughout the continent and brought their research to life in vibrant presentations, music, and art.
Many thanks to Ms. Celia, Mr. Chris, Ms. Grace, and Ms. Margie for a triumphant Cultural Fair!
Middle Years Experience Work Life on Intern Day
We couldn’t have asked for a better group to start off our annual Middle Years Internship Day on March 1!
This day allowed our oldest students to experience a day in the life of an educator or administrator. Our younger students enjoyed this special moment with their older mentors.
Thank you, interns and intern mentors! Many thanks to Middle Years teachers, Ms. Meredith and Ms. Jen, for launching the internship program.
Save the Date for the Hats and Hooves Derby Fundraiser
Join Us for some Derby fun on Saturday, May 4, 2024 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Havens Center!
Put on your favorite hat, bow ties, and frills.
Get ready to come out and enjoy some thrills!
Southern cuisine, charm, a silent auction, and more.
Just wait until you see what else is in store!
Tickets and tables go on sale Monday, March 18, 2024. Please contact Avis McCray at [email protected] for more information.
March Events
Individual picture retake day is Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
You must bring any printed pictures (if you have received same) to school on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, to be eligible for individual picture retakes at no charge.
Questions? Please contact Provine School Pictures
[email protected]
713-528-1059 phone
Please join the PTO in CoHo (1755 Sul Ross) after morning carpool on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
Parking is available at 1801 Sul Ross. You do not need to check in at the main reception desk to attend this meeting.
- 8:25-8:30 am: Welcome, call to order, housekeeping
- 8:30-8:35 am: Financial report
- 8:35-8:40 am: Upcoming dates to note, volunteer opportunities
- 8:40-9:00 am: Guest speaker
- 9:00-9:15 am: Head of School update
- 9:15-920 am: Closing/ adjournment
Girl Scout Troop 123012 will be on hand to sell Girl Scout Cookies. To pre-order, please click this link — https://digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/troop123012591?fpkp=1 — and select “Have Girl Scout Troop123012591 deliver the cookies”
We are also looking for people to help us plan the Teacher Appreciation Week in early May! If you are interested, please join the PTO Teacher Appreciation committee here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080949ABAA2AA4FF2-47281502-teacher#/
Campus Beautification Day is Saturday, March 23, 2024.
Held twice per year, Campus Beautification Day is a wonderful opportunity to make St. Stephen’s look its absolute best. Please join us for a morning of planting, trimming, tidying, and fellowship.
St. Stephen’s will be administering the IOWA Assessments during the week of March 25, to 2nd – 8th graders.
Although in Montessori, we don’t administer regular testing in the traditional way, test-taking skills are just another practical life lesson that the children need to learn as they face standardized tests throughout their education. The IOWA Assessments help determine how students are performing on nationwide standards. These assessments measure achievement in several important content areas, including reading, language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and listening.
Montessori teachers work with the children for three years, which allows them to observe the students and consequently know them well to evaluate their progress. Standardized tests are one of the criteria we use to assess students’ basic skills and knowledge. However, any given testing session can be affected by the student’s emotional state, attitude, and health. Please make sure that your child has a good night’s sleep, a nutritious breakfast, and packs a healthy snack. We will have a mid-morning snack during the testing period.
At St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, we approach the test with a positive attitude. We explain to the students that we use the results as feedback to focus on certain learning areas.
Should you have any questions regarding the upcoming IOWA Assessments, please reach out to your student’s teacher.
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!