Contracts are currently being prepared and mailed. Open enrollment begins March 17, 2008.   If you haven’t already, please turn in your Letter of Intent and Registration Fee!  Receipt of this form and fee prepares a contract and reserves your spot for the next school year.  Please let Jackie (in the office) know if you need an additional copy.  She can send one home in your child’s backpack or send one via email.

Art

Students in pre-k to junior high are creating their own butterflies and they will on display at the Emily Ann butterfly Festival, April 19, 2008.

Camp Crusader

Camp Crusader is offered for kids 6-12.   Please register ASAP to guarantee your spot.  Camps will be cancelled by May 1^st if a minimum of 8 children per camp are not enrolled.  Morning sessions (8:30-12:00) and Afternoon Sessions (12:30-4:00) are offered each week.  Children who enroll in two camps (morning and afternoon) will have time for lunch from 12:00-12:30.  Registration Deadline is April 30, 2008.  See our website for all the classes offered.  Questions?  Please email Jamie Crawford at jcrawford@ststeveschool.org

Young Crusader Camp

Young Crusader camp is offered for potty trained children ages 3-6.  Please register ASAP to guarantee your spot.  Camps will be canceled by May 1^st if a minimum of 10 children per camp are not enrolled. Both morning and afternoon sessions will be offered.

History!!!

History: 8^th Grade just wrapped up a unit on the Civil War and created posters of battles, or people from this era displayed in the library.

History 7^th Grade: The 7^th Grade just finished making game boards of the Texas Revolution filled with facts and quite thrilling to play. They worked in groups and this project will be tested on the younger grades who will be invited to play them. (

History 6^th Grade: The World History class just finished studying the Vikings and learned to craft their names and some charms of the runic language. Next Tuesday they will turn in their 3-D castles with fact card to be displayed in our library. This has been a tradition for several years and the castles are fabulous.

Newly Published Author to Visit SSES!

Sarah Ackerly, a newly publish children’s author and illustrator and recent graduate of Texas State University will be visiting St. Stephen’s school on Thursday, March 27^th.  She will do four age appropriate presentations about her new book and also discus the writing and illustrating processes.  The students of SSES will have the opportunity to purchase an autographed copy of her book Patrick the Somnambulist for $12.95 (school discounted rate).  If you would like to purchase a book, please fill out the order form sent home and return with a check to your child’s teacher.  If you would like to see a copy of the book before you purchase it, please see Jamie Crawford.  We are excited about her visit and look forward to learning from her! You are welcome to join us if you can!

Pennies for Patients

The National Junior Honor Society will be launching a penny drive when we return from Spring Break.  We’ll be collecting spare change in honor of local blood cancer patients.  The drive is being sponsored by Olive Garden and top funding classes in the area will receive a pasta party from Olive Garden a pasta party for schools that collect the most money.  We are encouraging children to look under car seats, sofa cushions, in the washing machine, dryers, etc.  Even pennies mount up.  This drive will last the next three weeks.

Also….. watch for car wash signs.  The NJHS will be washing cars on FRIDAYS, weather permitting.  We’ll be in the log cabin area beginning around 2:30 to coincide with preK pickup. 

Also the Junior Honor Society will be sponsoring car washes on good weather Fridays.  Watch for signs at the pick up area.  We’re waiting for good warm weather and will welcome dirty cars in the log cabin driveway.  On car wash days we’ll open the gate at three.  Donations will be gratefully accepted.

The Junior Honor Society will be encouraging new members to join after Spring Break.  Criteria for becoming a member are based on scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

Science Fair Results

Every student that entered the fair was a winner, but school wide, we had a 1^st place, 2^nd place a 3^rd place winner.  For 1^st place, and Regional the winner was Sarah Thompson.  2^nd place and Regional is Dax Huslig.  3^rd place went to both Shelby and Ella Madison.  Regional alternate is  Savanna Stoltz.  Congratulations to all!

Student Council Dance

The spring dance will be held at Fischer Hall on Friday, April 11, 2008 from 6:00- 10:00 pm. There will be food, drinks and dancing. There will be a $5.00 cover charge.  Children 3 and under get in free.

Standardized Testing

This spring, to ensure the growth and measurement of an excellent academic program we are implementing a new family of standardized tests from the Educational Records Bureau(http://www.erbtest.org/ ). ERB is a non-profit educational service organization meeting student assessment needs since 1927. ERB is committed to developing improved methods of testing student achievement and interpreting individual and group test results to member schools. 

Further, ERB supports strong linkages among students, the curriculum, and assessment practices. SSES will use the Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP4) for Grades 1-8 (March 31- April 4) and the ISEE (Independent School Entrance Exam) for students applying for grades 5th to 8th. Our 5^th -8^th will be given an ISEE pilot exam February 25-28. Unlike the ITBS exams that we have used previously, these tests will compare our students to some of the brightest students in the nation in over 1,500 private and suburban public schools.

Tennis

The 5-8^th grades beat the Hill Country Christian School but their next match against Wimberley on March 18 was rained out! We will play Wimberley again on April 8^th so I hope it is sunny. The kids have worked very hard on their game and are anxious to put their skills to the test!

The 1-4 tennis teams are awesome! They are a blast to teach and they practice on Wednesdays and Fridays at SSES gym.

PFO Meeting

Reminder that every family is asked to volunteer 30 hours per school year. As you complete hours, please log in the notebook in the office or e-mail junabrown@yahoo.com.