ICS Newsletter 8.29.13

INCARNATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Newsletter, Thursday August 29, 2013

UPCOMING EVENTS

9/2 – No School, Labor Day

9/4 – School Mass, 8:30 a.m.; Curriculum Night (*see details below); Band forms due

9/6 – First Friday Morning Assembly, 8:30 a.m., Irish Pavilion

9/9 – 9/13 – ICS Student Council Elections

9/11 – Patriot Day; Coffee with the Principal, 8:00 – 8:25 a.m., St. Michael Hall; School Mass, 8:30 a.m.

9/12 - ICS Family Supper (*see details below)

9/13 - Band begins

9/17 – Food and Fellowship @ Westshore Pizza (11212 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa and 6602 Hanley Rd.) *PLEASE NOTE THIS CORRECTED DATE!

9/18 – Household Meetings (*see details below); School Mass, 8:30 a.m.; Mid-Quarter

9/20 – IPHSA Spaghetti Dinner, St. Michael Hall

9/23 – 9/27 – ICS Book Fair

9/23 - Food and Fellowship Spirit Night @ Chick-fil-A (W. Waters Ave), 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. *PLEASE NOTE THIS CORRECTED DATE!

9/25 – School Mass, 8:30 a.m.

9/26 – ½ day of school; Family – Teacher Conferences, 1:00 – 4:30 and 5:30 – 7:30

9/27 – ½ day of school

10/10 – No School, Diocese of St. Petersburg in-service

10/25 – End of Quarter 1; ½ day of school

11/7 – ½ day of school; Family – Teacher Conferences, 1:00 – 4:30 and 5:30 – 7:30

11/8 – ½ day of school; NO AFTERCARE AVAILABLE

11/9 – IPHSA Auction

11/11 – No School, Veterans’ Day

PRAYER INTENTIONS

-Coach Sharon Slowey’s daughter who will be undergoing surgery at the end of this month.

-The Baker family.

-Marriages and a greater respect for the dignity of the family - whatever shape, size or make-up.

Have a prayer request? Send it to icsmzele@icstampa.org. Prayer intentions will run for 2 weeks unless otherwise specified.

CURRICULUM NIGHT

Next Wednesday September 4 is our annual ICS Curriculum Night. Please note the following schedule:

-Grades PreK to 5: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. in classrooms. For those families with more than one student in Grades PreK to 5 please note that there will be two sessions: 6:00 – 6:25 and 6:30 – 6:55 p.m.

-All Grade Levels: 7:00 – 7:45 p.m. in the Church. This will be a general informational session about ICS and how parents / families can help to support students and the school.

-Grades 6 – 8: 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. in the Church. Grade 6 – 8 families will hear from the various Middle School teachers and be afforded time to meet with teachers in small groups.

-Childcare for ICS students will be available in St. Michael Hall.

-Sycamore training will be available in the Computer lab from both 6:00 – 7:00 and 8:00 – 9:00 p.m.

-Specials teachers (PE, Computer, Spanish, Art, Music, Media) will be available from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. in the Spanish Classroom. 

ICS FAMILY SUPPERS / IRISH CUP / HOUSEHOLD MEETINGS

Please visit Mr. Zelenka's blog, Catholic Education, for more details about our upcoming ICS Family Suppers / Irish Cup Activities and Household Meetings. Students will be placed into Households at First Friday Morning Assembly next Friday September 6. Our first Household activity is our Family Supper / Irish Cup Activity on 9/12/13. 

FOOD AND FELLOWSHIP - CHANGE OF DATES!

The dates for our first two Food and Fellowship events of the school year were incorrect last week! The corrected dates are TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 17 at Westshore Pizza and MONDAY SEPTEMBER 23 at Chick-fil-A. A percentage of the proceeds from these events comes back to benefit ICS. All you have to do is submit your receipt back to the restaurant and designate ICS as your school. 

INCARNATION PARISH HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION

Please consult the packet included in this week's Thursday packet for details about our Incarnation Parish Home and School Association for the 2013 - 14 school year. Get involved and be amazing!

New this year is a $150.00 fundraising fee ($75.00 for single parent households) that must be met through either the Auction or Payday Sweepstakes Raffle or a combination of the two. As these two events are the cornerstones of our fundraising efforts throughout the year, it is imperative that every family participate. More details are available in the IPHSA packet that is included in today's envelope. More information will also be given during the General Meeting on 9/4. Please prayerfully consider how you will help and come ready to the 9/4 event to volunteer to help with at least one event.                                                                                                                

REACH FOR THE STARTS AUCTION

Please remember that anyone interested in helping to plan and execute our largest school fundraiser, the Reach for the Stars Auction should plan to meet tomorrow, Friday August 30 at 1:30 p.m. Report to the Main Office. If you are interested in helping but cannot attend, please contact Mr. Zelenka: icsmzele@icstampa.org.

UPDATE INFORMATION ON SYCAMORE

Please be sure that all of your contact information is up to date and correct in Sycamore. This will help to ensure efficient and effective communication between our school and your home. If you need help with operating Sycamore, please attend one of our two training sessions on 9/4, Curriculum Night. 

PLAYGROUND

Please help us generate enough money for a new playground. Donations can be submitted to the Main Office; make checks payable to Incarnation Catholic School. 

TARGET

Please continue to vote for ICS at GiveWith.Target.com. After 25 votes we will receive a $25.00 donation from Target. For each additional vote over 25 we receive $1.00 each. Target has allocated $5 million dollars for this project. You can vote multiple times but no more than once per week. Please spread the word and help ICS earn money!

IRISH ATHLETICS

Volleyball and Soccer practices begin next Tuesday September 3. In order to participate, any Grade 5 - 8 student must have all necessary paperwork in to Coach Garofolo at that time. If you have any questions or need any of the forms, please contact Coach Garofolo: garofolov@icstampa.org.

NEW FORMAT

As a way to prevent the many formatting issues that have plagued the newsletter over the past year, our weekly update will now be posted on-line at: http://incarnationcatholicschool.blogspot.com. You can either bookmark this page and visit it at some point on Thursdays or click on the emailed link as you did today; the link with the updated newsletter will be emailed every Thursday. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the School Office. 

HOME

"There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent."
-Mahatma Gandhi

Thanks to Mr. Philip, parent of Rayna in 4th grade, for submitting today's thematic quote!

Have a great quote that pertains to this year's theme, "HOME"? Send it to icsmzele@icstampa.org and it may appear in upcoming posts!

SACRED STEPS RUNNING CLUB

Students in Grades 2 - 8 who are interested in developing their bodies and their spirits in the Sacred Steps Running Club, should plan to attend our first "workout" of the school year on Thursday September 12. Workouts involve both scripture and steps - running steps - and take place after school from 3:15 to 4:15. A sign-up form will be sent in next week's packet. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Zelenka: icsmzele@icstampa.org. 

DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP

Please adhere to the guidelines posted in our Student-Family Handbook regarding drop-off and pick-up procedures. These measures are in place to help keep our children safe.

Along these lines, families picking up after school in the Pavilion lot should enter through the south gate on Webb Road and not enter the line from behind the Media Center. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!

GO IRISH!

In keeping with our tradition, we at Incarnation Catholic School:

Inspire life-long learning,

Challenge each individual to be a disciple of Christ, and

Strive to live our Catholic faith through service to each other and the community.

-----------------------------------------------------

5111 Webb Rd. * Tampa, FL 33615 * Tel: 813.884.4502 * Fax: 813.885.3734 * www.icstampa.org/

ICS Newsletter 8.22.13

Check out our new format! This should help to eliminate any problems with formatting issues / software glitches! Enjoy and GO IRISH!

INCARNATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Newsletter, Thursday August 22, 2013

UPCOMING EVENTS

8/23 – Handbook consent forms due (students who do not submit by Monday August 26 will not be permitted to class until the form is completed)

8/27 – Picture Day, all students wear formal school uniform

8/28 – School Mass, 8:30 a.m.

9/2 – No School, Labor Day

9/4 – School Mass, 8:30 a.m.; Curriculum Night (*see details below)

9/5 – ICS Family Supper (*see details below)

9/6 – First Friday Morning Assembly, 8:30 a.m., St. Michael Hall

9/9 – 9/13 – ICS Student Council Elections

9/11 – Patriot Day; Coffee with the Principal, 8:00 – 8:25 a.m., St. Michael Hall; School Mass, 8:30 a.m.

9/16 – Food and Fellowship @ Westshore Pizza (11212 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa and 6602 Hanley Rd.)

9/18 – Household Meetings (*see details below); School Mass, 8:30 a.m.; Mid-Quarter

9/20 – IPHSA Spaghetti Dinner, St. Michael Hall

9/23 – 9/27 – ICS Book Fair

9/25 – School Mass, 8:30 a.m.

9/26 – ½ day of school; Family – Teacher Conferences, 1:00 – 4:30 and 5:30 – 7:30

9/27 – ½ day of school

9/30 – Food and Fellowhip Spirit Night @ Chick-fil-A (W. Waters Ave), 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

10/10 – No School, Diocese of St. Petersburg in-service

10/25 – End of Quarter 1; ½ day of school

11/7 – ½ day of school; Family – Teacher Conferences, 1:00 – 4:30 and 5:30 – 7:30

11/8 – ½ day of school; NO AFTERCARE AVAILABLE

11/9 – IPHSA Auction

11/11 – No School, Veterans’ Day

WELCOME TO THE 2013 – 14 SCHOOL YEAR

Great things are in store for ICS this year! We pray that this year is filled with many blessings for you, your children and our school! GO IRISH!

THANK YOU

Thank you to Fr. Michael Suszynski, Mr. Dave Arnold, the donors and all those who helped to make the many renovation projects accomplished over the summer possible.

PRAYER INTENTIONS

-Coach Sharon Slowey’s daughter who will be undergoing surgery at the end of this month.

-ICS 8^th Graders as they enter their final year at Incarnation.                                                           

-Students, families and teachers everywhere for a successful, safe and healthy school year.

-The Baker family.

Have a prayer request? Send it to icsmzele@icstampa.org. Prayer intentions will run for 2 weeks unless otherwise specified.

CURRICULUM NIGHT

Wednesday September 4 is our annual ICS Curriculum Night. Please note the following schedule:

-Grades PreK to 5: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. in classrooms. For those families with more than one s    tudent in Grades PreK to 5 please note that there will be two sessions: 6:00 – 6:25 and 6:30 – 6:55 p.m.

-All Grade Levels: 7:00 – 7:45 p.m. in the Church. This will be a general informational session about ICS and how parents / families can help to support students and the school.

-Grades 6 – 8: 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. in the Church. Grade 6 – 8 families will hear from the various Middle School teachers and be afforded time to meet with teachers in small groups.

-Childcare for ICS students will be available in St. Michael Hall.

-Sycamore training will be available in the Computer lab from both 6:00 – 7:00 and 8:00 – 9:00 p.m.

ICS FAMILY SUPPERS / HOUSEHOLD MEETINGS

In addition to grade level Homerooms (i.e. 2A/2B, Grade 4, 7A/7B, etc.), students and teachers will also be divided into Households this school year. Each faculty member will receive between 12 – 14 students and will serve as the head of a “Household”. Households will consist of students from various grade levels. The purpose of the Households is to further our Mission Statement, form Christian communities and afford students more pastoral care and guidance during their time at ICS. Family Suppers and Household Meetings will be opportunities for Households to gather together. Households will be grouped into four priories, and priories will compete against each other for the Irish Cup, a yearlong competition in academics, school spirit and Christian service. Should you have any questions or desire more information about ICS Households, please contact Mr. Zelenka or Mr. Woodward.

FOOD AND FELLOWSHIP

Please note our Food and Fellowship events for the month of September for 9/16 and 9/30. A percentage of the proceeds from these events comes back to benefit ICS. All you have to do is submit your receipt back to the restaurant and designate ICS as your school.

INCARNATION PARISH HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION

Leadership roles for our 2013 – 14 Incarnation Parish Home and School Association (IPHSA) are still available and in need of being filled. Additionally, chairpersons for each of our IPHSA events are needed in order for their successful completion and execution. Please contact Mr. Zelenka if you are interested in a leadership or committee head role for this school year.                                                                                                                 

REACH FOR THE STARTS AUCTION

Anyone interested in helping to plan and execute our largest school fundraiser, the Reach for the Stars Auction should plan to meet on Friday August 30 at 1:30 p.m. Report to the Main Office. If you are interested in helping but cannot attend, please contact Mr. Zelenka: icsmzele@icstampa.org.

UPDATE INFORMATION ON SYCAMORE

Please be sure that all of your contact information is up to date and correct in Sycamore. This will help to ensure efficient and effective communication between our school and your home.

ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTERS

Newsletters will only be sent electronically from this point forward. Thursday packets will be sent weekly. Please be sure to have your email address updated and correctly entered into Sycamore.

HANDBOOK INFORMATION

Please be sure to consult the letter from Assistant Principal Gess regarding updates to our ICS Student-Family Handbook. This letter can be found in our Thursday envelope.

Handbook Contract Sheets with the corresponding parent/guardian and student signatures is due to the Main Office by tomorrow, Friday August 23. These forms must be in to the office by Monday August 26 in order for students to be admitted into class on that day.

Copies of the 2013 – 14 ICS Student-Family Handbook can be found in Sycamore and on the school’s website: www.icstampa.org.

DROP-OFF AND PICK UP

Please exercise caution and Christian patience as all of our families acclimate or re-acclimate to our drop-off and pick-up procedures. Please consult pages 15 – 17 of the Student-Family Handbook for details about drop-off and pick-up procedures.

PLAYGROUND

As returning families remember, the playground that had been used by our primary students was removed for safety reasons at the end of last year. Funds have been generated to secure a replacement playground. Additional funds are still necessary, though, to complete this project.  

As of now we have over $5,000 raised. An additional $5,000 is needed in order to install. If you are interested in donating to this cause, please contact the School Office or make checks payable to Incarnation Catholic School.

TARGET

Target is giving away money to schools between now and September 21. Please help ICS generate funds by visiting www.GiveWith.Target.com and voting for Incarnation Catholic School. After 25 votes we will receive a $25.00 donation from Target. For each additional vote over 25 we receive $1.00 each. Target has allocated $5 million dollars for this project. You can vote multiple times but no more than once per week. Please spread the word and help ICS earn money!

SYCAMORE EDUCATION

All families are receiving login and password information to access Sycamore Education, our portal for on-line grades, assignments, attendance, discipline and other ICS school information. New families will also receive information about using Sycamore. If you have any questions about Sycamore, please either consult your child’s homeroom teacher or contact the Main Office.

IMPORTANCE OF PARENTS

Please read the following article from the Tampa Tribune about the importance of family involvement in the education of children: http://tbo.com/news/education/parents-have-biggest-impact-on-studentsx2019-success-20130817/. Thank you for partnering with us at ICS to help you educate your child(ren).

HOME

Our school’s theme this year is simply “Home.” The scripture passage related to this theme comes from Joshua 24:15, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” May your household serve the Lord this year and always. Together we will give our child(ren) the gift of roots and wings. May God bless you, your families, and our ICS school family as we begin this new school year.

Got an amazing quote or scripture passage about HOME? Send it to icsmzele@icstampa.org and it may appear in one of our upcoming Newsletters.

GO IRISH!

In keeping with our tradition, we at Incarnation Catholic School:

Inspire life-long learning,

Challenge each individual to be a disciple of Christ, and

Strive to live our Catholic faith through service to each other and the community.

-----------------------------------------------------

5111 Webb Rd. * Tampa, FL 33615 * Tel: 813.884.4502 * Fax: 813.885.3734 * www.icstampa.org/