Incarnation Catholic School Newsletter
August 28, 2014
8/29 - Handbook Consent, Emergency and Media Release forms due to the office
9/1 - NO SCHOOL, Labor Day
9/2 - Band forms due to the office (Grades 3 - 8)
9/3 - Celebration of the Eucharist, 8:30 a.m., ICC; Curriculum Night, Grades PreK - 5, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
9/5 - First Friday Morning Assembly, 8:30 a.m., St. Michael Hall; Irish Incarnation Spirit Day (any ICS shirt, PE shorts / jeans / uniform bottoms, sneakers)
9/8 - 912 - ICS Student Council Elections
9/10 - Celebration of the Eucharist, 8:30 a.m., ICC; Curriculum Night, Grades 6 - 8, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
9/17 - Celebration of the Eucharist, 8:30 a.m., ICC; Mid-point of Quarter 1
9/19 - Spaghetti Dinner, 5:30 - 8:00 p.m., St. Michael Hall
9/22 - 9/26 - Fall Book Fair
9/24 - Celebration of the Eucharist, 8:30 a.m., ICC
9/25 - 1/2 day of school, Family - Teacher Conferences, 1:00 - 4:30 and 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
9/26 - 1/2 day of school
10/16 - NO SCHOOL, Diocese of St. Petersburg In-Service for teachers
10/17 - NO SCHOOL
10/24 - End of Quarter 1
11/7 - 1/2 day of school
11/8 - ICS Auction
Prayers
Please join in praying for the following intentions:
-We continue to pray for the Maggio, Mike and Peach families. May God offer them comfort and peace as they mourn the loss of loved ones. May they find strength and be given hope.
-We continue to pray for the McInerney, Finley, and Rosario families. We also pray for Mrs. Martin-Romero, Sophia Castro, and Kelly Decker, Mario Mora, and Mireida Abad and all of those who are sick and suffering from the effects of an illness. May God's healing hand grant them health and may He strengthen the families of those who are ill.
-We pray for peace in Iraq, in Missouri, in our world and in our hearts. May we be agents of Jesus's love in our homes, in our school, and in our community.
Have a prayer request? Send it to: icsmzele@icstampa.org. Prayers will run for two weeks unless otherwise specified.
Thank You
Thank you to teachers, families and students for an AMAZING start to the 14 - 15 school year! The collective efforts of our ICS family have provided a firm foundation upon which we will continue to build throughout this school year. GO Irish!
Carline, Part 2
-DROP-OFF
We once again thank all families for your efforts to establish routines and structures that help to get students to school on time. Please remember that starting next week (9/2), tardies will accumulate, and count against a student's ability to qualify for our First Quarter Time on Task Free Dress Day. Cars must be on campus by 7:45 to be considered on time.
If you arrive on campus between 7:00 - 7:25 a.m. you can either use the normal drop-off route or park and walk your student into St. Michael Hall. At 7:30, the morning drop-off route should be used by all families. Parking to walk students into school past 7:25 a.m. causes a delay in our drop-off line and is a safety hazard.
-PICK-UP
Despite the delays on the first day of school, our afternoon pick-up procedure has settled into an effective and efficient method to dismiss students. Thank you to parents and families for your patience and cooperation as everyone - teachers, students and drivers - learned this new system.
*Please keep our kids safe - exercise extreme caution when driving at any time and anywhere on our school campus. Our kids are the most important and precious gifts from God - drive as if every student on our campus was yours!
Forms due to the Office
Please be sure to submit the following forms back to the Front Office by tomorrow (Friday 8/29):
-Emergency information (please be sure to include any allergy information)
-Handbook Consent forms
-Media Release forms
Spirit Shirts
Order forms for the 2014 - 15 spirit shirt are also due tomorrow, Friday August 29.
Band Forms
Any Grade 3 - 8 student interested in participating in band should return the form to the Front Office by Tuesday September 2. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: 813.884.4502.
ICS Athletics
The ICS Athletic Department has been hard at work getting the Varsity and JV Volleyball and Soccer teams up and running and preparing for their initial competitions of the 14 - 15 school year. ICS has an innovative approach to sports and we invite you to take a moment to read our ICS Athletic Philosophy:
It is the mission and consistent goal of the Incarnation Catholic School Athletic Department to provide a wide range of sporting activities that not only allow for maximum participation of our students but also provide an opportunity for each of our students to find an activity in which they can excel. The purpose of the athletic department of Incarnation Catholic School is to promote the intellectual, physical, and moral development of students. In the words of St. John Paul II :
Our school is one of the only Catholic schools to embrace such a mission and to work at offering sporting opportunities to all students at our school, regardless of age and regardless of skill, experience and/or ability. Coach Garofolo has worked hard to organize three different levels of sports at ICS: League, Club and Intramural. For more details you can visit the Coaches' Corner page on the ICS Athletics Wiki: http://icsathletics.wikispaces.com/ICS+Athletics+Home or you can contact Coach Garofolo directly: garofolov@icstampa.org.
League and Club level competitions start soon and intramural opportunities are underway and expanding. Stay tuned for more details; we hope to see you at our games. GO Irish!
It is the mission and consistent goal of the Incarnation Catholic School Athletic Department to provide a wide range of sporting activities that not only allow for maximum participation of our students but also provide an opportunity for each of our students to find an activity in which they can excel. The purpose of the athletic department of Incarnation Catholic School is to promote the intellectual, physical, and moral development of students. In the words of St. John Paul II :
“When sports are played and understood in the right way, they are an extraordinary expression of a person’s best inner energies and of his ability to overcome difficulties, to set goals to be reached through sacrifice, generosity and determination in facing the difficulties of competition.”Through athletic participation, our young male and female student-athletes learn a self-discipline that has both present and long-term effects. Athletic participation helps our students grow, learn, and enjoy themselves while they use and develop their personal, physical, and intellectual skills. Incarnation values the lessons that are learned through athletic participation: the pursuit of excellence through personal development and teamwork, ethical and responsible behavior on the field and off, the inspiration of leadership, and the building and strengthening of character. Incarnation strives to inspire leadership, build and strengthen character, and encourage sportsmanship with the acceptance of victory with humility, and acknowledgement of defeat with grace. While winning is not an end in itself, we believe that the efforts by our athletes to be their best will lead them to succeed throughout their lives. The goal of winning, or more accurately, striving to win, is essential to competition. To play sports without striving to win is to be a dishonest competitor. Incarnation takes pride in understanding that our coaches function as educators. Our mission is made easy when considering that our school is an institution that has God as its foundation.
Our school is one of the only Catholic schools to embrace such a mission and to work at offering sporting opportunities to all students at our school, regardless of age and regardless of skill, experience and/or ability. Coach Garofolo has worked hard to organize three different levels of sports at ICS: League, Club and Intramural. For more details you can visit the Coaches' Corner page on the ICS Athletics Wiki: http://icsathletics.wikispaces.com/ICS+Athletics+Home or you can contact Coach Garofolo directly: garofolov@icstampa.org.
League and Club level competitions start soon and intramural opportunities are underway and expanding. Stay tuned for more details; we hope to see you at our games. GO Irish!
ICS Family Challenge
Are you taking the ICS Family Challenge?
1. Pray together as a family at least once per week
2. Eat together as a family at least once per week
3. Play together as a family at least once per month
If so, please share your experiences (stories, photos, ideas, etc.) to: icsmzele@icstampa.org.
GO Irish!
Altar Server Training
The first Altar Server Training of the school year will take place on Wednesday, September 3rd at 3:30 p.m. after school. All current altar servers, as well as any student in Grade 5 - 8 who is interested, should meet Mr. Woodward at the picnic tables outside of the middle school wing at 3:30 p.m. Altar Server training will take place in the Church and will last until 5:00 p.m. Pick up will take place outside of St. Michael Hall. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Woodward: woodwardb@icstampa.org.
PBIS
Through your discussions with your son(s)/daughter(s) regarding the beginning of the 2014 - 2015 school year, you may have heard your child mention the new posters that are hung up around the school, the constant review and practice of school-wide expectations, how they may have received a red ticket, or an action they performed that caused them to receive a warning, strike, or infraction. Any of these things that you may have heard associated with your son(s)/daughter(s) first 2 weeks of school are all a part of our new school-wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) program. PBIS is a researched based, school-wide behavior management initiative that teaches and supports positive behaviors for all students. The objectives of this framework are:
- to develop a common experience for all students across all areas of the school through the use of a common vision, common values, common language, and common behaviors
- to collect data and use it to make data-driven decisions regarding behavior
- to increase our proactive behavior management
More information on the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) program is available in the PBIS brochure (below), as well as within the Incarnation Catholic School 2014-2015 Student Handbook. If you would have any questions or comments regarding the implementation of PBIS please feel free to contact your child's classroom teacher or the School Counselor, Mr. Woodward: woodwardb@icstampa.org.
ICS Curriculum Nights
This year, ICS will host two different Curriculum Nights:
-Wednesday September 3 for Grades PreK - 5
-Wednesday September 10 for Grades 6 - 8
Both events will take place from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Families should report to St. Michael Hall for a brief general meeting before heading to classrooms to meet with teachers. Childcare for ICS students will be available. We hope to see you there. While not a time to have individual conferences with teachers it is an opportunity to ask questions about classroom policies, topics, assignments and other such details.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Office: 813.884.4502.
The ICS Difference
Check out this AMAZING testimonial about the power of an ICS education, from Mr. Ken Amato (Vinny, Gr. 4):
Vinny just knocked on my door with this huge bottle of fish oil capsules. He says" these are for you Ron". I asked him why he did this. He replied with something like " I want you to feel better". His goodness and kindness almost left me speechless.
Ironically, I told Linda yesterday that I need to get back on fish oil. So, Vinny is an angel ....Divine Intervention. I'm very touched by his thoughtfulness. Must be great parenting. Not certain who took him....but, thank you. A very special moment for me.
Ron
Great job, Vinny! We are proud of you!
Moms and Tots
See the information below about an opportunity for moms with children ages 2 - 3 to gather for a group here at ICS. The first event is Thursday September 11. Contact Ms. Rachel Noto for more information or to sign-up: notor@icstampa.org.
GO: Slow
This year, ICS administration, faculty and staff are committed to purposefully focusing on students' spiritual and academic growth. This laser-like focus has inspired us to slow down our school day and be very intentional about all that we do to enhance the faith and learning environments here at ICS. Along those lines, we only gather in St. Michael Hall prior to Period 1 on Mondays so as to go over the week's announcements, birthdays and messages. Then, on Wednesdays, we no longer squeeze Period 1 before Mass but instead take time to gather as a school community in St. Michael Hall to "Warm-up to Worship". We read the Gospel for the upcoming Mass. We review the songs that we will sing. We reinforce a message based on the day's readings. Celebrating the Eucharist as a school community is the most important thing we do all week; we are now giving it the level of prominence the Mass so rightly deserves.
As such, Period 1 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays begins promptly at 7:50 a.m. We have also lengthened class time on those days to 45 minutes, maximizing our instructional time with your students.
Our lives are so hectic and fast-paced. Let us get back to basics in all phases of our lives, but particularly as they pertain to our children. Let us drive slow in the parking lots. Let us not fill every moment of their lives with activities, sports and events. Let us focus on them - our children - and their well being in all that we do. Let us pray more. Love more. Connect more.
Go slow. God bless. GO Irish!
Moms and Tots
See the information below about an opportunity for moms with children ages 2 - 3 to gather for a group here at ICS. The first event is Thursday September 11. Contact Ms. Rachel Noto for more information or to sign-up: notor@icstampa.org.
GO: Slow
This year, ICS administration, faculty and staff are committed to purposefully focusing on students' spiritual and academic growth. This laser-like focus has inspired us to slow down our school day and be very intentional about all that we do to enhance the faith and learning environments here at ICS. Along those lines, we only gather in St. Michael Hall prior to Period 1 on Mondays so as to go over the week's announcements, birthdays and messages. Then, on Wednesdays, we no longer squeeze Period 1 before Mass but instead take time to gather as a school community in St. Michael Hall to "Warm-up to Worship". We read the Gospel for the upcoming Mass. We review the songs that we will sing. We reinforce a message based on the day's readings. Celebrating the Eucharist as a school community is the most important thing we do all week; we are now giving it the level of prominence the Mass so rightly deserves.
As such, Period 1 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays begins promptly at 7:50 a.m. We have also lengthened class time on those days to 45 minutes, maximizing our instructional time with your students.
Our lives are so hectic and fast-paced. Let us get back to basics in all phases of our lives, but particularly as they pertain to our children. Let us drive slow in the parking lots. Let us not fill every moment of their lives with activities, sports and events. Let us focus on them - our children - and their well being in all that we do. Let us pray more. Love more. Connect more.
Go slow. God bless. GO Irish!
IN KEEPING WITH OUR TRADITION, WE AT INCARNATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL:
Inspire life-long learners,
Challenge each individual to be a disciple of Christ, and
Strive to live our Catholic faith through service to each other and the community.
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