Dear ICS Families,
May the love of the Father, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. I hope and pray that the summer has brought rest, relaxation, rejuvenation and recreation. The upcoming school year is poised to be one of our best ever. The teachers, staff and administration are excited about welcoming you and your children to the 2014 - 15 school year!
Please note the following updates as we prepare for the upcoming school year:
1. PERSONNEL: Please join together as one ICS Family in welcoming the following teachers to ICS:
-Ms. Rachel Noto, VPK / PreK - Ms. Noto will be working closely with Mrs. Roark in PreK to enhance our existing program and to add VPK to our school. Ms. Noto has a Masters of Arts in Early Childhood Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and teaching experience in both Kindergarten and 1st Grade. VPK will officially start at ICS at some point in the fall (October / November) and we are currently registering students into our full day program in anticipation of VPK starting mid-year.
-Mrs. Jayme Finley, 1st grade (Mrs. Hall will be moving to join Mrs. Schillo in 2nd grade) - Mrs. Finley comes to ICS after working as a 1st grade teacher at St. Jude Catholic School in St. Petersburg last year. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary education from Stetson University and has over 15 years of experience of working with students in various settings.
-Mrs. Louise Fuchs, 3rd grade - Mrs. Fuchs will be joining Miss DeFilippis in 3rd grade. Mrs. Fuchs has worked most recently at Bishop Larkin and Guardian Angels Catholic Schools, respectively, and possesses a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Secondary Education from Stony Brook University in New York.
-Mr. Jon Skilton, Middle School Science - Mr. Skilton brings to the Middle School over 20 years of educational experience. Mr. Skilton holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Concordia University and a Masters of Educational Administration from Houston Baptist University. His certification in Biology, grades 6 - 12, as well as his administrative and teaching experiences, make him an ideal fit for our Middle School Science program.
-Mrs. Jean Brown, Media Specialist - Mrs. Brown holds a Bachelors degree in Exceptional Education / Elementary Education from the University of West Florida. In addition, she has Masters degrees in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Administration from the University of South Florida and the University of Notre Dame. She brings with her many years of work as a Media Specialist, working most recently at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School.
-Ms. Sara Maniscalco, Music - Ms. Maniscalco will take the reins of our Music program this upcoming school year. An accomplished musician, Ms. Maniscalco holds a Master of Arts degree in Music from Hunter College. She works at the Tampa Bay Music Academy and has functioned as a music teacher in New York prior to moving to Florida.
Every effort possible has been made to assemble the best team of educators available to provide the most outstanding Catholic education to the students of Incarnation. We are excited about these new faculty members and look forward to their ministry here at ICS!
2. CAMPUS: The following advancements have occurred over the summer across the ICS campus:
-Front Office Relocation - To coordinate with the beginning of the school year, the Front Office will move from its location on Webb Road to the old St. Brendan Room on the North side of campus. The doors along Webb Road will no longer serve as entrance / exit to the facility. The old Main Office will serve as the Administrative Offices, housing myself; Mrs. Gonzalez, Assistant Principal; and Mr. Woodward, School Counselor.
-Media Center - The Media Center has been renovated - new tile, new lights, new shelves.
-PreK and Kindergarten Classrooms - Similar to the Media Center, these primary rooms have received new floors, new lights, ceiling mounted LCD projectors, and SMART boards.
-Covered Walkway - A covered walkway connecting the open side of the courtyard was installed over the summer.
3. PROCEDURES: Please note the following procedural changes for the upcoming school year:
-Drop-Off* - Drop-off for all students will now take place in the Church (Hillsborough Ave.) parking lot. Enter and exit off of either Hillsborough Avenue or Gateway Drive.
-Pick-Up* - Pick-up for all students will now take place in the Pavilion parking lot; all students will be housed under the Pavilion. Traffic will enter and exit from the Church (Hillsborough Ave.) parking lot.
*For more details about Drop-Off and Pick-Up, please consult the 2014 - 15 ICS Student-Family Handbook (which will be posted soon).
-PBIS - Mr. Woodward, Mrs. Gonzalez and a team of teachers have been hard at work over the course of the summer finalizing a Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) System for ICS for the upcoming school year. Stay tuned for more details on this school-wide system of student management as we progress throughout the year. More information will be found in this year's ICS Student-Family Handbook and a brochure will be available in the Front Office once school begins.
4. NEW FAMILY ORIENTATION / BACK TO SCHOOL BLESSING: Please plan to join us on Thursday August 14, 2014 for our New Family Orientation and Back to School Blessing. Please note the following details:
-New Family Orientation:
-PreK and Kindergarten Families - report to the Media Center at 6:00 p.m.
-New families with students in 1st - 8th grades - report to Room 1 at 6:00 p.m.
*If you don't know how to find either of these locations, please just visit the new Front Office and we will escort you!
-Back to School Blessing:
-All ICS families - report to St. Michael Hall at 7:00 p.m.
-7:00 - 7:15 - Back to School Blessing and Welcome to the 2014 school year
-7:15 - 8:00 - Classroom visits, informal tours of campus (*please keep in mind that teachers will still be preparing their classrooms for the upcoming school year and may not be "first day ready" on Thursday evening - thanks for your patience)
*Please plan to come to this event to receive a blessing from Fr. Michael, learn what homeroom your child will be in, and reunite with the rest of your ICS Family!
5. BACK TO SCHOOL SALE: From August 11 - 15, the Front Office will be selling used uniforms, PE uniforms and lunch cards. Please to stop by from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (or during the Back to School Blessing on the 14th) and get stocked for the start of the year.
6. CALENDAR: A detailed calendar for the 2014 - 15 school year has been posted to the ICS website. Please make note of all of the events we have planned for this school year and plan to participate!
7. VOLUNTEER HOURS: Many final projects still need to be completed prior to the start of the school year. If you are interested and available to help, please contact Mr. Dave Arnold: darnold@icctampa.org. Volunteer hours for the upcoming school year will be given for your service.
8. FIRST DAY: Our first day of school is Monday August 18. Please to park and walk students into classrooms on this first day of the year. Our school day begins at 7:45 a.m. and runs until 3:00 p.m. Pick-up for the first day of school will not be affected.
9. REDIKER: Given the level of work that occurred over the summer, we will delay our transition to Rediker until some point in the fall of 2014. More details will be made available regarding the switch to this new Student Information System as they become available. Until the change occurs, ICS will continue to use Sycamore. We apologize for any inconvenience.
8. FIRST DAY: Our first day of school is Monday August 18. Please to park and walk students into classrooms on this first day of the year. Our school day begins at 7:45 a.m. and runs until 3:00 p.m. Pick-up for the first day of school will not be affected.
9. REDIKER: Given the level of work that occurred over the summer, we will delay our transition to Rediker until some point in the fall of 2014. More details will be made available regarding the switch to this new Student Information System as they become available. Until the change occurs, ICS will continue to use Sycamore. We apologize for any inconvenience.
10. GO: The theme for this school year, "Go. Do what you believe and believe in what you do!" will undoubtedly lead us to many wonderful and exciting endeavors, accomplishments and activities. May the Lord inspire all of us to be our best selves this upcoming year and to be even better than that: to be the people - principals, teachers, parents, students, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends, Christians - that God created us to be.
Please know of my prayers for our school community, for my complete gratitude for your commitment to ICS and for my unwavering effort to transform ICS into the school God created it to be.
GO Irish!
Peace,
Mr. Michael Zelenka
Principal
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