Thursday, March 26, 2015

ICS Newsletter: Thursday March 26, 2015

Upcoming Events
3/27 - End of the 3rd Quarter; Spring Picture money or pictures due back to the office
4/1 - Household Mass, 8:30 a.m., ICC
ICS 8th Graders prepare for a trip to Finance Park. 
4/2 - 1/2 day of school, Holy Thursday; NO AFTERCARE AVAILABLE
4/3 - 4/10 - Easter Break, NO SCHOOL
4/14 - Kindergarten Easter Hat Parade; Free Dress day for any family who sells one Payday Sweepstakes ticket next week!
4/15 - Celebration of the Eucharist, 8:30 a.m., ICC
4/16 - 4/19 - Spring Funfest (Incarnation Carnival)
4/16 - Thursday Full Day Schedule 
4/17 - 1/2 day of school 
4/20 - No School; Carnival Clean-up
4/21 - 8th Grade Cap and Gown Pictures
4/22 - Celebration of the Eucharist, 8:30 a.m., ICC
4/23 - Family Supper
4/29 - Celebration of the Eucharist, 8:30 a.m., ICC
4/30 - Irish Cup Activity
5/1 - First Friday Morning Assembly, 8:30 a.m., St. Michael Hall; Irish Incarnation Spirit Day (any ICS spirit shirt, jeans / PE shorts / uniform bottoms, sneakers); 8th Grade and Kindergarten lunch
5/6 - Household Mass
5/8 - 1/2 day of school; Mid-point of Quarter 4
5/13 - Celebration of the Eucharist, 8:30 a.m., ICC
5/14 - ICS Easter Concert, 7:00 p.m., St. Michael Hall
5/15 - 2nd Annual Irish Cup Championship
5/18 - 5/23 - 8th Grade trip to Washington DC
5/20 - Celebration of the Eucharist, 8:30 a.m., ICC
5/25 - No School, Memorial Day
5/26 - 8th Grade graduation practice and retreat
5/27 - School Mass, Class of 2015 Awards; 8th Grade luncheon with Fr. Michael Suszynski
5/28 - Family Supper
5/30 - Class of 2015 Graduation, 10:00 a.m., ICC
6/4 - Honor Roll Breakfast (Grades 5 - 7); School Clean-up
6/5 - 1/2 day of school, last day of school; Celebration of the Eucharist, 8:30 a.m., ICC; Awards; Class Parties; NO AFTERCARE AVAILABLE




Prayers
We lift up the Ostrander family (Ethan and Devon, Grades 7 and 5) as they mourn the passing of Mr. Ostrander's father, Tom Ostrander, last week. We pray for the Ostranders that God would come and fill their hearts with His hope and peace. 

We pray for the Charlery family (Dylainie and Jaylin, Grades 5 and 1) as they grieve the loss of Mr. Charlery's mother, Helena Willie. May God wrap His loving arms around the Charlery family during this difficult time. 

We continue to pray for Mrs. Maria Casanas and her husband as they mourn the loss of Mrs. Casanas's mother-in-law. May God continue to surround the Casanas family with His loving arms and grant them love, peace and comfort.

We also continue to pray for the family of Sophia Castro. May God offer Sophia's family strength and guidance as they mourn her passing into eternal life. 

Have a prayer request? Send it to: icsmzele@icstampa.org. Prayers will run for two weeks unless otherwise specified.




Thank You
We thank the families and students who attended last weekend’s 3rd Annual Family Fun Run. Thank you to Mrs. Stavish for her assistance with race bags and to Mr. Woodward and Mrs. Sheldon for their help with course construction and race registration, respectively. 

Thanks to the race sponsors: Tran Construction, Fantasy Academy, and the Tanner and Muraharisetti families!

Congratulations to Jacob Rogers, 3rd Grade, for taking 1st Place in the 1 Mile race. Maureen Tanner, Grade 8, took 2nd and Kindergartener Ramil Muraharisetti took 3rd! Tristan Stavish, also in 3rd Grade, was the first student to cross the finish line in the 5K! 

Congratulations! 


ICS Athletics
Flag football, baseball and softball are underway! Contact Coach Garofolo for details about these Irish sports!
The Irish Baseball team will play its final game in its three game season this afternoon: 3/26/15. Go Irish!
The Irish Softball schedule is as follows: 
-Practice: 4/13 and 4/22
-Games: 4/14 and 4/24
Volleyball workouts are on Wednesday's after school. For more information, contact Coach Garofolo. 

The Irish Flag Football team has been hard at work over the past few weeks in preseason practices. We look forward to the start of their season next week. The bulk of their games will be played upon returning from Easter break:

-3/30 @ ICS vs. Mother Theresa of Calcutta, 4:00 p.m.
-4/1 @ ICS vs. Villa Madonna, 4:00 p.m.
-4/14 vs. Christ the King (A), 3:30 p.m.
-4/21 vs. Nativity (A), 4:30 p.m.
-4/23 vs. St. Lawrence (A), 4:00 p.m.
-4/29 @ ICS vs. St. Stephen, 4:00 p.m.
-4/30 @ ICS vs. St. Peter Claver, 4:00 p.m.
-5/4 @ ICS vs. Corpus Christi, 4:00 p.m.

Please come out to support our teams!


For more information about the Irish Athletics Program, especially for a list of the upcoming schedule, please visit Coach Garofolo's Coach's Corner website. Go IRISH!

ICS Family Challenge
Today's ICS Family Challenge quote comes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (#2223). Thank you, ICS parents, for creating homes where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service (performed out of love, not because of some return!) rule! Your children are always watching and becoming you!

If we love, it is because we were first loved. If we are tender, it is because we were showed tenderness. If we forgive, it is because we were first forgiven. We respect when we are respected. Our sense of commitment and dedication to service is taught to us by our families.

Keep doing the best you can to model these important virtues for our students. Please know of our continued prayers and support for you and your families! Being a parent is the most important work in the world - thank you for doing it!



ICS Student Council raised money for new recess equipment!
Morning Drop-Off
Please to be reminded of the following message about Morning Drop-off procedures that was posted in last week’s Newsletter. Please help to keep your child(ren) and all ICS students safe!

To ensure a consistent and effective traffic flow in morning carline, parents should remain in carline rather than parking to walk students across traffic. If you need to visit the office, please park and cross at the crosswalk near the flagpole. Crossing in front of St. Michael Hall causes delays for families within carline and creates an unsafe environment for our school community. School personnel will be available to help coordinate safe crossing. Thank you in advance for your attention to this. 


Box Tops for Education
The final collection of the school year ends on May 27. Many common items have Box Tops. Please submit to the Main Office.


Payday Sweepstakes
The Payday Sweepstakes drawing is in its final week!

As a way to inspire a final push, any family selling at least one (1) ticket during the week of 3/30 – 4/1 will receive a Free Dress Day on Tuesday April 14. In addition, students from families who sell at least one ticket during the final week will receive an ice cream treat during lunch the week we return from Easter. Even if you have sold your allotment of tickets (and we thank you for that!) in order for your child(ren) to qualify, your family needs to sell just one more ticket! 

Thank you to all families who have participated in this fundraiser and to Mrs. Julie Padron for chairing it. The final pull, worth $1,000, is next Wednesday April 1! 

Congrats to our winners! 

Bonus drawing - Stevens Family (Gr. 6)
3/2 - Donna Quiones (PreK)
3/3 - Daryl Kramer (Gr. 1, 5, and 7)
3/4 - Nicole Mitchell (K)
3/5 - Vivian Gendes, sold by the Robinson / Rivera family
3/6 - R. Caldevilla, sold by the KA Rivera family (*FRIDAY WINNER!)
3/9 - Melinda Bickel, sold by the Maher Family
3/10 - Candance Amato (Grade 4)
3/11 - Janice Capuano (Grade 7)
3/12 - Claudete Marcal (Grade 1)
3/13 - Denise Beall - sold by Roland Clemente Briceno (Grade 1) (*FRIDAY WINNER!)
3/16 - Spinnato Family (Grades 5 and 7)
3/17 - Tran Family (Grade 5)
3/18 - Candance Amato (Grade 4), *first repeat winner! 
3/19 – Mrs. Hall (2nd Grade teacher)
3/20 – Mrs. Toro, Isabella Farfan (KB) family (*FRIDAY WINNER!)
3/23 – Leo Castro (Grades 4 and 5)
3/24 – Christina Falcone (Grades 8 and 5)
3/25 – Jose Alvarez (Grade 7)


Mondays - Thursdays = $100 prize
Fridays = $250
Grand prize (April 1) = $1000


If you have questions, please contact the school office. Thanks for your support, ICS!




Matching Gift
Donations continue to trickle in for our iPad cart matching gift but we are still below the $5,000 ceiling. Please consider helping us maximize the matching gift of $5,000 for our class set of iPads and a mobile cart to house them. 


Please contact Mr. Zelenka (icsmzele@icstampa.org) or send a check, payable to ICS, to the office (memo: tablet cart), if you are able to make a donation. 


Parents, you may consider following up with the grandparents of our ICS students to help with this cause. 


In advance, we thank you for your consideration and generosity!




Re-registration
You should have received your 2015 – 16 re-registration packet this past week. We prayerfully hope that you will return this registration as soon as possible not only to secure your spot at ICS next year, but also to afford ICS administration ample planning time to continue to enhance and develop our AMAZING school! If you have any questions about re-registration or have any hesitations, please contact Mr. Zelenka: icsmzele@icstampa.org




ICS Carnival 2015: Spring Fun Fest
Please follow this link for important information regarding ICS Carnival 2015: Spring Fun Fest. Check back for updates. 

You can also access updates and information about the ICS Spring Fun Fest Carnival through our ICS Facebook page. Updates are happening almost daily! 

Construction for the Fun Fest begins this Saturday. Any family in need of commitment hours and/or anyone interested in helping is welcome to attend! Thank you for your assistance in preparing for this community event!




Home and School Association
Any family / parent who is interested in helping ICS to reorganize Home and School should contact Mr. Zelenka: icsmzele@icstampa.org. We will schedule a meeting for some time after Easter break to help design our new ICS HSA as well as plan for next year’s list of events! Please prayerfully consider volunteering to offer your ideas and insights. At this point, that is all that is expected – no long term commitments (yet!). 




Spring Pictures
Tomorrow, Friday March 27 is the due date for the payment of this school year's Spring Pictures. Please note that if you do not want to purchase them, please just return the actual pictures to the Main Office. So, either money or pictures are due tomorrow Friday March 27. 


Early Childhood at ICS
Incarnation Catholic School is currently working toward the establishment of a three-year-old program to continue to enhance our school community. Miss Rachel Noto, our ICS Early Childhood Director, has been hard at work this year not only securing VPK for our school (which happened to benefit our current PreK families) but also applying for licensure for both a three-year-old class as well as Early Childhood Accreditation. If you have any questions about this exciting phase of our ICS education, please contact Miss Noto: notor@icstampa.org



Be blessed. Be bold. Fight for JOY!


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.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

ICS Newsletter: Thursday March 19, 2015

Upcoming Events
3/19 - Family Supper, Feast of St. Joseph
3/20 - NO SCHOOL, ICS teacher in-service 
3/21 - ICS Family Fun Run, 8:30 a.m. (1 mile and 5K)
3/23 - ICS Chick-fil-A Spirit Night, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m., W. Waters Ave.
3/25 - National Junior Honor Society Inductions after Mass
3/27 - End of the 3rd Quarter; Spring Picture money or pictures due back to the office
4/1 - Household Mass, 8:30 a.m., ICC
4/2 - 1/2 day of school, Holy Thursday
4/3 - 4/10 - Easter Break, NO SCHOOL
4/16 - 4/19 - Spring Funfest (Incarnation Carnival)
5/14 - ICS Easter Concert, 7:00 p.m., St. Michael Hall


Prayers
We pray for Mrs. Maria Casanas and her husband as they mourn the loss of Mrs. Casanas's mother-in-law. May God surround the Casanas family with His loving arms and usher them comfort, strength and peace during this difficult time.

We pray for the family of Sophia Castro, who passed into eternal life earlier this week. May God give Sophia's family strength and guidance as they mourn.

We pray for all families suffering from and affected by the effects of cancer. May God speed the discovery of a cure for this and all illnesses.

We pray for the unemployed and the under-employed. May God grant everyone the dignifying blessing of work. 

Have a prayer request? Send it to: icsmzele@icstampa.org. Prayers will run for two weeks unless otherwise specified.


Thank You

We once again thank the many families who attended last week's State of Incarnation meetings. Just under 50% of our PreK - Grade 7 families were able to attend. Please know how much we appreciate your partnership and how committed the faculty, staff and administration of ICS is to continuing to advance and enhance the Catholic education at our AMAZING school!

For information about the content of the meetings, please see below. 


Congratulations

Congratulations to the following students honored last week at our March Morning Assembly:

-St. Sebastian Student-Athletes of the Month: Daniel Cifuentes (Gr. 6) and Jennifer Pham (Gr. 7)

-Crossfit Leadership Award: Maureen Tanner (Gr. 8)

-Red Ticket Drawing Winners: Gianmarco Vera (Gr. 2), Jonathan Padilla (Gr. 3), Maria Paula Owens (Gr. 7)

-Incarnation Inspiration Awards: Kara Artz, Sandro Lopez, Katrina Otis and Sophia Sargeant (Gr. 5); Melvin Carvalho (Gr. 6); Logan Capuano, John Coulman, Nicholas Do, Sebastian Gomez, Allison Kramer, Ethan Ostrander, Maria Paula Owens, Jennifer Pham and Sarah Torres (Gr. 7); Carter Campbell, Max Hernandez and Steven Sargeant (Gr. 8)

Special recognition goes out to Principal for the Day Kamila Muraharisetti (Gr. 3) for her assistance with Friday Morning Assembly on March 13! Principal Muraharisetti visited classrooms, wrote notes to teachers and administered tickets to students displaying positive behaviors. Great job! 

Go Irish!



ICS Athletics
Flag football, baseball and softball are underway! Contact Coach Garofolo for details about these Irish sports!

The baseball schedule is as follows:
-Practice: 3/23
-Games: 3/19, 3/24 and 3/26

The softball schedule is as follows: 
-Practice: 4/13 and 4/22
-Games: 4/14 and 4/24

Volleyball workouts are on Wednesday's after school. For more information, contact Coach Garofolo. 

For more information about the Irish Athletics Program, especially for a list of the upcoming schedule, please visit Coach Garofolo's Coach's Corner website. Go IRISH!


ICS Family Challenge


-Hebrews 12:11

Please know that ICS faculty, staff and administration strive to support ICS families as they train their child(ren) to become disciples of Jesus. The root of discipline is "disciple" and we are honored to work so closely with you to help form our students into the people that God created them to be! Keep fighting the good fight and know that the loving discipline bestowed upon your children from both home and school is helping to form them into disciples of Christ!

We pray today in a special way for all ICS fathers and father-figures in honor of the feast of St. Joseph! St. Joseph, pray for us and our dads!


Morning Drop-Off
To ensure a consistent and effective traffic flow in morning carline, parents should remain in carline rather than parking to walk students across traffic. If you need to visit the office, please park and cross at the crosswalk near the flagpole. Crossing in front of St. Michael Hall causes delays for families within carline and creates an unsafe environment for our school community. School personnel will be available to help coordinate safe crossing. Thank you in advance for your attention to this. 


Box Tops for Education
The final collection of the school year ends on May 27. Start to collect now and submit to the Main Office.


Payday Sweepstakes

The Payday Sweepstakes drawing is off to a great start. Congrats to our growing list of winners!

Winners thus far:
Bonus drawing - Stevens Family (Gr. 6)
3/2 - Donna Quiones (PreK)
3/3 - Daryl Kramer (Gr. 1, 5, and 7)
3/4 - Nicole Mitchell (K)
3/5 - Vivian Gendes, sold by the Robinson / Rivera family
3/6 - R. Caldevilla, sold by the KA Rivera family (*FRIDAY WINNER!)
3/9 - Melinda Bickel, sold by the Maher Family
3/10 - Candance Amato (Grade 4)
3/11 - Janice Capuano (Grade 7)
3/12 - Claudete Marcal (Grade 1)
3/13 - Denise Beall - sold by Roland Clemente Briceno (Grade 1)
3/16 - Spinnato Family (Grades 5 and 7)
3/17 - Tran Family (Grade 5)
3/18 - Candance Amato (Grade 4), *first repeat winner! 

Mondays - Thursdays = $100 prize
Fridays = $250
Grand prize (April 1) = $1000

Tickets are $10 each and families have been given 15 tickets. Should you need more tickets, please just let us know. Tickets can be sold to anyone - we do not necessarily expect families to incur the cost of the tickets. Consider co-workers, neighbors, friends and relatives in this event that offers the chance of a big ROI (return on investment)! It only takes one ticket in the tumbler to win!


Finally, please remember the distinction (for ICS families who are ICC parishioners) between the Payday Sweepstakes drawing and the Carnival Raffle. If you are a parishioner of ICC you received a book of tickets for the Carnival as well. Please note that the raffles are not affiliated with one another and there is no obligation for ICS families to sell Carnival raffle tickets. Sorry for any confusion. 

If you have questions, please contact the school office. 


Matching Gift
Please consider helping us maximize the matching gift of $5,000 for our class set of iPads and a mobile cart to house them. 

Please contact Mr. Zelenka (icsmzele@icstampa.org) or send a check, payable to ICS, to the office (memo: tablet cart), if you are able to make a donation. 

Parents, you may consider following up with the grandparents of our ICS students to help with this cause. 

In advance, we thank you for your consideration and generosity!


State of Incarnation Recap and Re-registration
For any families not able to attend last week's sessions and for any that did come but may be in need of a refresher, here are the main points:

-Academic Programs: Visit this link for details about our academic programs for next year: http://incarnationcatholicschool.blogspot.com/2015/03/state-of-incarnation-letter-to-ics_11.html. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Mr. Zelenka.

-Tuition 2015 - 16: 1.5% increase, no hidden fees, importance of Mass attendance and Church support to qualify for in-parish rate.

-Finances: 5th year of financial stability, enrollment stability over the past three years, improvements and enhancements have continued even while keeping close tabs on our budget - SMART Boards in all classrooms, projectors, renovated Media Center, added an Early Childhood Playground, moved to a full-time Assistant Principal, full-time School Counselor, full-time Spanish teacher and full-time Media Specialist

-Home and School Association: Two years ago we revamped our Home and School Association so as to solicit more involvement from more families. Unfortunately, we extended this committee chairperson approach into this school year as well. We need to establish a leadership board for the 15-16 school year. Anyone interested in helping should contact Mr. Zelenka.

-Progress: Incarnation Catholic School is a school that is advancing in all facets. Our Middle School standardized test scores demonstrate drastic improvement over the past three years as students progress from 6th through 8th grades. We have paid specific attention to students in Upper Elementary grades in need of remediation and have offered it to them in various ways this year. We added VPK to our PreK program. We have solidified our Primary literacy program with our Superkids Reading Series. We have increased the number of sports offered while also adopting an inclusive and competitive approach to our athletic program. We've renovated the entire physical plant over the course of the past 5 years. Teachers continue to excel and focus on constant improvement and enhancement. We have fostered a greater sense of community with our Household / Priory Program. We have embraced a formative system of discipline with our PBIS management program. ICS has made a concerted effort to focus on our Catholic faith and the spiritual development of its students. 

-Next Steps: We will add a three year old program either next year or for the 2016 - 17 school year. We will continue to increase our educational technological hardware. We have plans to incorporate a STEM component to our curriculum. We will continue to enhance our After School Program. We will look to offer electives for Middle School students. We will search for opportunities for students to serve each other and the community. We will look to offer more retreats for students. We hope to offer parent development programs and more opportunities for you to be supported with resources and chances to enter into community with others. 

-Incarnational: We hope to be Christ to you and your children in all that we do. We hope that you see Christ's hands and feet in our interactions with you and our students. This is why we have moved from discipline to making disciples; from a teacher-dominated classroom to a student-centered one; and from exclusivity in our sports to developmentally appropriate inclusivity. It is why we will work tirelessly to provide the most academically excellent Catholic education possible. It is why we are putting God and Christ first in all that we do and that we are making sure our actions fall in accordance with this belief. It is why we consider our relationship with you to be a partnership. It is why we focus on the relational aspects of working with families, students and each other. God is with us here at Incarnation. We are Incarnational. 


Family Fun Run
On Saturday March 21, ICS will host its 3rd annual Family Fun Run. 

Many thanks to the sponsors for this event: 
-Tran Contracting
-Fantasy Academy
-Tanner Family
-Muraharisetti Family

Due to lower numbers this year, we will start the 1 mile and the 5K at the same time: 8:30 a.m. Check-in will start at 8:00 a.m. in the Pavilion. 

If you would still like to participate, please plan to join us on Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. Cost is $15 per participant and will include a t-shirt and race goodies. 

If you would like to volunteer for this event, please contact Mr. Zelenka: icsmzele@icstampa.org  

On your mark. Get set. GO!


ICS Carnival 2015: Spring Fun Fest
Please follow this link for important information regarding ICS Carnival 2015: Spring Fun Fest. Check back for updates. 


Home and School Association
Any family / parent who is interested in helping ICS to reorganize Home and School should contact Mr. Zelenka: icsmzele@icstampa.org.


Spring Pictures
Friday March 27 is the due date for the payment of this school year's Spring Pictures. Please note that if you do not want to purchase them, please just return the actual pictures to the Main Office. So, either money or pictures are due next Friday March 27. 


Be blessed. Be bold. Fight for JOY!


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.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

ICS Newsletter: Thursday March 12, 2015

Upcoming Events
3/12 - "The Light is On For You", diocesan confessions, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., all Catholic Churches
3/13 - Friday Morning Assembly, 8:30 a.m., St. Michael Hall (please note there is no spirit day for 3/13); ICS Family Fun Run registration forms due!
3/14 - State of Incarnation Family Meeting, 9:00 a.m., ICS Media Center
3/17 - St. Patrick's Day Celebration, green shirts with jeans and sneakers, class celebrations during lunch / recess; Family Supper forms due!
3/19 - Family Supper, Feast of St. Joseph
3/20 - NO SCHOOL, ICS teacher in-service 
3/21 - ICS Family Fun Run, 8:30 a.m. (1 mile); 9:00 a.m. (5K)
3/25 - National Junior Honor Society Inductions after Mass
3/27 - End of the 3rd Quarter
4/1 - Household Mass, 8:30 a.m., ICC
4/2 - 1/2 day of school, Holy Thursday
4/3 - 4/10 - Easter Break, NO SCHOOL
4/16 - 4/19 - Incarnation Carnival
5/14 - ICS Easter Concert, 7:00 p.m., St. Michael Hall


Prayers
We continue to lift up the following ICS family members:

-We pray for the father of Mrs. Coulman, Martin Herman, (John and Jackson's grandfather) who is being treated for an infection in his leg. We pray for his quick healing and recovery. 

-We pray for Mr. Woodward and his family as they mourn the loss of his grandmother, Nellie Mananno. May God surround the Woodwards during this difficult time and may they feel His comfort and grace. 

Have a prayer request? Send it to: icsmzele@icstampa.org. Prayers will run for two weeks unless otherwise specified.


Thank You

Thank you to the many families (almost 1/4 of our total number of families) that attended last night's State of Incarnation meeting. We appreciate your attendance and we hope you found the meeting insightful and encouraging! 

Many thanks to our teachers, students and all of our families for all of the good work happening in the name of Christ at Incarnation Catholic School. 


ICS Athletics

The ICS athletic department is moving into its final phase of the school year; spring sports have begun. 

Up next for boys are both Flag Football and Baseball. For the girls, the next sport is Softball. Check with Coach Garofolo for details!

Volleyball workouts are on Wednesday's after school. For more information, contact Coach Garofolo. 

For more information about the Irish Athletics Program, especially for a list of the upcoming schedule, please visit Coach Garofolo's Coach's Corner website. Go IRISH!


ICS Family Challenge
-Matthew 5:19

Remember that you, as parents and families, are the primary educators of your children and that we are here to help support you in being the "greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven" as you teach God's commands to your children. Take your daily bread (God gives you what you need to make it through today) and be AMAZING! 

Eat. Pray. Play. Love. Teach.


Box Tops for Education
The final collection of the school year ends on May 27. Start to collect now and submit to the Main Office.


Payday Sweepstakes

The Payday Sweepstakes drawing is off to a great start. Congrats to our list of winners!

Winners thus far:
Bonus drawing - Stevens Family (Gr. 6)
3/2 - Donna Quiones (PreK)
3/3 - Daryl Kramer (Gr. 1, 5, and 7)
3/4 - Nicole Mitchell (K)
3/5 - Vivian Gendes, sold by the Robinson / Rivera family
3/6 - R. Caldevilla, sold by the KA Rivera family (*FRIDAY WINNER!)
3/9 - Melinda Bickel, sold by the Maher Family
3/10 - Candance Amato (Grade 4)
3/11 - Janice Capuano (Grade 7)

Mondays - Thursdays = $100 prize
Fridays = $250
Grand prize (April 1) = $1000

Tickets are $10 each and families have been given 15 tickets. Should you need more tickets, please just let us know. Tickets can be sold to anyone - we do not necessarily expect families to incur the cost of the tickets. Consider co-workers, neighbors, friends and relatives in this event that offers the chance of a big ROI (return on investment)! It only takes one ticket in the tumbler to win!


Finally, please remember the distinction (for ICS families who are ICC parishioners) between the Payday Sweepstakes drawing and the Carnival Raffle. If you are a parishioner of ICC you received a book of tickets for the Carnival as well. Please note that the raffles are not affiliated with one another and there is no obligation for ICS families to sell Carnival raffle tickets. Sorry for any confusion. 

If you have questions, please contact the school office. 


Matching Gift
Please consider helping us maximize the matching gift of $5,000 for our class set of iPads and a mobile cart to house them. 

Please contact Mr. Zelenka (icsmzele@icstampa.org) or send a check, payable to ICS, to the office (memo: tablet cart), if you are able to make a donation. 

Parents, you may consider following up with the grandparents of our ICS students to help with this cause. 

In advance, we thank you for your consideration and generosity!


State of Incarnation and Re-registration
All PreK - Grade 7 families (and any 8th grade family that is interested) are invited to attend our 2nd State of Incarnation meeting this Saturday March 14 at 9:00 a.m. in the Media Center. 

Visit this link for details about our academic programs for next year: http://incarnationcatholicschool.blogspot.com/2015/03/state-of-incarnation-letter-to-ics_11.html.

Re-registration for the 2015 - 16 school year will follow these informational sessions; it officially opens next Monday, March 16. 


Family Fun Run
On Saturday March 21, ICS will host its 3rd annual Family Fun Run. Race sponsorship was disseminated in last week's packet. Race registration forms are in this week's packet once again and are due by tomorrow Friday March 13 to receive a t-shirt. Lace up your shoes and get moving to participate in either our 1 mile or 5K distances. 

If you would like to volunteer for this event, please contact Mr. Zelenka: icsmzele@icstampa.org 

On your mark. Get set. GO!


ICS Carnival 2015: Spring Fun Fest
Please follow this link for important information regarding ICS Carnival 2015: Spring Fun Fest. Check back for updates. 


Home and School Association
Any family / parent who is interested in helping ICS to reorganize Home and School should contact Mr. Zelenka: icsmzele@icstampa.org.


Important Upcoming Dates
Friday March 13 = ICS Family Fun Run forms due; Friday Morning Assembly, 8:30 a.m., St. Michael Hall (all are welcome!)
Monday March 16 = Beginning of re-registration for 2015 - 16 school year
Tuesday March 17 = ICS Family Supper forms due
Friday March 20 = No school


Be blessed. Be bold. Fight for JOY!


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.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

State of Incarnation: Letter to ICS Families

Dear ICS Families:

May the love of the Father, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

I write to you in advance of our two upcoming State of Incarnation meetings so that you may have an opportunity to digest this information prior to coming. It will be discussed in detail at the meeting.

As many of you know, we have been met with an annual question over the course of the past five years: will any grade level have one or two sections? 

Unfortunately, we have not been able to answer this question with much certainty, consistency or conviction. Re-enrollment limps along both because of human nature and because of families' worry about whether or not there will be two sections for any grade level. As such, projections based on educated guesses and the numbers of students enrolled at certain checkpoints throughout the spring and summer have been the only ways that decisions for one or two sections have been made. What results is an unreliable and somewhat unfair distribution of resources. Grade levels can have close to the same amount of students, but one can end up getting split to two sections while the other remains consolidated into one. 

As a way to respond to this phenomenon instead of react, I would like to unveil to you a model that maximizes our resources and provides a stable response to a dilemma that may never go away.  

We would look to offer two sections in all grade levels (with the exceptions of PreK and K as these grades have different class size requirements according to accreditation standards) for LA and Math, but consolidate for Science, Social Studies and Religion. Should the number of students enrolled for a particular grade exceed accreditation standards (more than 35 students), we would then split the grade into two legitimate sections. This will allow for us to offer smaller class sizes in all grade levels for the two most academically rigorous and vital subjects, Language Arts and Math. 

In order to make this possible, teachers would begin to specialize in content in grades 1 - 5 (similar to what already occurs in Grades 6 - 8). Furthermore, some teachers in grades 1 - 5 would teach two consecutive grade levels for particular subjects. Doing this would allow for greater collaboration, creating true academic departments that run across the entire school. It would also help ensure the vertical alignment of the curriculum between and among grade levels.

While we would hope that this allows us to get ahead of our enrollment concerns, we will not know the exact program needed until we begin and get into the heart of the re-enrollment process. ICS faculty and staff are committed to making this a strong alternative to the inconsistent approach currently in place; we firmly believe this will enhance our great school.

This structure allows for a more just and equitable division of our resources. I look forward to dialoguing with you about your thoughts, worries, questions and concerns about this concept either tonight or on Saturday. If you cannot attend either, please know of my willingness to speak with any family with questions or concerns.  

Thank you for your openness to this idea and to the Holy Spirit working in our school and through each one of us. 

I hope to see you either tonight (March 11, 7:00 p.m.; or Saturday March 14, 9:00 a.m.). Families with students in grades PreK – 7 should plan to attend.

Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.

Be blessed. Be bold. Fight for JOY!

Peace,

Mr. Zelenka
Principal










Thursday, March 5, 2015

ICS Newsletter: Thursday March 5, 2015

Upcoming Events
ICS students participate in Read Across America!
3/5 - 4/1 - Payday Sweepstakes Drawing
3/10 - Open House for Prospective Students - 9:00 a.m.
3/11 - Household Mass, 8:30 a.m., ICC; State of Incarnation Family Meeting, 7:00 p.m., St. Michael Hall
3/13 - Friday Morning Assembly, 8:30 a.m., St. Michael Hall
3/14 - State of Incarnation Family Meeting, 9:00 a.m., ICS Media Center
3/17 - St. Patrick's Day Celebration, green shirts with jeans and sneakers, class celebrations during lunch / recess
3/19 - Family Supper, Feast of St. Joseph
3/20 - NO SCHOOL, ICS teacher in-service 
3/21 - ICS Family Fun Run, 8:30 a.m. (1 mile); 9:00 a.m. (5K)
3/25 - National Junior Honor Society Inductions after Mass
3/27 - End of the 3rd Quarter
4/1 - Household Mass, 8:30 a.m., ICC
4/2 - 1/2 day of school, Holy Thursday
4/3 - 4/10 - Easter Break, NO SCHOOL
4/16 - 4/19 - Incarnation Carnival


Prayers
We pray for the father of Mrs. Coulman, Martin Herman, (John and Jackson's grandfather) who is being treated for an infection in his leg. We pray for his quick healing and recovery. 

We pray for Mr. Woodward and his family as they mourn the loss of his grandmother, Nellie Mananno. May God surround the Woodwards during this difficult time and may they feel His comfort and grace. 

We continue to pray for the Allegra family (Rachel, grade 8) as they mourn the loss of Mrs. Allegra's father (Rachel's grandfather). May God wrap the Allegra family with His love, strength and peace during this difficult time. 

Have a prayer request? Send it to: icsmzele@icstampa.org. Prayers will run for two weeks unless otherwise specified.


Thank You

Thank you to our ICS teachers for all of their hard work and dedication! May God continue to bless them and their ministry at Incarnation Catholic School!

Thank you as well to the Giglia Family (Nicholas, Class of 2012) and American Marketing for donating the materials and cost of printing our Payday Sweepstakes tickets and informational flyers! 


ICS Athletics

The ICS athletic department is moving into its final phase of the school year. Winter sports have concluded; spring sports are on the horizon. 

Some updates:

Varsity Boys' Basketball:
Congratulations to the Boys' Basketball teams as they wrapped up their seasons recently. The varsity squad advanced to the 2nd round of the playoffs! Many thanks to Coach Henderson and Coach Sargeant for all of their hard work with our young men! 

Up next for boys are both Flag Football and Baseball. For the girls, the next sport is Softball. Check with Coach Garofolo for details!


For more information about the Irish Athletics Program, especially for a list of the upcoming schedule, please visit Coach Garofolo's Coach's Corner website. Go IRISH!

Please note the following message from Coach Garofolo (a longer form of this communication can be found on the Coach's Corner website):

Throughout this athletic school year we have been blessed with a vast number of glorious moments and celebrations. Our school is so proud of our young student-athletes. We also greatly appreciate the love and support of our ICS families. As we progress through our sports' seasons, our hope is to continue to grow closer to Christ through athletic competition. Please remember to always keep the mission of our ICS Athletic Department in the front of our minds at all times during our athletic endeavors - teammates, coaches, opponents, families from ICS and other schools and the officials / referees:
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 Pope 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.  
We encourage sportsmanship with the acceptance of victory with humility, and acknowledgment of defeat with grace. 
As we know, when we are participating in our athletic events as players or spectators we are representing our school. Athletic events can be an intense experience and emotions can run high. Sportsmanship is important for the players, coaches and spectators. Let us all remember to remain humble in victory. Further, may we remain graceful in times of disappointment when things seem they have not gone our way. Whether a call, a decision by an official, or the final outcome of a game or event is not how we had hoped, remain graceful. Representing Incarnation Catholic School is a special privilege and a great opportunity to share with others the mission and beliefs of our AMAZING school.  

Thank you for your love and support of Incarnation Catholic School and our athletic teams. GO IRISH!

-Coach Garofolo

Thanks, Coach Garofolo! Good luck and GO IRISH!


ICS Family Challenge


-Miriam Weinstein, The Surprising Power of Family Meals 


The magic bullet referenced above: FAMILY MEALS! According to research, children who eat family meals together two or more times per week have higher grades, show fewer signs of depression and are less likely to engage in the abuse of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. 

Eat. Pray. Play. Love.

Fight for your family!


1st Graders dress as Superkids characters!

Box Tops for Education

Thank you to the many families who submitted Box Tops for Education during our most recent submission period. ICS will earn $738.60 because of your efforts. Thanks!

The final collection of the school year ends on May 27. Start to collect now and submit to the Main Office.


Payday Sweepstakes

The ICS Payday Sweepstakes Drawing is well underway! Participation in this fundraising event is part of the Family Fundraising Commitment ($150 between the Auction and / or Payday Sweepstakes), so if you weren't able to attend the Auction, this is your chance to fulfill this obligation. 

Remember that between the Auction and Payday Sweepstakes your family is expected to generate $150 for the school - $75 for the Auction and sell 8 tickets ($80 dollars); $150 for the Auction or $150 for Payday Sweepstakes.

Winners thus far:
Bonus drawing - Stevens Family (Gr. 6)
3/2 - Donna Quiones (PreK)
3/3 - Daryl Kramer (Gr. 1, 5, and 7)
3/4 - Nicole Mitchell (K)

Mondays - Thursdays = $100 prize
Fridays = $250
Grand prize (April 1) = $1000

Tickets are $10 each and families have been  given 15 tickets. Should you need more tickets, please just let us know. Tickets can be sold to anyone - we do not necessarily expect families to incur the cost of the tickets. Consider co-workers, neighbors, friends and relatives in this event that offers the chance of a big ROI (return on investment)!


Finally, please note the distinction (for ICS families who are ICC parishioners) between the Payday Sweepstakes drawing and the Carnival Raffle. If you are a parishioner of ICC you received a book of tickets for the Carnival as well. Please note that the raffles are not affiliated with one another and there is no obligation for ICS families to sell Carnival raffle tickets. Sorry for any confusion. 

If you have questions, please contact the school office. 


Matching Gift
A reminder that we are still short of being able to take full advantage of a matching gift of $5,000 toward the purchase of a classroom set of iPads and a mobile cart to house them. Our total thus far is just over $2,000. Please help us maximize this gift. 

If you are able to help us take full advantage of this gift, please contact Mr. Zelenka (icsmzele@icstampa.org) or send a check, payable to ICS, to the office (memo: tablet cart). 

Parents, you may consider following up with the grandparents of our ICS students to help with this cause. 

In advance, we thank you for your consideration and generosity!


State of Incarnation and Re-registration
As mentioned above, our State of Incarnation meetings have been scheduled:


More SUPER ICS 1st graders dressed as Superkids characters!
-Wednesday March 11, 7:00 p.m.
-Saturday March 14, 9:00 a.m.

Please mark your calendars to attend either session. Two have been planned to make it easier to coordinate your schedules; families are only expected to attend one. For both dates, childcare for ICS students will be available. As always, anyone unable to attend either event is more than welcome to contact Mr. Zelenka individually. 

Important information about our academic programs will be disseminated and discussed. Also on the agenda is our Home and School Association, 2015 - 16 tuition rates and other updates about our various programs and initiatives. 


Re-registration for the 2015 - 16 school year will follow these informational sessions. Stay tuned. 

Finally, we will be hosting an Open House for prospective families on Tuesday March 10 at 9:00 a.m. Please help spread the word about the AMAZING things happening at ICS and encourage any family you think may be interested in our school to attend. 


Family Fun Run
On Saturday March 21, ICS will host its 3rd annual Family Fun Run. Race sponsorship information is available in today's packet. Race registration forms are in this week's packet and are due by Friday March 13 to receive a t-shirt. Lace up your shoes and get moving to participate in either our 1 mile or 5K distances. 

If you would like to volunteer for this event, please contact Mr. Zelenka: icsmzele@icstampa.org

On your mark. Get set. GO!


Read Across America
Many thanks to Mrs. Brown, ICS Media Specialist, for her efforts to coordinate our first ICS Read Across America in grades PreK - 5. For pictures visit our ICS Facebook page. Reading is the gateway to knowledge! As Dr. Seuss famously said,

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. 

The more that you learn, the more places you'll GO!." ~Dr. Seuss

ICS Carnival 2015: Spring Fun Fest
Please follow this link for important information regarding ICS Carnival 2015: Spring Fun Fest. Check back for updates. 


Altar Server Training
Altar Sever Training will take place this coming Wednesday, March 11th at 3:30 p.m. after school for 5th grade altar serves only. All interested 5th grade altar servers will 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 at 5:00 p.m. will take place outside of St. Michael Hall. It is important for both new and returning 5th grade Altar Servers to attend practice since many small details regarding the way we serve Mass have changed. Coach Garofolo has given all athletic participants permission to attend Altar Serving training for approximately 30 minutes, prior to attending their scheduled practice. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Woodward: woodwardb@icstampa.org.



Be blessed. Be bold. Fight for JOY!


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.