Incarnation Catholic School (Tampa, FL): June 2015

Thursday, June 25, 2015

ICS Newsletter: Thursday June 25, 2015

Upcoming Events

June
June 25 - Home and School Planning Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Media Center
Summer Office Hours, see below

July
Summer Office Hours, see below

August
August 17 - 1st Day of School

September
September 7 - No School, Labor Day
September 30 - 1/2 Day of School

October
October 14 - No School
October 15 - No School
October 29 - 1/2 Day of School (Conferences)
October 30 - 1/2 Day of School

November
November 23 - 27 - No School, Thanksgiving Break

December
December 18 - 1/2 Day of School
December 21 - January 4 - No School, Christmas Break

January
January 18 - No School, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

February
February 11 - 1/2 Day of School (Conferences)
February 12 - 1/2 Day of School
February 15 - No School, Presidents' Day
February 26 - No School

March
March 24 - 1/2 Day of School
March 25 - April 1 - No School, Easter Break

April
April 15 - 1/2 Day of School
April 18 - No School

May
May 6 - 1/2 Day of School
May 30 - No School, Memorial Day

June
June 3 - 1/2 Day of School, Last Day

Please note that the above dates are subject to change. A more detailed school calendar will be sent over the summer. Stay tuned!

Prayers

We pray for peace in our country and across the world. May we be beacons of love and hope to all who are hurting and may we be instruments of peace for anyone harboring hatred toward others.

We pray for the father of Mrs. Cimorelli (Ben and Olivia, Gr. 6 and 5) who has fallen ill. We pray for his recovery and that Jesus give strength to the entire family.

We pray for the safety of our lives and property during Hurricane Season. May Mother Mary protect us and keep us safe from all evil, harm and illness.

Have a prayer request? Send it to icsmzele@icstampa.org.

Personnel Updates
As we move into the heart of the summer, please know that many efforts are underway to find the most outstanding educators for our Middle School Science, 7th Grade LA and Religion, 3rd Grade, 5th Grade LA and Math (part-time), and Early Childhood Three year-old sections. Otherwise, our Faculty and Staff is set up as follows:

PreK - Miss Noto
K - Ms. Cummings and Mrs. Carrea
Grade 1 - Mrs. Finley
Grade 2 - Mrs. Schillo
Grades 1/2 LA and Math - Mrs. Hall
Grade 3 - TBD
Grade 4 - Mrs. McInerney
Grades 3/4 LA and Math - Mrs. Fuchs
Grade 5 - Mrs. Lazaris
Grade 5 LA and Math - TBD

Middle School Math (6 - 8) - Miss Meagan Koeth. Miss Koeth comes to us as part of the University of Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education Service Through Teaching program. She has a wealth of experience in mathematics and experience in teaching and we are very excited to welcome her to ICS!

The rest of our Middle School, with the exception of the positions that still need to be filled (Science and Grade 7 LA / Religion), should remain the same!

Similarly, our Specials teachers are also slated to remain the same as last year!

Please pray that we are blessed with AMAZING teachers to fill the vacancies currently available and to become a part of our AMAZING team of educators! Thank God for our ICS teachers! We are so blessed!

Hope Will Rise

No matter what, God loves us and love always wins! The quote above comes from Jason Gray, a Christian music artist, and his song, Glow in the Dark. Check it out here:

Let your light shine and let HOPE RISE!

Re-registration

If you have questions about registering, please contact the Front Office: 813.884.4502.

ICS Home and School Association
Anyone interested in helping to advance our ICS HSA is invited to our next meeting tonight, Thursday June 25 at 7:00 p.m. in the Media Center. All are welcome.

Thank you in advance for your consideration and help. Even if you cannot attend but would like to offer insight as to innovative models of leadership, please contact Mr. Zelenka: icsmzele@icstampa.org.

Our goals tonight will be twofold:

1. Outline either a model or a few proposals for potential leadership structures for next year and beyond.

2. Discuss Auction 2016 and start some initial planning!

We hope to see you there!

Early Childhood at ICS

Please note our ICS Early Learning Program Vision:

ICS ELP is a place that

*delights in being with children and sharing in their joys;

*nurtures a child's ability to wonder, explore and create;

*believes children learn through hands-on play and through meaningful social interactions with both adults and peers;

*provides a student-centered environment that promotes social, emotional, spiritual and moral growth and development;

*supports parents in their role as primary educators of their child(ren);

*partners with Incarnation Catholic School to foster a sense of community and family among students and faculty.

If you or someone you know may be interested in our ICS 3 or 4 year old programs, please contact Miss Noto, our ICS Early Learning Program Director: notor@icstampa.org. Please pray for the success of this new addition to our school!

  Summer Work

Please be sure to adhere to our Summer Work program. Students who do not engage in academic activities over the summer lose at least 1/2 of a year of progress. Details about accessing Khan Academy and myON Reader can be found here: ICS Summer Work 2015

Please don't wait until it's too late to prevent the summer slide - sign up and start working today!

If you have any questions about summer work, please contact either Mrs. Gonzalez or Mr. Woodward.

Summer Schedule

The ICS Office will be open over the summer should you have any questions, concerns or needs. Please adhere to the following schedule:

June 26: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

June 29 - July 2: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

July 3 - 10: Office Closed

July 13 - 17: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

July 20 - 24: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

July 27 - 31: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

August 3 - 7: 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

August 10 - 14: 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

August 17: First day of school!

Should you need to conduct business outside of these times, please feel free to contact the Office and we will be happy to coordinate our schedule to coincide with yours! In this way, if you need the Office before 9:00 a.m. or after 1:00 p.m. please just let us know!

ICS Athletics

Please check the ICS Athletic Wiki for updates about sporting opportunities over the course of the summer.

Have an AMAZING summer! God bless and GO IRISH!

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, June 18, 2015

ICS Newsletter: Thursday June 18, 2015

Upcoming Events

June
June 25 - Home and School Planning Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Media Center
Summer Office Hours, see below

Prayers

We pray for all ICS students and families that they have a safe, relaxing and rejuvenating summer!

We pray in thanksgiving for the gift of our ICS teachers and staff! We are so blessed to have them ministering in Christ's name at ICS!

We pray for the father of Mrs. Cimorelli (Ben and Olivia, Gr. 6 and 5) who has fallen ill. We pray for his recovery and that Jesus give strength to the entire family.

Have a prayer request? Send it to icsmzele@icstampa.org.

Hope Will Rise

Re-registration

If you have questions about registering, please contact the Front Office: 813.884.4502.

ICS Home and School Association
Anyone interested in helping to advance our ICS HSA is invited to our next meeting on Thursday June 25 at 7:00 p.m. in the Media Center. All are welcome.

Thank you in advance for your consideration and help. Even if you cannot attend but would like to offer insight as to innovative models of leadership, please contact Mr. Zelenka: icsmzele@icstampa.org. Many thanks to the families who attended our initial meeting this past Monday.

We must push past settling for a conventional approach to our Home and School Association. We must strive for innovation and creativity in designing a model that sustains a committee-driven approach where the work is shared by many instead of given, by default, to a few. We need to be open to the Holy Spirit who will lead us and guide us into making our HSA into something even more incredible than that we can currently imagine.

Pray for His direction. Pray for His patience. Pray for His wisdom. Trust that He will make the work we are currently undertaking into something special...because He will.

Concretely, our meeting next Thursday will be to discuss new models of leadership, Auction 2015 and organizing a "Back to School" event to kick-off the new school year.

Early Childhood at ICS

Please note our ICS Early Learning Program Vision:

ICS ELP is a place that

*delights in being with children and sharing in their joys;

*nurtures a child's ability to wonder, explore and create;

*believes children learn through hands-on play and through meaningful social interactions with both adults and peers;

*provides a student-centered environment that promotes social, emotional, spiritual and moral growth and development;

*supports parents in their role as primary educators of their child(ren);

*partners with Incarnation Catholic School to foster a sense of community and family among students and faculty.

  Summer Work

Please don't wait until it's too late to prevent the summer slide - sign up and start working today!

If you have any questions about summer work, please contact either Mrs. Gonzalez or Mr. Woodward.

Summer Schedule

The ICS Office will be open over the summer should you have any questions, concerns or needs. Please adhere to the following schedule:

June 15 - 19: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

June 22 - 26: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

June 29 - July 2: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

July 3 - 10: Office Closed

July 13 - 17: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

July 20 - 24: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

July 27 - 31: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

August 3 - 7: 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

August 10 - 14: 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

ICS Athletics

Please check the ICS Athletic Wiki for updates about sporting opportunities over the course of the summer.

Have an AMAZING summer! God bless and GO IRISH!

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, June 11, 2015

ICS Newsletter: Thursday June 11, 2015

Upcoming Events

June
June 15 - Home and School Planning Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Media Center
Summer Office Hours, see below

Prayers

We continue to pray for the ICS Class of 2015. We thank God for their successful completion of 8th grade and we pray for His continued protection and guidance as they move on to high school and beyond.

We once again pray in thanksgiving for the gift of our ICS teachers and staff members. May God bless them abundantly over the summer! Please grant them much deserved rest, relaxation and rejuvenation!

We pray for rising 8th grader (ICS Class of 2016) Matthew Covington who suffered multiple injuries from a biking accident. May God's healing hand lead Matthew back to health quickly!

We pray for Mrs. Roark, Ms. DeFilippis, Ms. Edbrooke and Mr. Skilton in their respective next steps. Please let them know the impact they had on ICS and that they will be missed!

We pray for all ICS students and families that they have a safe, relaxing and rejuvenating summer!

Thank You
Our ICS teachers and staff members are AMAZING! We thank them for their hard work, dedication and love! Enjoy your summer!

2015 - 16 Theme
The ICS Class of 2016 designed the following theme for Incarnation Catholic School for the 2015 - 16 school year:

They selected the following scripture passage to further inspire and motivate our school community, Romans 12:12:

Finally, their concept design for next year's spirit shirt involves a navy blue tee with a wi-fi signal image and the words "HOPE WILL RISE" on the front and the scripture passage on the back!

Thank you, ICS Class of 2016! Hope will rise next year because of your leadership. GO IRISH!

End of the Year Awards
Congratulations to the following ICS students, recipients of special recognition at our end of the year celebration last week:

Spelling Bee Participants

a. 1^st – Jermey Marquinez, Jenna Krammer, Giovanna Morales, Ava Guerrero

b. 2A – Oliver Macaluso, Gianmarco Vera

c. 2B – Leo Milian, Valerie Sanchez

d. 3A – Kamila Muraharisetti, Ashton Tran

e. 3B – Anna Carnuccio, Paula Ruiz

f. 4^th – Vinnie Amato, Isabel Bequer, Jasmine Castano, Ty Martin-Ruiz

g. 5^th – Alexa Astete, Devon Ostrander, Matthew Tran, Sophia Torres

h. 6^th – Maddie Maroney, Lizzie Newcome, Andres Krubeck, Sebestian Sergeant

i. 7^th – Carlos Rueda, Nicholas Do, Isabella Edbrooke, Alina Grillo

National Geography Bee

a. Winner – Isabella Edbrooke

Excellence in Technology

a. Maddie Maroney, Elizabeth Newcom, Allison Kramer, Jennifer Pham, Carlos Rueda, Isabella Edbrooke

Coders Club

a. Benjamin Cimorelli, Alejandro Osorio, Blake Hemsley

Safety Patrol

a. Emilie Vendrone, Kara Artz, Nadia Falcone,Vanessa Piedra, Kayla Kramer, Valentina Leal, Maddie Maroney, Lizzie Newcome, Sam Persach, Sophie Ramos, Kaela Sanzhez, Ashlyn Straughn

Sacred Steps Running Club

a. Shane Oliva, Julia Artz, Jacob Rogers, Shannelle Mike, Devin Wirth, Alejandro Avila

Spanish Achievement Award

a. Jenna Krammer, Ashton Stavish, Kiara Counts, IanAlejandro Deliz-Mujica, Wyatt Lamb, Jaelynn Figueroa, McKinley Gorman, Jonathan Padilla, Dominick Maggio, Anthony Santos, Mia Cora Saavedra, Ximena Sanchez, Nadia Falcone, Sandro Lopez, Angelina Oliveri, Sophie Ramos-Huarag, Sebastian Sargeant, Kaela Sanchez, Allison Kramer, Carlos Rueda, Isabella Edbrooke, Maria Paula Owens

b. Kaela Sanchez – Hispanic Heritage Essay

Creative Writing Club

a. Maria Paula Owens, Veronica Alvarez, Malio Mayo, Nadia Falcone, Sophie Ramos-Huarag, Leonardo Castro, Alexa Astete, Lindsay Bates, Ximma Sanchez, Camila Castro, Emma Elkins, Lara O’leary, Isabel Bequer, Sophia Al-Ali, Marissa Mattingly, Keyuloni Henderson, Kimbery Huarag, Sofia Sargeant, Jasmine Castano, Natalia Delgado, Melissa Ramos-Huarag

Altar Servers

a. Sean Varao, Nadia Falcone, Robbie Hipkins, Aleza Astete, Sofia Sargeant, Makenzie Phillian, Matthew Tran, Mia Wybel, Erik Rosario, Jay Anastasia, Jackson Coulman, John Coulman, Maria Paula Owens, Brian Stevens, Sophie Ramos-Huarag, Kara Artz, Vanessa Piedra, Jennifer Pham, Isabella Edbrooke, Valentina Leal

Student Council Members

a. Ana Hernandez, Tristan Stavish, Daniela Alvarez, Julia Artz, Allyson Dela Cruz, Emma Elkins, Ximena Sanchez, Jay Anastasia, Devon Ostrander, Keyerra Henderson, Maddie Maroney, Jack Padron, Brain Stevens, Ethan Ostrander, Carlos Rueda, John Coulman, Maria Paula Owens

Student Council Officer

a. Kaela Sanchez – Trasurer

Incarnation Award

a. 1^st – Jenna Kramer, Hector Roche, Giovanna Morales, Jordan Rubio

b. 2^nd – Shannelle Mike, Joshua Borges, Jaelynn Figueroa, Alejandro Avila

c. 3^rd – Julia Artz, Leah Hernandez-Benitez, Santiago Ramirez, Tristan Stavish

d. 4^th – Isabel Bequer, Ximena Sanchez, Jose Hernandez-Benitez, Shane Oliva

e. 5^th – Leonardo Castro Galindo, Dylanie Charlery, Nadia Falcone, Sandro Lopez

f. 6^th – Maddie Maroney, Avery Altamirano, Kaela Sanchez, Max Al-Ali

g. 7^th – Jennifer Pham, Matthew Covington, Jenna Maroney, Natalie Robles

Congratulations, Irish!

ICS Athletics

Please check the ICS Athletic Wiki for updates about sporting opportunities over the course of the summer.

ICS Family Challenge

Take advantage of the extra time this summer to focus on your family:

1. Eat together at least once per week

2. Pray together at least once per week (especially by continuing / starting Mass attendance)

3. Play together at least once per month

As an additional homework assignment:

4. Read together at least once per week, too!

Reading is the gateway to knowledge and your kids will benefit from this important modeling and time spent doing something so enriching.

May God bless you, your family and our ICS family this summer and always!

Re-registration

We hope you can feel, see, and that you and your children have experienced the new Spirit rising at ICS. We continue to build upon our 51 year tradition and we embrace 21st Century learning and teaching while remaining rooted in faith, discipline and the education of the whole person.

Re-register today.

If you have questions about registering, please contact the Front Office: 813.884.4502.

ICS Home and School Association
Anyone interested in helping to advance our ICS HSA is invited to a meeting on Monday June 15 at 7:00 p.m. in the Media Center. All are welcome.

Thank you in advance for your consideration and help.

Early Childhood at ICS

Please note our ICS Early Learning Program Vision:

ICS ELP is a place that

*delights in being with children and sharing in their joys;

*nurtures a child's ability to wonder, explore and create;

*believes children learn through hands-on play and through meaningful social interactions with both adults and peers;

*provides a student-centered environment that promotes social, emotional, spiritual and moral growth and development;

*supports parents in their role as primary educators of their child(ren);

*partners with Incarnation Catholic School to foster a sense of community and family among students and faculty.

If you or someone you know may be interested in our ICS 3 or 4 year old programs, please contact Miss Noto, our ICS Early Learning Program Director. Please pray for the success of this new addition to our school!

IOWA Assessment Scores

As you analyze your child's Iowa Assessment scores, please to keep in mind the following:

-National Percentile Ranking (NPR)

A National Percentile Ranking (NPR) is not the same thing as a letter grade or percentage score used in classroom settings. For example, a 65% on a science test administered by your child's classroom teacher is much different than scoring in the 65th National Percentile Ranking. Scoring a 65% on a classroom assignment means that your son/daughter only successfully got 65% of the items correct. A National Percentile Ranking of 65, though, means that your son/daughter scored better than 65% of the other students who took the same test at the same time. An average NPR score is around the 50th NPR. An NPR score of 50 would mean that your son/daughter is progressing at the typical pace of a student from that particular grade level.

-Grade Equivalent (GE)

One of the two supplemental forms that we included once again this year involves a longitudinal view of your child's progress over the past four years (2nd graders will not have longitudinal data as this is the first year they took the test; 3rd graders will only have two years of data; 4th graders will have three years of data; 5th and above will have four years of data). This form will include both the NPR scores and a Grade Equivalent (GE) mark. A Grade Equivalent is a measure of your child's abilities in terms of grade level and month of the school year. So, if a 5th grader receives a GE of 5.7 for a domain it means that he/she scored like a student in the seventh month of 5th grade. However, a 5th grader who receives a GE of 10.8 (the eighth month of sophomore year) should not be expected to jump from 5th to 10th grade. A GE score that is higher than the current grade level of your child (10.8 for a 5th grader) indicates that your son/daughter scored as well as a sophomore in the eighth month of school would have scored on the 5th grade exam. For this longitudinal form, look for an upward line (from left to right) and at least one GE growth for each point on the graph. A downward line may indicate the need for remediation.

-Percent Correct

The second of the two new forms shows the percent correct for each area on the test. This aligns with a traditional understanding of academic scores and is the closest to feedback received on classroom level assignments. Simply, this form will let you know the percentage of items your child answered correctly for each domain of the test.

If you have any questions about interpreting these results, please consider watching our Iowa Assessment Video Interpretation Series or by contacting the Main Office to schedule an appointment.

  Summer Work

Please be sure to adhere to our Summer Work program. Students who do not engage in academic activities over the summer lose at least 1/2 of a year of progress. Details were sent last week and involve accessing Khan Academy and myON Reader or accessed here: ICS Summer Work 2015

If you have any questions about summer work, please contact either Mrs. Gonzalez or Mr. Woodward.

Summer Schedule

The ICS Office will be open over the summer should you have any questions, concerns or needs. Please adhere to the following schedule:

June 15 - 19: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

June 22 - 26: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

June 29 - July 2: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

July 3 - 10: Office Closed

July 13 - 17: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

July 20 - 24: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

July 27 - 31: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

August 3 - 7: 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

August 10 - 14: 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Another change that will take place over the summer is a shift in our administrative software. Currently, we use Sycamore to handle our database of students, families, grades, attendance and other administrative pieces of information. As a way to streamline communications with the Diocese of St. Petersburg, most Catholic Schools have moved to using Rediker for their administrative software. Incarnation will be transitioning to Rediker for next school year.

This change will afford us the opportunity to more fully utilize this system to communicate internally and with families. Once again, there will be some residual changes that will result from this change - website addresses, login and password information, etc. Please trust, though, that ICS will walk you through every step of this transition and that it will be a huge benefit to our school community.

Have an AMAZING summer! God bless and GO IRISH!

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.