Thursday, November 19, 2015

ICS Newsletter: Thursday November 19, 2015

Upcoming Events
November
19 - Kindergarten – 8th Grade Thanksgiving Celebration; Classroom level Thanksgiving celebrations during lunch / recess; Children's Grief Awareness Day - all students are permitted to wear blue shirts with formal uniform bottoms / PE shorts / jeans and sneakers

20 - Irish Cup Activity, p.m. activity schedule; Irish Incarnation Spirit Day - Priory color shirts (H = Blue, O = Yellow, M = Green, E = White), uniform bottoms / PE shorts / jeans and sneakers
21 - ICS Family Fun Run
23 – 27 - NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Break
30 - ICS - Chick-fil-A Spirit Night and Christmas Concert (at Chick-fil-A)


December
2 - School Mass with ICS Households
4 - First Friday Morning Assembly; Irish Incarnation Day (Any ICS shirt, Jeans or PE shorts, sneakers)
8 - School Mass, Immaculate Conception
10 - Family Supper with ICS Households
14 - ICS - Culver's Spirit Night
16 - School Mass; ICS Early Learning Program Christmas Show after Mass; ICS Early Learning Program Reception in St. Michael Hall after Mass and the Show
17 - Advent / Christmas Program, 7:00 p.m., St. Michael Hall
18 - ½ Day; ICS Winter Wonderland; NO AFTERCARE AVAILABLE
21 – 31    NO SCHOOL – Christmas Break

For a comprehensive look at all of the many activities we have planned for this school year, please visit our ICS Calendar Page.


Prayers

We lift up in prayer the Mazza family (Alex, Grade 6) as they mourn the loss of Mr. Mazza's father yesterday evening. May God surround the Mazza family with His love, peace, and strength during this incredibly difficult time. 

We pray for all of those who suffer from the effects of grieving the loss of a loved one. In a special way, we pray for children who have endured the pain of a loved one passing into eternal life. May our God of hope bring hope to all who grieve. 

We pray for an end to violence in our world, our country, our homes and our hearts. May the God of peace usher His love and compassion to our broken world and may we be the instruments of healing.

We pray in joyful and hopeful anticipation of the new life of Mrs. Casanas's soon-to-be-born grandchild! Mrs. Casanas's daughter is in labor right now. We pray for a healthy baby and mom! Send Mrs. Casanas a note of congratulations and support: icsmcasa@icstampa.org

We continue to pray for Mrs. Michele Moody, ICS Registrar and Administrative Assistant, as she recovers from a broken femur. Mrs. Moody is doing well and sends her best to her ICS community!

We pray in thanksgiving for the many blessings God has bestowed upon us, especially for the gifts of family, friends and faith. 

We pray in thanksgiving for the families and students of Incarnation Catholic School. Thank you for your partnership with ICS.

We pray in thanksgiving for our ICS faculty and staff. May God continue to bless these outstanding educators in their ministries.  

We continue to pray for safety and shelter for all people and property throughout the remainder of the 2015 Hurricane Season.

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


Hope Will Rise





May we take time during our Thanksgiving celebrations to thank God for the gift of faith!

May we pause to reflect on the many blessings He has bestowed upon us.

May this silence lead us to prayer.

May our time of prayer rekindle our faith.

May our faith ignite our love for each other.

May our love inspire us to service.

And may our service bring peace to our hearts, homes, country and world.

Hope Will Rise.  



Irish Cup Activity - November 20
For tomorrow's Irish Cup Activity with ICS Households and Priories, please note the following:

*All students are asked to bring in 1 non-perishable food item. ICS will make a donation of food to the Kaye Prox Food Bank, located on Hillsborough Ave. These food items will be used during the activities scheduled for the event. Priories will also receive one point for each student who brings in a food item. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

*Students are permitted to wear ICS Spirit attire for tomorrow. As a way to build Priory Pride, students are asked to wear a shirt that is the color of their respective Priory:
H = Blue
O = Yellow
M = Green
E = White
Priory points will also be awarded for each student in dressed to show their Priory Pride. Students are permitted to wear jeans, PE shorts or uniform bottoms with sneakers tomorrow, Friday November 20.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact the Front Office: (813)884-4502. 


ICS Auction 2015 - Online Bidding
We once again want to thank all who helped to make this year's Auction such an incredible success. Thank you to our committee, volunteers, sponsors, donors, and attendees!

Even with the success of the event, there were some great items left at the end of the ICS Auction. We have made these remaining items available via online bidding. Please take a few minutes to see if there are any items you would like to bid on. Bidding is now open and will end today, Thursday November 19 at 5:00 pm Eastern time.  This is a great opportunity to support Incarnation and our students.

To see the items available for bidding, please visit the following link: https://www.events.org/conlineauction.aspx?m=27&e=91490

Bidding must take place online with a credit card. It is a secure site for your protection, privacy and security. 

Anyone can bid; even community members who did not attend Auction can offer up their pledge. Just sign up for a login and then follow the instructions to - hopefully - win your prize! Remember that bidding closes tonight at 5:00 p.m.!

If you have any questions, please contact the Front Office: (813)884-4502. Thank you in advance for your support! 

Bid high, bid often, good luck, God bless and GO IRISH!


ICS Irish Athletics
*Boys Track & Field with Cross Country
Congratulations to 6th grader Alex Mazza for setting a school record in Cross Country with a time of 9:16 for 1.7 miles! Alex placed 8th overall at the HCYSL Cross Country meet. 

8th Grader Ethan Ostrander came in 15th place overall. 

In JV Cross Country action, 4th Grader Jacob Rogers finished 10th. GO IRISH!


*Girls Basketball Schedule 2015
Varsity games start at 4:00 p.m.; JV games start at 5:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Thursday 11/19: ICS vs. St. Stephen (H)

Tuesday 12/1: ICS vs. St. Peter Claver (H); no JV game
Playoffs: Week of Dec. 7

Go Irish!


Robotics Club 
A group of third grade students are in discussions with Ms. Roy about starting a Robotics Club here at ICS. We apologize for any confusion with this initiative. At this time, this idea is still in the planning stages; there is no meeting for today after school except for those students who are taking a leadership role in making this happen
We are excited that students want to create more opportunities for extra-curricular activities and that they are willing to work to make these things happen. No official meetings will take place, though, until more information about this program is disseminated through the ICS Newsletter. A permission form will also accompany this official notice. 
May God be with these students and may He bless our school with a Robotics Club soon!
Background ScreeningVisit this link for information about Background Screening and Safe Environment Program Training: http://incarnationcatholicschool.blogspot.com/p/diocese-of-st-petersburg-safe.html

If you have any questions about these policies that help ensure the safety and security of our students, please contact the Front Office: 813.884.4502.


ICS Advent - Christmas Music Program

Remember that our Advent / Christmas Music Program is scheduled for Thursday December 17 at 7:00 p.m. in St. Michael Hall. Mark it on your calendars today! If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Maniscalco: maniscalcos@icstampa.org.


ICS Early Learning Program Christmas Show
Our PreK-3 and PreK-4 students will be performing a brief concert after Mass on Wednesday December 16. All families are invited to attend our youngest students spreading Christmas Spirit! A small reception for families of our ICS Early Learning Program (PreK-3 and PreK-4) will follow Mass and the songs in St. Michael Hall. More details will be on the way!


ICS 4th Annual Family Fun Run
This Saturday November 21 is our 4th Annual ICS Family Fun Run / Walk. 1 mile and 5K distances will once again be available this year. Cost is $10 in advance, $15 on the day of the event. See the image below or the flyer in today's packet for more details. 

It's not too late to sign-up!

Please consider registering as we are still accepting more runners for both races! This event is a great opportunity for fun, fitness, and fellowship with your ICS Family!

On your mark. Get set. GO!

Anyone willing to volunteer for this event should contact Mr. Zelenka: icsmzele@icstampa.org.

Please contact the Front Office with any questions or for additional details.  


ICS Students are AMAZING!
Congratulations to the following students who were recognized at last Friday's Morning Assembly for the month of November:

-Red Ticket Drawing:
Jayliah Valdes (Gr. 1)
Nicole Balco (Gr. 4)
Giancarlo Velez (Gr. 7)

-St. Sebastian Student-Athlete of the Month (October):
John Coulman (Gr. 8)
Emma Elkins (Gr. 5)

-Crossfit Leadership Award:
Jackson Coulman (Gr. 6)

-Shamrock Showdown Winner:
8B Homeroom (Ms. Whitaker's HR)

-Box Tops for Education:
6B Homeroom (Mrs. Sheldon's HR)

-Incarnation Inspiration Awards:
Angelina Carmona (Gr. 4)
Seth Arevalo (Gr. 3)


ICS Alumni are AMAZING, too!
Incarnation Catholic School graduates go on to successful high school and collegiate careers prior to making an impact on the world in the workforce. The following ICS graduates are shining examples of this excellence! Congratulations!

-Brandon Shively (ICS Class of 2011) recently finished basic training as a cadet at West Point Academy. Brandon received this appointment to West Point after an outstanding high school career at Tampa Catholic High School.

-Andrew Vendrone (ICS Class of 2012) accepted a track scholarship to attend Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

-Nick Ortega (ICS Class of 2012) accepted a baseball scholarship to attend Creighton University. 

GO IRISH!


Partnership
This portion of the newsletter appeared in last week's edition, which only received 159 hits. Typically, the views for our newsletter total over 300. Therefore, based on the importance of this message, it is included again!

At ICS, we believe that our partnership with parents and families is a key ingredient in the recipe for the success of our students. As such, we appreciate the opportunity to work in tandem with you to help your sons and daughters.

So that we can best help you help educate your children, please help our ICS teachers by doing the following:

1. Ensure students are on time to school.
2. Refrain from picking up students before the end of the day.
3. Check Sycamore for updates on grades and assignments.
4. Ensure that your child is completing assignments and preparing for tests. This skills practice is essential for students to build their conceptual and skill capacities.

Teachers are sending daily Pass-a-Note communications (through Sycamore) when students are unprepared for class - missing homework, supplies, etc. These academic strikes help to identify weaknesses in your child's Approach to Learning. In many cases, weak performance is due to weak preparation.

Thank you in advance for your help and support. Please know of our prayers for you and your important role of parent!


ICS - Chick-fil-A Spirit Night and Christmas Caroling
Please be sure to mark your calendars. Our next ICS - Chick-fil-A Spirit Night is Monday November 30 - the first day back from Thanksgiving break. It is also our annual Christmas caroling event. Please come to spread ICS and Christmas Spirit!

ICS Student Council
This year's ICS Student Council has been busy! In addition to a successful Halloween Candy Kettle Raffle, our student leaders recently hosted a Fall Party Punch sale that netted over $250 for the group and their efforts to install a bottle saving water fountain in the school.

Up next is an opportunity, in partnership with Culver's, for a lucky family to win two tickets to an upcoming Tampa Lightning game (December 28 vs. Montreal).




Children's Grief Awareness Day
As a display of support for all of our ICS students suffering from the grief of losing a loved one, ICS students and teachers are wearing blue today. We will also be offering up the intentions of our ICS students coping with the loss of a loved one at Mass on Wednesday December 2. 

Please see the flyer in today's envelope or the image below for more details.



Thank You
May God bless you and your families this Thanksgiving. Thank you for being a part of our ICS Family! Enjoy the break!


IN KEEPING WITH OUR TRADITION, WE AT INCARNATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL:
Inspire disciples of Christ,
Challenge each individual to be a life-long learner, and
Strive to live our Catholic faith through service to each other and the community.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

ICS Newsletter: Thursday November 12, 2015

Upcoming Events
November
13 - Friday Morning Assembly, 8:30 a.m., St. Michael Hall; Irish Incarnation Day (Any ICS shirt, Jeans or PE shorts, sneakers); ICS - Culver's Spirit Lunch

14 - First Communion Workshop, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
16 - ICS Family Fun Run forms due; Creative Writing Club, 3:15 - 4:00 p.m.
18 - School Mass; Confirmation Parent Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
19 - Kindergarten – 8th Grade Thanksgiving Celebration; Classroom level Thanksgiving celebrations during lunch / recess; Children's Grief Awareness Day - all students are permitted to wear blue shirts with formal uniform bottoms / PE shorts / jeans and sneakers

20 - Irish Cup Activity, p.m. activity schedule; Irish Incarnation Spirit Day - Priory color shirts (H = Blue, O = Yellow, M = Green, E = White), uniform bottoms / PE shorts / jeans and sneakers
21 - ICS Family Fun Run
23 – 27 - NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Break
30 - ICS - Chick-fil-A Spirit Night and Christmas Concert (at Chick-fil-A)


December
2 - School Mass with ICS Households
4 - First Friday Morning Assembly; Irish Incarnation Day (Any ICS shirt, Jeans or PE shorts, sneakers)
8 - School Mass, Immaculate Conception
10 - Family Supper with ICS Households
14 - ICS - Culver's Spirit Night
16 - School Mass
17 - Advent / Christmas Program, 7:00 p.m., St. Michael Hall
18 - ½ Day; ICS Winter Wonderland; NO AFTERCARE AVAILABLE
21 – 31    NO SCHOOL – Christmas Break

For a comprehensive look at all of the many activities we have planned for this school year, please visit our ICS Calendar Page.


Prayers

We pray for Mrs. Michele Moody, ICS Registrar and Administrative Assistant, as she recovers from a broken femur. Mrs. Moody had a successful surgery on Monday afternoon and is on the path to recovery. May God grant her strength and health and bring her back to ICS soon!

We pray in thanksgiving for an incredibly successful Auction last weekend. We greatly appreciate the efforts of our Auction committee, sponsors, donors, volunteers and attendees! The night was marked by delicious food, elegant decor, lively entertainment and festive fellowship. We offer up a special prayer of gratitude for the success of the Fund the Need project and we are so grateful that this initiative will become a reality by the turn of the calendar year because of the generosity of our school community (for more details about the 2015 Auction, see below). 

Please continue to pray for Mrs. Liz Lazaris, ICS 5th Grade Teacher, and her family as they continue to mourn the loss of Mrs. Lazaris's mother, Helen Waszkiewicz. May Jesus surround Mrs. Lazaris and her family with His love and peace during this difficult time. 

We continue to pray for the Elkins family as they cope with the passing of Mrs. Elkins' grandmother into eternal life. May God usher to the Elkins family His love, comfort, peace and strength as they cope with this loss. 

We pray in thanksgiving for the many blessings God has bestowed upon us, especially for the gifts of family, friends and faith. 

We continue to pray for safety and shelter for all people and property throughout the remainder of the 2015 Hurricane Season.

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


Hope Will Rise
Today's Hope Will Rise quote comes from Pope Francis I. Let us continue to offer Hope to all within our school community by continuing to focus on our ICS mission of keeping our tradition, inspiring disciples of Christ, challenging all to be a life-long learner and striving to live our Catholic faith in service to others.

Thank you for your commitment to making this mission a reality!

Thank you as well for joining together as one ICS Family this past weekend at Auction 2015!

Hope rose and Will continue to Rise!


ICS Auction 2015
Thank you once again to all within our school community who helped to make our 2015 Auction a huge success. Finalized numbers are still being processed but it appears that we reached our goal of $55,000 for this year's event! AMAZING!

Thank you once again to our list of sponsors, especially the many families that have stepped forward this year! Your commitment to ICS is commendable!


Platinum: Oliva Tobacco Company (Oliva Family)



Gold: BAST Floors and Staircases (Newcom Family)


Silver: The Al-Ali Family (Al-Ali Family)


Silver: Moore Dental Care (Moore Family)


Silver: Clearwater Central Catholic High School



Silver: Freedom Motorcars Inc. (Belsha Family) 
*The Auction Program incorrectly listed Freedom Motorcars as a Bronze level sponsor. We apologize for this error and thank Freedom Motorcars for their SILVER Level Sponsorship!


Bronze: Law Office of Hernando Bernal, Jr., P.A.

Bronze: The Grandparents of Molly Caballero (Caballero Family)


Bronze: Whitco Insurance Agency

Bronze: Westchase Pizza & Pasta Company (De La Guardia Family)

Bronze: Rehabquest Therapy Services, Physical Therapy

Bronze: Hernandez Family (Hernandez Family)


Bronze: Tampa Community Hospital


Bronze: Wood, Smith Henning & Berman, LLP


Bronze: Meadow Wood Property Company

Bronze: Future Home Realty - Karin Rueda (Rueda Family)


Bronze: The Wood Team (Wood Family - ICS graduate in 2014)


Friends of ICS: Vigo Importing Company

Friends of ICS: The Graves Family
Friends of ICS: Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School
Friends of ICS: The Morello Family

Beverage Sponsor: Pepin Distributing Company



Printing Sponsor: MLI Marketing Solutions (Saavedra Family)

Vendor: Carraba's Italian Grill

Thank you to our Auction Committee: 

Mystie Moore
Irma HernandezMaria Owens
John Caballero
Carla Oliva
Karina Rueda 
Andrea Saavedra 
Blanca Melendez
Blanca Galindo 
Jackie Little
Janine Martin-Romero
Tammie Straunghn

Nicole DeLaGuardia 
Maggie Rogers
Arty Giallourakis


Please know how much we appreciate your efforts!

We also thank our ICS Faculty and Staff for not only attending the event but also for their generous donation of $1,000 to our Fund the Need Project. This strong display of support for the students and families of ICS propelled the audience to raise over $17,000 in support of transforming ICS classrooms into Dynamic Learning Environments. For more details, visit this link: http://incarnationcsca.blogspot.com/2015/11/ics-dynamic-learning-environment.html

Thank you to Mr. Jeff Thomas for sharing his auctioneering skills with our school community! Listening to him is practically worth the price of admission by itself!

Thank you to our volunteers, especially our servers, set-up team and those that came on Sunday to take down and clean up from the event!

Finally, thank you to all who attended! We appreciate your support of ICS and we thank you for fulfilling your fundraising commitment to the school. For families unable to attend the Auction, please note that you will be expected to sell at least $150 worth of Payday Sweepstakes Drawing tickets in the spring as fulfillment of your fundraising obligation to the school.




ICS Irish Athletics
*Boys Track & Field with Cross Country Schedule 2015
-Practices (3:30 - 4:30 p.m.):
Monday 11/16

-Field Events (Long Jump, Discus, and Shot put):

Thursday 11/12 at Christ the King, 4:00 p.m.
-Cross Country Meet:

Wednesday 11/18 at Mary Help Christians, 4:00 p.m.

*Girls Basketball Schedule 2015
Varsity games start at 4:00 p.m.; JV games start at 5:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Thursday 11/12: ICS vs. Corpus Christi (H)

Tuesday 11/17: ICS at St. Joseph (A); no JV game
Thursday 11/19: ICS vs. St. Stephen (H)

Tuesday 12/1: ICS vs. St. Peter Claver (H); no JV game
Playoffs: Week of Dec. 7

*ICS Floor Hockey
The ICS athletic department hosted its first ever Floor Hockey event for students in grades 5 - 8 this past Tuesday. Over 10 students participated in this opportunity!


Please contact Coach Garofolo if you have any questions about anything related to ICS Irish Athletics: garofolov@icstampa.org

Go Irish!


Background Screening
Anyone hoping to interact with our students during the school day must have a Level II Background Screening completed through the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

Volunteers may log into the site listed below and register. You will need to use the login information provided below:  


Applicant login credentials:  

Username: dosp

Password: Password1

Volunteers who would also like to supervise children need Safe Environment Program Training in addition to the Level II screening. Visit this link for dates of upcoming trainings: http://www.calendarwiz.com/calendars/calendar.php?crd=dosp&cid%5B%5D=84231&&PHPSESSID=daba9097c005acf26b33370c7b760434&jsenabled=1&winh=667&winw=1199&inifr=false 

If you have any questions about these policies that help ensure the safety and security of our students, please contact the Front Office: 813.884.4502.


ICS Band on Fridays
Remember that ICS Band has moved to Fridays! Please be prepared for tomorrow's lesson! Don't forget your instrument!


ICS Advent - Christmas Music Program

Remember that our Advent / Christmas Music Program is scheduled for Thursday December 17 at 7:00 p.m. in St. Michael Hall. Mark it on your calendars today! If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Maniscalco: maniscalcos@icstampa.org.


Faith Formation Updates
Please note the following upcoming dates for Sacramental prep:

*The First Communion Workshop II will be Saturday, November 14 in St. Michael Hall from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. 

*The Confirmation Parent Meeting will be held Wednesday, November 18 in the Church at 7:00 p.m. Please provide a copy of your child’s Baptismal Certificate at this meeting. 

*If you wish to have your child baptized at Incarnation Catholic Church, please contact Carmen Cayon either by phone, 813.885.7861, or by email, ccayon@icctampa.org

All Sacrament preparation is done through the Faith Formation Office, not the school. Business hours for the Faith Formation Office are 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Please direct any questions you may have to  either Philomena Johnson or Carmen Cayon either by phone, 813.885.7861, or by email, pjohnson@icctampa.org or ccayon@icctampa.org.


ICS 4th Annual Family Fun Run
Next Saturday November 21 is our 4th Annual ICS Family Fun Run / Walk. 1 mile and 5K distances will once again be available this year. Cost is $10 in advance, $15 on the day of the event. See the image below or the flyer in today's packet for more details. 

Please register by Monday November 16!

On your mark. Get set. GO!

Anyone willing to volunteer for this event should contact Mr. Zelenka: icsmzele@icstampa.org


Friday Morning Assembly
All are invited to join us tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. in St. Michael Hall for our November Friday Morning Assembly. These school wide assemblies are highlighted by praying a decade of the Rosary in English and Spanish, recognizing St. Sebastian Student-Athletes of the Month, giving Honor Roll certificates to students who achieved this status, the Red Ticket Drawing and more! We hope to see you there!

Go Irish!


Partnership
At ICS, we believe that our partnership with parents and families is a key ingredient in the recipe for the success of our students. As such, we appreciate the opportunity to work in tandem with you to help your sons and daughters.

So that we can best help you help educate your children, please help our ICS teachers by doing the following:

1. Ensure students are on time to school.
2. Refrain from picking up students before the end of the day.
3. Check Sycamore for updates on grades and assignments.
4. Ensure that your child is completing assignments and preparing for tests. This skills practice is essential for students to build their conceptual and skill capacities.

Teachers are sending daily Pass-a-Note communications (through Sycamore) when students are unprepared for class - missing homework, supplies, etc. These academic strikes help to identify weaknesses in your child's Approach to Learning. In many cases, weak performance is due to weak preparation.

Thank you in advance for your help and support. Please know of our prayers for you and your important role of parent!


ICS Aftercare
It is mandatory that every family with a child attending aftercare have a registration form on file. The registration fee is $25.00 per family. Forms are due November 16 or your child(ren) will not be able to attend aftercare. If you have any questions, or if you need a form, please contact the Front Office. 


IN KEEPING WITH OUR TRADITION, WE AT INCARNATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL:
Inspire disciples of Christ,
Challenge each individual to be a life-long learner, and
Strive to live our Catholic faith through service to each other and the community.