Incarnation Catholic School (Tampa, FL): February 2016

Thursday, February 25, 2016

ICS Newsletter: Thursday February 25, 2016

Upcoming Events 

February

25 - 6th Grade Focus 11 Vocations Retreat at St. Lawrence; Mid-point of Q3; 8th grade to Culver's
26 - No School, Diocese of St. Petersburg In-service for all teachers
29 - Creative Writing Club, 3:15 - 4:00 p.m.

March

1 - Altar Server Training, 3:15 - 5:00 p.m.; Family Supper order forms due
2 - School Mass

3 - Family Supper with ICS Households

4 - First Friday Afternoon Assembly, 2:00 p.m. in St. Michael Hall; Irish Incarnation Day (Any ICS shirt, Jeans or PE shorts, sneakers); David's Little Champions, 3:30 - 4:30

7 – 18 - IOWA Assessment, Grades 2 – 8

9 - School Mass; Penance Service with Bishop Robert Lynch, 7:00 p.m., Incarnation Church

16 - School Mass

17 - St. Patrick’s Day (Any Green shirt, Jeans or PE shorts, sneakers); Classroom level celebrations

during lunch / recess; Carnival Sweepstakes Raffle begins; ICS - Culver's Spirit Lunch

18 - Irish Cup Activity, p.m. activity schedule
21 - ICS - Culver's Spirit Night

23 - School Mass; National Junior Honor Society inductions after Mass

24 - ½ Day of School, Holy Thursday; End of Quarter 3

25 – 31 - No School, Easter Break

April
1 - No School, Easter Break
4 - School resumes
14 - Carnival, 6:00 - 10:00 p.m.
15 - 1/2 day of school; Carnival 6:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
16 - 17 Carnival (Saturday 2:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.; Sunday 1:00 - 8:00 p.m.)

18 - No School, Carnival Clean-up

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 continue to pray for Mrs. Donna Hanley, one or our ICS Cafeteria workers, and her family as they mourn the loss of her mother-in-law, Louise Hanley. Louise passed into eternal life yesterday after 94 years of life on earth. May God be with the Hanley family and surround them with His love, peace and strength during this difficult time.

We also continue to pray for our students who are preparing for their First Communions and Confirmations, respectively. May God bless these students and their families during this time of preparation and may He bestow His graces on all of those involved in these journeys of faith!

We pray for the continued recovery of Flavio da Silva, Mickaella Marcal's (Gr. 2) father.

We pray for Catholics to return to the Lord with their whole heart during this Lenten season through participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We pray in thanksgiving for God's mercy, love and forgiveness.

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

Hope Will Rise

Today's #HopeWillRise quote comes to us from Isaiah 43:18-19. A longer version is as follows:

Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new! It springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the wilderness I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers.

This passage is especially appropriate during this season of Lent. God is calling you to return to Him with your whole heart. He is yearning for you to see the good work He is doing in you. He longs for you to see yourself as He sees you - powerful, loving, disciplined.

He is doing something new in you this Lent. Let it be done to you according to His will.

Hope Will Rise.

ICS Academics

Last week, we looked at how Standards Based Grading (SBG) works. Removing irrelevant factors and focusing solely on a student's academic achievement toward specific standards, Standards Based Grading (SBG) should give students, parents and teachers a clear and accurate picture of a student's strengths and weaknesses.

How else is SBG different from traditional grading? See below!

More insights on SBG will be featured next week! If you would like more information or if you have a specific question, please contact Mrs. Gonzalez, a member of our Diocesan Grading Policy Committee: gonzalezl@icstampa.org.

ICS Faith

Lent is a great opportunity for you to participate in God's healing mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Even if it's been a while since your last Confession, Jesus is patiently waiting to welcome you back home this Lent. On Wednesday March 9, Incarnation has the unique opportunity to participate in a Penance Service led by Bishop Robert Lynch! Starting at 7:00 p.m. in the Church, our Bishop will "open the doors of mercy" to our community through this beautiful Sacrament.

Please prayerfully consider joining Bishop Lynch for this Sacrament of healing!

In the words of Pope Francis, "Be courageous! Go to Confession! Every time we go God hugs us and rejoices!"

ICS Digital Media

Recently All Pro Dad, an organization whose mission is for dads to love and lead their families well and to be a hero to their kids, posted ten television rules to have with your family. Among the list is that the TV should be off during mealtimes. You could extend this to devices during mealtimes as well. Make an effort to connect with the people in front of you instead of the ones on your screens! For the complete list, visit this link: http://www.allprodad.com/10-tv-rules-you-must-have/

Continue to analyze the grip that technology has on you and your family and fight to take back and/or maintain control! What we see, hear and do via technology impacts our lives - be sure that it has the right impact!

Iowa Assessment
From March 7 - 11, ICS students in grades 2 - 8 will participate in the Iowa Assessment. The Iowa Assessment is a nationwide standardized test aimed at providing feedback as to the overall growth of our students and our school. Scores are compared to the performance of all of the other students who take the same test at the same time. In this way, the test provides teachers, students and families information about the progress of a student. For more on the Iowa test, check out our Iowa Video Series!

While there is no way to study for this type of test, students and families can prepare in the following ways: continue to review grade level content taught thus far this school year - especially vocabulary, math facts, grammar and comprehension, and encourage your son/daughter to do his/her best!

During the week of testing, please be sure to do each of the following each day:

1. Get plenty of rest.
2. Eat a healthy breakfast.
3. Stay hydrated.
4. Stay positive.
5. Engage in some sort of light exercise / activity.

If you have any questions about Iowa Assessments, please contact either your child's Homeroom teacher or Mrs. Gonzalez: gonzalezl@icstampa.org or Mr. Woodward: woodwardb@icstampa.org.

ICS Irish Athletics

See below for the schedules of our current Irish athletic teams. Go Irish!

*Varsity Boys Basketball schedule:

-Saturday February 27 vs. Villa Madonna, 10:10 at Tampa Catholic

Please contact Coach Garofolo either via email: garofolov@icstampa.org, or phone: (813)884-4502 for more information about sports for our ICS student-athletes! You can also check out more details on the ICS Athletics Wiki: http://icsathletics.wikispaces.com/ICS+Athletics+Home

Go Irish!

ICS Students are AMAZING
Congratulations to the following students who participated in our ICS Speech Contest! All of these students did a phenomenal job. Go Irish!

Grade 4
-Annalysa Betts - How to Be Famous
-Nicole Balco - Best Day of the Week
-Ana Hernandez - How Music Makes You Feel
-Tristan Stavish - Europe (First Place Winner)

Grade 5
-Allyson Dela Cruz - All Around the World (First Place Winner)
-Marissa Mattingly - Money
-Lusiana Pereira - Dress to Impress
-Ximena Sanchez - My Special Trip

Grade 6
-Nadia Falcone - Legos (First Place Winner)
-Valentina Leal - My Trip to Punta Cana
-Devon Ostrander - My Brother Ethan

David's Little Champions

The ICS Irish Athletic Department is proud to announce a new program: David's Little Champions (inspired by the story of David and Goliath).

This program will be open to our PreK-3 through Grade 3 students. During this fun and exciting event our young athletes will have the opportunity to learn some basic skills in sports. Each child will participate in a non-competitive, fun filled atmosphere.

Our first David's Little Champions sport will be Soccer on Friday March 4 from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Student-athletes are encourage to bring a soccer ball with their name on it (please note that this is not required). There is no fee for this and upcoming David's Little Champions events. Please see the form in the Thursday packet for details and sign-ups. Please contact Coach Garofolo either via email: garofolov@icstampa.org, or phone: (813)884-4502 for more information about this exciting ICS opportunity!

Rediker Updates

If you are still having any issues or if you have any questions about Rediker, please contact the School Office (813) 884-4502 or email Mr. Woodward: woodwardb@icstampa.org.

Bookmark this link so that you can easily get to the Rediker page: https://www.plusportals.com/IncarnationCatholic

Also, don't forget about the Rediker app. It's free and called Parent Plus! When you open the app you will be prompted to enter our school name which is “Incarnation Catholic": https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/parentplus/id648334615?mt=8

Finally, follow this link for a list of training videos that can help you to navigate the system: http://www.redikersupport.com/documentation/parentplus.htm

Please contact us with any questions! Thank you for your patience and support. Remember that we will be discontinuing Sycamore at the end of this month. Please be sure to archive anything you want to access before the beginning of March!

Faith Formation Updates

First Communion Dates

Workshop

-March 5, and April 9

-9:30-11:30 a.m. in St. Michael Hall

-both child and parent should attend

*First Communion is Sunday, May 1, 2016

Confirmation Dates

Penance Service

March 9, 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Church

-both teen and parent attend

Rehearsal

-Tues. May 24 at 6:00 p.m.

*Confirmation is Wed., May 25, 2016 at 7:00 p.m., Candidates and Sponsors must be here by 6:30 p.m.

Incarnation Carnival - April 14 - 17

Mark your calendars! Save the dates! The Incarnation Carnival is coming - April 14 - 17!

All school families need to volunteer their time to help support this event (5 hours minimum). Our main goal for this year's Carnival is to celebrate Incarnation! It will be a four-day party to celebrate our School, our Church and our local community! We want as many people as possible to attend all four days and we desire to provide an unparalleled Carnival experience - fun, food, fellowship, rides and entertainment!

-Thursday April 14 - 6:00 - 10:00 p.m.

-Friday April 15 - 6:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.

-Saturday April 16 - 2:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.

-Sunday April 17 - 1:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Incarnation Carnival Sweepstakes Drawing

Information regarding our Incarnation Carnival Sweepstakes is here! Formerly known as the Payday Sweepstakes Raffle, this - along with our Auction - is one of two opportunities for families to meet their $150 fundraising commitment to the school.

All school families will receive 15 tickets, priced at $10 each. Any family who was not able to attend Auction is expected to buy / sell all 15 tickets. If a family was only able to purchase one Auction ticket, 8 raffle tickets must be bought / sold. If a family attended Auction with two tickets, we would ask for your support in this effort, but it is not required.

Of course, all families are encouraged to sell / buy even more than 15 tickets! Here are a few things to remember:

1. Your family does not need to buy any of the tickets. Sell them to your extended family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers!

2. You have the opportunity to get a great return on your investment. Each ticket will have the chance at winning one of 19 prizes. Winning tickets are re-entered into the drawing!

3. The prizes will occur as follows:

-Mondays - Thursdays = $100

-Fridays = $250

-3rd Prize (drawn on 4/15) = $500

-2nd Prize (drawn on 4/16) = $1,000

-Grand Prize (drawn on 4/17) = $4,000

4. The total prize money awarded will be: $7,750!

5. More information will be on its way soon. Tickets should be ready at some point next week.

The fun will begin on St. Patrick's Day! GO IRISH!

Altar Server Training - 3/1/16

Altar Server Training that was cancelled yesterday has been rescheduled for next Tuesday March 1, 2016 for interested 5th graders! Want to primarily make it for 5th graders since there is a good bit of interest from that grade level!

Altar Sever training will take place next Tuesday March 1 from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. All interested and as well as current 5th grade altar servers will meet Mr. Woodward at the picnic tables outside of the middle school wing at 3:15 p.m. Students should report to their grade level Waiting Room after school. Altar Sever 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 Altar Servers to attend practice since many small details regarding the way we serve Mass has changed. Coach Garofolo has given all athletic participants permission to attend Altar Sever training for approximately 30 minutes, prior to attending their scheduled practice. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Woodward: woodwardb@icstampa.org.

First Friday AFTERNOON Assembly - March 4
On Friday March 4, students in grades 2 - 8 will be preparing for the Iowa Assessment that will be administered the following week (March 7 - 11, see above). As such, the morning will be devoted to taking a practice test and preparing classrooms for testing. Therefore, our First Friday Morning Assembly will be moved to a First Friday AFTERNOON Assembly!

Instead of gathering at 8:30 a.m. on Friday March 4 in St. Michael Hall, we will instead join together at 2:00 p.m. for our monthly festivity! We hope that despite the change of time that you will still be able to join us!

Remember, next Friday March 4, First Friday Assembly is in the afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in St. Michael Hall!

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, February 18, 2016

ICS Newsletter: Thursday February 18, 2016

Upcoming Events 

February

22 - ICS - Chick-fil-A Spirit Night

23 - ICS Speech Contest; Lifetouch Spring Picture Day
24 - School Mass; Altar Server Training, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
25 - 6th Grade Focus 11 Vocations Retreat at St. Lawrence; Mid-point of Q3; 8th grade to Culver's
26 - No School, Diocese of St. Petersburg In-service for all teachers

March

2 - School Mass

3 - Family Supper with ICS Households

4 - First Friday Morning Assembly, Irish Incarnation Day (Any ICS shirt, Jeans or PE shorts, sneakers); David's Little Champions, 3:30 - 4:30

7 – 18 - IOWA Assessment, Grades 2 – 8

9 - School Mass

16 - School Mass

17 - St. Patrick’s Day (Any Green shirt, Jeans or PE shorts, sneakers); Classroom level celebrations

during lunch / recess; Carnival Sweepstakes Raffle begins

18 - Irish Cup Activity, p.m. activity schedule
21 - ICS - Culver's Spirit Night

23 - School Mass; National Junior Honor Society inductions after Mass

24 - ½ Day of School, Holy Thursday; End of Quarter 3

25 – 31 - No School, Easter Break

18 - No School, Carnival Clean-up

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. Donna Hanley, an ICS Cafeteria worker, and her family as they mourn the loss of her mother-in-law, Louise Hanley. Louise passed into eternal life yesterday after 94 years of life on earth. May God be with the Hanley family and surround them with His love, peace and strength during this difficult time.

We pray for our students who are preparing for their First Communions and Confirmations, respectively. May God bless these students and their families during this time of preparation and may He bestow His graces on all of those involved in these journeys of faith!

We pray in thanksgiving for the return home of Flavio da Silva, Mickaella Marcal's (Gr. 2) father. His path to recovery is still long, though, so we continue to pray for his full recovery.

We pray for all Christians during this holy season of Lent. May this intentional time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving lead our ICS Family closer to the Risen Christ!

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

Hope Will Rise

These were Pope Francis I's feelings after concluding his visit to Mexico, his second trip to North America in less than one year. Mexico, like America in late 2015, was filled with mercy, compassion, peace and hope.

Everywhere Pope Francis goes hope rises. Hope rises within everyone he meets. May God continue to work through our Holy Father and may hope continue to rise in him and because of him! Finally, may we, too, be people with hope to bring - and may we bring it!

Hope Will Rise.

ICS Academics

As part of a Diocesan-wide initiative, ICS has begun transitioning from traditional grading to a standards based approach. Started last school year, ICS teachers have worked hard at aligning their lessons, activities and assessments to Common Core State Standards. Similarly, we have this year tried to remove non-academic factors, known as approaches to learning, so as to get a true representation of a student's progress toward mastery of a given standard.

Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at some frequently asked questions as it pertains to Standards Based Grading. If you would like more information or if you have a specific question, please contact Mrs. Gonzalez, a member of our Diocesan Grading Policy Committee: gonzalezl@icstampa.org.

ICS Faith

During Lent, ICS students and teachers are focusing on "5 Stones" meant to help us conquer those giants in our lives that keep us from Christ: Eucharist, Reconciliation, Scripture, Prayer, and Works of Mercy. In addition to these school wide efforts, we have also encouraged all members of our community to find their personal "5 Stones".

You, too, may be giving up and/or doing something throughout Lent so as to grow closer to Christ. Please know of our prayers for your Lenten journey. For some more insights about "fasting" throughout Lent, check out this video:

In short, Fr. Mike Schmitz outlines these four reasons for our fasting: self-mastery, obedience, worship, to be a co-redeemer with Christ.

ICS Digital Media
Please consider how our digital media, despite all of its advantages, has made us impatient, impolite, informal and in some cases downright mean. Life is more pleasant in a manner filled atmosphere. Respect is maintained, dignity is upheld, compassion is extended. Let us, in both face-to-face and digital forms of communication practice, preach and teach good manners!

Iowa Assessment
From March 7 - 11, ICS students in grades 2 - 8 will participate in the Iowa Assessment. The Iowa Assessment is a nationwide standardized test aimed at providing feedback as to the overall growth of our students and our school. Scores are compared to the performance of all of the other students who take the same test at the same time. In this way, the test provides teachers, students and families information about the progress of a student.

While there is no way to study for this type of test, students and families can prepare in the following ways:

1. Get a good night's sleep.
2. Eat a good breakfast.
3. Start reviewing grade level content taught thus far this school year.
4. Encourage your son/daughter to do his/her best!

Information for students who qualify for accommodations during this week of testing will be sent to families by the beginning of next week.

If you have any questions about Iowa Assessments, please contact either your child's Homeroom teacher or Mrs. Gonzalez: gonzalezl@icstampa.org or Mr. Woodward: woodwardb@icstampa.org.

ICS Irish Athletics

See below for the schedules of our current Irish athletic teams. Go Irish!

*Varsity Boys Basketball schedule:

-Thursday February 18 at St. Lawrence (A), 4:00 p.m.
-Friday February 19 at Mother Teresa of Calcutta (A), 4:00 p.m.

-Saturday February 20 vs. St. Joseph, 9:00 a.m. at Nativity *please note the change of location

-Saturday February 27 vs. Villa Madonna, 10:10 at Tampa Catholic

*JV Boys Basketball schedule:
-Thursday February 18 at St. Lawrence (A), (game after the Varsity contest)

-Friday February 19 at Mother Teresa of Calcutta (A) (game after the Varsity contest)

*Girls Flag Football schedule:

-Playoffs, TBA

Go Irish!

David's Little Champions

The ICS Irish Athletic Department is proud to announce a new program: David's Little Champions (inspired by the story of David and Goliath).

Our first David's Little Champions sport will be Soccer on Friday March 4 from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Rediker Updates

Finally, follow this link for a list of training videos that can help you to navigate the system: http://www.redikersupport.com/documentation/parentplus.htm

Faith Formation Updates

First Communion Workshop Dates

-March 5, and April 9

-9:30-11:30 a.m. in St. Michael Hall

-both child and parent should attend

*First Communion is Sunday, May 1, 2016

Confirmation Dates

Workshop

-February 17, 7:00-8:30 p.m. in St Michael Hall

-both teen and parent attend

Penance Service

March 9, 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Church

-both teen and parent attend

Rehearsal

-Tues. May 24 at 6:00 p.m.

*Confirmation is Wed., May 25, 2016 at 7:00 p.m., Candidates and Sponsors must be here by 6:30 p.m.

Incarnation Carnival - April 14 - 17
Mark your calendars! Save the dates! The Incarnation Carnival is coming - April 14 - 17!

All school families need to volunteer their time to help support this event (5 hours minimum). Our main goal for this year's Carnival is to celebrate Incarnation! It will be a four-day party to celebrate our School, our Church and our local community! We want as many people as possible to attend and we desire to provide an unparalleled Carnival experience - fun, food, fellowship, rides and entertainment!

-Thursday April 14 - 6:00 - 10:00 p.m.
-Friday April 15 - 6:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
-Saturday April 16 - 2:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
-Sunday April 17 - 1:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Incarnation Carnival Sweepstakes Drawing
Information regarding our Incarnation Carnival Sweepstakes will be coming soon! Formerly known as the Payday Sweepstakes Raffle, this - along with our Auction - is one of two opportunities for families to meet their $150 fundraising commitment to the school.

All school families will receive 15 tickets, priced at $10 each. Any family who was not able to attend Auction is expected to buy / sell all 15 tickets. If a family was only able to purchase one Auction ticket, 8 raffle tickets must be bought / sold. If a family attended Auction with two tickets, we would ask for your support in this effort, but it is not required.

Of course, all families are encouraged to sell / buy even more than 15 tickets! Here are a few things to remember:

1. Your family does not need to buy any of the tickets. Sell them to your extended family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers!

2. You have the opportunity to get a great return on your investment. Each ticket will have the chance at winning one of 19 prizes. Winning tickets are re-entered into the drawing!

3. There will be three top prizes - a grand prize and two final prizes.

4. More information will be on its way! The fun will begin on St. Patrick's Day! GO IRISH!

Spring Picture Day - 2/23/16

Spring Pictures will be this coming Tuesday, February 23. Students are to wear casual spring clothes. Please see the handbook for dress guidelines. Everyone will take a picture and purchases will be made available at a later date.

Altar Server Training - 2/24/16

Altar Serving Practice next Wednesday for interested 5th graders! Want to primarily make it for 5th graders since there is a good bit of interest from that grade level!

Altar Sever training will take place next Wednesday February 24 from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. All interested and as well as current 5th grade altar servers will meet Mr. Woodward at the picnic tables outside of the middle school wing at 3:15 p.m. Students should report to their grade level Waiting Room after school. Altar Sever 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 Altar Servers to attend practice since many small details regarding the way we serve Mass has changed. Coach Garofolo has given all athletic participants permission to attend Altar Sever training for approximately 30 minutes, prior to attending their scheduled practice. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Woodward: woodwardb@icstampa.org.

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, February 11, 2016

ICS Newsletter: Thursday February 11, 2016

Upcoming Events 

February

11 - ½ Day of School, ICS DeMATHlon; Conferences 1 – 7 p.m.; ICS Spring Book Fair, Media Center, 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

12 - ½ Day of School; Grandparents’ Day; ICS Spring Book Fair, Media Center, 9:00 - 11:30 a.m.; formal school uniform for all students
13 - Incarnation Catholic Church 2nd Annual Valentine's Gala, 6:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
15 - No School, President's Day
17 - School Mass with ICS Households
22 - ICS - Chick-fil-A Spirit Night
23 - ICS Speech Contest; 8th grade to McDonald's; Lifetouch Spring Picture Day
24 - School Mass
25 - 6th Grade Focus 11 Vocations Retreat at St. Lawrence; Mid-point of Q3
26 - No School, Diocese of St. Petersburg In-service for all teachers

March

2 - School Mass

3 - Family Supper with ICS Households

4 - First Friday Morning Assembly, Irish Incarnation Day (Any ICS shirt, Jeans or PE shorts, sneakers)

7 – 18 - IOWA Assessment, Grades 2 – 8

9 - School Mass

16 - School Mass

17 - St. Patrick’s Day (Any Green shirt, Jeans or PE shorts, sneakers); Classroom level celebrations

during lunch / recess; Carnival Sweepstakes Raffle begins

18 - Irish Cup Activity, p.m. activity schedule
21 - ICS - Culver's Spirit Night

23 - School Mass; National Junior Honor Society inductions after Mass

24 - ½ Day of School, Holy Thursday; End of Quarter 3

25 – 31 - No School, Easter Break

18 - No School, Carnival Clean-up

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 8th Grader Maria Paula Owens, who received the Sacrament of Confirmation from Bishop Lynch last Wednesday at Corpus Christi. May God bless Maria Paula as well as all of the 8th graders, especially those from Incarnation who are preparing for their respective Confirmation in May!

We continue to pray for the grandmother of 4th Grader Dominick Maggio, Connie Chavis, who had surgery last week. May the Lord grant her a swift and full recovery.

We also continue to pray for Flavio da Silva, Mickaella Marcal's (Gr. 2) father. May Mr. da Silva continue on the path to full recovery.

We pray for all Christians during this holy season of Lent. May this intentional time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving lead our ICS Family closer to the Risen Christ!

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

Hope Will Rise

Today's Hope Will Rise quote comes from Matthew Kelly, the founder of Dynamic Catholic (for more on this organization and connecting into its mission to reenergize Catholics, see below). Let us be people with hope to bring.

Let your light shine. Let His Light shine.

Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine...and let hope rise.

ICS Academics

We look forward to welcoming our ICS families this evening for our second Family-Teacher Conference session of the school year. These opportunities to dialogue about the progress of your child(ren) is essential to their academic and behavior success. Your support has a huge impact on the learning of your child(ren). Remember that you are their primary educators! In this way, the tone that you set at home regarding work ethic and improvement is so important! In fact, developing a "Growth Mindset" in kids is one of the most essential components to their success (click on "Growth Mindset" for a video with more information about it!).

See below for some tips on setting the right tone regarding school and creating a unified front between your home and our school:

If for some reason you missed out on today's conferences, please do not hesitate to contact us right away! We are happy to arrange an alternate time; we value your partnership and support!

ICS Faith

Ready for your Best Lent Ever? Check out this video from Dynamic Catholic and consider signing up for your Best Lent Ever: New Beginnings.

Lent means "to come back to" and we "come back to" Jesus through our time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving throughout the 40 days of Lent. Our teachers and students are on a journey to find their "5 stones" and together we will focus on the following:

1. Eucharist
2. Reconciliation
3. Prayer (especially the Rosary)
4. Reading Scripture
5. Works of Mercy

Please know of our prayers for you and your families during this holy season. May your respective Lenten journeys as a family bring you closer to the Resurrected Jesus!

ICS Digital Media
Don't let your device usage run your life! More importantly, don't let it run the life of your child(ren) either! See these tips shared during our recent ICS Family Meetings regarding ways that you can manage the amount of time and the types of content being used digitally in your home.

ICS Irish Athletics

See below for the schedules of our current Irish athletic teams. Go Irish!

Congratulations to the Girls' Flag Football team for their last second victory last week over Christ the King! In a rain-soaked contest, the Irish kept the ball on the ground and scored on an impressive run by 7th grader, Keyarra Henderson! Go IRISH!

*Varsity Boys Basketball schedule:

-Tuesday February 11 vs. Christ the King (A), 4:00 p.m. at Christ the King

-Saturday February 13 vs. St. Stephen, 11:20 a.m. at Jesuit

-Thursday February 18 at St. Lawrence (A), 4:00 p.m.
-Saturday February 20 vs. St. Joseph, 9:00 a.m. at Jesuit

-Monday February 22 at Mother Teresa of Calcutta (A), 4:00 p.m.
-Saturday February 27 vs. Villa Madonna, 10:10 at Tampa Catholic

*JV Boys Basketball schedule:
-Thursday February 11 at Christ the King (A), (game after the Varsity contest)

-Thursday February 18 at St. Lawrence (A), (game after the Varsity contest)

-Monday February 22 at Mother Teresa of Calcutta (A) (game after the Varsity contest)

*Girls Flag Football schedule:

-Thursday February 11 vs. St. Lawrence (H), 4:00 p.m.

-Tuesday February 16 at St. Stephen (A), 4:00 p.m.

Go Irish!

David's Little Champions

The ICS Irish Athletic Department is proud to announce a new program: David's Little Champions (inspired by the story of David and Goliath).

Our first David's Little Champions sport will be Soccer on Friday March 4 from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

ICS Alumni are AMAZING!
The most recent edition of the Jesuit High School magazine, Perspectives, is filled with features on ICS graduates! For the edition, visit this link: http://www.magazinevolume.com/18081JH/#/1/

ICS graduates are on the following pages:
-Carter Campbell (ICS '15) page 6
-Jacob Shoop (ICS '12) page 10
-Gantt Meredith (ICS '12) pages 10, 13
-George Morgan (ICS '14) page 10
-Vito Holmes (ICS '12) pages 12, 13
-Daniel Kim (ICS '14) page 12
-James Kim (ICS '14) page 12
-Spencer Whipple (ICS '12) page 12
-Matthew Silva (ICS '12) page 13
-Nick Ortega (ICS '12) page 18

Also, Tampa Catholic senior Bryson Boylan (ICS '12) participated for the Crusaders in the FHSAA State Championship game last night. Bryson scored a goal in the second half to tie the game, but TC came up short, 3-2. Great job, Bryson!

Great job, gentlemen! Your ICS Family is so proud of you! GO IRISH!

Rediker Updates

If you have any questions or issues with Rediker, please contact the Front Office (813) 884-4502 or Mr. Woodward: woodwardb@icstampa.org immediately!

Bookmark this link so that you can easily get to the Rediker page: https://www.plusportals.com/IncarnationCatholic

Also, don't forget about the Rediker app. It's free and called Parent Plus! When you open the app you will be prompted to enter our school name which is “Incarnation Catholic": https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/parentplus/id648334615?mt=8

Finally, follow this link for a list of training videos that can help you to navigate the system: http://www.redikersupport.com/documentation/parentplus.htm

Grandparents' Day 2016

ICS Grandparents' Day 2016 is tomorrow Friday February 12. Registration for this event is closed (it was due on Tuesday February 9).

Seating for breakfast will be organized based on RSVPs and when they were received. Failure to return the RSVP sheet on time may result in your Grandparent(s) and students having to utilize auxiliary seating for this event. Similarly, meals will not be available for purchase at the door. If you missed the registration, grandparents are still welcome to join us. However, just remember and convey to them that they may end up not getting breakfast (we had to submit a number and payment to the caterer in advance of today). Similarly, we may not have enough space for them in St. Michael Hall.

Also, should you desire for Grandparents to take your child(ren) home prior to the conclusion of the event you need to grant your permission on the RSVP form. Students will not be released early without this advance notice. Thank you in advance for helping us maintain this safety aspect of the morning.

*Please note that because of the large number of people on campus on Friday, parents and other family members are not permitted.d

*All students should wear formal school uniform for tomorrow's Grandparents' Day.

Finally, please be sure to have Grandparents adhere to the following times (Grandparents will not be seated prior to 7:45 and food will not be available prior to 8:00 a.m.):

7:45 - 8:00 a.m. = Seating open
8:00 - 9:15 a.m. = Breakfast in St. Michael Hall (RSVP only $5 per person, including students)
9:15 - 10:00 a.m. = Stations of the Cross in the Church
10:00 - 11:30 a.m. = School tours, Book Fair
11:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. = Students report to HR
12:00 p.m. = Dismissal

If you have any questions about Grandparents' Day, please contact the Front Office: (813) 884-4502. We look forward to welcoming Grandparents to ICS tomorrow!

ICS Student Council Carnation Sale

The annual ICS Student Council Carnation Sale is tomorrow Friday February 12 - Grandparents' Day. Cost is $1.00 per flower. This would be a great way for students to honor their Grandparents and support their ICS Student Council at the same time!

Amazon Smile - Reminder

If you haven't already signed up for Amazon Smile, to help support ICS, please consider doing so. As was announced last week, ICS can earn money through your Amazon purchases. All you have to do to have Amazon make a donation to their favorite charity - ICS - is go to http://smile.amazon.com and make their charity selection. Enter "Incarnation Catholic School, Tampa" under search and now any future purchases you make will send 0.5% of the total to ICS. Just remember to go to http://smile.amazon.com. Prime membership is recognized on both sites.

2nd Annual Valentine's Gala

This Saturday February 13 is the Church's largest fundraiser, the 2nd Annual Valentine's Gala. Please pray for the success of this event and please consider attending. All proceeds will go toward a new roof for the Tunnel and Middle School buildings!

ICS Spring Book Fair

Don't forget that our ICS Spring Book Fair with Scholastic runs through today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday). As you visit campus for Family - Teacher conferences, please consider stopping by to ignite a flame for reading in your child by purchasing a new book. Similarly, please encourage grandparents to spoil our students at the Book Fair on Friday.

Reading is the gateway to knowledge! Thank you for promoting a love of reading with the gift of books!

Faith Formation Updates

First Communion Workshop Dates

-March 5, and April 9

-9:30-11:30 a.m. in St. Michael Hall

-both child and parent should attend

*First Communion is Sunday, May 1, 2016

Confirmation Dates

Workshop

-February 17, 7:00-8:30 p.m. in St Michael Hall

-both teen and parent attend

Penance Service

March 9, 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Church

-both teen and parent attend

Rehearsal

-Tues. May 24 at 6:00 p.m.

*Confirmation is Wed., May 25, 2016 at 7:00 p.m., Candidates and Sponsors must be here by 6:30 p.m.

Incarnation Carnival - April 14 - 17
Mark your calendars! Save the dates! The Incarnation Carnival is coming...

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.