ICS Newsletter 9.25.14

Incarnation Catholic School Newsletter

September 25, 2014

Upcoming Events
9/25 - 9/26 - ICS Fall Book Fair
9/25 - 1/2 day of school, Family - Teacher Conferences, 1:00 - 4:30 and 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
9/26 - 1/2 day of school
10/1 - 10/16 - St. Francis of Assisi Pet Food Drive
10/1 - Celebration of the Eucharist, 8:30 a.m., ICC, Kindergarten - 8th grade Angel Ceremony to follow
10/3 - First Friday Morning Assembly, 8:30 a.m., St. Michael Hall; Irish Incarnation Spirit Day
10/8 - Celebration of the Eucharist, 8:30 a.m., ICC, Households; Student Council Installations to follow
10/16 - NO SCHOOL, Diocese of St. Petersburg In-Service for teachers
10/17 - NO SCHOOL
10/23 - Family Supper
10/24 - End of Quarter 1
10/31 - 1/2 day of School, Halloween Celebration
11/7 - 1/2 day of school
11/8 - ICS Auction
11/24 - 11/28 - Thanksgiving Break
12/6 - Santa's Breakfast


Prayers
Please join in praying for the following intentions:

-May God continue to be with those within our school community who are suffering from illnesses. 

-We pray for peace in our world, especially for those areas suffering from violence, oppression and abuse. 

-We pray for our Church leaders, our global leaders and leaders everywhere that they may follow the example of Jesus by ministering to those within their respective organizations. 

-We lift up all families in prayer. May God fortify the love between and among family members everywhere. 

-We pray in thanksgiving for the gift of our country and our many freedoms. May we respectfully embrace the responsibility associated with enjoying freedom. 

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 83 families who attended our Annual Spaghetti Dinner and helped to make it such a huge success! Thank you to Mrs. Milian (Leo, Grade 2) for securing donations of pasta and cheese from Vigo! Thank you to Mrs. Lopez (Isabella, Grade 4) for donating a delicious and beautiful cake and for creating such a wonderful display for it, too! Thank you to all of the many families who baked and/or brought in desserts and for those families who volunteered their services in the cooking in the kitchen, washing dishes, serving, cleaning and putting away the tables and chairs. 

Finally, thank you to our AMAZING teachers who worked so hard to staff this first Home and School event. A special thanks goes out to Mrs. Gonzalez, Ms. Whitaker and Mrs. May-Lin Fernandez for their work in prepping the food and making the meatballs! 

The most important aspect of the evening was the community that was fostered. A nice bonus, though, was that the event brought in over $2,000 for the school! Thank you! 

Thank you to all who helped to make the Spaghetti Dinner a great event! GO Irish!

Drop-off
As a way to help cut down on the number of students arriving late to school, please to consider the following tips:

-Remember that this year, as a way to slow down our day and focus more intentionally on academics, students report directly to their 1st Period classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and these academic subjects begin promptly at 7:50 a.m. Students not on campus by 7:45 are considered tardy.

-Students who accrue five or fewer unexcused morning or afternoon "tardies" qualify for a quarterly free dress day. These events, held after the end of each quarter, are a great incentive to help urge your child(ren) to get moving in the mornings (consult the Family-Student Handbook, pg. 49 for more information about Time on Task Free Dress Days).

-Students in Grade 5 - 8 must have nine or fewer unexcused tardies to remain eligible for Honor Roll (provided their academic and behavioral standing also meets the criteria).  

-A doctor's note or extreme family emergencies (i.e. sudden accident or tragedy) can excuse a tardy. 

-Instead of waiting to turn into the Church parking lot off of Hillsborough Avenue (especially for cars traveling West and trying to make a left hand turn) consider turning left at the traffic signal at Town 'N Country Blvd. and then right onto Cornwall Lane. You will end up entering the parking lot closest to the Church offices and you will avoid the back up on Hillsborough Avenue. Best of all, this may help ensure an on-time arrival!


Pick-up
Thank you to all of our families who have been so patient and accommodating as our new Pick-up procedure has settled into an efficient and effective routine. The line has finished consistently prior to 3:20 p.m. The final wave of students usually loads around 3:18 p.m. If you cannot wait or just don't like to sit in traffic, please consider arriving onto the ICS campus between 3:10 - 3:15. You will not have to wait in a long line and your child(ren) will have just enjoyed quality time with friends and classmates.

Either way, there are some reasons (namely doctor's appointments) that require you not to utilize the Pick-up line and instead ask for your child(ren) to report to the Main Office at the end of the day for a quick exit. In order for this to happen, though, you need to submit a request for an early or office pick-up prior to 2:00 p.m. 

The number of students being called to the office at the end of the day has increased drastically this school year. In turn, the amount of disruptions into classrooms has increased to an unacceptable amount. In addition, the large influx of both students and parents into the Front Office at the end of the day makes maintaining a safe environment difficult. Without notification prior to 2:00 p.m., students will be sent to the Pavilion for normal pick-up; they will report to the office at the conclusion of pick-up at 3:20 p.m. if not picked up through carline. 

Instructional time is sacred. So is the safety and security of our students. Thank you for helping us to maintain both of these for not only your child(ren) but for all of our ICS students as well. 


ICS Athletics

The Varsity soccer team continues it's winning ways! The team remains undefeated with only a tie against St. Lawrence keeping the Irish from a perfect season thus far! Up next for ICS is a game against Christ the King this afternoon at ICS at 4:00 p.m. If you're on campus for conferences, please consider stopping by to cheer on the Irish!

The JV soccer team will wrap up its season on October 3 against and at Trinity at 4:30 p.m. The JV soccer team, like the Varsity, is undefeated this year!

The Varsity and JV Volleyball teams also play today: Varsity at 4:00 p.m., with the JV game to follow immediately after. Both games will take place at St. Lawrence. 

Come out and support our teams! GO Irish!

For details about our Volleyball and Soccer schedules, please visit Coach Garofolo's Coach's Corner website. The wiki will also provide information for all things related to our Irish Athletics program. 

Did you know that ICS is the only Catholic School in our Hillsborough Catholic Youth Sports League to utilize an inclusive, "no cuts" policy. Student-athletes are placed onto teams based on age and ability. However, no athlete is turned away. This developmental, formative and innovative approach focuses on improvement and offering student-athletes appropriate contexts and opportunities in which they can enhance their athletic skills. For more about our ICS Sports' Philosophy check out Coach Garofolo's Coach's Corner. GO Irish!

Altar Server Training

The second Altar Server Training of the school year will take place on Wednesday, October 1st at 3:30 p.m. after school. All interested and as well as current 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 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. 

ICS Family Challenge
All ICS Families are encouraged to:

1. Pray together as a family at least once per week
2. Eat together as a family at least once per week
3. Play together as a family at least once per month

Share your experiences (stories, photos, ideas, etc.) as you put God first and in the center of your family: icsmzele@icstampa.org. Imagine a world in which those we love the most receive our utmost time and attention. God will be sure to bless this emphasis on family! 

GO: Love. 

-St. John Paul II

Moms and Tots
Today is our third Moms and Tots Group hosted by ICS. This event is open to moms and toddlers ages 2 - 3. The next session will be Thursday October 9 at 9:00 a.m. There is no charge for this ministry! Contact Ms. Rachel Noto for more information or to sign-up: notor@icstampa.org and please help us spread the good news of this initiative.


FaithICS
Please visit this link for a weekday reading of the day's Gospel passage as well as a short reflection, offered by ICS Faculty, Staff and Students: FaithICS! 


Conferences
We look forward to welcoming many of our parents and families to ICS today to for our first Family-Teacher Conference of the 14 - 15 school year. Please know how much we value your partnership in helping to educate your children. Please to enter the school through the Front Office or any of the gates on the North end of campus. If you have any questions about conferences, please contact the Main Office: 813.884.4502. 

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.