This time is uncertain and our current environment is ever changing. We want to keep you informed, so we've created a web page for the latest school updates. Visit school.stephen.org/covid for information and resources.

Note: Because of our current environment, some details listed below may be altered as needed to keep our students, staff and families healthy and safe. Any confirmed changes are listed on school.stephen.org/covid.

Teacher/Class Lists are announced the week before school starts - until then, know your students will find classmates and teachers they love! All of our teachers are listed on our contact us webpage.

School supplies list can be found at: school.stephen.org/school-supplies. 2021/2022 school year lists are posted.

Your child will have a great first day! We will focus on activities to help them get the feel for our classroom and their classmates.

2021/2022 School Year - Important First Week Dates:

• Monday, August 16: Back to School Night
• Wednesday, August 18: TK-8 First Day of School (Noon Dismissal - no lunch)
• Thursday, August 19: TK-8 Noon Dismissal (no lunch)
• Friday, August 20: K-8 First Full Day of School, TK has a Noon dismissal. (Lunch served to all students, including TK).
• Monday, August 23: MWF Preschool (3-Day) & PreK (5-Day) First Day of School
• Tuesday, August 24: Tues/Thurs Preschool (2-Day) First Day of School

All school uniform, dress code and purchasing information can be found here: school.stephen.org/uniforms.

TK-8 SSM students are required to wear their school uniform every day unless it is a Martyr Monday or a Dress Down Day ("DDD" or Free Dress Days). These days are specified on the school's Google Calendar.

Early-Preschool, Preschool and Pre-K students do not wear uniforms but should wear comfortable play clothes and shoes suitable for the weather. Sandals need a back strap. No flip flops for safety on playground and tripping.

Please label all your child’s personal belongings that are sent to school. This includes uniforms (especially sweatshirts or sweaters), back packs, lunch boxes, jackets and snow gear (boots, snow pants, hats & gloves).

Morning Drop Off & Afternoon Pick Up information is listed on our Drop Off & Pick Up Procedures webpage.

For absences, tardiness or early departures, parents should call 402-896-9675 or e-mail school@stephen.org and their teacher.

Absences
If your child will miss school, please contact the school office and your child's teacher. If the absence is due to illness, please provide a brief explanation of your child’s sickness (helps with watching trends) including where the make-up work may be picked up; either home with a sibling or sent to the office for pick up.

Tardiness
Students are tardy if they arrive after 8 a.m. Please contact us to inform staff if your child will need a hot lunch and which meal choice they are selecting (details in below FAQ). When your child arrives to school, they must report to the office for a tardy pass.

Early Departures
If your child needs to leave school early or for a period of time for an appointment, you should contact the school office by phone or email ahead of time. When you arrive to school, please report to the school office to sign out your child; all students must be signed-out prior to being allowed to leave. Upon return to school, please accompany your student to the school office to sign in your child and receive an admittance slip to class. This procedure helps maintain accurate attendance and guards for the safekeeping of all students.

2021/2022 Curriculum Night is scheduled for Thursday, September 9th. More details will be announced as we get closer to this date.

This event informs parents of the curriculum that used and covered in our classrooms. We will have tips on how you can support your student’s learning at home. Our teachers are also available to answer any questions you may have. Students do not attend curriculum night - just parents.

Read more about our Curriculum Standards at: lovemyschool.com/curriculum

Lunch is from the Westside Nutrition program - page 17 of the School Handbook will give you all you need to know. The Westside Nutrition lunch program also accommodates all allergies as long as they are given a written doctor’s notification. Lunches are billed monthly using the school EFT program, similar to how tuition and field trips are billed.

The school will provide a menu for the month -- it will be emailed and posted on the Home page of our website. If your child has a special menu due to allergies, the menu should be emailed directly to you.

Each day there are three lunch options: 1st option is a " hot lunch option", 2nd option is typically a sandwich or salad, and the 3rd option is yogurt and cheese stick. All options come with side items of milk, vegetable, fruit, etc. Students may also bring their lunch (cold lunch) and if your child brings a lunch to school they may purchase milk to drink.

During roll call each day, students are asked for their lunch selection (1,2,3, cold lunch, or cold lunch with milk purchase). Orders are placed by 8:30 a.m. each day. If your child will be late to school, let the office or teacher know their lunch selection for the day.

You are welcome to occasionally join your child for lunch. If planning to do so, please call or email the office by 8:30 a.m. with your lunch selection. Your lunch will be debited from your family's EFT account. If you bring in a lunch from a restaurant, you may not have any branding on the food packages showing where the lunch was purchased. For example, if you bring in McDonalds, you must bring it in a plain brown bag or plain container. There are additional guidelines for visitors on page 24 of the School Handbook that instructs all drinks are limited to water and milk. Sodas are not to be brought into the lunchroom.

Before heading to the lunch room, be sure to sign in at the office.

Please note parents may not join students for lunch until after Labor Day to allow students time to adjust to the expectations of the lunch room.

Our before and after school care program is called Kidzone. Learn more about Kidzone at: school.stephen.org/kidzone.

For winter weather closings, SSM will follow Millard Public Schools and/or Omaha Catholic Schools cancellations. If they announce the school closing as a "late start" or "remote learning" day, SSM will have the day off (without remote learning).

This is the secure site used by SSM teachers to post grades and missing assignments for your child. A password for your family is sent home at the beginning of the school year. Learn more about Sycamore.

As an enrichment to our daily school instruction and activities, we offer extracurricular activities for students. Other extracurricular experiences, not sponsored by the school, may be available. Visit: school.stephen.org/sports-activities

Scouting and PATH: many grades start a scouting or PATH group. It just takes a few willing parents to get a group started! Parents from previous grades would be willing to help get you started.

Often parents will sign their kids up on the same basketball or t-ball teams through organization like the YMCA. Using your Class Facebook page is a great way to find out what activities your child’s classmates are participating in.

Parent involvement is key to creating and maintaining a strong SSM school and parish community. Our Home and School Association coordinates the many days, events and activities that support SSM. You can learn more about our current volunteer opportunities and sign up at: school.stephen.org/volunteer.

Learn more about our Home and School Association at: school.stephen.org/home-and-school. Contact H&S if you are interested in joining a committee or want more information on how to get involved.

All SSM volunteers are required to be Safe Environment Trained and Certified through the Archdiocese of Omaha. You can find a session that works for you on their website. Register here.

There are many ways we communicate with our SSM school community.

• SSM Google calendar: contains all scheduled school activities and parties as well as Martyr Monday and and dress down days. Located here: school.stephen.org/google-calendar or add the calendar to your phone or computer with a direct link, available via Mr. Verraneault at g.verraneault@stephen.org.
• Weekly emails from Mrs. Perrault: you'll receive all pertinent information to keep you informed. Please verify with office staff that you are included if you haven't heard from Mrs. Perrault.
• Teacher emails and classroom sites: how frequently you'll hear from your child's teacher(s) will be discussed at Curriculum Night. You can always reach out to your child's teacher directly via email.
• Friday Folders: teachers send home forms and flyers parents will need to review and possibly send back
• Martyr Messenger: a bi-weekly newsletter sent out by administration and posted to our website at: school.stephen.org/martyr-messenger.
• Home and School Association Meetings and Events: Attend Home & School to hear updates, ask questions, and learn how you can share your time and talent to make St. Stephen even better for all of our students!
• Private Facebook Groups for each grade level: search Facebook for SSM Class of 20XY to find your child(ren)'s group. Stay informed and ask questions about every day class activities, field trips, sports, parties, etc.
• Follow SSM on Social Media:
  facebook.com/ssmschoolomaha
  twitter.com/ssmschoolomaha
  instagram.com/ssmschoolomaha
• Home and School Parent's Association:
  facebook.com/SSMHomeAndSchool
  instagram.com/ssmhomeandschool
• Parish and School Sports Club: facebook.com/ssmsportsclub
• Parish Martyr Moms: Private Facebook Group

Our students attend mass two times/week.

• Tuesday - 1st & 2nd grade
• Wednesday - 3rd, 4th & 5th grade
• Thursday - 6th, 7th & 8th grade
• Friday - all school mass (including Kindergarten, beginning in October)

Our Kinder classes sit with 5th grade classes and each student is assigned a 5th grade buddy. We do special activities with these buddies throughout the year. Preschool-TK students will not attend Mass.

You are welcome to attend any and all school masses.

Treats are welcome, however be sure to discuss with your child’s teacher prior to bringing in any treats as there may be children with specific allergies. Be sure to consult Page 18-19 of the School Handbook prior to selecting birthday treats.

The Lost & Found box is located in the commons under the trophy case. Should an item of your child’s go missing, please ask office staff to help you locate the box. Labeling your child's items is recommended for easy identification.

Regular recesses are scheduled for TK-5 students. Please make sure your child is appropriately dressed for the weather. When there is a wind chill below 10 degrees Fahrenheit, or other weather concerns, students will have indoor recess.

Students are invited to bring snow bibs/pants & boots to play in the snow when weather permits. Please label all of items & send in separate bag for easy transportation to and from school.

During enrollment you completed a registration form with Tuition Payment and eLunch Authorization and were given the option to pay tuition in full or in 10 monthly payments automatically debited from your bank account starting in July and ending in April.

For the monthly payments option and for eLunch, you were also given the choice for the debits to occur on the 1st Monday of the Month or the 3rd Monday of the Month. Tuition and eLunch will be debited in separate transactions on your bank statement.

The eLunch debit may sometimes include other items you've authorized such as Field Trips and/or Home and School membership dues. A statement of these transaction will be sent home monthly in your child's Friday Folder.

For any questions about tuition or transactions you may contact Nancy Major, our office manager/admin assistant, at n.major@stephen.org or 402-896-0754.

At SSM we have 4 Early Childhood Education programs:
- Early Preschool: for 3-year olds, 2 day/week, AM or PM Sessions
- Preschool: for 4-year olds, 3 day/week AM Session (Waitlisted for 21/22 school year; PM session not offered for 21/22 school year)
- PreK: for 4 & 5 year olds, 5 day/week, AM or PM Sessions
- Transitional Kindergarten (TK): for 4 & 5 year olds, 5 days/week, all day (Waitlisted for 21/22 school year)

For more information about our preschool, PreK and TK programs visit: school.stephen.org/preschool.

St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church is a community for all people to encounter Christ, know Christ, and proclaim Christ. We are the largest Catholic parish in Nebraska serving over 700 students in our School (PreK - 8 Grade), 900 youth in our Religious Education and Youth Ministry programs and over 3,500 families, plus many more through our Care and Outreach Ministries. Our community is always growing as we welcome new individuals and families. Here you'll discover a spiritual family eager to help you grow in your relationship with Jesus. We offer many opportunities for you! Learn more at stephen.org

If you have questions specific to your student and the school day, we recommend starting with your child's teacher with an email. A full staff directory can be found at: school.stephen.org/contact-us.

The office and administration staff can help too. For general questions call 402-896-0754 or email school@stephen.org. Each of our administrative assistants will receive your email and respond accordingly.

• Mary Masek is our office receptionist
• Nancy Major is our office manager/administrative assistant and handles financial records and lunch collection. She also coordinates the bi-monthly Martyr Messenger Newsletter.
• Courtenay Swanstrom is our lead administrative assistant and handles registration/enrollment.

Parents may also contact our administrators at 402-896-0754 or by email Mrs. Julie Perrault, Principal, or Mr. Greg Verraneault, Assistant Principal.