Dear parents, teachers, alumni, and friends of SSP School.

Happy Friday, welcome to the weekend, and Happy Easter! My apologies for this late edition of the Notes. My dance card was full until 5:30 pm today, and I’m not an exceptional dancer!  I hope you have a chance to see the “Smiley Face” in the night sky tonight as the Moon, Saturn, and Venus are in an interesting alignment.

We are a few days away from the final month of school for this academic year.  

This week, we had a phenomenal Visiting Team made up of OCEF and schools from around the Archdiocese of St. Louis, MO, who affirmed the many things we are doing well at SSP School.   Over the next month, I will review portions of their final report from their school visit. Commendations will be shared over the next 3 weeks in the areas of Catholic Identity, Educational, and Institutional Issues.  Before we close out the school year, we will share the revised goals we will implement over the next five years.  The following was their Introduction:

We, the members of the Visiting Team, wish to thank the educational and parish community of St. Stephen Protomartyr. The school opened its heart to us and provided us with a warm welcome. We are thankful for the hospitality we were extended during our visit.

We offer a word of gratitude to Fr. Nord and the parish of St. Stephen Protomartyr for their work together and their commitment to the school's viability, providing a faith-filled, child-centered learning environment for the students of St. Stephen Protomartyr.

We offer a word of gratitude to Mr. Greg Sturgill, principal of St. Stephen Protomartyr. We commend him for his faith-filled leadership as he expresses God’s love through his vocation. Mr. Sturgill is committed to the success of St. Stephen Protomartyr and ensuring all students grow in their faith and academics.

We acknowledge and commend the faculty and staff of St. Stephen Protomartyr. The faculty is involved and impassioned about the growth of the whole child. The faculty and staff are committed to promoting quality education, success, and living the faith for the children of St. Stephen Protomartyr.

We commend the students of St. Stephen Protomartyr for their enthusiasm, energy, and kindness toward one another. They are living examples of being disciples of Christ. 

We would like to mention the work of those who served on the various school improvement committees during the School Improvement Process. We commend their tireless efforts in completing this process and pray that the plan will bear fruits of success.

Finally, we offer a word of praise to the parents and guardians of St. Stephen Protomartyr. The families faithfully support the school's efforts to provide students with spiritual and educational opportunities.