July 22, 2022                                                    

  Dear Parents,

     I hope you are all having a restful, enjoyable summer.  Don’t forget to attend Mass.  God would love for you to visit His house!  Thank you for trusting Trinity Catholic School with God’s most precious gift, your child. We are pleased that you have chosen Trinity to continue the education of your child, which you have begun in your home. In keeping with the teachings of the Catholic Church, we welcome our partnership with your family in this teaching ministry.  Our school opened in 1952, so this year is our 70^th Year Platinum Anniversary!

      This summer mailing is the first of many communiqués you will receive this year. Each is important and relevant to your child’s success at Trinity. We encourage you to respond to and initiate communication with your child’s teachers and the school administrative team frequently throughout the year.

     We want to welcome our new teachers and staff to our Trinity Family:

TEACHERS:

PreK 3 Teachers
Jada Martin has five years of early childhood teaching experience.  She is currently finishing her Education degree at FAMU.  She has an abundance of experience, energy, and passion for young children.

Jessica Mikulencak is a first-year teacher.  She has her Education degree from Texas State University.  Ms. Mikulencak has spent the last couple of years in ministry work with St. Paul’s Outreach, the Brotherhood of Hope, and F.S.U.’s Catholic Student Union.  She is excited to begin this new ministry of teaching.

PreK 4 Teacher
Erikka Mitchell has 13 years of early childhood teaching experience.  She is VPK certified and has her AS degree in Early Childhood Education and Center Management. Ms. Mitchell’s positive attitude, smile, and desire to serve will be a great addition to our early childhood team.

4th Grade
Direne Lorenzo will teach 4th grade Math and Sciences.  Mrs. Lorenzo is originally from Puerto Rico.  She has three children who will be attending Trinity. She is certified K-6 and Spanish K-12, with ESOL and Gifted endorsements.  She has over 10 years of teaching experience and is currently working on her Masters at Florida State University.

5th Grade
Katie Bowers will teach 5th grade Math and Social Studies. Mrs. Bowers and her family recently moved here from West Palm Beach.  She has 15 years of teaching experience, with the last 11 years at St. Juliana Catholic School.  Her two children will be attending Trinity.  Mrs. Bowers has her MA in Elementary Education, specializing in Math/Science.  She is certified K-6, with ESOL endorsement.

AIDES:

PreK 3
Olivia Cruz will be joining Ms. Martin’s class.  Mrs. Cruz has one child at Trinity.  She has a heart of service and is eager to join our instructional team.

1st Grade
Maddie Maas will be joining Mrs. Seaman.  She and her family recently moved here from Albany, GA.  She has experience teaching and working with youth ministry at St. Teresa’s Catholic School.  One of her two children will be attending Trinity.  Mrs. Maas has her BA in Elementary Education and is working to complete her program of study for professional certification.

Delaney Cummins will be joining Mrs. Grussing’s class.  She is currently enrolled at TCC and hopes to be a teacher one day.  She is an animal lover and has a heart for children and the ministry of education.

2nd Grade
Tony Cross is joining Mrs. Prior’s class. He is a Trinity alum, has an AA degree, and has worked at Trinity as a substitute teacher and office clerk for the past two years. Additionally, he is the Chief Assistant of Kumon Math, here in Tallahassee.

Reagan Gerety is joining Mrs. White’s class.  She is a former Trinity student and is working on her BA at Flagler University.  She has worked as an after-school counselor, camp counselor, and Disney hostess. 

4th and 5th Grade
Bobby Weiskopf has a BS in Sports Management from FSU.  He has been working at Blessed Sacrament as the Middle School Youth Director for the past two years.  His calm demeanor and desire to serve God will be an awesome role model to our students.

Digital Media and Office Administrator
Rachel Smith is an FSU grad.  Her experience as a Social Media Coordinator and Event Planner, along.  Additionally, she has a passion for theater!  She will be a great addition to our office team.

POSITION CHANGES:
Mrs. Jenny Llaque is our VPK Director, in addition to teaching her PreK 4 class.
Mrs. Jennifer Gray is moving to teach PreK 4.
Mrs. Faith Kubelka (formerly Viti) is moving up to teach Kindergarten.
Mrs. Hannah White is moving to lead 2nd Grade teacher.
Mrs. Jeanne Cross has moved to the Front Office as our Enrollment Director.

     We also want to welcome our 90 new students to our Catholic Community.  Trinity is an accredited International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program (MYP) school  for Grades 6-8.  IB is a nationally and internationally recognized program that prepares students for advanced achievement with higher level learning, communications, and collaborative skills. This increases academic rigor and discipline for our Middle School students.  We are excited about our growth as a school. 

     Trinity will continue to offer VPK (Florida’s free Voluntary PreKindergarten program) for our 4-year-old students in Pre-K4.  This voucher will help parents of 4-year-olds with tuition.  We are happy that this program is available to help make a Catholic Pre-School education available.  We are also adding a “Young 3-Year-Old Class”; students MUST be 3-years-old by December 1, 2022, and potty trained.

     Although summertime is a break from the usual rigor of school, it is important that your child maintain the skills   learned during the school year. It is expected that Trinity students will engage in educational pursuits even during the summer. Summer Learning information is posted on the Trinity website for the grade your child will be entering in August. The packets are intentionally designed to benefit our students and help them retain the skills they have learned throughout the year. Practicing these skills will insure an easy transition to the next grade for your child. Summer packets must be completed and returned on the first day of school, August 8^th.

     Information will be included in your Orientation Packet on August 4^th and 5^th to help you formulate a plan to satisfy the annual 25-hour Volunteer Service Hours requirement. Service Hours are valued at $15 per hour, and unrecorded hours will be charged to your account at the end of the school year. The contract you signed when you registered at Trinity includes the liability for these hours or payment in lieu of hours.

     Attached, you will find information about our after-school care program, Beyond-the-Bell. This program is for parents who need or want after-school care and enrichment for their child. In order for your child to participate in this program, the registration form must be completed and must be submitted to the office by August 1^st.

     The Parent/Student Handbook will be available online only at our website, www.trinityknights.org by August 4^th.  You may download your own personal copy. It is important to note that the Parent/Student Handbook is a contractual agreement between home and school, and therefore must be read carefully. Both parents and students should consider and discuss the rules and policies it contains before signing the Handbook Governance Agreement Form. This form will be enclosed in your Orientation Packet (one per child) and must be returned to his/her homeroom teacher no later than August 12^th.

     Orientation Days will take place as follows:   

August 4, 2022

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. – New Families Breakfast/Meeting - Parish Hall (Optional)

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – New Families to Classrooms

10:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – A – G (Last Names)

August 5, 2022

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – H – O (Last Names)

10:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – P – Z (Last Names)

**SPECIAL TREAT – FAMILIES, PLEASE VISIT THE ICE CREAM TRUCK AFTER VISITING CLASSROOMS! **

     Please proceed with your child to his/her classroom to meet with the teacher.  Family Orientation Packets will be available in your child’s Homeroom class.  If you have multiple children, it will be in the youngest child’s Homeroom.  You and your child(ren) may then leave for the day. Students do not have to wear uniforms for Orientation, but parents are reminded that their children should dress in appropriate attire. Students may NOT attend Orientation without an adult family member.  Attendance will be taken.

     The first day of school for all students will be Monday, August 8^th.   All students in Grades K – 8 are expected to be in complete school uniform. Please follow the drop-off procedures described in the Orientation Packet. All students are required to have a nutritious lunch which should be sent from home. Outside food deliveries are not allowed. The Beyond-the-Bell After School Care Program will begin on Monday August 8^th for those students who are registered.

     We realize that all of your questions about school matters will not be answered here, so please feel free to check our website or call the school office (850-222-0444) with any questions or concerns.

     You, the parents, are the primary educators of your child. We can only assist you in your responsibility. The mission of our school is – “to teach the Catholic faith within a challenging academic curriculum, laying the foundation for all students to grow in Christian maturity, integrity, and knowledge.” Together, we will form our children in the true sense of Christian citizenship.

Yours in Faith,

Tommy Bridges

Principal