Saint Stephen School is a Roman Catholic elementary school located in Hamden, Connecticut. We currently serve students from 21 parishes and 10 neighboring towns. With 73% of our student population from outside the parish, we promote an inclusive environment which values the diverse backgrounds of all of our students.
Archdiocese of Hartford Vision Statement
The fundamental purpose of Catholic schools is to advance the educational mission of the Church.
Catholic schools educate diverse student bodies to form Catholic, person-centered, learning communities. They provide quality teaching through traditional and innovative educational programs infused with Catholic Social Teachings. Catholic schools also involve students to serve and support parish life and local civic communities. They strive to graduate students who are critical thinkers, productive moral citizens, and spiritual leaders. Catholic schools also recognize and appreciate parents as the primary educators of their children.
The Philosophy of Saint Stephen School
Saint Stephen School strives to teach the Good News, build a community deeply rooted in faith and foster in each student a compassionate awareness of the needs of others.
Ever aware of making the world a better place, the student is encouraged to seek academic excellence, to develop God-given talents and to be cognizant of the need for peace and justice in the world.
Saint Stephen School provides a unique environment in which the faith life of the faculty and students is nourished and the understanding, appreciation and acceptance of one another is recognized and developed.
Saint Stephen School Mission Statement
Saint Stephen School is a Roman Catholic Elementary School in Hamden, Connecticut, serving students from 21 parishes and 10 neighboring towns. With a majority of our student population from outside the parish, we promote an environment of inclusion, which values the diverse backgrounds of all of our students within a close knit community rooted in faith.
We are dedicated to the ideal of teaching as Jesus by nourishing the God-given talents of our students through the pursuit of academic excellence, creative expression, and full preparation for high school. We instill an awareness and appreciation of Christs presence within their lives through daily prayer, family liturgies, prayer services, and an integrated religious curriculum.
We commit ourselves to educating the whole person through a social action ministry that encourages student involvement and develops a sense of responsibility for themselves, their local community, and the world.
Goals
Build a community deeply rooted in faith
- Instill an awareness of Christ’s presence within out daily lives.
- Encourage students to apply Scripture to their daily lives.
- Stress the importance of making moral decisions consistent with Church teachings.
- Foster an appreciation for the faith community, as the way to come to know God.
- Provide daily religious instruction in the Roman Catholic tradition.
- Attend monthly Liturgies and frequent prayer services.
- Instill in students an appreciation for the celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacraments in their lives.
Achieve academic excellence through a curriculum, which is based on the seven multiple intelligences.
- Integrate critical thinking and reasoning skills in all academic areas.
- Foster the students’ imagination and creativity through art, music, movement, creating writing, journals, cooperative groups, and through the utilization of manipulatives in the classroom.
- Enable students to utilize their God-given talents in a variety of ways within the classroom, and to also recognize one’s own uniqueness.
Enable students to become caring, involved, and contributing members of society.
- Develop a cognizance for peace and justice in the world.
- Provide opportunities for social action and outreach community services by which the students will grow in self-control, ethical behavior, and responsibility for themselves and others.