STM Newsletter for November 28, 2012

Dear Parents:

One of the most important seasons in our church calendar, the Season of Advent, begins this Sunday. This season is a time for all of us to prepare for the birth of Jesus on Christmas day. Christians prepare for celebrating the birth of Jesus by remembering the longing of the Jews for a Messiah. In Advent, we’re reminded of how much we ourselves also need a Savior, and we look forward to our Savior’s second coming even as we prepare to celebrate his first coming at Christmas. God wanted so much for us to be with him that he became one of us. This is the greatest Christmas present – God’s presence on earth. In the liturgical calendar the season of Christmas begins on Christmas Eve and lasts through the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. Please help your children understand the symbolism of the Advent Wreath and the importance of the true meaning of Christmas. Each Monday in December we will begin our school day with an Advent Prayer Service in the gym. Parents and other family members are welcome to join us at 8:10am. Today we are sending home an advent calendar to help you and your family celebrate this special season in the liturgical year.

SANTA’S SECRET SHOP: The Parents’ Club presents their annual Santa’s Secret Shoppe starting tomorrow, Thursday, November 29th. Over the next two days, all the students will have an opportunity to purchase gifts for parents, friends and relatives. Each student is receiving an envelope today to help them plan their shopping and to keep their money safe.

DECEMBER 2nd: We look forward to seeing you all here this Sunday. We will begin the day with a 10:00am Family Mass where we will present all our Confirmation and First Communion Candidates. Monsignor Labib generously allows the school to receive the proceeds from the second collection when we have Family Masses. We are sending you a special collection envelope for your use at Sunday’s Mass. Following the Mass, the Parents’ Club will present a Pancake Breakfast in Carroll Hall. They will also offer activities for the children and pictures with Santa. Please use the flyer enclosed in your envelope today if you have not already made a reservation for the pancake breakfast. Cioppino 2013 tickets will also go on sale this Sunday at the Pancake Breakfast. They make great Christmas gifts for those "hard to buy for" family and friends.

STM SCHOOL ADVISORY BOARD: All members of the St. Thomas More School Advisory Board will meet tonight in the school library at 7:00pm. All parents are invited to attend and learn about the good work that our new School Advisory Board is doing.

SCHOOL TOURS: We are holding another school tour tomorrow at 9:00am. We are very grateful to our 8th grade student ambassadors for doing such a stellar job by sharing information about our wonderful school with prospective families. Our final tour is scheduled for December 5th. Please call or email the office to reserve a space. A reminder that kindergarten applications are available in the office or can be downloaded from our website. Please share this information with your family and friends. Don’t forget that Utopia families and siblings or current students interested in kindergarten for the 2013-2014 school year must complete an application form if you have not already done so.

FIELD TRIPS: Tomorrow, select 3rd through 8th graders will enjoy the ACT’s production of A Christmas Carol. The show ends at 3:10pm and students are expected to arrive back at STM no later than 4:00pm. Next Monday, the 2nd and 5th graders will travel to the Palace of Fine Arts for a performance of The Nutcracker by the Westlake School for the Performing Arts. Later next week on Thursday, December 6th, the 2nd graders will travel to Skyline College for the Elves and the Shoemaker.

CALENDERS: Today you will find the December calendar in your envelope. On the reverse side, is the lunch menu for both December and January. Keep these handy as December proves to be a busy month!

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM: Please remember to reserve the night of December 13th for the St. Thomas More School Christmas Program. All students will be involved in this production. Information regarding clothing suggestions will be sent home next week. We look forward to your attendance for this faith-filled and fun-filled program.

CHILDREN'S CHOIR VOLUNTEER: We're still looking to form a children's choir who will sing during our Sunday Family masses and weekly Friday masses. Please contact Jen Conley - jconley@stmsf.org, Charo Alonso - csalonso@yahoo.com (650-303-2593) or Mylee Bernardo - myleeb@gmail.com if you or anyone you know might be interested in leading our choir.

NIGHT AT THE RACES: We are happy to report that this event raised over $3400 for our technology program! Thank you to all who joined us for Night the Races on November 17th. This is always a great event.

SCHOOL UNIFORM PANTS: Beginning Monday, December 3rd through March 28th, 2012, girls will be able to wear uniform pants. Those who wish to purchase uniform pants, may do so through either of the uniform companies that we contract with, Dennis Uniform and Simply Uniforms. Please remember that navy blue knee-high socks need to be worn with the pants. Girls must wear their uniform skirts (not the pants) on field trips or on occasions specified by the school. Please remember that Simply Uniform and Dennis Uniform scrip can be purchased for all your uniform needs.

COLD WEATHER: During these cold and wintery days, please be sure to send your child to school with a warm coat or jacket. While we understand that it may be raining upon drop-off and pick-up, we strongly suggest your child does not bring an umbrella to school. Often the strong winds and heavy rain make the umbrellas difficult to use, especially for the younger children.

ONE WARM COAT: These cold days also reminded us to count our blessing and give thanks that we have enough to eat, warm coats, and cozy homes. Unfortunately, many others in our community are not so lucky. St. Thomas More is happy to participate in the One Warm Coat program. Please look through your closets and see if you can locate a warm coat or jacket that is in really good condition, clean and ready to be worn by someone less fortunate. ALL types of coats are needed and will be distributed to needy people by St. Anthony's and the Hamilton Family Shelter. You can also drop off your donations anytime between now and December 17th to the school office.

PEANUT BUTTER FRIDAY: As we move towards the holiday season, we want our students to continue to ‘THINK link Jesus’ by participating in our annual collection of peanut butter. Our collection this year, lead by the first graders, will benefit the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The St. Vincent de Paul Society has requested peanut butter, as it is a much-needed nutritious staple for them throughout the holiday season. If we reach our goal of 300 jars of peanut butter by December 7th, the student body will enjoy free dress on Wednesday, December 19th. Please send a jar (or two!), any kind, any size with your child by Friday, December 7th.

We’ll see you this weekend!

Sincerely,

Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal

Santa's Secret Shoppe

Nov. 29 and 30th will mark our annual Santa's Secret Shoppe where students can shop for special gifts during school hours.  A flyer and money envelope will be placed in next Wednesday's envelope so please check it before your student comes to school the next day.  

 

There are also a few more spots available for parents to volunteer at the Santa's Secret Shoppe (credited towards mandatory hours), so click on the SignUp Genius on the website and help out!

 

Don't forget to turn in those raffle tickets and choose which prize you'd like to win (boys bike / girls bike / stocking full of toys)!  Tickets are due in Nov. 28th.  Drawing will be on Dec. 2nd at the Holiday Faire after family mass.

STM Newsletter for November 14, 2012

Dear Parents:

Thank you for your presence and support at the Family Mass last Sunday. A special thank you to the third and fourth graders and their teachers Miss Bryan and Miss Conley for putting together such a beautiful and reverent service. It was nice to see so many of you there. Thank you for your generous support of the second collection of $655.55, which goes to support the school and its programs.

As Thanksgiving approaches we have much for which we are thankful. It is a time of year when we think of others less fortunate. Your generous response to the Thanksgiving food collection is a wonderful sign of your thoughtfulness and a great example for your children of giving to the local community. Please remember that our annual collection of canned goods and other non-perishable items for the San Francisco Food Bank provides Thanksgiving meals for those in need and continues through this Friday, November 16^th. As we continue to prepare for Thanksgiving, please consider joining us this coming Monday, November 19^th, for a Thanksgiving prayer service presented by first grade in the gym at 1:00pm.

Please remember that next Tuesday, November 20^th we begin our Thanksgiving break with minimum day dismissal, 12:15/12:30. Extended Care will be available. School will resume on Monday, November 26^th and being the 4^th Monday of the month will also be a minimum day. A hot dog lunch will be available for purchase by those attending extended care that day.

We won’t be here to do a Wednesday newsletter next week, however, we will send home the relevant flyers we receive for distribution on Tuesday.

PICTURE RETAKE DAY: This coming Friday, November 16^th is picture make-up day for students who were absent when pictures were taken in October as well as those who wished to have their picture retaken. Please make sure you return your original photo package by tomorrow’s deadline if a retake is requested. Composite class picture were not in your picture package, but they will be sent to you once retake pictures have been completed.

STUDENT ID CARDS: Student ID cards have arrived. They may be purchased, starting tomorrow. Please put $2 in an envelope, write your child’s name and grade and send to your child’s teacher. They are not available in the office.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: Today select students will receive notice that they have been chosen to attend this year’s performance of ACT’s A Christmas Carol. We had an overwhelming response for tickets again this year (we only have 50 tickets and over 90 students wished to attend) and students were chosen based on whether they had previously attended the performance and the timely manner in which the permission slip and payment was received. Students who were not chosen to attend this year are having their payments returned today. Those families should check their Envelopes for those refunds.

PARENT VOLUNTEER HOURS: A reminder that sign-ups for Santa's Secret Shop are now available on Sign-up Genius. All are invited to help with this fundraiser both for hours and to help children sharpen their math skills by budgeting and shopping.

DECEMBER 2^nd: Please mark December 2^nd on your calendar as an exciting day here at STM. We will begin the day with the presentation of our First Communion and Confirmation candidates at our 10:00am Family Mass, followed by a Pancake Breakfast, children’s activities and a visit with Santa in Carroll Hall, all presented by the Parents’ Club.

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM: Please save Thursday night, December 13^th, for our school's presentation of our Christmas Program. We will begin at 7:00pm in the Church and all students, preschool through 8^th grade will have a part in this program.

SCRIP: Start your Christmas shopping now! This week's order is the last one to be received before Black Friday and Cyber Monday! Order your scrip by 6am on Friday, November 16^th and receive it next Tuesday before Thanksgiving break. For your convenience, an order will be placed the day after Thanksgiving – remember the 6am deadline!

FROM THE ATHLETIC BOARD: Congratulations to the 4th Grade boys’ soccer team who made it to the championship game. They put up a great effort against NDV before being defeated by a score of 3-1. The 8^th grade girls volleyball team also made it into their division championship game. They put up a great fight against Cornerstone Academy and unfortunately lost 25-22 in the first set and 25-20 in the second. Thank you to all who have represented St. Thomas More School so very well in sports so far this year. We are very proud of all our student athletes.

8^TH GRADE RECOMMENDATIONS: This is the time of the year when 8^th graders are busily writing their high school essays and completing their applications. Because of changing demographics many families attend church in Parishes other than where their school is located. Please remember that students will need to have their clergy recommendations signed by the pastor in the parish where they attend Mass and other church services. This will ensure that recommendations are written by a pastor who knows your child and who is familiar with your family's involvement in your local church.

Congratulations to the 8th Graders whose predictions of the state-by-state electoral vote bettered those of many of the well-known political pundits. The 8th Grade correctly predicted 48 out of 51 "states" (includes Washington D.C.) missing just on Arizona, Colorado and Florida. You might see one of them on C-Span or MSNBC one day!  

More congratulations go out to first grader, Sierra Pecson. She was selected as a finalist for the 2013 Safe and Wise Water Ways poster contest! Her artwork will be displayed in January on the poster contest web site, www.dbw.ca.gov/postercontest and also at the California State Capitol during the 2013 boating season. For her award winning work, Sierra will receive a Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Congratulations, Sierra!

As we come to the day when we recognize all for which we should be thankful, we are especially mindful of you. You continue to support so many of our efforts by your presence and participation. These efforts have continued for years. Thank you, thank you, thank you and enjoy a great holiday with family and friends!

Sincerely,

Marie Fitzpatrick

Principal           

STM Newsletter for November 7, 2012

Dear Parents:

Now that election season has come to an end, we remember and pray for all those who worked to keep the democratic process alive and well in our country. The following prayer by Cardinal Adam Maida, Archbishop of Detroit reminds us of all for which we should be thankful.

God of all nations, Father of the human family, we give you thanks for the freedom we exercise and the many blessings of democracy we enjoy in these United States of America.

We ask for your protection and guidance for all who devote themselves to the common good, working for justice and peace at home and around the world.

We lift up all our duly elected leaders and public servants, those who will serve us as president, as legislators and judges, those in the military and law enforcement.

Heal us from our differences and unite us, O Lord, with a common purpose, dedication, and commitment to achieve liberty and justice in the years ahead for all people, and especially those who are most vulnerable in our midst. Amen.

We hope your parent-teacher conferences are going well. The teachers always look forward to meeting with you and sharing the good news about your child’s progress. Once again, our school showed very healthy IOWA test results with the majority of students scoring at or above the 75^th percentile. Just a reminder that every day this week is a minimum day, with dismissal at 12:15pm for grades K-3 and 12:30pm for grades 4-8.

SCHOOL TOURS: We held our first school tour yesterday and were happy to have 16 families join us. Thank you to our 8^th grade student ambassadors, Kameron Powers, Sean Ramos, Crystal Tobar, Jerome Torres, and Sofia Torres who shared a wealth of information with those families. We have another three tours scheduled for November 14^th, November 29^th, and December 5^th. Please call or email the office to reserve a space. Applications are now available from the office or can be downloaded from our website. Please share this information with your family and friends. Students currently enrolled in grades K-7 need not reapply. You will be receiving re-registration information in the spring.

SANDWICHES-FOR-THE-NEEDY: This Friday, November 9^th, is our next collection of sandwiches-for-the-needy. All are welcome to participate and the kindergarten and eighth grade students are charged with taking the lead that day. Some of our upper grade students will again work with Alma Via residents this week to make sandwiches. Don’t have time to make a sandwich for our collection…we are accepting donations to help defray the expenses for when we make sandwiches here at school. We thank you in advance for what we hope will be another huge collection for those at the Martin de Porres House of Hospitality.

FOOD DRIVE: Don’t forget November’s ongoing non-perishable food collection for the San Francisco Food Bank and peanut butter and jelly collection for St. Francis Living Room. We have barrels here at school for your donations and will continue the collection through November 16th. Thank you, in advance, for your generosity!.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARDS: We would like to invite everyone to join us at the awards ceremony, this Friday, November 9^th immediately following the 8:30am Mass. Academic awards will be presented to students in grades 3 through 8 if he/she maintains outstanding grades in the following subjects: Religion, Mathematics, Reading/Literature, English, Science/Health, and History/Social Studies. In addition to the awards for academic excellence, one student per grade, 3 through 8, will be chosen for a citizenship award. In grades K-2, two students per grade will receive this award.

FAMILY MASS: This Sunday, November 11^th, at 10:00am, the third and fourth graders will prepare our next Family Mass. Please consider joining with the St. Thomas More School Community to gather together in worship. Please use the blue envelope you are receiving today for the second collection which benefits the school.

OLIVE THE STORYTELLER: On Monday, November 12^th, Olive the Storyteller will return for the K-3^rd grade students. Also on that day, Olive will begin her story telling project with the 8^th graders

CIOPPINO: A Cioppino planning meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 13th. Anyone interested in helping with the event are invited to attend the meeting at 7:00 in Carroll Hall.

FROM THE PARENTS’ CLUB: The winners of the Halloween Carnival/Fall Festival Raffle were drawn this morning. You are receiving a flyer with the winners in today’s envelope. Prizes can be picked up tomorrow from the school office.

OFF TO THE RACES: Off to the Races is coming to STM on Saturday, November 17^th! Reservation flyers, Ad space, and Name a Horse/Jockey/Owner are in today’s envelope. This has always been an exciting evening with lots of fun activities, “adult” refreshments and lively entertainment. All this for only $15! Don’t forget that childcare is also available. Send in your reservations now!

UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS: Permission slips for the below mentioned field trip are in your envelopes today. Please pay attention to the due date to return the form and payment.

•   The 3^rd grade Students will visits the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers on Tuesday, November 27^th.
• Students from 2^nd grade will enjoy a performance of The Elves and the Shoemaker at Skyline College on December 6^th.

BUILDING INTO THE FUTURE ONE BRICK AT A TIME: Thank you to all who have purchased a brick or plaque. The 8 plaques offered have been a big hit and sold out very quickly. Because of high demand, we are adding 8 more plaques to our initial offering. These won’t last long either - get your order in early - this is your chance to leave a lasting remembrance of your family’s time at STM. An order form for bricks available for sale is enclosed in your envelope today. Credit cards (VISA and Mastercard) accepted - just stop by the school office.

Sincerely,

Marie Fitzpatrick

Principal