STM Newsletter for February 28, 2013

Dear Parents:

As we enter our third week of Lent, it is a good time to help children be more kind and loving to others. Children are naturally loving, but they can get into really bad habits of fighting with brothers and sisters or being disobedient or even talking back. Lent is a great time to build in some family practices, which will stay with you long after the Lenten season is over. Children will notice, if part of your Lenten journey is to choose to 'fast' from crabby-ness or busy-ness and to spend more time with them. Children will notice, if you set the example of choosing to compliment others in the family more, highlighting the good things you notice in them. If your family Lenten practice is to focus on being nicer, kinder and more generous in helping each other, your children will take part in it. If we fail on a given day, we can quickly apologize and ask forgiveness and model more loving behavior that is central to Lent. By doing these simple acts, your children will benefit immensely during this important time of the church calendar.
 
7^th grade Lenten Project: This year the 7th graders are dedicating their Lenten Service Project to Develop Africa. Develop Africa is a global organization that collects and provides free school supplies for children in Africa. Please help the 7^th graders honor their commitment to help children, like themselves. Check out the flyer you are receiving today for more information on how you can help. All donations should be given to the classroom teacher. If you would like to send a monetary donation to help purchase more supplies, please put it in an envelope marked ‘DEVELOP AFRICA.’
 
Cioppino: Cioppino 2013 is history! What a wonderful event. Thank you to all who supported the event in any way. There were close to 400 diners and countless volunteers for set up, the event itself, and clean up. It was so impressive to stop by the night before during set up and see the beehive of activity with dozens of people working to prepare for the big night…a wonderful involved community of school parents and alumni parents. Thank you to Anarose Schelstrate and Linda Shah for once again chairing this great event. Congratulations to head chef, Robert Maldonado and his wonderful crew, for catering such a scrumptious meal. A special thank you also to Boy Scout Troop 343 for donating their time to assist with parking, serve dinner and clean up during the event. The bids are still open on some silent auction items. Check out the list you are receiving today or to place a bid online for Principal for a Day, Gym Director for a Day or Birthday Party for a student at the STM Gym click here.

WASC/WCEA Accreditation Visit: Have you noticed some extra people around the school this week? They are the WASC/WCEA Accreditation team and will be with us until tomorrow afternoon when the faculty will receive an initial report. Things seem to be going very well. You have much to be proud of in your children, their academic accomplishments and the school you have chosen for their education. We are truly grateful to Leslie Torres, Tania Tripathi and Ivon Van Mechelen who have been here every day before 7:00am to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner for our visitors.

Having completed this stage of the evaluation/visitation, the students, teachers and staff will enjoy a much-deserved holiday this Friday, March 1^st. We’ll be back to education as usual with a full day on Monday.

Calendars: The March calendar of events and hot lunch menu are included in today’s Envelope. Keep them close as March proves to be a busy month.
 
Kindergarten Acceptance: As we previously mentioned, we have accepted our first batch of kindergarteners for the 2013-2014 school year. We are very happy with the response to those acceptance letters. A reminder to all siblings and preschoolers who were accepted for our 2013-2014 kindergarten class - to pay close attention to the due date for the registration and materials fee in order to hold your child’s seat.
 
Book Fair: This year, our Book Fair raised one of the highest amounts in recent years - almost $7,000! Thanks to all who purchased books at the fair, especially our grandparents, the school now has over $4,100 to buy new books for our ever growing library. This year, Miss Pinnick, our librarian, has been busy keeping an eye on the types of books we would like to add to our collection. Each teacher has been asked to suggest some favorites that will become part of our permanent collection.
 
See’s Candies: A BIG thank you to Sue Sullivan, mother of Chloe (7^th grade). Once again, Sue has volunteered to head up the See’s Candies Spring Fundraiser. Please follow the deadline for ordering. Candy orders will be delivered in plenty of time for Easter. Complete and return the form in today's envelope if you wish to order.
 
Field Trips: Today the 4^th graders are receiving permission slips for their upcoming field trip to the SF Transfer Station. Be sure to get those permission slips back by the due date! As always, late forms will not be accepted.

Free MUNI for San Francisco Youth Pilot Program: Beginning March 1, 2013 this Muni program will provide low and moderate income youth in San Francisco FREE access to Muni for a 16^th month period. All San Francisco youth aged 5-17 who meet certain income limits are eligible. A student must have a Clipper Card to take advantage of this program. If the student already has a Clipper Card, parents may apply online at sfmta.com/freemuni4youth. They can download the application and submit by mail to: SFMTA, ATTN Youth Pilot Pass, 11 South Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA  94103. For step-by-step assistance, please call 311, or 415-701-2311.

Absentee Reporting: If your child is absent, please call or email the school office, or use the absentee reporting link on our website to let us know. If you know in advance that your child is going to be absent please let your child’s teacher know. This also applies if you wish to take your child out of school earlier than their regular dismissal time. Just a reminder that every time your child is absent or tardy, a note must be given to the teacher when they return, or in the case of a tardy, the following day.

Tuition/Re-registration: Since Friday, March 1^st is a school holiday, final payments on 2012-2013 tuition accounts should be sent to the school office no later than next Monday, March 4^th.  Next week we will begin the re-registration process. Remember, we will not save your child’s seat for the next school year if your accounts are not in order.

TADS: To apply for the Archdiocesan Scholarship Program, parents can go to the TADS website, www.tads.com. Once on their homepage click the link “Apply for Financial Aid” on the right side of the page, which is under the “Parents & Families” heading. Once you complete and submit the online form your application will be processed by TADS. The deadline for completing the application for elementary school assistance is April 15, 2013. Award letters will be sent out in May. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give the school office a call.
 
Tuition Assistance Program: The $20,000 St. Thomas More School Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) is available this school year because of the generosity of the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation. Those who applied and areeligible for the STM TAP are receiving additional information in their envelope today.
 
Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick                               
Principal

STM Newsletter for February 20, 2013

Dear Parents:

We are now on day eight of the Lenten Season. As we continue on this journey, we are reminded to show personal acts of kindness and sacrifice. We hope you continue to work with your children to help them better understand the concepts of prayer, fasting, and giving. Consider sitting down with your children once a week to discuss their Lenten plan.  Meet as a family every Sunday during Lent and discuss ways you have shown personal acts of kindness and sacrifice.  Be accountable to each other.  If you make this a great

Lent you will notice the difference on Easter Sunday. The celebration of Jesus’ resurrection gives us much to which we can look forward.

Here are a few reminders of ways that the church asks us to observe the Lenten season.

• Good Friday is a day of fast and abstinence, that is, limited to a single, full meal and abstinence from meat.
• This applies to all persons ages 14-60. It is highly recommended that children from ages 7 to 14 years also fast and abstain on these days.
• The other Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence from meat.
• During Lent, all Catholics are encouraged to receive Holy Eucharist frequently and to receive the Sacrament of Penance so that all may be prepared to celebrate more fully the paschal mystery on Easter Sunday.

Stations of the Cross: This year, the 4th grade class will present the Stations of the Cross over the next three weeks.Please join us for the first five stations next Wednesday, February 27^th at 1:10pm in the church. The following week, March 6^th, the 4^th graders will continue to lead us on this important journey with the next five stations, also at 1:10pm in the church. To complete the Jesus’ journey to the cross, the last four stations will be presented at 1:10pm on March 13^th in the church.

Cioppino 2013: This Saturday, February 23^rd, we will have our annual Cioppino dinner. Those of you who already ordered tickets for the Cioppino will be receiving a confirmation email within the next day. Tickets will not be given out this year, instead, those attending will check in at the door. Also, check out the raffle flyer that is going home today. We'll see you there Saturday night!

Storytelling with 8^th graders: The kindergarten students are enjoying a special program of stories prepared and told by our 8^th grade students. We are very grateful to Olive, our school storyteller, and Mrs. Spiegel for preparing the students to participate in this wonderful experience.

Monday is a short busy day!: The SF Opera Guild will be here in their ongoing preparation of the sixth grade Books to Bravo project. Also, please remember that Monday, February 25^th is a minimum day. Dismissal for the primary grades will be at 12:15 followed by the fourth through eighth grades at 12:30 as usual. Extended care will be available until 6:00pm and a hot dog lunch may be purchased by those signed in.

PM EXTENDED CARE: Do you need a 2012 payment summary from Afternoon Extended Care for your flexible spending account or your 2012 tax return?  Please contact John Kavanagh at JKav@stmsf.org and he will provide it.

Shoparoo, Top schools win $$$ this February!: As we mentioned last week, Shoparoo is giving away $500 to the top school with the most supporters who upload a receipt in February, $300 to the second place school, and $200 to the third place school. It doesn’t matter how many receipts you upload (although the more the better), it all comes down to the amount of people with support the school through Shoparoo. Eighty-two families have participated so far this month. Can we count on you? Download the app from the App Store or Google Play store today. Even one receipt counts!

WASC/WCEA Accreditation Visit: Next week is a very big week. We will have our three-day visit from the WASC/WCEA school evaluation and accreditation team. They will be with us all day from 7:30am-7:30pm Tuesday and Wednesday and will present their observations and report on Thursday after school. Following this, usually sometime during the summer, we will find out if we have been accredited again and for how long our accreditation period will be. If you see members of the team around during their visit, please say hello. The team members are: Cheryl Cory (chairperson), principal of St. Theresa School in Palm Springs; Charles Cecilia, teacher at Ecole Notre Dame des Victoires, San Francisco; K.C. Isom, teacher at St. Vincent de Paul School, San Francisco; Megan Raudsep, teacher from St. Pius School, Redwood City; and Sr. M. Susanna Vasquez, OP, principal at St. James in San Francisco. During their time here they will visit all the classrooms, meet with a group of parents on Tuesday night at 6:30pm, spend some time interviewing student council member and visit with Monsignor Labib.

Just a reminder, next Friday, March 1^st, is a school holiday for all students and the teachers.

Uniform: Firstly, we are keeping the school at a comfortable temperature during this cold weather season. We have a school sweater, and if a student feels the need for extra warmth, they may wear a WHITE t-shirt or turtleneck under their shirt. As has been clearly stated on the school sweatshirt order form during the last several years, the STM sweatshirt is not classroom apparel. The students are welcome to wear them to and from school and in the yard, but not in the classroom.

The second matter of concern is the need for too many students (parents) to wash and iron their pleated skirts and navy pants. Some of the skirts are so far gone, they are gray where they should be white and have only slightly noticeable pleats. Let’s look sharp for the visiting team next week!

See you Saturday at Cioppino!

Sincerely,

Marie Fitzpatrick             

STM Newsletter for February 6, 2013

Dear Parents:

The Family Mass, Book Fair, the school-wide open house and the general spirit of goodwill were a fitting conclusion to National Catholic Schools Week at St. Thomas More School. We have accomplished so much here by working together. Thank you for all the positive comments made to the teachers and staff this past weekend. It is great to be recognized for a job well done. A special thank you to our kindergarten teachers, Heidi Haas and Megan Kennedy, for preparing a beautiful Family Mass with the kindergartners and their families. We are so proud of our wonderful kindergarten students. This is a good time to reflect on the benefit of being part of a Catholic school. The strong school community, grounded in a shared faith and the support and high expectations of parents, teachers and the larger community, offers your children a foundation for facing the rapidly changing world around them. By sharing this belief in God’s goodness and living out their faith every day, your children are blessed with a clear advantage. Faith provides an anchor that will serve your children well into the future.

Thank you to Sue Kapovich who organized a great Grandparents and Special Friends Day and to everyone who made it such a success! The children were so happy to have almost 200 special guests join us for this fun event. A HUGE thank you goes out to Jessica Ramirez, her assistant, Ivon van Mechelen and our awesome 8^th grade cooks for their help in preparing over 500 pasta lunches for all to enjoy.

A HUGE thank you once again this year to Joan Cuddihy, our Book Fair moderator, and her competent committee of booksellers for the great job they did all last week with this year’s Book Fair. Thanks to all of you who bought books to enrich your children’s lives and to donate to the classroom libraries.

Tomorrow, at 7:00 p.m., in Carroll Hall, the Parents Club and all interested parents will come together to evaluate what they have accomplished and plan for upcoming activities.

        

Cioppino 2013 and FREE DRESS: Work continues in preparation for our BIG fundraiser on Saturday, February 23^rd. Thank you for the many donations that have come through the school office for our Cioppino baskets and auction items – keep them coming! Ticket sales have really picked up for the event. Reservation forms are included in your envelopes again today – tell your friends! This event is a lot of fun. Remember, childcare is available for $25 and includes a pizza dinner and snacks. Please respond as soon as possible so that we can begin work on our seating plan. As an added bonus, every school parent who buys a ticket for Cioppino will receive a FREE DRESS PASS for their child/ren to be used on Monday, February 25^th.

School Holiday: This Friday, February 8^th is a school holiday for the students. Teachers and administrators from all the Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese will be attending an all day professional development in-service at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

2013-2014 Kindergarten: We thank you for all the referrals of new families who have now applied to the school. Kindergarten screening of our Utopia applicants is well underway. This Saturday we will meet with those new to the school and sibling applicants for their screenings. The first round of kindergarten acceptance letters will be going home shortly.

Books-to-Bravo: The 6^th graders will begin their Books-to-Bravo program with members of the S.F. Opera Guild next Monday, February 11^th. This 10-week program will culminate with a performance of their student-written opera in April.

Ash Wednesday Mass: Next Wednesday, February 13^th is Ash Wednesday. Please join the student body as we celebrate the first day of the Lenten Season and the reception of ashes at the 8:30am mass.

Field Trips: Taking a field trip on Thursday, February 21^st, are the fourth graders. They will be traveling to The Academy of Sciences to learn about and explore rainforests. Permission slips for this trip are going home today.

Student Body Picture: For the fifth year running, we are offering a 10”x30” panoramic student body picture for purchase. Lifetouch, our school picture company, will come next Friday, February 15^th to take this picture of the students and faculty in our gym. If you are interested in purchasing one, please check out the order form in today’s envelope and return it with your child no later than next Friday, picture day. Panoramic photos are pre-pay only and additional items cannot be ordered later. The original pictures from the last four years are on display here in the school office. Drop by and check them out!

Scrip: Just a reminder that all families are required to generate a minimum of $100 profit by participating in the electronic scrip programs authorized by the school. Scrip purchased between May 1^st, 2012 and April 30^th, 2013 will be credited to this requirement. Families who do not wish to participate in the scrip program will have the option of buying out at $100. This buy out fee is due no later than Friday, February 15^th, 2013. Buyout after this date will be $150. This Valentine’s Day, we remind you to think Scrip when you’re shopping for flowers, candy, and the perfect date night for your sweetheart. Check out the flyer you are receiving today for some great gift card ideas!

Afternoon Extended Care: Do you need a 2012 payment summary from Afternoon Extended Care for your flexible spending account or your 2012 tax return? Please contact John Kavanagh at JKav@stmsf.org and he will provide it.

Tuition Assistance Program: Please let Mrs. Fitzpatrick know in writing if you are interested in receiving an application form for our TAP (Tuition Assistance Program). We will continue to accept requests through the month of February.

Spelling Bee: Well done to the participants of this year’s school spelling bee!

4th: Kevin Carranceja, Jordan Mak, Gabe Santos
5th: Haley Graves, Justin Santos, Kevin Sarmiento
6th: Zoe Taylor, Kevin Dunn, Shivaya Urcuyo
7th: Natasha Alvarado, Tony D'Aura, Agnes Li
8th: Elyssa Nicolas, Antoine Malouf, Devin Rojo-Cagadoc

Special congratulations to school champion, Tony D’Aura, and our runner up, Agnes Li! Tony won the bee on the word boisterously.

Happy 100 days of school! Only 80 more to go!!

Sincerely,

Marie Fitzpatrick             

Principal