Wednesday, January 22, 2014

STM Newsletter for January 22, 2014

Dear Parents:

National Catholic Schools Week runs from January 26th through February 1st. Please mark your calendars for our Family Mass, Open House, and Book Fair, and other exciting events this Sunday, January 26th.

As a faith community, we will gather together on Sunday, January 26th at the 10:00am Family Mass. Let's use this opportunity to reflect on the importance that we all place on Catholic education. Our kindergarten students and families will take the lead in preparing this special Mass, which is the opening activity of the celebration of National Catholic Schools Week. We look forward to seeing you all there.

A schedule of all these events and the times of classroom observation during this week can be downloaded from our website. Feel free to drop in and see what’s going on around the school. Please share the schedule with friends who may be interested in our school.

ONLINE BOOK FAIR: Our Online Book Fair is now LIVE! Click here to purchase books.
All orders will ship directly to school for free when the Online Fair has ended. 

CYO HALL OF FAME: As previously mentioned, this year John Bickle has been chosen as one of the honorees for the 7th Annual Catholic Charities CYO Athletics Hall of Fame dinner. This event will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Father O'Reilly Catholic Charities CYO gym at St. Emydius. Please consider joining us to recognize and honor John’s legacy at this event. Tickets can be purchased through the CYO website. Individual dinner tickets are $90 each. If you wish to join together with some other families and purchase a table at one of the sponsorship levels this will include a pre-dinner reception, premier seating and a tribute in the printed event program, recognition on-screen and sponsorship acknowledgment in all printed materials.

COLDS AND FLUS: As we continue our way through the flu season, please remember that students MUST be fever free for at least 24 hours before returning to school. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE - if your child is showing ANY symptoms of illness such as headaches, cough, dizziness, fever, or stomach aches, keep them at home. This will avoid spreading these symptoms to others.

SANDWICHES-FOR-THE-NEEDY: Our next collection for the Martin de Porres House is this Friday, January 24th, when the 3rd and 4th graders will take the lead. We encourage ALL families to provide an extra sandwich. Some of our older students will prepare 50 additional sandwiches in our school kitchen to add to this collection.
  
REPORT CARDS/HONOR AWARDS: Report cards will be sent home with your child on Friday, January 31st. We would like to invite everyone to join us at the honor awards ceremony on Friday, January 31st immediately following the 8:30am mass.

SPELL-A-THON: Just a reminder that pledges for the Spell-a-thon are due to your child’s teacher by dismissal on Monday, January 27th. Keep those pledges coming!
      
2014-2015 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.

2014-2015 UTOPIA PRESCHOOL: Our preschool program for the 2014-2015 school year is now close to capacity. We do however still have a few openings for the afternoon sessions. Preference will be given to school families if applications are received in a timely manner.

CIOPPINO 2014: Work continues in preparation for our BIG fundraiser on Saturday, February 22nd. We have only had a handful of families send donations into the office. We cannot do this without your help. Most of the items we use in our baskets – keep the donations coming! Consider getting together with other parents from your child’s class to purchase a table. This event is a lot of fun. Remember, childcare is available for a nominal fee. Please respond as soon as possible as we believe this will be a sell out event again this year. To purchase tickets, please use the flyer you are receiving today and return it to the school office. 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 24th.

PARENT HOURS: As a reminder, each family is required to volunteer for a minimum of 10 hours for Parents' Club activities and supervise 4 sessions of yard duty.  Each family may sign up for a maximum of FOUR hours per qualifying event however there is no limit to the amount of time you are willing to give to our students and staff! As per the Financial Policies, failure to complete a minimum of 10 parent participation hours and 4 yard duty sessions as assigned by the Parents’ Club and/or the St. Thomas More School administration will result in a $450 fee to be paid before a child can re-register for the following school year.
Yard Duty: All yard duty time slots serves as 30 minutes. You must be signed up on "Sign Up Genius" to be qualified to fulfill your sessions.  If you want to show up to a yard duty session, check and sign up to confirm availability prior to showing up at the school.
Qualifying Parents’ Club events: Fall Festival, Santa's Secret Shop, Holiday Fair, Book Fair, Cioppino and Coaching.**
**Coaching: Registered coaches, with approval of Athletic Board/Director, for full-season sports will receive credit for their required hours.  Yard duty is a separate requirement.

WARRIOR TICKETS: The Warriors tickets are in! If you ordered and paid for tickets, you will need to pick them up at the front office and sign that they have received them. Tickets will not be sent home with your child. Go Warriors! See you on Friday Night!

SAVE THE DATE: Please save the evening of Tuesday, March 11th at 6:30pm for a mandatory parent meeting for all families of preschool through 7th grade. Students will not be allowed to attend this meeting. We will offer free babysitting for those unable to make other arrangements. We will provide more details as we get closer to the date.

FACTS: Since the stability of our school and the quality of its programs are of the utmost importance, we are always seeking ways to make improvements to benefit everyone. After much research and investigation, we have decided to partner with FACTS Management Company to help us manage our tuition payment program and financial aid assessment for the 2014-2015 school year. FACTS is used by many schools locally and over 5,000 schools nationally. We are excited to be working with them and are confident this program will offer greater efficiency and financial stability for the school while providing convenience to families. More information will be available at the mandatory parent meeting in March.

TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Families that applied for the STM TAP will be receiving an application form today. Funds will be distributed on the basis of those families who need the most help. To qualify for temporary tuition assistance, families will need to show proof of financial hardship and funds will be distributed on a discretionary basis by the school administration. Please let Mrs. Fitzpatrick know in writing if you are interested in receiving an application form. We will continue to accept application requests through the end of January.

STUDENT HOLIDAY: Plan ahead - Please remember that the school will be closed on Friday, February 7th. This is the day set for the annual Archdiocese Professional Development for all Catholic school teachers and administrators.

See you on Sunday!

Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick                                              
Principal  

Friday, January 17, 2014

STM Newsletter for January 15, 2014

Dear Parents:

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. strived to teach valuable lessons of equality, compassion, and understanding to people everywhere. King is perhaps best remembered for delivering his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech in front of a quarter of a million people in the Mall in Washington, DC. His famous line, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," still resonates today. Dr. King continually encouraged everyone to make a difference. Let us all continue to THINK like Jesus as we become more active, concerned citizens who care for others and become involved in acts of charity and work towards a more just society for all. We can enjoy a three-day weekend this weekend thanks to the observance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday.

A compulsory meeting for parents of all students who are receiving First Reconciliation this year will be held in the 2nd grade classroom on Thursday, January 23rd beginning at 6:30pm. At least one parent from each family is required to attend.

OUR LADY OF FATIMA STATUE VISITS STM CHURCH: This Sunday, January 19th St. Thomas More Church will host a procession and special Tagalog Mass in Honor of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Please check out the flyer you are receiving today for more information.

REPORT CARDS/HONOR AWARDS: This Friday marks the end of the second quarter. Report cards will be sent home with your child on Friday, January 31st. We would like to invite everyone to join us at the honor awards ceremony on Friday, January 31st immediately following the8:30am mass.

NATIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK: This runs from January 26ththrough February 1st. Please mark your calendars for our Family Mass, Open House, Book Fair, and other exciting events on Sunday, January 26th. We are asking our kindergarten class to provide breakfast pastries and treats for our Open House. Please send these items to the front office on Friday, January 24th or bring them to the gym before Mass on Sunday, January 26th. Thank you for the great response to Grandparents Day (January 30th). So far we have over 50 Grandparents and other special friends joining us for a special pasta lunch and other fun activities. There is still time to sign up! Send in your reservation form by this Friday. We are also looking for donations of breakfast pastries and treats for Grandparents day. Please drop your donations to the school office on the morning of January 30th.

ONLINE BOOK FAIR: Our Online Book Fair is now LIVE! Click here to purchase books. All orders will ship directly to school for free when the Online Fair has ended.

WARRIORS TICKETS: Thank you to all who sent in reservations for Warrior tickets. Tickets will be distributed to families once they have been received by the school.

GEOGRAPHY BEE: Congratulations to all participants of our annual school Geography Bee. Runners up 5th grader Antonio Roca and 8thgrader Tony D’Aura were both eliminated in the same round while 7thgrader Francesca Diaz took 2nd place. Our school's champ, who will represent us in the statewide competition for the second year in a row, is 5th grader Zach White. Good luck in the next round, champion Zach!  
  
CYO HALL OF FAME: As previously mentioned, this year John Bicklehas been chosen as one of the honorees for the 7th Annual Catholic Charities CYO Athletics Hall of Fame dinner. This event will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Father O'Reilly Catholic Charities CYO gym at St. Emydius. Please consider joining us to recognize and honor John’s legacy at this event. Tickets can be purchased through the CYO website. Individual dinner tickets are $90 each. If you wish to join together with some other families and purchase a table at one of the sponsorship levels this will include a pre-dinner reception, premier seating and a tribute in the printed event program, recognition on-screen and sponsorship acknowledgment in all printed materials.

STUDENT SAFETY/IPADS: Students are not to use their iPads before and after school or any on campus extracurricular activities (e.g. sports practice). Students must keep their iPads in their backpacks when not in use. Student use of these devices without permission during school and extended care hours is in violation of the school iPad use policy. Students in violation will have their device confiscated. iPads stored anywhere else besides their backpack will also be confiscated. Please note there will be a charge of $25 to have the iPad returned once confiscated. Students will only be allowed to have their iPads back once a written note is received from their parent/guardian and the $25 fee is paid. 

SPELL-A-THON: Just a reminder that pledges for the Spell-a-thon are due tomorrow to your child’s teacher.  Check out the flyer in today’s envelope for important upcoming dates.

USF CLASSES: There are still a few spaces available for students in grades 7 and 8 to work in collaboration with USF graduate students in an exciting course entitled, Digital Media and Learning. This will look great on the resume of students applying for high school next year! Please let Mrs. Fitzpatrick know if you are interested.

CIOPPINO 2014: Work continues in preparation for our BIG fundraiser onSaturday, February 22nd. Thank you for the many donations that have come through the school office for our Cioppino baskets and auction items – keep them coming! Consider getting together with other parents from your child’s class to purchase a table. This event is a lot of fun. Remember, childcare is available for a nominal fee. Please respond as soon as possible as we believe this will be a sell out event again this year. To purchase tickets, please use the flyer you are receiving today and return it to the school office. 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 24th. The next Cioppino meeting has been scheduled for this coming Tuesday, January 21st at 7:00pm in Carroll Hall.

KINDERGARTEN SCREENING: We have received many kindergarten and preschool applications for the 2014-2015 school year. Many thanks also for your referrals of new families. A reminder that again this year we will be screening all kindergarten applicants in order to assess their readiness for our kindergarten program. Kindergarten applicants in Utopia will be assessed during their school day over the next few weeks. For siblings of current students and new families, emails were sent out this week about our screening day, Saturday, January 25th.

LOCKDOWN DRILL:  A lockdown of a building or group of buildings is an emergency procedure intended to secure and protect occupants who are in the proximity of an immediate threat. This procedure is used when it may be more dangerous to evacuate a building than stay inside. By controlling entry/exit and movement within a facility, school and emergency personnel are better able to contain and handle any threats. As we continue to plan for the safety of our students and staff here at St. Thomas More School we are planning to have a lockdown drill on next Tuesday, January 21st at 9:00am. Teachers will prepare the students in advance in this “Be Safe” drill and we will continue to practice these regularly. Please discuss the need for lockdown drills with your child at home in an age appropriate manner. We don’t want this to be a scary experience but we will need full cooperation from everyone to ensure our drills are successful. Just like the monthly fire drills conducted by the SFFD they will become a regular part of our safety routine.

PM EXTENDED CARE: Do you need a 2013 payment summary from Afternoon Extended Care for your flexible spending account or your 2013 tax return?  Please contact John Kavanagh at JKav@stmsf.org and he will provide it.

PIZZA/HOT DOG SALES: Today you are receiving pizza and hot dog order forms for the next quarter. Please remember that order forms will only be sent home at the beginning of each quarter. This will be your only opportunity to order. You must order for all four sales if you wish to participate in these special lunches. Please clearly mark the name, grade and the word PIZZA or HOTDOG on the envelope if you wish to order.

STM TAP: We are happy to announce that we have again this year received a $20,000 grant from the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation to be used for tuition assistance. Funds will be distributed on the basis of those families who need the most help. To qualify for temporary tuition assistance, families will need to show proof of financial hardship and funds will be distributed on a discretionary basis by the school administration. Please let Mrs. Fitzpatrick know in writing if you are interested in receiving an application form. Applications will be sent home in next week’s envelope. Thank you once again to the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation!

GRADUATION PICTURES: 8th grade graduation pictures are this Friday. Please follow the appropriate dress guidelines given by Mrs. Girlich. As a reminder, boys should wear white-collared shirts and ties with either a suit or dress pants and dress shoes. Girls are reminded that there is to be no make-up, dangling earrings, or nail polish.

LET'S GO NINERS...LET'S GO! This Friday, January 17th, in support of the SF 49ers making it into their division championship, we are allowing students to wear 49ers (red and gold) accessories. The school uniform must be worn, however, hats, earrings, headbands, socks, etc may also be worn (no jerseys). Let's hope they make it into the Super Bowl...and maybe we'll have a 49ers free dress day!

Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick                                           
Principal            

Monday, January 13, 2014

STM Newsletter for January 8, 2014

Dear Parents:
 
Happy New Year! It was a great vacation, but it is nice to be back. We hope your vacation was enjoyable, too. On these cold mornings, it is important that your child has a healthy breakfast to get a good start to the day and a warm jacket to wear to school. While the building is nice and warm, it gets quite chilly when they go outside at recess time.

This past Monday marked the Feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany is traditionally celebrated the 12th day after Christmas. The term epiphanymeans to show or to reveal. When the Wise Men, who brought the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus they were the first to acknowledge Jesus as King and so were the first to show or reveal Jesus to a wider world as the incarnate Christ. Today, the day is now observed as a time of focusing on the mission of the church in reaching others byshowing Jesus as the Savior of all people.

The Parents’ Club have their monthly meeting tomorrow night, Thursday, January 9th in Carroll Hall. Tomorrow’s meeting will begin with social hour at 6:45pm. See you there!
 
SANDWICHES-FOR-THE-NEEDY: Our first collection for the new year is this Friday, January 10th. Thank you again to the 1st and 2nd graders who will take the lead. We encourage ALL families to provide an extra sandwich for this first collection of the year. Some of our older students will once again work with residents from Alma Via on Friday to make at least 50 additional sandwiches to add to this collection. Please remember that in order to facilitate the distribution of sandwiches, we have been asked to provide just one type of sandwich: turkey on sliced white or brown bread.
 
Next Monday, January 13thOlive the storyteller will be here for the kindergarten through third grade students. Come and enjoy some magical tales in Carroll Hall at 8:30 and 9:30.
 
1:1 IPAD PROGRAMOn Monday, we kicked off our 1:1 iPad program for our 6th, 7th and 8th graders. Both students and teachers were excited to embark on this fantastic opportunity. Today, all 6th, 7th and 8th graders are receiving the iPad Student Account Permission Form and 1:1 iPad Student Responsibilities and Agreement that will need to be signed and returned to their classroom teacher no later than Wednesday, January 15th. Please remind your child to be extra vigilant in leaving their backpacks unattended during practices and after school to ensure that none of these valuable devices go missing.
 
USF DIGITAL MEDIA AND LEARNING:  We are very excited to be asked once again to participate in a unique partnership with theUniversity of San Francisco. Our students will work in collaboration with USF graduate students in an exciting course entitled, Digital Media and Learning. This is our seventh year participating in this program and is open to all 7th and 8th grade students. Because of class size restrictions there are only eight spots open to STM students. The sessions will take place on Thursday afternoons between 4:30 and 6:00pm at the School of Education at USF, 2350 Turk Boulevard. The first session will begin on Thursday, February 13th and will continue for seven weeks. If you are interested in having your child participate, please click here for more information and to review the flyer.
 
CIOPPINO: Please mark your calendars for Saturday, February 22nd. The evening includes appetizers, antipasto, salad, garlic bread, cioppino (or chicken if you prefer), dessert, balloon prizes and a fabulous auction. Babysitting is also available on site! The committees in charge are busy looking for raffle and silent auction items to use as part of this event. Many such items are received through the generosity of our parent community. Do you have items at home that you cannot use? Are you always thrilled by all your Christmas gifts? Do you really need anotherchia pet? Well, one person’s garbage is another person’s treasure. Send us your unwanted/unneeded gifts. We’ll turn those lumps of coal into diamonds! The committee is now accepting donations of all kinds. Please drop all donations to the school office.
 
The next Cioppino meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21st. Anyone interested in helping with the event are invited to attend the meeting at 7:00 in Carroll Hall.
 
NATIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK: This runs from January 26ththrough February 1st. Please mark your calendars for our Family Mass, Open House, Book Faire, and other exciting events on Sunday, January 26th. The schedule of activities for National Catholic Schools Week is included in your envelope today and will be available on our website shortly. Again this year we will be having a special day where we invite grandparents and other special guests to spend some of the day with the children. Pencil in Thursday, January 30th for this special day. Invitations for this Grandparents lunch are in your envelopes today. To help celebrate our grandparents and other special guests in the lives of our children, all students and their adult guests will receive a free lunch that day! We are looking for parent volunteers to help prepare this lunch. If you are available, please contact the office as soon as possible.
 
SPELL-A-THON: Children have been doing a great job getting sponsors for the spell-a-thon over the past few weeks. Keep it up! Check out the flyer in today’s envelope for important upcoming dates.
 
PAYMENTS DUE: A reminder that the January payment is now due for those of you on the monthly tuition payment plan. If you have not yet paid your Capital Improvement fee of $350 per family, which was due last month, please submit it to the office as soon as possible. Extended Care billing notices for the month of December are in your envelopes today.
 
KINDERGARTEN APPLICATIONS: We are happy to announce that we have received a large number of applications for our 2014-2015 kindergarten class. Please note that in accordance with California State law children must be 5 years of age on or before September 1st in order for them to attend kindergarten in the fall. As a reminder, if you currently have a child in Utopia or a sibling who wishes to apply for kindergarten and have not completed the application, please do so as soon as possible. We will begin processing kindergarten applications and scheduling screening appointments by mid-January.
 
Thank you for all your ongoing generous support.
 
Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick                        
Principal