STM Newsletter for September 23, 2015

Welcoming Pope Francis - Students standing with the flag of Vatican City. Dear Parents, As Pope Francis continues his apostolic journey in the United States this week, we remind you of his commitment of faith and service and ask that you open your hearts and take some time to pledge to Pray, Serve or Act. It is at this time we would like to introduce you to our theme for the year: ‘We are the Hands of God’. Throughout the year, students in all grades will learn more about ways they can be the hands of God through service, kindness, and love. INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL: We can't wait to see you this weekend for the International Food Festival. If you have not already signed up to volunteer, please click here to select an assignment. RAFFLE TICKETS: Tickets are only $5 each (or 11 for $50) and the GRAND PRIZE is $1,000! Get your tickets in BY TOMORROW for your chance to win one of the cash prizes! Additional tickets will only be available at the festival. ITBS TESTING: The annual ITBS testing continues this week. Results of this testing will be shared with you at the November parent conferences. PROGRESS REPORTS: Progress Reports are going home today. All students, third grade and up, are receiving such a report. These progress reports show a snapshot of the student’s current academic standing with optional comments from their teachers. The grading scale is available here. As a system default, art, PE, music and tech will show P/100% for students who fully participate. Students in grades K-2 with behavior and/or academic concerns have already been contacted by their child’s teacher. FUNDRAISING CATALOGS: We have over 75% of your orders back, but we are still waiting for the stragglers. We need all the orders forms returned before we can place the school order. Please return those orders by tomorrow, September 24th. SCHOOL TOURS/APPLICATION FORMS: We ask your help in encouraging prospective parents to consider St. Thomas More School for their child for the 2016-2017 school year. You, our current families, are our best advertising! Please invite friends and relatives interested in St. Thomas More School to come to one of our school tours for prospective parents. Click here to reserve a place on one of the tours listed below: Tuesday, October 20th at 9:00am Tuesday, November 10th at 9:00am Thursday, December 3rd at 1:00pm K-8 new student application forms for the 2016-2017 school year will be available in the front office and for download online beginning next Thursday, October 1st, 2015. This year, we will also be offering an online application process. More information about that will be in next week's letter. Families with siblings of current students, as well as families of preschool students, can use the flyer included in today’s envelope to request an application. Students currently attending Utopia Preschool and/or with siblings currently attending St. Thomas More School will be given preference in the kindergarten class of 2016-2017 if the application is submitted in a timely manner. 2016-2017 PRESCHOOL APPLICATIONS: Utopia, our preschool, has begun accepting applications for the 2016-2017 school year. Please note that preschool spots fill up very fast. If you have a child who is of preschool age (3 years old by September 1st) and you would like them to attend Utopia next Fall, we strongly suggest you arrange a tour with Utopia’s director, Michelle Ovando, and submit an application as soon as possible.   USF COUNSELLING: As you know, again this year, we are working with the USF Center for Child and Family Development to offer a school-based Family Counseling Program. This service is designed to meet the counseling needs of individual students and families as well as the consultation needs of teachers and school staff. The goal of the program is to support our students’ social, emotional and academic needs and thereby afford them increased opportunity for success at school. This year we welcome our counselor, Mr. Bob Puckett. He will be on campus Mondays and Tuesdays. This is a free service. If you would like your child to visit with our counselors, you may contact him directly at bpuckett@stmsf.org, or request it through your child’s teacher. Please check out Mr. Puckett's introduction letter here. STREAM ELECTIVES: Our fall STREAM (STEM + Religion & Arts) elective classes for our sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students begin on October 14th. Next week, students in 6th, 7th and 8th will have the opportunity to rank the classes in order of their interest. We believe that in response to Pope Francis’ call to build a society "which is truly tolerant and inclusive” and “protects rights and religious liberty” this is a fantastic opportunity to add this component to our STREAM program. STREAM schools seek to integrate Catholic identity into every aspect of the curriculum. They manifest this intent through projects based in social justice as well as in-depth experiential instruction in the teachings of the Church. We look forward to all the wonderful learning and discovery opportunities this will provide our students.  See you on the weekend! Sincerely, Marie Fitzpatrick Principal

STM Newsletter for September 16, 2015

Dear Parents, In just seven days, Pope Francis will make his first visit to the United States. His apostolic journey is scheduled to take place from September 22-27, and he will visit Washington, New York and Philadelphia. Pope Francis is the fourth pope to visit the United States and although he is not visiting the west coast, there are some great resources that will allow you to #walkwithfrancis. You can also welcome Pope Francis by committing to follow his example of faith and service. Pledge to Pray, Serve or Act. In the words of Pope Francis, "All it takes is one good person to restore hope!" SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS: 7.5 million children are affected by the brutal four-year-old conflict in Syria. Children have been put at risk by unrelenting violence, crumbling infrastructure, ruined schools and hospitals and shortages of essential supplies. Millions of families have chosen to flee in an effort to find a safer life. For Those Who Remain in Syria, Daily Life Is a Nightmare. Refugee camps in the countries bordering Syria are overflowing. In recent days and weeks the number of refugees that have fled to Europe has also been overwhelming Catholic Relief Services is scaling up humanitarian relief efforts in response to the record number of Syrian refugees fleeing to Europe and the Balkans. This is in addition to the  millions that have fled to neighboring countries such as Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon in recent years. On Friday of this week our children will have the opportunity to raise funds to help the refugees by purchasing pirate themed items and cookies as they celebrate Pirate Day. Please continue to pray for refugees worldwide.  ROSARY RALLY: This October, the San Francisco Archdiocese will hold their annual Rosary Rally in Downtown San Francisco. The tradition of the rally started five years ago to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the rosary rally held in San Francisco back in 1961, led by Fr. Patrick Peyton. An estimated 500,000 people gathered in prayer that day. This year, the event begins with Mass in St. Mary’s Cathedral on October 10th at 10.00am. Following the Mass, there will be a procession to UN Plaza, where another group will be praying the rosary in preparation for our arrival. The rally will end with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction at UN Plaza.  SEND A STM TEACHER TO NCEA: The National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) is holding their 2016 Convention and Expo in San Diego next Easter. We are happy to announce that our nomination of our 3rd grade teacher, Julianne Beach, has been selected to be in the Send a Teacher to NCEA 2016 in San Diego Social Media Contest! Congratulations Miss Beach! HOW IT WORKS - VOTING: Candidates move on to the next round depending on the number of votes they receive. You have to vote for one of the candidates in each group, so ask your family, friends and other community members to vote for Miss Beach! Voting for Round 1 ends on Saturday, September 19th at 10:35am. Vote now and let's get Miss Beach to the next round! INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL: Volunteers are still needed to sign-up for the International Food Festival. Please click here to select an assignment. Again this year, the event will be held over two days, Saturday, September 26th and 27th. SAVE THESE DATES! Today, in your envelope, you will be receiving the following flyers. We ask that you check them out and return them to the office if you are interested. Pre-Purchase Bracelet Form - Avoid the hassle and lines at the festival and pre-purchase your child(ren) an ALL DAY jumper bracelet. Talent Show - The International Food Festival Committee is looking for some talented students to perform at various times on both Saturday & Sunday. Fall Festival Wish List - Donations are always accepted. Check out the list to see how you can help. RAFFLE TICKETS: Tickets are only $5 each and the GRAND PRIZE is $1,000! Get your tickets in for your chance to win this cash prize! Additional ticket books are available in the office.  PIRATE DAY: Talk like a Pirate Day is Friday, September 18th. Students may wear pirate accessories with their uniforms (no weapons please). The Student Council will sell pirate themed accessories during morning recess and will host a pirate themed bake sale during lunch recess. Items will be $1 each and proceeds will benefit Catholic Relief Services. Arrrg Mateys!  IOWA TESTING: Next Monday, September 21st, we begin the IOWA Test of Basic Skills for students in 2nd grade and above. The amount of homework will be greatly reduced next week to facilitate testing. We ask that students arrive at school on time, well rested, and properly fed. All this will contribute to students’ well-above-average test scores. You’ll receive the results of these tests at the November parent conferences. CATALOG FUNDRAISER: How is the catalog fundraiser coming? Please remember that all families are required to sell a minimum of $100 worth of product per child enrolled in the school. The deadline for returning your orders is Tuesday, September 22nd. CALENDAR CORRECTION: Picture retake day is scheduled for Friday, October 16th, not today, September 16th as we had previously noted on our calendar. Families who ordered photos will have an opportunity to preview their child's picture before deciding whether a retake is necessary. Please keep the students, families and staff at St. Philip school in your thoughts and prayers. Long time school Principal, Remy Everett, passed away unexpectedly a few days ago. Sincerely, Marie Fitzpatrick Principal

STM Newsletter for September 9, 2015

Dear Parents, Parenting in today’s society can be both rewarding and challenging. Effective parenting practices must focus on fostering children who have the ability to be self-reliant and resilient. Children need help managing time, scheduling, prioritizing tasks and setting goals. Your job is to help them develop these skills in an age-appropriate level. This article by Dr. Pat McCormack for Today's Catholic Teacher Magazine has some great insights and helpful tips to help you negotiate the tricky path between doing too much for your child and setting them up for success by learning to do things for themselves. On Friday we will observe Patriot Day, when we remember all those affected by the September 11th tragedy 14 years ago. To mark this day, we will begin our morning assembly with an abbreviated version of President Obama's proclamation read by the student council president. We will then raise the flag to its half-staff position while the student choir sings America the Beautiful. Please consider joining us if you can. We hope to see everyone this Sunday, September 13th, for one of the most important celebrations of the school year. Please join us for our Back-to-School Mass at 10:00. Come and share in the celebration as we begin a new year together at St. Thomas More School and Utopia Preschool. Following the Mass, there will be hospitality in Scanlon Hall. International Food Festival 2014 INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL: Volunteers are still needed to sign-up for the International Food Festival. Please click here to select an assignment. Again this year, the event will be held over two days, Saturday, September 26th and 27th. SAVE THESE DATES! Check out these flyers and return them to the office if you are interested.  Pre-Purchase Bracelet Form - Avoid the hassle and lines at the festival and pre-purchase your child(ren) an ALL DAY jumper bracelet. Talent Show - The International Food Festival Committee is looking for some talented students to perform at various times on both Saturday & Sunday. Fall Festival Wish List - Donations are always accepted. Check out the list to see how you can help. FUNDRAISING AT STM CATALOG FUNDRAISER: How is the catalog fundraiser coming? The deadline for returning your orders is Tuesday, September 22nd. SHOPAROO: We raised almost $900 last year! All you need to do is take pictures of your grocery receipts with the Shoparoo app for smartphones and tablets. It doesn’t matter where you shop or what you buy - every receipt submitted results in a donation to our school! So, what are you waiting for? Simply download the free app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store and then select St. Thomas More School as your chosen cause. Since there is no limit to how much money we can raise with Shoparoo, be sure to invite your friends and neighbors to join in – every receipt counts! Check out the flyer in today's envelope for more information. ENJOY THE WARM WEATHER!: As you are aware, the start of the school year has been filled with some lovely warm weather. Today the students were treated to popsicles to help alleviate some of the warmth. Tomorrow, we will continue to celebrate the weather with a t-shirt and shorts free dress day (modest shorts and tops, no bare shoulders)!. During these days when the temperatures are higher than usual, please remember to remind your child to stay hydrated. PIRATE DAY IS COMING!: Talk like a Pirate Day is Friday, September 18th. Students may wear pirate accessories with their uniforms (no weapons please). The Student Council will sell pirate themed accessories during morning recess and will host a pirate themed bake sale during lunch recess on this day. Further information will be sent home next week. Arrrg!   See you Sunday! Sincerely, Marie Fitzpartick Principal

STM Newsletter for September 2, 2015

Dear Parents, We are back at it! Morning and after school extended care are up and running, and the school lunch program is off to a great start. Today we welcome back our Spanish teacher, Beatriz Cortes, who began working with kindergarten through eighth grade students. We are happy to welcome back our PE teacher, Lawrence Cummins and tomorrow students will have their first music class for the school year. Yes, we are back at it! Thank you to all who attended our mandatory back to school meeting. Congratulations to the family of Brian Schiefer, in sixth grade, who won the raffle for $500 towards their tuition. It pays to be on time!

Picture Day, Friday, September 4th. Full school uniform is required. All students will be photographed. Extended Care combines August-September into one bill that will be billed through FACTS in the first week of October.

We hope to see everyone on Sunday, September 13th, for one of the most important celebrations of the school year. Please join us for our Back-to-School Mass at 10:00. Come and share in the celebration as we begin a new year together at St. Thomas More School and Utopia Preschool.

International Food Festival 2014

INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL: Volunteer sign-ups for the International Food Festival are now online. Please click here to select an assignment. Again this year, the event will be held over two days, Saturday, September 26th and 27th. SAVE THE DATE! Check out these flyers and return them to the office if you are interested. Pre-Purchase Bracelet Form - Avoid the hassle and lines at the festival and pre-purchase your child(ren) an ALL DAY jumper bracelet. Talent Show - The International Food Festival Committee is looking for some talented students to perform at various times on both Saturday & Sunday. Fall Festival Wish List - Donations are always accepted. Check out the list to see how you can help.

EMERGENCY ALERTS SIGN-UP: If you have not already done so, please take a moment to use this link to sign up to receive emergency alerts via texts or email messages. This is how we will communicate information to you in the case of an emergency. We will send out a test alert next Tuesday, September 8th. SANDWICHES-FOR-THE-NEEDY: Our first sandwiches-for-the-needy collection is this Friday, September 4th with the 8th and 1st graders taking the lead. We encourage all of you to consider making an extra sandwich and/or lunch and sending it to the office on that day. Sandwiches will be delivered to the Martin de Porres House of Hospitality on Potrero Ave. Their mission is to serve in the spirit of compassion, understanding and love and they provide breakfast and lunch during the week and brunch on Sunday to those in need in the community. Please visit their website, martindeporres.org for more information. Here are a few guidelines to help with the distribution of sandwiches - In order to facilitate the distribution of sandwiches, we have been asked to provide just one type of sandwich: turkey on sliced white or wheat bread. Please individually wrap the sandwiches (ziplock sandwich bags).

FUNDRAISING AT STM FUNDRAISING CATALOG: Today we are sending home the fundraising gift catalog and order forms with every child. As per the financial policies, all K-8 families are required to participate in the Fall Fundraiser. Each family is to sell a minimum of $100 worth of product per child enrolled in the school. Last year we raised $23,000. This year our goal is $25,000 which will cover the cost of the Spanish program, including the teacher and all classroom materials. All order forms are due back to the classroom teachers by Tuesday, September 22nd. Extra catalogs are available from the office. K-8 families who do not wish to participate in this fundraiser will be charged (via FACTs) the $150 per child opt-out fee once all orders have been collected. Thank you again to Christy Ramos, mom of 8th grader, Ethan, who has volunteered to help count and collate the orders that come in. SCRIP: As part of your financial obligations to STM, each family is required to meet the mandatory scrip requirement to generate a minimum profit of $100 by participating in the electronic scrip programs authorized by the school (shopwithscrip.com and/or escrip.com). We have included a flyer in today's envelope on how to sign up. After reviewing that flyer, if you are still unsure how to sign up for these scrip programs, please stop by the office and Melody will be happy to help you get started.

BRONCO BULLETIN: Remember to read the Bronco Bulletin to keep up-to-date on all the breaking STM sports news. You can subscribe by clicking here. BEFORE SCHOOL PROCEDURES: As a reminder, regular yard supervision begins at 7:45. For the safety of your children, it is not acceptable to leave them unsupervised in front of the school, on the steps of the hall or in front of church before this time. Students who are dropped off before the yard opens at 7:45 must be enrolled in the Morning Extended Care Program or stay with their parent until the yard opens. Students who have been left at school unattended by a parent before 7:45 may be brought into morning extended care by a member of the staff. They will be charged at a rate of $10 per day for that service. STUDENT SAFETY REMINDER: Please remind your children to be aware of their surroundings at all times. We have noticed an increase in the nearby homeless population and ask that you keep us informed and report any unusual activity or behavior to the school office.

Sincerely, Marie Fitzpartick Principal