STM Newsletter

View this email in your browser WE DID IT! We collected 1132 jars of peanut butter! All students have earned free dress on Friday, December 18! Thank you to everyone who participated in our peanut butter collection, or who donated toys as part of our toy drive for needy children. Your response has been overwhelming. What a great example you are to your children. Dear Parents:   As we approach December 25th we eagerly await the miracle of the Birth of Jesus. During these hectic final few days of Advent let us continue to reflect on the "Good News" during this season of waiting. We use this time to express gratitude for the many blessings in our lives, especially our children. They give us hope for a bright future, they bring joy, love, strength and peace into our lives. The challenge for all of us is to make time in a very busy and hectic schedule to spend time with Jesus. How do we carve out time to spend with our Lord during this sacred season of waiting, hoping, and dreaming? Consider joining us here at St. Thomas More Church on Christmas Eve for the Children's Mass at 6:00pm. Find out what time church services are at your local parish. Take a few minutes to pray with your family. Remind your children often that Jesus loves them and will always watch over them. Take some time to enjoy your family and friends during this holy season.   You're children were AWESOME! We hope you all enjoyed our Christmas Program last Thursday. You should all be very proud of your children who did such a wonderful job. A special thank you to our fantastic teachers for practicing and working with the students over the past weeks to ensure a fantastic evening.   Friday, our last day of school before Christmas vacation is a busy day. Please join the student body for a special end of year Mass at 8:30am.    CHRISTMAS VACATION: Christmas vacation begins at 12:15pm for grades K-3 and at 12:30pm for grades 4-8 on Friday, December 18th. Preschool will be dismissed at 12:00pm.There is no afternoon extended care that day, so plan ahead. Classes resume at 8:10am on Tuesday, January 5th, 2016. STM TAP: Christmas came early to St. Thomas More School – we are happy to announce that we have received a $25,000 grant from the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation to be used for tuition assistance. More information will be available on how to apply for the St. Thomas More School Tuition Assistance Program (STM TAP) in the New Year. Thank you once again to the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation! HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS: For all of you who have children applying to high school this year, please check out this information from Bay Scholars. Bay Scholars is a non-profit scholarship fund dedicated to making Catholic college prep education a reality for low-income students across the Bay Area. Bay Scholars has partnered with eight Catholic high schools in the Bay Area, each of whom, within their unique community, is dedicated to holistically preparing students for four-year colleges and universities. The students who benefit from attending our partner schools are prepared not just for the academic journey through college, but for the personal journey of growth in the world at large. They seek out young scholars who shine academically, engage actively in society and demonstrate outstanding promise and a willingness to give back to their communities. Our 4-year scholarship makes college-prep high school education a reality for our scholars. Information on the Bay Scholars application process can be found on their website: http://bayscholars.org As we reflect back on the past year, we are thankful for so many things. We are thankful for our supportive families, our dedicated teachers and staff, our Parents' Club, and the many parents who volunteer hundreds of hours beyond that required. Most of all we are thankful for our children.  Blessings of the Advent and Christmas Seasons to you and your family. Sincerely,   Marie Fitzpatrick Principal Copyright © 2014 St. Thomas More School, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email from the office of St. Thomas More School.   Thank you for helping us go green. Our mailing address is: 50 Thomas More Way San Francisco, CA 94132 www.stmsf.org unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

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STM Newsletter

View this email in your browser Dear Parents:   There is no greater gift to pass on to a child than the gift of faith. As parents of children who attend a Catholic school, you have a desire for your children to understand how wonderful God is in their lives. Their teachers, with you, ignite their awareness of God's life in them and God's love for all of us. St. Thomas More supports you as you create in your home the sacred space children need to grow in their appreciation for God's love. A big thank you to Gina Sheridan and Ivette Roca who once again successfully co-chaired Santa's Secret Shop this year. The children had a wonderful time shopping for all those on their list. Thank you also to all who volunteered their time to set up and help the children with their Christmas shopping last week. Thank you for your presence and support at the Family Mass last Sunday. A special thank you to the second and seventh graders and their teachers Miss Wilkinson, Mr. McKillion and Mr. Kavanagh for putting together such a beautiful and reverent service. It was nice to see all our First Communion and Confirmation candidates as they continue their faith filled journey towards Christ. We hope you all enjoyed the activities of this past weekend. Thanks to the Parents' Club, and the Alumni Association and all who worked so hard on the Holiday Faire, Pancake Breakfast and other activities. A big thanks especially to Jessica Ramirez, Raquel Trigueros, and Linda Shah and Shelley White who took leadership roles in organizing this event. The pancake breakfast was enjoyed by all and a special thank you to the Dad's Club under the leadership of Vilaska Nguyen and Luis Jimenez and all the 7th and 8th grade dads who showed up to cook/serve breakfast. Thanks to the families of Mia Beasley and Jessica Ramirez as well as Linda Shah and David Joy who stayed for hours after the event to help clean up. Unfortunately the scheduled volunteers removed their names from Sign-Up Genius at the last minute or were no-shows. Please know that we depend on our parent volunteers to make our events a success. PEANUT BUTTER FRIDAY: As a reminder, we are collecting peanut butter for the St. Vincent de Paul society. If we reach our goal of 600 jars of peanut butter by this Friday, December 11th, the student body will enjoy free dress on Friday, December 18th. Please send a jar (or two!), any kind, any size with your child by Friday, December 11th. Keep those peanut butter donations coming! TOY DRIVE: The SF Firefighters toy barrel is now in the office and is awaiting your donations! Please consider donating new, unwrapped toy(s) for kids ages infant to 12 years old. Let's continue to "be the hands of God" to less fortunate kids in our community, especially at this time of the year. We will continue collecting the toys until December 16th.   We are asking that everyone attending tomorrow's Christmas Program considers bringing one or two new, unwrapped toys as part of our toy drive for needy children, or a jar or two of peanut butter for our peanut butter drive.  CHRISTMAS PROGRAM: Tomorrow night, our students will present their Christmas Program and will sing a selection of favorite Christmas Carols. All students will be involved in this production.  As our program is called 'Christmas Around the World', students are encouraged to dress in their own traditional cultural clothing. Students not dressed in cultural clothing should wear dressy clothes. No t-shirts, jeans, sweats or Uggs please. The front door of the school will open at 6:00 pm to allow students to enter their classrooms. Students are asked to line up on the sidewalk in an orderly manner until the doors open. Families with preschoolers will enter through the side gate and drop their children in their classroom. All students need to arrive by 6:20 pm at the latest. The yard will be open for parking at 5:45pm. Again this year, we will present the program in the church. We ask that everyone respects the 5:30pm Mass that evening and remain outside the church until Mass is over. School staff will be stationed at the church doors and will let you know when you may enter. Parents may line up at any of the three entrances. We will begin the program promptly at 7:00 pm. We look forward to your attendance for this faith-filled and fun-filled production. Everyone is welcome! EXTENDED CARE: Just a reminder that Christmas vacation starts at 12:15/12:30pm on Friday, December 18th. There is no extended care that day, so plan ahead! CIOPPINO: Please mark your calendars for our 24th Annual Cioppino Dinner Dance and Silent Auction on Saturday, February 20th. 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! Make an ONLINE RESERVATION! We appreciate your continued help in spreading the good news about STM. Kindergarten enrollment and tours continue to be ongoing and your recommendations are what bring so many new families to our school. We are grateful. See you tomorrow night! Sincerely,   Marie Fitzpatrick Principal Copyright © 2014 St. Thomas More School, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email from the office of St. Thomas More School.   Thank you for helping us go green. Our mailing address is: 50 Thomas More Way San Francisco, CA 94132 www.stmsf.org unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

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Cold and Flu Advisory

View this email in your browser Dear Parents, During the season of colds and flus, 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. Last Thursday and Friday students in several grades came down with a stomach bug. It seemed to be a 24-hour bug that hit quickly. We have several students still absent today. Several local schools also reported being hit with this bug. Despite what has been said on social media, to the best of our knowledge, this stomach bug is totally unrelated to the lunches provided by the school. Many of the students and staff who have been ill did not eat a school lunch last week. Teachers will continue to wipe down and sanitize the desks regularly and practice safe hygiene with the students. Most students seem to have recovered over the weekend and attendance today is normal. Please keep your child at home if they appear to be coming down with any illness. If you have any further concerns, please contact the school office directly. Sincerely,   Marie Fitzpatrick Principal Copyright © 2014 St. Thomas More School, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email from the office of St. Thomas More School.   Thank you for helping us go green. Our mailing address is: 50 Thomas More Way San Francisco, CA 94132 www.stmsf.org unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

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STM Newsletter

View this email in your browser Dear Parents, One of the most important seasons in our church calendar, the Season of Advent, began this past 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 4th. Please help your children understand the symbolism of the Advent Wreath and the importance of the true meaning of Christmas. Parents and other family members are welcome to join us for our Advent Prayer Service in the gym on Tuesday, December 15th at 8:10am. Next Tuesday, December 8th, we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation. The title of Immaculate Conception recognizes Mary's privilege of coming into the world free from sin. Through the power of Jesus' death and resurrection, every human can be freed from sin at Baptism. Through that same power, Mary was always free of sin, even from the very first moment of her life. Please consider joining the student body at the 8:30am mass. DECEMBER 6th: 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. Following the Mass, join us for the Holiday Fair and Pancake Breakfast in the gym. They will also offer pictures with Santa. PEANUT BUTTER FRIDAY: As a reminder, we are collecting peanut butter for the St. Vincent de Paul society. If we reach our goal of 600 jars of peanut butter by next Friday, December 11th, the student body will enjoy free dress on Friday, December 18th. Please send a jar (or two!), any kind, any size with your child by Friday, December 11th. Current count: 513! We're almost there!! TOY DRIVE: The SF Firefighters toy barrel is now in the office and is awaiting your donations! Please consider donating new, unwrapped toy(s) for kids ages infant to 12 years old. Let's continue to "be the hands of God" to less fortunate kids in our community, especially at this time of the year. We will continue collecting the toys until December 16th.   PARENTS CLUB MEETING/SANTA'S SECRET SHOP PREVIEW: Please consider joining us for our Parents' Club meeting tomorrow night in the library. Also in Carroll Hall, from 5:30pm-7:30pm is our Santa's Secret Shop Preview. Come check out the fun gifts and special items available for purchase! Enjoy festive treats and cookies as well as hot chocolate, eggnog, wine and beer.  SANTA'S SECRET SHOP: The Parents' Club present their annual Santa's Secret Shop starting tomorrow, Thursday, December 3rd. Over the next two days, all the students will have an opportunity to purchase gifts for parents, friends and relatives. Each student should use the envelope they are receiving today to help them plan their shopping and to keep their money safe. PARENT VOLUNTEER HOURS - SIGN-UP NOW! Scholastic Book Fair - January 28-February 4 Cioppino - February 20 CHRISTMAS PROGRAM: On December 10th, our students will present their Christmas Program and will sing a selection of favorite Christmas Carols. All students will be involved in this production.  As our program is called 'Christmas Around the World', students are encouraged to dress in their own traditional cultural clothing. Students not dressed in cultural clothing should wear dressy clothes. No t-shirts, jeans, sweats or Uggs please. The front door of the school will open at 6:00 pm to allow students to enter their classrooms. Students are asked to line up on the sidewalk in an orderly manner until the doors open. Families with preschoolers will enter through the side gate and drop their children in their classroom. All students need to arrive by 6:20 pm at the latest. The yard will be open for parking at 5:45pm. Again this year, we will present the program in the church. We ask that everyone respects the 5:30pm Mass that evening and remain outside the church until Mass is over. School staff will be stationed at the church doors and will let you know when you may enter. Parents may line up at any of the three entrances. We will begin the program promptly at 7:00 pm. We are asking that everyone attending this fun event considers bringing one or two new, unwrapped toys as part of our toy drive for needy children, or a jar or two of peanut butter for our peanut butter drive. We look forward to your attendance for this faith-filled and fun-filled production. Everyone is welcome! CHRISTMAS STOCKING RAFFLE: Check out the flyer in today's envelope for information on how to win a GIGANTIC Christmas stocking filled with toys and games! Good Luck! NACHO SALE: This year, as part of their Religion class, a group of 8th graders were given the theme of solidarity. For their project they have decided to have a nacho sale and send the profits to the American Red Cross. Check out the flyer in your envelopes today if you wish to order and support their fundraiser. CIOPPINO: Please mark your calendars for our 24th Annual Cioppino Dinner Dance and Silent Auction on Saturday, February 20th. 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! Check out the flyer you are receiving today. ONLINE RESERVATIONS are also accepted! TREE TRIMMING: With the El Nino storms being predicted we are taking some precautions with the trees surrounding our property. We have contracted with a tree trimmer who is going to work on the trees along the street and around the building tomorrow. Please be aware of the no parking signs along Thomas More Way during this time. We are also particularly concerned about the large pine tree on the golf course property that is adjacent to the Preschool yard.  The golf course agrees that the tree seems to be in distress. and they will have the tree removed as soon as they can get an appointment with an qualified arborist.  See you Sunday! Sincerely,   Marie Fitzpatrick Principal Copyright © 2014 St. Thomas More School, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email from the office of St. Thomas More School.   Thank you for helping us go green. Our mailing address is: 50 Thomas More Way San Francisco, CA 94132 www.stmsf.org unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

This email was sent to bwong9.stmnewsletter15@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences St. Thomas More School · 50 Thomas More Way · San Francisco, CA 94132 · USA