STM Newsletter for January 30, 2013

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Dear Parents:

The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as Penance) has three elements: conversion, confession and celebration. In it we find God's unconditional forgiveness; as a result we are called to forgive others. The peace of mind and soul which this sacrament imparts to us is one for which there is no substitute. It is a peace that flows from a certainty that our sins have been forgiven and that we are right with God. Congratulations to the students who celebrated the sacrament of Reconciliation along with their parents today. Their journey as young Catholics will continue when they receive the sacrament of First Communion at 10:00am on Saturday, April 20^th.

The seventh graders will be receiving Confirmation on Friday, April 26^th, and will attend an all day retreat to prepare them for this important and special occasion. Please keep both classes in your prayers during this important time as they continue on their spiritual journey over the next few months.

Did you notice some extra adults supervising dismissal after school yesterday? These five visitors are members of the accreditation team that will be visiting our school for three days towards the end of February. They are already very impressed with the students they met yesterday and with our great school. We look forward to their return and the opportunity for them to meet some of our parents on their next visit.

National Catholic Schools Week is well underway. We have many visitors for which we are very grateful. We are hoping that all of you will join us for Sunday’s concluding activities. We’ll begin with the 10:00 Mass planned by the kindergarten students and their families. We have inserted in your Envelope an offertory envelope for you to use at Sunday’s Mass. Contributions made in those envelopes will be forwarded to the school. Immediately after Mass, please come to our Open House, feel free to stop by the Book Fair in the library and visit the classrooms, as the teachers will be in their rooms welcoming one and all.

By the way, you are welcome to visit the Book Fair any morning this week before school begins or right after dismissal. Just go straight to the library where Joan Cuddihy and her crew of booksellers will be there to assist you. Check out the wish lists the teachers have prepared of books they would like to have in their classroom libraries. Consider donating a book to your child’s classroom.

Tomorrow is Grandparents and Special Friends Day! Thank you to the 150 special guests who have RSVP’d for this fun event. The children are really excited to have them come and visit their school. They are so lucky to have such special people in their lives. We are still looking for some volunteers to help with setting up and preparing the FREE pasta lunch for everyone (including all K-8 students). If you are available to help any time after 10:00am, please just drop by the office and we will put you to work.

SPELLING BEE/ACADEMIC AWARDS: We invite everyone to join us for our annual Spelling Bee on Friday beginning at 1:10pm in Carroll Hall. Following this fun event, we will hold our Academic Awards ceremony, which will begin at approximately 1:45pm.

SCHOOL HOLIDAY: Be prepared! 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 in-service at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

STUDENT ILLNESS: We are happy to report that our number of ill students has significantly dropped from last week. The average number of students absent due to illness in the past two days has been around 30. We remind you again that your child MUST be fever free for at least 24 hours before returning to school.

We are thankful that by allowing the student body an additional day off this past Monday, those who have been sick were able to have one more day of rest. Because of this unscheduled holiday, we need to make up the day, as per Archdiocesan regulations. We will be giving up our planned local holiday on March 18^th in order to fulfill this requirement.

CIOPPINO 2013: Work continues in preparation for our annual Cioppino Dinner 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! Reservations are trickling in. 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.

USF PROGRAM: There are still a couple of spaces available in the Digital Media and Learning program at USF for 7^th and 8^th graders. Please send a letter to Mrs. Fitzpatrick if you are interested in applying. Classes start Thursday, February 14^th.

RE-REGISTRATION: Re-registration for current students will be online again this year. More information on how to re-register will be available mid-March.

Today you are receiving the February calendar of events and hot lunch menu. Keep these handy as February proves to be a busy month.

LET'S GO 49ERS...LET'S GO! This Friday, February 1^st, students have the opportunity to wear free ‘red and gold’ dress. Let's go NINERS! Let's go….and win the Superbowl!!!

See you Sunday at Mass and Open House (the game doesn’t start until 3:30pm)! Go 49ers!

Marie Fitzpatrick             

Principal                           

STM Newsletter for January 23, 2013

Dear Parents:

As a faith community, we will gather together on Sunday, February 3^rd 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 culminating activity of the celebration of National Catholic Schools Week. We look forward to seeing you all there.

National Catholic Schools Week runs from January 28^th through February 3^rd. Please mark your calendars for our Family Mass, Open House, and Book Fair, and other exciting events on Sunday, February 3^rd. A schedule of all these events and the times of classroom observation during this week can be downloaded from stmsf.org. 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.

At St. Thomas More School, students receive a superior academic foundation in safe surroundings where qualified, dedicated teachers instill moral and spiritual values and where we help foster a close relationship with Christ. This is a good opportunity for you to reflect on the importance you place on a Catholic Education for your child.

COLDS AND FLUS: Currently we have close to 60 students absent each day this week. 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 25^th, when the Kindergarten and 8^th 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: Report cards will go home this Friday, January 25^th. Be sure all your accounts are in order so that there will not be any delays in sending those grades home.

PIZZA/HOT DOG SALES: Please remember that order forms are only sent home at the beginning of each quarter. This is your only opportunity to order. Please clearly mark the name, grade and the word PIZZA or HOTDOG on the envelope if you wish to order. Do not put both orders in the same envelope. The due date for Pizza and Hot Dog orders is this Friday, January 25^th.
 
GRANDPARENTS DAY: Thank you for the great response to Grandparents Day. So far we have over 50 Grandparents and other special friends joining us next Thursday afternoon 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 need a number of parent volunteers to help prepare food and ensure the success of this event. Please let Melody know if you are available to help. Can you donate pastries for Grandparents Day? Please drop them off to the office next Thursday morning, January 31^st.
 
CIOPPINO 2012: 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! 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. The next Cioppino meeting has been scheduled for this coming Tuesday, January 29^th at 7:00pm in Carroll Hall.

GEOGRAPHY BEE: Congratulations to the recent winners of our annual school Geography Bee. The top three students in each classroom competed for the school championship. Those contestants were
4th graders Ciarra Cruz, Aysaiah Radoc-Manrique, and Zach White.
5th graders Adam Kolokotrones, Chloe Sladewski and Aved Sodah
6th graders Lara Bautista, Lemar Deguzman and Jackie Villarosa.
7th graders Peter Cuddihy, Tony D’Aura and Melina Diaz.
8th graders Jose David, Alex Diaz and Jerome Torres.
8th grader Jerome earned third place overall and second place went to 7th grader Tony. Our school's champ, who will represent us in the statewide competition, is 4th grader Zach White. Congratulations to all the contestants and good luck in the next round, champion Zach! 

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.

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.

KINDERGARTEN SCREENING: We have received many kindergarten and preschool applications for the 2013-2014 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 throughout the week of February 4th. For siblings of current students and new families, information was sent out yesterday about our screening day, Saturday, February 9th.

STUDENT HOLIDAY: Plan ahead - Please remember that the school will be closed next Friday, February 8^th. This is the day set for the annual Archdiocese Professional Development for all Catholic school teachers and administrators.

JOANNE PANG FOUNDATION: Thank you to all who generously contributed to our free dress fundraiser for the Joanne Pang Foundation. With your help, we were able to raise $630. Thank you all once again for supporting the need for cord blood donation.

LET'S GO 49ERS...LET'S GO! Last week we said “Let's hope they make it into the Super Bowl...and maybe we'll have a 49ers free dress day!” Well there’s no more need to hope – the 49ers made it! This Friday, January 25^th, students have the opportunity to wear free ‘red and gold’ dress. Let's go NINERS! Let's go….and win the Superbowl!!!
 
Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal

National Catholic Schools Week 2013

Monday, January 28th

• Classroom Observation: 9:00-10:30 and 11:00-12:00 all classrooms.

Tuesday, January 29th

• Classroom Observation: 9:00-10:30, 11:00-12:00 and 1:15-2:30 all classrooms. 
• Dance/Movement Day: Each class will have its regular, weekly dance class with Sue Rissotto, our professional dance and movement instructor. Classes are in the school’s gymnasium. 

Wednesday, January 30th

• Classroom Observation: 9:00-10:30, 11:00-12:00 and 1:15-2:30 all classrooms. 
• Physical Education Day: Each class will have its regular, weekly physical education class with a professional P.E. instructor from Rhythm and Moves. Class is held in the schoolyard or the gym. 
• First Reconciliation: Students will receive their First Reconciliation at 10:00am in the STM Church. 
• Guitar Lessons: Weekly after school guitar lessons, 3:15-4:00, are available for those who wish to enroll. 
• Student Council Meeting: 3:00-3:30, fourth grade classroom, all are welcome. 
• Boy Scout Meeting: St. Thomas More’s Boy Scouts meet at 7:30 p.m. in Carroll Hall. Interested visitors are welcome to attend a meeting of Troop 343, the most active Boy Scout Troop in S.F. 
• School Advisory Board: Please feel free to join us at 7:00pm in the library for this meeting. 

Thursday, January 31st

• Classroom Observation: 9:00-10:30 and 1:15-2:30 all classes. 
• Music Day: Each class will have its regular, weekly music education class with a professional music instructor from Rhythm and Moves. Classes are in Carroll Hall. 
• Grandparents Day/Special Lunch: Grandparents are invited to join the students to enjoy a pasta lunch, as well as other exciting activities. 
• Band Classes: Optional weekly after school band classes, 3:00-4:30. 
• Parents’ Club Meeting: 7:00pm in Carroll Hall. 

Friday, February 1st

• First Friday Mass: Please consider joining the student body for the 8:30am Mass in the Church. 
• Classroom Observation: 9:30-10:30 and 11:00-12:00 all classes. 
• School Spelling Bee: The school finals of its annual school Spelling Bee Championship, 1:10, Carroll Hall. All are welcome! 

Sunday, February 5th

• The culmination of Catholic Schools Week is the gathering together for Family Mass. Following the Mass, please enjoy the open house at the school, refreshments in the gym and our annual Book Fair! 
• Mass: Families come together at 10:00 a.m. in St. Thomas More Church. Kindergarten students take a prominent role in this liturgy. 
• Open House: Classrooms will be open; teachers will be present. Open House begins about 11:30 after the 10:00 Mass. The office will be open to accept applications during Open House, which will end about 12:30. 
• Hospitality: Following Mass, our very active Parents’ Club will host coffee and breakfast treats in the gym. 
• Book Faire: The Parents’ Club runs its annual Scholastic Book Faire in the library and second floor lobby of the new building immediately after the Family Mass.

STM Newsletter for January 16, 2013

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 2^nd grade classroom tomorrow night, January 17^th beginning at 6:30pm. At least one parent from each family is required to attend.

This Friday marks the end of the second quarter. Report cards will be sent home with your child next Friday, January 25^th. If you do not receive a report card next week, please check with the office to ensure your accounts are up to date.

CIOPPINO 2012: 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! 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. The next Cioppino meeting has been scheduled for this coming Tuesday, January 22^nd at 7:00pm in Carroll Hall.

NATIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK: This runs from January 27^th through February 3^rd. Please mark your calendars for our Family Mass, Open House, Book Faire, and other exciting events on Sunday, February 3^rd. 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 friends to spend some of the day with the children. Pencil in Thursday, January 31^st for this special day. Invitations for this Grandparents lunch are included in your envelope today. To help celebrate our grandparents and other special adults in the lives of our children, all students and their adult guests will receive a free pasta lunch that day! All pasta lunches will include garlic bread and juice/milk.

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 22^nd at 10:00am. 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.

USF DIGITAL MEDIA AND LEARNING:  We are very excited to be asked once again to participate in a unique partnership with the University 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 sixth year participating in this program and is open to all 7^th and 8^th 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 14^th and will continue for seven weeks. If you are interested in having your child participate, please review the flyer in today’s envelope.

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.

WARRIORS TICKETS: Thank you to all who sent in reservations for Warrior tickets. Unfortunately we received many more requests for tickets than we could fill. Those whose orders we were not able to fill are having their checks returned to them.

SHOPAROO: Have you registered for this simple fundraiser yet? STM has over 200,000 points, which translates into $450! Download the Shoparoo app to get started and begin taking photos of your grocery receipts in order to earn points. It’s really that easy!

UNIFORM SURVEY: Thank you to the 103 families who shared their thoughts on suggested uniform changes via the online uniform survey. We will take some time to read all your comments and analyze the results. Be a part of the final decision making process by attending the next Parents’ Club meeting on Thursday, February 7^th.

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.

KINDERGARTEN APPLICATIONS: We continue to receive applications for next year’s kindergarten class. Have all preschool families and younger siblings of current students turned in their applications? Beginning next week, we will start the screening process. Preschool students will be tested during their school day. Siblings and other students new to our school will be contacted to schedule an appointment. Just a reminder that kindergarten applicants must be 5 years old by October 1st, 2013 in order to apply. Application forms are available from the school office or can be downloaded from our website.

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!

SUMMER SCHOOL: We have already begun receiving information on various summer school activities. In the event that we receive enough flyers to send home for each family, these will be included in your envelope as we receive them. All other summer school flyers will be available for download from our website as we receive them.

GRADUATION PICTURES: 8^th grade graduation pictures are this Friday. Please follow the appropriate dress guidelines given by Mrs. Spiegel.

COLDS AND FLUS: For the second day in a row, more than 10% of our student body are absent due to illness (14 students are absent in 3^rd grade today). If your child is showing ANY symptoms of illness such as headaches, cough, dizziness, fever, or stomach aches please keep them at home. This will avoid spreading these symptoms to others. While we keep our school building nice and warm, the students are often cold at recess time. Please send them to school in warm jackets. Let’s all work together to keep our school campus as healthy as possible.

LET'S GO NINERS...LET'S GO! This Friday, January 18^th, 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

STM Newsletter for January 9, 2013

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. The heavy rains during the holidays resulted in some blocked drains on the school roof. Unfortunately, this led to a sizable leak in the fourth grade classroom. Luckily, damage was minimal and can be easily repaired. Students have been temporarily evacuated to the Science Lab but should be able to return to their classroom tomorrow.

This past Sunday marked the Feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany is traditionally celebrated the 12th day after Christmas. The term epiphany means 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 by showing Jesus as the Savior of all people.

The Parents’ Club has their usual monthly meeting tomorrow night, Thursday, January 10^th at 7:00 p.m. in Carroll Hall. See you there!

Next Monday, January 14^th, Olive 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.

Also on Monday the 14^th, our 3^rd graders have prepared a prayer service for 1:00 p.m. in the gym. All are welcome to attend.

The next Cioppino meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 15th. Anyone interested in helping with the event are invited to attend the meeting at 7:00 in Carroll Hall.

CIOPPINO: Speaking of Cioppino…Please mark your calendars for Saturday, February 23^rd. Our annual Cioppino Feed is the major fundraiser of the year and your support is very much needed and appreciated. 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! Please consider getting a table together with some other parents from your class. We can guarantee a fun evening for all!

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 another chia 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.

BRICK CAMPAIGN: Planning continues for the Creative Arts Center that we hope to build off the gym. Along with our architect, David Finn, we have met with sound and lighting companies and hope to have a better estimate of the actual costs shortly. While we are in the process of writing grants to raise the funds for this project we also need to have your support to enable this to become a reality in the next year or two. Have you bought a brick or a plaque yet? If not, please consider doing so at this time. We are sending home a flyer again today to help with the ordering process.

FIELD TRIPS: The fourth graders are receiving a permission slip today for their upcoming field trip the San Francisco Botanical Gardens on Wednesday, January 23^rd. All 5^th-8^th graders are receiving a permission slip today to attend the Mercy S.F. Winter Dance Concert, on January 24^th. Please pay attention to the due date, as late forms will not be accepted.

TUITION PAYMENTS: A reminder that the January payment is now due for those of you on the monthly tuition payment plan. Also, the quarterly payments are due no later than January 15^th. 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 will begin processing kindergarten applications and scheduling screening appointments by mid-January. 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.

TEXT ALERT: As we did in December, we are going to send a text message to once again TEST our new alert system to the phone numbers we have on file. If you wish to add an additional cell phone number to receive this alert, please use the Contact Information Update Sheet on the Contact Us tab on our website by Friday, January 11^th. We will conduct our next TEST text message next week.

JOANNE PANG FOUNDATION: In support of the Joanne Pang Foundation we will have a free dress fundraiser on this coming Friday, January 11^th. Please read the enclosed flyer for further information on this important cause.

Thank you for all your ongoing generous support.

Sincerely, 

Marie Fitzpatrick                    

Principal