Dear Parents,
This Sunday, the church will celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church and the gift of the Holy Spirit – the sending of the Holy Spirit by our Lord Jesus Christ. Having been with his disciples for forty days after the resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of God the Father. Pentecost closes the Easter Season. It celebrates the overwhelming experience of God giving the Holy Spirit to the first community of believers in the church. The color of the vestments and decorations for Pentecost is red, which symbolizes the intense love and fire of the Holy Spirit. From now until the beginning of the Advent Season we will celebrate the church season known as Ordinary Time. We now see the return of the green vestments that are a symbol of life and growth in the church.
We trust everyone enjoyed the special three-day-weekend as we return to the full and exciting next few weeks at STM. Only 18 days to go!
Parents’ Club: St. Thomas More School has a wonderful tradition of parental involvement. Our Parents’ Club is tremendously supportive each school year with events that include the Fall Carnival, Christmas Festival, and the famous Cioppino Dinner. The Parents’ Club’s next meeting is tomorrow night at 7:00pm in Carroll Hall. If you have not already attended a meeting this year, now is your chance to get involved with your school.
Endangered Species Day: On Friday, May 17th, during morning recess, the STM Ecology Club will be selling pins to raise awareness for the many endangered species right here in San Francisco Bay Area. Many, many animals world wide are on the Endangered Species Act's list - from butterflies such as the Monarch to bigger animals such as the Sumatran tiger. However, right here close to home, there are other species in grave danger of becoming extinct. STM strives toward stewardship of the earth and that also INCLUDES doing what we can to take care of our native wildlife such as the delicate Western Snowy Plover birds you may see at Ocean Beach, the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly that USED to live on Twin Peaks in SF and one of the "most beautiful serpents in North America”, the Garter Snake. All species play an integral part in our ecosystem. Remembering to recycle and dispose of trash properly, wise water usage and restoring native marshes and habitats are some of the ways we can help. The pins will be sold for 50¢ and can be worn all day. Help us raise monies to go towards programs that work hard to assist our San Francisco Wildlife.
Afternoon Extended Care: Beginning this coming Monday, May 20th, parents who use the after schoolExtended Care program will need to either pre-pay or pay-by-the-day. Prepayments may be made in the office or when you pick up your child from extended care. The cost is $4.00 per hour or fraction-thereof. Any unused balance from a pre-payment will be applied to next years’ billing.
Field Trips: Today the 8th graders are receiving a permission slip for their end-of-year graduation picnic at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo. Kindergarten students are also receiving permission slips for their upcoming Academy of Sciences field trip on Wednesday, June 5th. Please pay close attention to the due dates!
Dance Festival: Next Thursday, May 23rd, we will celebrate an evening of our own Dancing with the Stars. Your children will be the stars of our annual Dance Festival. The front doors of the school will open at6:15pm to allow students to enter their classrooms. Students arriving early should line up on the street (NOT on the school front steps) and wait in an orderly manner until the school doors open at 6:15. Students should arrive no later than 6:30pm. Parking will be available in the schoolyard beginning at 5:45pm. The doors of the gym will open at 6:15pm. Again today you are receiving a list of the suggested clothing your child should wear. As you know, our dance program, under the direction of Sue Rissotto, is an enriching and enjoyable experience for all students. We look forward to seeing you all at this most popular event of the year.
2013 Yearbook: This year’s Yearbook is almost here! All students PK-8th grade are included in this wonderful keepsake book produced under the direction of our Tech Coordinator, Becky Wong. As always we expect a sellout again this year. The order form for the book is in your Envelope today.
Spirit Week: The Student Council has included information about Spirit Week, which begins on Tuesday, May 28th with Pajama day.
From the Athletic Board: Thank you to everyone who participated in the hoop-a-thon. We raised over $2000 for the athletic board! Check out the knock-out flyer in today’s envelope. This fun contest is open to all 3rd through 8th graders. The entry fee is only $5! The knock-out competition will be held on Friday, May 31st beginning at 12:30pm in the gym. We invite all to join us for this fun event followed by the Sports Appreciation Awards.
Finally, we are delighted to announce that we will have very little changes in staff for the new school year, however, we will be doing some juggling, from last year to this, of the roles some faculty will play.
Retiring from the classroom is our beloved 8th grade teacher, Zodine Spiegel, who arrived at St. Thomas More School in 1980. During her time here Zodine has seen 32 classes graduate. When alumni come back to STM, years after graduating, their first question is always “Can I visit Mrs. Spiegel?” This is a true testament to the many lives Zodine has touched throughout the years. Zodine’s enthusiasm for teaching and creative projects will always be remembered by many previous eighth grade students. On behalf of the countless students who you have guided and nurtured, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Taking over the reins in eighth grade will be our Vice Principal, Natalia Girlich while John Kavanagh moves to a permanent classroom teacher position, taking 7th grade. John will continue to teach algebra to the 8thgrade students. Joining the teachers on the first floor as the new 3rd grade teacher is Julianne Beach. She will trade classrooms with Jessica Bryan, who will make the move upstairs as the new 6th grade teacher. It is wonderful to have such a flexible and highly skilled faculty who are eager to extend their knowledge and experiences in different grades.
Plans are well underway for another great year.
Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal
