STM Newsletter for September 25, 2013

Dear Parents:

Friday is the feast day of St. Vincent de Paul. Vincent de Paul (24 April 1581–27 September 1660) was a priest of the Catholic Church who dedicated himself to serving the poor. He is a saint regarded in great respect. Vincent de Paul was canonized (officially declared a saint) in 1737. Please take a moment to read and reflect on the Prayer of Saint Vincent de Paul. Think about ways you can show a little kindness while making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.

Dear Saint Vincent, the mere mention of your name suggests a litany of your virtues: humility, zeal, mercy, self-sacrifice. It also recalls your many foundations: Works of Mercy, Congregations, Societies. And the Church gratefully remembers your promotion of the priesthood. Inspire all Charitable Workers, especially those who minister to the poor - both the spiritually and the materially poor. Amen.

SANDWICHES-FOR-THE-NEEDY: Please don’t forget that this Friday, September 27th, is our next collection of sandwiches-for-the-needy. All are encouraged to participate and the kindergarten and first graders are charged with taking the lead that day.

PERSONAL ITEMS COLLECTION: Please remember that we will continue to collect personal items for the Little Sisters of the Poor and the residents of St. Anne’s Home in San Francisco through October 11th. Thank you to those who have already brought in donations; please keep them coming.

INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL: This weekend, St. Thomas More Church is holding it's 7th Annual International Food Festival in the schoolyard. Your support of this event is very much appreciated. The variety of foods offered is always delicious. Please check out the enclosed raffle flyer.

PROGRESS REPORTS: Progress Reports are going home today. This year all students, fourth 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 the lower grades with behavior and/or academic concerns have already been contacted by their child’s teacher. Please sign and return the progress report by Friday, September 27th, so that we know you have received the notice. If you wish to keep a copy of the report, you may make a copy of it before you return it or contact your child’s teacher directly.

FUNDRAISING CATALOGS: We have over 90% 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 26th.

BAND: We are still accepting sign-ups for our band program. Interested third through eighth grade students may use the flyer they are receiving today to sign-up. Band classes begin tomorrow at 3:00pm. If you are not sure about signing-up for this afterschool class, please visit with the band instructor tomorrow and try out some instruments.

ITBS TESTING: The annual ITBS testing continues this week. Results of this testing will be shared with you at the November parent conferences.

UTOPIA PARENT MEETING: At least one parent is required to attend the parent meeting tomorrow night in the preschool classroom from4:45pm-6:00pm. If possible please make childcare plans for children under 3 to allow the meeting to progress smoothly. Use this great opportunity to meet other preschool parents and to learn about the variety of activities and learning experiences in your child’s classroom.

FIELD TRIPS: In today’s Envelope, the preschool students are receiving permission slips for their upcoming field trip to the Lemos Farm Pumpkin Patch on October 17th. Please return the permission slip along with the fee by the due date. Also going on a field trip are the fourth graders who will visit the Academy of Sciences on October 8th. That permission slip is included in their envelope today.

FALL FESTIVAL: Sign-ups for the Fall Festival are now online. Please click here to select an assignment. The event will be held on Saturday, October 19, 2013 from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, however, we need a lot of help setting up before and breaking down after the event.

LUNCH MENU/CALENDAR: We have included the October calendarof events in your Envelopes today as well as the school lunch menu for the month. Please keep them handy for reference.

UNIFORMS: We have been told that both uniform companies now have a supply of patches for the student cardigan. As a reminder, students have until September 30th to be in compliance with this new addition to the school uniform.

SHOPAROO: How are you doing?! We have almost $225 in our school account thanks to those who simply signed up for Shoparoo and snap their receipts. We were also #1 nationwide up until last weekend – snap those receipts and lets get back on top! There is no limit to how much money we can raise with Shoparoo, so be sure to invite your friends and neighbors to join in – every receipt counts!

TARGET: Thank you to all who participated in Give with Target. They have just extended the deadline to September 30th! Voting will support St. Thomas More School's Technology Program. Remember, each vote is worth $1, and currently we have 339 votes (this means $339). Just click on the red and white "vote" button at GiveWith.Target.com to vote for St. Thomas More School.

SCHOOL TOURS/APPLICATION FORMS: We ask your help in encouraging prospective parents to consider St. Thomas More School for their child for the 2014-2015 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, November 5th at 9:00am
• Thursday, November 14th at 9:00am
• Wednesday, November 20th at 11:00am
• Tuesday, December 10th at 9:00am
• Tuesday, January 28th at 9:00am

K-8 application forms for the 2014-2015 school year will be available in the front office and online beginning November 1st, 2013. Siblings of current students as well as preschool students can use the flyer in next week’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 2014-2015.

YARD DUTY: Thank you for all who have signed up for yard duty. Our teachers really appreciate your help in the mornings and during snack and lunch recess. Just a couple of reminders – when volunteering for yard duty, please see that common sense rules of safety are followed and that children do not get too rough. If you see something of concern, please let the office know immediately.

How quickly the first month has passed! Students are well settled into their routines and for the most part, are excited to learn new things and to come to school everyday!

Sincerely,

Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal

STM Newsletter for September 18, 2013

Dear Parents:

Thank you for your presence and support at the Back-to-School Mass last Sunday. A special thank you to the eighth graders and their teacher Mrs. Girlich for putting together such a beautiful and reverent service. It was wonderful to see the many students who have decided to serve the church through various ministries. Thank you also to Monsignor Labib for involving so many of our students in such a creative way during his homily. It was nice to see so many of you there. Thank you for your support of the second collection of $375.25, which goes to support the school and its programs.

HOT DOG SALE: Today the students enjoyed the first Hot Dog Sale of the year. Thank you to Maria and Jeffrey Spiegel (parents of Timothy, 2nd grade) who have volunteered to prepare the hot dogs on sale days and to Jason Malig (dad of Nyree, Kindergarten, Siah, 1st grade, and Zhari, 5th grade) for helping with the distribution.

IOWA TESTING: Last week we told you that the dates for the IOWA testing were different to that on the monthly calendar. This information is again incorrect and several schools actually began testing this past Monday, the original date. In light of this, we will begin the IOWA Test of Basic Skills for students in 2nd grade and above tomorrow. The amount of homework will be greatly reduced during this time 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.

PIRATE DAY: Tomorrow is Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day. Students must wear their full uniform, however, they may accessorize it with a pirate hat/bandana/eye patch (no weapons please). The student council will be selling tattoos, pins, and stickers for 50¢ each. Proceeds will benefit the student council activities. Arrgg Mateys!

MINIMUM DAY: This coming Monday, September 23rd, is the first fourth-Monday-of-the–month for this school year. When school is in session, the Archdiocese declares minimum days for all Catholic schools in San Francisco on fourth Mondays. Please plan ahead for the day’s dismissal at 12:15(K-3) and 12:30(4-8). However, if you forget, don’t worry, your child will be placed in extended care until you arrive. As a treat, all students signed in to Extended Care on Monday will be able to purchase a hot dog lunch for $4.00.

HIGH SCHOOL VISITS: Starting next week, and continuing into next month, the seventh and eighth graders will have visits from representatives from several of the local Catholic high schools. The following chart shows the dates of their visits.

School	Visiting Date
Mercy SF & Riordan	Tuesday, September 24th
St. Ignatius	Thursday, September 26th
Sacred Heart Cathedral	Monday, September 30th
Mercy Burlingame & Serra High School	Tuesday, October 8th

CATALOG FUNDRAISER: How is the catalog fundraiser coming? Please remember that all families who did not buy out by the June deadline are required to sell a minimum of $100 worth of product per child enrolled in the school. Remember, students selling 15 or more items will receive a raffle ticket for some great prizes! The deadline for returning your orders is Tuesday, September 24th.

INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL: St. Thomas More Church is holding it's 7th Annual International Food Festival on Saturday and Sunday, September 28th and 29th in the schoolyard. Your support of this event is very much appreciated. The variety of foods offered is always delicious. Please check out the enclosed flyer.

SANDWICHES-FOR-THE-NEEDY: Please don’t forget that next Friday, September 27th, is our next collection of sandwiches-for-the-needy. All are encouraged to participate and the kindergarten and first graders are charged with taking the lead that day. Last week, we had one of the biggest collections ever with almost 400 sandwiches being collected! Let’s try again next week for the same great collection. What a wonderful example of working together for a good cause.

NEW PARENTS: Now that school has started, we are sure you have some questions. Come and meet the other new families and join us for a social get together on Friday, September 20, 2013 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. in the Foyer outside the STM Library (second floor). Use this opportunity to meet some of the families that you and your child will be spending time with over the next nine years!! Representatives from the Parents' Club will be hosting this event and look forward to your attendance. Please RSVP to parentsclub@stthomasmoreschool.org.

YARD DUTY: Thank you to all who have volunteered for yard duty. To sign up for October, November or December, please click here. Arrive at least 5 minutes before your scheduled time and sign in at the office. Next to the sign in sheet you will find yellow tags that say Parent Yard Supervisor. Please use these tags while on duty to identify you as one of the official yard supervisors. Return tags to the front office before you leave. If you are doing yard duty before school, please remember that we need one volunteer supervisor to stay close to the gate to ensure that any of the younger students do not leave the yard and if we have a second volunteer, we ask that you stand in the general area by the fountain.

TRAFFIC PATROL: In order to make after school pick up easier for everyone, we have moved the traffic crossing down to the school gates. This will allow for several more parking spots directly in front of the school. It will also assist cars that cannot find a parking space, as they will be able to turn left from Alma Via without having to wait for the traffic patrol. We hope that this will ease some of the congestion.

NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS: Please be aware of your surroundings when picking up and dropping off your students. We have had some issues recently with attempted break-ins to vehicles parked nearby as well as reports of strangers in the vicinity of STM. The police have been alerted and we remind you not to leave personal belongings in plain sight in your vehicle. A second concern is the danger to students of wayward golf balls, especially around dismissal time. Two teachers had car windows broken in the last several months. We have notified our neighbors at the golf course and they are working on solutions to help with this issue. Please report any problems in this area.

Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal

STM Newsletter for September 11, 2013

Dear Parents:

As we observe Patriot Day today, we remember all those affected by the September 11th tragedy 12 years ago. To mark this day, we began our morning assembly with an abbreviated version of President Obama's proclamation. The proclamation asked everyone for a moment of silence while the flag was raised to half-mast. Following the raising of the flag, we proceeded to say the Pledge and sung God Bless America. Thank you Mr. Kavanagh and Ms. Stamatis for putting together such a beautiful ceremony.

We hope to see everyone this Sunday, September 15th, 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. We will also introduce our choir, altar servers, and our new 8th grade Eucharistic ministers. Sunday’s second collection will directly support the school. We are sending home offertory envelopes for you to use when the collection is taken up. The school receives the money contributed through these envelopes. We’ll have extra envelopes available at the Mass. Thank you in advance for your support.

Following the Back to School Mass, beginning at 11:00am, all STM families are invited to join together for a free Back to School Family Picnic at Buri Buri Park in South San Francisco. The 1st and 6th grade families are sponsoring this picnic and will serve burgers and hotdogs. Please RSVP by using the form we sent home last week or downloading it from our school website.

Training of our Altar Servers started yesterday after school. We thank our 4th grade teacher, Jen Conley for volunteering to prepare the children for this important service to their church. Choir continues to meet Thursdays after school in the church until 3:45pm. Thank you once again to Mrs. White for training this wonderful group of singers.

OUR FIRST SERVICE PROJECT OF THE YEAR: This year’s toiletries collection will benefit the Little Sisters of the Poor and the residents of St. Anne’s Home in San Francisco. Please join us in helping the residents of St. Anne’s Home by donating new or unused personal items such as: mouth wash, moisturizer, body wash, shampoo, lotions, soaps, denture fix, toilet paper, facial tissue and other personal hygiene items. They are happy to receive full size or trial size of any of the above items. If you can help, please send your donations of any of the above items with your child to school, or drop them off in the office. The Toiletries for St. Anne’s Home donation drive will run from September 11th through October 11th

SANDWICHES-FOR-THE-NEEDY: Our first sandwiches-for-the-needy collection is this Friday, September 14th with the second and seventh graders taking the lead. All students are encouraged to contribute to this act of kindness. Just a reminder…here are a few guidelines to help with the distribution of sandwiches - Please individually wrap the sandwiches (ziplock sandwich bags) and label what is included. This helps people with allergies and dietary restrictions. Thanks to Alexis Reyes (dad of Tyler, 4th grade and Yelena, 2nd grade) for offering to deliver sandwiches this year.

PICTURE DAY: Remember, tomorrow, September 12th is picture day for all Preschool through 8th grade students and staff. Please make sure your child is in full uniform.

CATALOG FUNDRAISER: How is the catalog fundraiser coming? The deadline for returning your orders is Tuesday, September 24th. Thank you to Christy Ramos (mom of Ethan, 6th grade), who has volunteered to help tabulate the orders again this year.

EVEN MORE (EASY) FUNDRAISING

SHOPAROO: Thank you to all the new people who signed up for Shoparoo. We are currently the TOP SCHOOL NATIONWIDE!! Keep snapping those receipts!

TARGET: Remember, each vote is worth $1, and currently we have 221 votes (this means $221). Just click on the red and white "vote" button at GiveWith.Target.com to vote for St. Thomas More School. You can do this once a week through September 21st. Voting will support St. Thomas More School's Technology Program.

BOXTOPS FOR EDUCATION: Teachers in each classroom continue to collect boxtops for education to purchase additional classroom supplies. Please send box tops directly to your child’s teacher.

LABELS FOR EDUCATION: Labels for Education a fun and easy program where families and members of the community work together to “Earn Free Stuff” for their school! Check out http://www.labelsforeducation.com/ for more information. Please send labels directly to the front office.

TYSON CHICKEN LABELS: Please support the Tyson Project A+ program by sending in your clipped Tyson product labels. Each label we receive is worth 24¢! This is an easy way to raise funds for STM. More details are available online at projectaplus.tyson.com or contact Shelley White, program coordinator, at swhite@stmsf.org if you have any questions.

DONATIONS: We are again asking for donations of new plain white 8.5x11 paper. We appreciate your generosity. Keep those used ink cartridges and old cell phones coming! We recycle them through Cartridges for Kids and over the last few months this program has earned us over $200!

BAND: Again this year we are offering band classes to students in grades 3-8. We are excited to welcome a new band program under the direction of Joshua Frye. This year we plan to collaborate with some other local Catholic schools that use the same band director. Before signing up, third through sixth grade students will have the opportunity to test drive some instruments on Friday at our ‘Band Petting Zoo’. Sign up forms for these classes are going home today.

FROM THE ATHLETIC BOARD: Just a reminder that Cross Country begins at 3:15pm tomorrow. Interested students in grades 3-8 should meet outside the 5th grade classroom. Also, the Athletic Board is holding a parent meeting tomorrow night at 7:00pm in the Gym. Parents in attendance will be in a drawing for a chance to win one boys' sports registration and one girls' sports registration, worth $80 each. All parents are also encouraged to visit our Athletics page to share personal stories and nominate John Bickle for the CYO Hall of Fame.

PIZZA SALE: Today the students enjoyed the first Pizza Sale of the year. Thank you to Marivic Vila (mom of Ricardo, 8th grade) who has volunteered to tally the orders once again this year. We are in need of parents to help distribute the pizza on sale days throughout the year. If you are available, please let the office know.

CIOPPINO 2014: There will be a Cioppino/Silent Auction meeting next Monday, September 16th at 7:00pm in the STM Library. All are welcome.

PIRATE DAY IS COMING!: Talk like a Pirate Day is Thursday, September 19th. Students may wear pirate accessories with their uniforms (no weapons please). There will be a coloring contest for grades K-3 and an art contest for grades 4-8. Arrrg!

USF COUNSELING: 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 two counselors, Sarah Safir and Ashley Crouch. They will be on campus Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This is a free service. If you would like your child to visit with our counselors, you may contact them directly at ssafir@stmsf.org or acrouch@stmsf.org, or request it through your child’s teacher. Please also check out the introduction letter they have included in today’s envelope.

IOWA TESTING: Last week, we sent out the September calendar that showed IOWA testing beginning next Monday, September 16th. This is NOT correct. We begin the IOWA Test of Basic Skills for students in 2nd grade and above the following week on Monday, September 23rd. Because of the shorten time schedule allotted for testing this year, there will be less time available for make-up testing. Please do not schedule appointments, or shadowing during this important week.

Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal
St. Thomas More School

STM Newsletter for September 4, 2013

Dear Parents:

Show a Little Kindness: This is our theme for the 2013-2014 school year. The teachers will be introducing this concept to the students this week and Msgr. Labib will continue to incorporate this idea into his Friday homilies with the students. Mark Twain once said that kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. We look forward to partnering with you to pass this message on to all our children. Some of you may remember Glen Campbell who had a big hit in the early 70” with a song titled “Try a Little Kindness.” There is actually a nice video that goes along with the song on YouTube.

We are back at it! Morning and after school extended care are up and running, volleyball and soccer practices are being held, 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 a few new faces to STM, Bryan Profis (P.E.) and Katie Anderson (Music) join us this year. Yesterday we welcomed back our dance teacher, Sue Risotto, for our first dance class. Also joining us this year, we have two new school counselors, Sarah Safir and Ashley Crouch from the USF Center for Child and Family Development. More information on this program will be sent home next week. Yes, we are back at it!

Thank you to all who attended our back to school meeting. Congratulations to the Vigil family in 1st grade who won the raffle for $500 towards their tuition. It pays to be on time! As we mentioned at the meeting this year we will be offering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) elective courses for our sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students. The course descriptions are now available online. We ask that you discuss these options with students so they are prepared to select their courses during their technology classes next week. Also information on our 1:1 iPad program for our middle school students is available on our school website under the Academics tab.

We hope to see everyone on Sunday, September 15th, for one of the most important celebrations of the school year. Please join us for our Back-to-School Mass at 10 a.m. Come and share in the celebration as we begin a new year together at St. Thomas More School and Utopia Preschool.

Following the Back to School Mass, beginning at 11 a.m., all STM families are invited to join together for a free Back to School Family Picnic at Buri Buri Park in South San Francisco. The 1st and 6th grade families are sponsoring this picnic and will serve burgers and hotdogs. Please RSVP online or use the form included in your envelope today.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Families who have not yet returned their child’s Universal Medical Information/Emergency Contact Release and Consent Form are asked to do so by this Friday, September 6th. Without those forms we do not have the updated medical and family information for your child.

TUITION AND FEES: A reminder that several school fees were due by August 30th. If you have not paid your Cultural/Disaster fee ($100 per student) or your Parents’ Club dues ($40 per family), please send them to the school office now. Also, families who pay tuition on a monthly schedule are reminded that the September payment was due yesterday.

PM EXTENDED CARE: In case you are wondering why you haven't received your invoice from Extended Care for August, please recall that Extended Care combines August-September into one bill that will arrive the first week of October.

SANDWICHES-FOR-THE-NEEDY: Our first sandwiches-for-the-needy collection will be next Friday, September 13th with the second and seventh 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 - Please individually wrap the sandwiches (ziplock sandwich bags) and label what is included. This helps people with allergies and dietary restrictions.

FUNDRAISING CATALOG: Today we are sending home the fund raising gift catalog and order forms with every child. Some of you have opted out of participating in this fundraiser by paying the necessary buy-out fee. If you are one of those who have done so, please feel free to place an order anyway. All support is welcome! All Preschool families are encouraged to participate in this, our major fundraiser of the school year. Families who did not pay the necessary fee to opt out of the catalog sale by June 1st are required to participate in this fundraiser. Participating families must make a combination of personal purchases and/or sales to friends and co-workers for a minimum of $100 per child enrolled in STM. All order forms are due back to the classroom teachers by Tuesday, September 24th. Extra catalogs are available from the office or your child’s teacher. Thank you again to Christy Ramos, mom of 6th grader, Ethan, who has volunteered to help count and collate the orders that come in.

MORE (EASY) FUNDRAISING

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). If you are unsure how to sign up for these scrip programs, please stop by the office and Melody will be happy to help you get started.

SHOPAROO: We raised over $1500 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!

TARGET: Target is trying to give away up to $10,000 to STM! Each vote is worth $1, and currently we only have 165 votes. Just click on the red and white "vote" button at GiveWith.Target.com to vote for St. Thomas More School. You can do this once a week through September 21st. Voting will support St. Thomas More School's Technology Program.

BIRTHDAYS: If you wish to provide class refreshments on the occasion of your child’s birthday, please contact the classroom teacher at least a week in advance to make a mutually convenient plan. Refreshments must be limited to: an individual serving of prepared treats (such as a muffin, a bagel or a piece of fruit) and a self-serve beverage (milk or juice). Please avoid snacks high in sugar and fats. Need suggestions? Ask your child’s teacher. No goody bags allowed. Refreshments should be dropped off to the office before school or at the time specified by the teacher. Just a reminder that birthday invitations may not be passed out during (including before and after) school unless they are given to the entire class.

BIRTHDAY BOOKS: If you are planning to bring treats to celebrate your child’s birthday, you are required to purchase a “Birthday Book” for our school library. Again this year all books are $15. Each book that you purchase from the school will have a bookplate placed in the front of the book indicating that the book was donated by your child. The students in your child’s class will have the first opportunity to enjoy the selection before it is added to the school library. This book represents your family’s lasting appreciation to the school, as well as honoring your child’s birthday. Books are pre-selected by the teacher to provide a well-rounded class library regarding subject matter and grade appropriateness.

BEFORE SCHOOL PROCEDURES: Regular yard supervision begins at 7:45. It is not acceptable to leave children 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.

YARD DUTY: We remind you that all families must complete 4 yard duty sessions as part of your parent participation requirements. Sign Up Genius is now active for Septembers yard duty. The teachers definitely appreciate your help. Just a couple of reminders – please arrive on time when volunteering for yard duty, sign in at the front office and pick up a yellow ‘yard duty volunteer’ tag. We do not allow food or beverages in the school yard during yard duty (this includes coffee/tea drinks), and cell phone use is prohibited while on duty.

YARD POLICIES: We do need to remind you that when it comes to adults being present in the schoolyard after school, the directives from our insurance company are specific. In the afternoon, the schoolyard is reserved for students only. Parents waiting to pick up students from the later dismissal will need to wait outside the gate. Only parents picking up their kindergarteners or children from extended care may enter the schoolyard at dismissal. If your child takes after school classes such as piano, guitar or band, or they have sports practice, we ask that you remain outside the gate and wait for their activity to end.

Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal