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
