Dear Parents:
Our
prayer and thoughts go out to those affected by Typhoon Haiyan. This recent
tragedy in the Philippines reminds us all of our responsibility to reach out to
those in need. The Athletic Board have decided that all funds raised in the
upcoming hoop-a-thons will be donated to the Philippine Red Cross to be used
for the severe needs of the Filipino people. Please consider sponsoring a child
in the hoop-a-thon. If you wish to contribute to this collection, we will be accepting
donations through November 22nd. Please make checks payable
to St. Thomas More School and write ‘Philippine Red Cross’ in the memo area.
Please continue to keep the people of the Philippines in your prayers.
Thank you for your presence and support at the
Family Mass last Sunday. A special thank you to the fifth graders and their teacher
Ms. Stamatis for putting together such a beautiful and reverent
service. It was nice to see so many of you there. Thank you for your generous
support of the second collection of $371.35, which goes to support the school
and its programs.
As we continue to prepare for
Thanksgiving, please consider joining us this coming Monday, November 18th,
for a Thanksgiving prayer service presented by first grade in the gym at 1:00pm.
Also
on Monday, November 18th, More Than Me (MTM), an organization that
helps girls get off the street and into school in Liberia, West Africa, will
visit with the 6th-8th graders. MTM work with community
leaders to identify the girls who are at the highest risk of being sexually
exploited to ensure that education and opportunity, not exploitation and
poverty, defines their lives. Their Program Coordinator, Macintosh Johnson, is
coming to the US for the first time ever this month! He will be traveling
around the US speaking at schools, community organizations, and businesses
talking about his life and More Than Me. Macintosh was a former child soldier
during Liberia's long civil war. He'll be telling his personal story about how
he escaped that life and made a commitment to helping children from the slum be
able to make choices about their future. We are excited that one of the schools
he will be visiting is St. Thomas More. He will meet with our 6-8 graders at 1:30. Please take time to preview his story and
consider joining us in Carroll Hall for the presentation.
FOOD BANK FIELD TRIP: As part of their service commitment
for confirmation next Spring, the 7th Grade worked three hours at the San
Francisco Food Bank on Monday. The students
undertook two projects. In the first project, the students sorted through, and
boxed up, 15,000 pounds of pears for distribution to needy Bay Area families. Then,
the students started packaging one-pound bags of bulk rice. They finished 1,350
bags in just over 45 minutes. The volunteer coordinator at the Food Bank
complimented our students as being both well behaved and also very productive.
In fact, he said our students did about twice the amount of work compared
to their most recent student volunteers.
PEANUT BUTTER
COLLECTION: As
a reminder, we are collecting peanut butter for the St. Vincent de Paul
society. If we reach our goal of 500 jars of peanut butter by Friday, December
13th, the student body will enjoy free dress on Friday, December 20th.
Please send a jar (or two!), any kind, any size with your child by Friday,
December 13th.
HOOP-A-THON: The Athletic Board
will conduct their annual Hoop-a-thon for kindergarten through third graders
this Friday, November 15th. The 4th through 8th
grader hoop-a-thon
will be on the following Friday, November 22nd. Sign-ups are
still being accepted. Encourage your child to participate in this fun event!
We’d love to see you there to cheer on your children!
BUFFALO
WILD WINGS NIGHT: Save the date! Monday, November 18th is the
St. Thomas More School night at Buffalo Wild Wings in Serramonte. This fun
event is a fundraiser to support the fifth and sixth grade Outdoor Education
program. The school will receive a percentage of all the money spent that night
at Buffalo Wild Wings. Check out the flyer in today's envelope – you'll need to
give it to your server when you dine. P.S. No homework will be assigned that
evening!
STEM SHOWCASE:
Today was the last day of the Fall STEM electives. Next Wednesday, November 20th,
STEM students will share their work and projects with STM students and families
in a showcase that represent the rigorous work and training resulting from student
collaboration, problem solving, effective communication, and critical thinking
skills. Please drop by the gym between 9:00am-10:30am next Wednesday to see all
they have accomplished.
SCRIP: Start your Christmas
shopping now! Order your scrip by 6am on Friday November 15th and
receive it next Wednesday, November 20th, the last day to receive
gift cards before Thanksgiving break. For your convenience, an order will be
placed the day after Thanksgiving – remember the 6am deadline!
TOY DRIVE: This year we are participating in the
San Francisco Fire Fighters Toy Program. Please consider donating new,
unwrapped toy(s) for kids aged infant to 12 years old. Let’s continue to
“show a little kindness” to the less fortunate kids especially this time of the
year. We will be collecting the toys until December 18th.
DECEMBER 8th: Please mark December 8th on your
calendar as an exciting day here at STM. We will begin the day with the
presentation of our First Communion and Confirmation candidates at our 10:00am Family Mass, followed by a Pancake Breakfast presented by the 7th and 8th
grade dads, children’s activities and a visit with Santa in Carroll Hall,
all presented by the Parents’ Club.
CHRISTMAS PROGRAM: Please save Tuesday night, December 17th, for our
school's presentation of our Christmas
Program. We will begin at 7:00pm in the Church and all students,
preschool through 8th grade will have a part in this program.
8TH GRADE RECOMMENDATIONS: This is the time of the year when 8th graders are
busily writing their high school essays and completing their applications.
Because of changing demographics many families attend church in Parishes other
than where their school is located. Please remember that students will need to
have their clergy recommendations signed by the pastor in the parish where
they attend Mass and other church services. This will ensure that
recommendations are written by a pastor who knows your child and who is
familiar with your family's involvement in your local church. Please note that
all recommendation forms will go directly to Mrs. Girlich. She will then
distribute them to the appropriate staff members.
And finally, a BIG thank you to Joseph
Lama (dad of Joey and Magdelena), Michael Santos (dad of Matt), and Jerry
Sladewski (dad of Chloe, Malia and Bianca) for all their help with parking and
traffic yesterday.
Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal
