For a long time now, many have lost sight of what Christmas really means. Many people these days think Christmas is just giving and receiving presents. We ask that you take time from your busy schedule to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus' birthday, and that you remind your children of this. As you make holiday plans, don't forget to include Advent and Christmas services at your local church. Today we are sending home an advent calendar to help you and your family celebrate this special season in the liturgical year.
Thank you for your presence and support at the Family Mass last Sunday. A special thank you to the second and seventh graders and their teachers Mrs. Heikel and Mr. Kavanagh for putting together such a beautiful and reverent service. It was nice to see all our First Communion and Confirmation candidates as they continue their faith filled journey towards Christ. Thank you also for your generous support of the second collection of $550, which goes to support the school and its programs.
Next Wednesday, December 18th, third through eighth graders will participate in a reconciliation service as we do each year during the Advent Season. That will begin in the Church at 9:30.
A big thank you to Gina Sheridan and Ivette Roca who successfully co-chaired Santa’s Secret Shop this year. The children had a wonderful time shopping for all those on their list. Thank you also to all who volunteered their time to set up and help the children with their Christmas shopping last week.
We hope you all enjoyed the activities of this past weekend. Thanks to the Parents’ Club, and the Alumni Association and all who worked so hard on the Pancake Breakfast and other activities. A big thanks especially to Gina Sheridan, Ivette Roca and Linda Shah who organized this event. The pancake breakfast was enjoyed by all and a special thank you to Robert Maldonado and Benny Sablad and all the other 7th and 8th grade dads who showed up to cook/serve breakfast.
PEANUT BUTTER COLLECTION: You may recall us mentioning ‘Peanut Butter Friday’ in last week’s letter. If we reached our goal of 500 jars of peanut butter by this Friday, the student body would enjoy free dress on Friday, December 20th. We are happy to announce that not only did we reach our goal, but we have exceeded it by over 20 jars. What a great accomplishment. Thank you to all who brought in one jar, or two, to donate to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. For your efforts, we can all enjoy free dress on Friday, December 20th! We will continue to collect donations through 9am, this coming Friday. St. Vincent de Paul’s truck will be arriving at that time to collect all you have donated.
BRONCO BOBA SALES: The Student Council is raising funds for a special project in the gym by offering ‘Bronco Boba’s’ for sale next Friday, December 20th. We sent home Boba order slips last week and have included them again in today’s envelope. Boba’s are available only if pre-ordered. Order forms are due this Friday, December 13th. Each Boba is only $3! YUM!
CHRISTMAS PROGRAM: On December 17th, our students will present their Christmas Program and will sing a selection of favorite Christmas Carols. All students will be involved in this production. Students should wear dressy clothes unless notified otherwise by their teacher. No t-shirts or sweats please. The front door of the school will open at 6:15 pm to allow students to enter their classrooms. Students are asked to line up on the sidewalk in an orderly manner until the doors open. Families with preschoolers will enter through the side gate and drop their children in their classroom. All students need to arrive by 6:30 pm at the latest. The yard will be open for parking at 5:30 pm. Again this year, we will present the program in the church. We ask that everyone respects the 5:30pm Mass that evening and remain outside the church until Mass is over. School staff will be stationed at the church doors and will let you know when you may enter. Parents may line up at any of the three entrances. We will begin the program promptly at 7:00 pm. We are asking that everyone attending this fun event considers bringing one or two new, unwrapped toys as part of our toy drive for needy children. We look forward to your attendance for this faith-filled and fun-filled production. Everyone is welcome!
SANDWICHES-FOR-THE-NEEDY: Our last collection for the year is this Friday, December 13th, when the 3rd and 4th graders will take the lead. We encourage ALL families to provide an extra sandwich for this last collection of the year. Some of our older students will once again work with residents from Alma Via on Friday to make at least 50 additional sandwiches to add to this collection. Please remember that in order to facilitate the distribution of sandwiches, we have been asked to provide just one type of sandwich: turkey on sliced white or brown bread.
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FEE/TUITION: This fee, as described in the financial policies is in support of the construction and maintenance of the classroom additions and the gymnasium. The fee is set at $350 per family. As a reminder, the Capital Improvement fee must be paid in full by this Friday, December 13th. Please remember that the December tuition payments are also due by Friday, December 13th for those of you on the quarterly payment plan.
CYO HALL OF FAME: The CYO Hall of Fame was established to honor the individual accomplishments of extraordinary people who have contributed to the growth and development of so many of our young people through their involvement with CYO sports. This year John Bickle has been chosen as one of the honorees for the 7th Annual Catholic Charities CYO Athletics Hall of Fame dinner. This event will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Father O'Reilly Catholic Charities CYO gym at St. Emydius. John’s sixteen years as athletic director here at St. Thomas More as well as his contributions as a coach and a mentor to many others make him a worthy candidate for this honor. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to support the Bickle Family, Monica, John Jr. and Mark, on this special occasion as we induct John into the Hall of Fame. Please consider joining us to recognize and honor John’s legacy at this event. Tickets can be purchased through the CYO website. Individual dinner tickets are $90 each. If you wish to join together with some other families and purchase a table at one of the sponsorship levels this will include a pre-dinner reception, premier seating and a tribute in the printed event program, recognition on-screen and sponsorship acknowledgment in all printed materials.
CIOPPINO 2013: Ask anyone who has been to St. Thomas More School's Annual Cioppino Dinner and Silent Auction and they will tell you it is more than a meal – it is a night to remember! Save the Date: Saturday, February 22nd, 2014. The evening begins at 5:00 pm with appetizers and a no-host bar. While you're enjoying North Beach's finest focaccia (pizza bread), our kitchen crew's famous meatballs, prawns or one of our other mouth-watering appetizers, you have the chance to bid on some of our wonderful auction prizes, buy a key to our treasure chest, purchase raffle tickets, or a balloon with an instant winning prize number inside. Or simply mingle with friends while you wait for dinner: succulent salad, delectable antipasto, heavenly garlic bread and the best Cioppino to be had anywhere. Don't like seafood? Order a chicken entrĂ©e instead. But don't miss this great event. And don't forget to save room for dessert! Complete the evening with dancing. And all this for only $50.00! Babysitting is also available on site! This event is our biggest fundraiser of the year so check out both sides of the enclosed flyer and reserve your tickets now. For more info contact Linda Shah at lp1114@aol.com or Anarose Schelstrate at anarose0707@gmail.com. This event, like all events, is only successful with schoolwide participation. We look forward to seeing you there!
SCRIP: Just a reminder that this Friday, December 13th at 6am is the last chance to order any gift cards that are needed before the Christmas Break. Orders placed by this deadline will be sent home next Wednesday.
STM WARRIORS NIGHT: Announcing the 2014 STM Warriors Night! Join your classmates on Friday, January 24th at 7:30pm as the Golden State Warriors face the Minnesota Timberwolves! Tickets are $32 and will sell out quickly! Twenty lucky students who plan on attending will get the chance to participate in the High Five Fan Tunnel during the game! To order tickets, fill out the form online at http://tinyurl.com/pqzclqk.
CHRISTMAS VACATION: Christmas vacation begins at 12:15pm for grades K-3 and at 12:30pm for grades 4-8 on Friday, December 20th. Preschool will also be dismissed at 12:00pm. There is no afternoon extended care that day, so plan ahead. Staff members will not be available to babysit! Classes resume at 8:10am on Monday, January 6th, 2013. And finally, we need your help! Do you have experience in running a capital campaign? Do you have experience in grant writing? Do you have experience in event planning? Can you donate printing of materials for our upcoming capital campaign? If you can answer YES to any of these questions…WE WANT YOU! Please let the office know if you or anyone you know can be of any assistance. Sincerely, Marie Fitzpatrick Principal |
