Dear Parents:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. strived to teach valuable lessons of equality, compassion, and understanding to people everywhere. King is perhaps best remembered for delivering his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech in front of a quarter of a million people in the Mall in Washington, DC. His famous line, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," still resonates today. Dr. King continually encouraged everyone to make a difference. Let us all continue to THINK like Jesus as we become more active, concerned citizens who care for others and become involved in acts of charity and work towards a more just society for all. We can enjoy a three-day weekend this weekend thanks to the observance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday.
A compulsory meeting for parents of all students who are receiving First Reconciliation this year will be held in the 2nd grade classroom on Thursday, January 23rd beginning at 6:30pm. At least one parent from each family is required to attend.
OUR LADY OF FATIMA STATUE VISITS STM CHURCH: This Sunday, January 19th St. Thomas More Church will host a procession and special Tagalog Mass in Honor of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Please check out the flyer you are receiving today for more information.
REPORT CARDS/HONOR AWARDS: This Friday marks the end of the second quarter. Report cards will be sent home with your child on Friday, January 31st. We would like to invite everyone to join us at the honor awards ceremony on Friday, January 31st immediately following the8:30am mass.
NATIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK: This runs from January 26ththrough February 1st. Please mark your calendars for our Family Mass, Open House, Book Fair, and other exciting events on Sunday, January 26th. We are asking our kindergarten class to provide breakfast pastries and treats for our Open House. Please send these items to the front office on Friday, January 24th or bring them to the gym before Mass on Sunday, January 26th. Thank you for the great response to Grandparents Day (January 30th). So far we have over 50 Grandparents and other special friends joining us for a special pasta lunch and other fun activities. There is still time to sign up! Send in your reservation form by this Friday. We are also looking for donations of breakfast pastries and treats for Grandparents day. Please drop your donations to the school office on the morning of January 30th.
ONLINE BOOK FAIR: Our Online Book Fair is now LIVE! Click here to purchase books. All orders will ship directly to school for free when the Online Fair has ended.
WARRIORS TICKETS: Thank you to all who sent in reservations for Warrior tickets. Tickets will be distributed to families once they have been received by the school.
GEOGRAPHY BEE: Congratulations to all participants of our annual school Geography Bee. Runners up 5th grader Antonio Roca and 8thgrader Tony D’Aura were both eliminated in the same round while 7thgrader Francesca Diaz took 2nd place. Our school's champ, who will represent us in the statewide competition for the second year in a row, is 5th grader Zach White. Good luck in the next round, champion Zach!
CYO HALL OF FAME: As previously mentioned, this year John Bicklehas 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. 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.
STUDENT SAFETY/IPADS: Students are not to use their iPads before and after school or any on campus extracurricular activities (e.g. sports practice). Students must keep their iPads in their backpacks when not in use. Student use of these devices without permission during school and extended care hours is in violation of the school iPad use policy. Students in violation will have their device confiscated. iPads stored anywhere else besides their backpack will also be confiscated. Please note there will be a charge of $25 to have the iPad returned once confiscated. Students will only be allowed to have their iPads back once a written note is received from their parent/guardian and the $25 fee is paid.
SPELL-A-THON: Just a reminder that pledges for the Spell-a-thon are due tomorrow to your child’s teacher. Check out the flyer in today’s envelope for important upcoming dates.
USF CLASSES: There are still a few spaces available for students in grades 7 and 8 to work in collaboration with USF graduate students in an exciting course entitled, Digital Media and Learning. This will look great on the resume of students applying for high school next year! Please let Mrs. Fitzpatrick know if you are interested.
CIOPPINO 2014: Work continues in preparation for our BIG fundraiser onSaturday, February 22nd. Thank you for the many donations that have come through the school office for our Cioppino baskets and auction items – keep them coming! Consider getting together with other parents from your child’s class to purchase a table. This event is a lot of fun. Remember, childcare is available for a nominal fee. Please respond as soon as possible as we believe this will be a sell out event again this year. To purchase tickets, please use the flyer you are receiving today and return it to the school office. As an added bonus, every school parent who buys a ticket for Cioppino will receive a FREE DRESS PASS for their child/ren to be used on Monday, February 24th. The next Cioppino meeting has been scheduled for this coming Tuesday, January 21st at 7:00pm in Carroll Hall.
KINDERGARTEN SCREENING: We have received many kindergarten and preschool applications for the 2014-2015 school year. Many thanks also for your referrals of new families. A reminder that again this year we will be screening all kindergarten applicants in order to assess their readiness for our kindergarten program. Kindergarten applicants in Utopia will be assessed during their school day over the next few weeks. For siblings of current students and new families, emails were sent out this week about our screening day, Saturday, January 25th.
LOCKDOWN DRILL: A lockdown of a building or group of buildings is an emergency procedure intended to secure and protect occupants who are in the proximity of an immediate threat. This procedure is used when it may be more dangerous to evacuate a building than stay inside. By controlling entry/exit and movement within a facility, school and emergency personnel are better able to contain and handle any threats. As we continue to plan for the safety of our students and staff here at St. Thomas More School we are planning to have a lockdown drill on next Tuesday, January 21st at 9:00am. Teachers will prepare the students in advance in this “Be Safe” drill and we will continue to practice these regularly. Please discuss the need for lockdown drills with your child at home in an age appropriate manner. We don’t want this to be a scary experience but we will need full cooperation from everyone to ensure our drills are successful. Just like the monthly fire drills conducted by the SFFD they will become a regular part of our safety routine.
PM EXTENDED CARE: Do you need a 2013 payment summary from Afternoon Extended Care for your flexible spending account or your 2013 tax return? Please contact John Kavanagh at JKav@stmsf.org and he will provide it.
PIZZA/HOT DOG SALES: Today you are receiving pizza and hot dog order forms for the next quarter. Please remember that order forms will only be sent home at the beginning of each quarter. This will be your only opportunity to order. You must order for all four sales if you wish to participate in these special lunches. Please clearly mark the name, grade and the word PIZZA or HOTDOG on the envelope if you wish to order.
STM TAP: We are happy to announce that we have again this year received a $20,000 grant from the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation to be used for tuition assistance. Funds will be distributed on the basis of those families who need the most help. To qualify for temporary tuition assistance, families will need to show proof of financial hardship and funds will be distributed on a discretionary basis by the school administration. Please let Mrs. Fitzpatrick know in writing if you are interested in receiving an application form. Applications will be sent home in next week’s envelope. Thank you once again to the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation!
GRADUATION PICTURES: 8th grade graduation pictures are this Friday. Please follow the appropriate dress guidelines given by Mrs. Girlich. As a reminder, boys should wear white-collared shirts and ties with either a suit or dress pants and dress shoes. Girls are reminded that there is to be no make-up, dangling earrings, or nail polish.
LET'S GO NINERS...LET'S GO! This Friday, January 17th, in support of the SF 49ers making it into their division championship, we are allowing students to wear 49ers (red and gold) accessories. The school uniform must be worn, however, hats, earrings, headbands, socks, etc may also be worn (no jerseys). Let's hope they make it into the Super Bowl...and maybe we'll have a 49ers free dress day!
Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal
