STM Newsletter for May 21, 2014

Newsletter for Wednesday, May 21, 2014 As the year draws to a close, we reflect back on the school year and our theme,‘Show a Little Kindness’. Students in all grades participated in many fundraisers and community awareness programs and learned more about how they can make a difference in the lives of others by showing a little kindness. Our students showed their charity throughout the year in many ways. They collected toiletries andproviding sandwiches for the needy for the Martin de Porres House of Hospitality. Together, as a school, we raised over $250 during Lent for the Holy Childhood Association and did many activities with and for our neighbors at Alma Via. As part of their Confirmation preparation, earlier this year, our 7th graders spent some of their service hours helping at the SF Food Bank and our 8th graders will help serve lunches at Glide Memorial on June 4th.

Students realized that while many people donate to the food bank and other centers that feed the needy, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas time, food supplies are often at their lowest during the summer months. With that in mind, and at the suggestion of our students, we would like to have one last collection for our local food bank. Tomorrow night we will kick off this collection and are asking everyone to bring a non-perishable item or canned food as cost of admission for the Dance Festival. We will have barrels to collect your donations and will continue the collection through June 6th. Thank you, in advance, for your generosity!

Calendar Items

Friday, May 23 6th grade class written Opera,9:30am, Carroll Hall Friday, May 23 Free dress and free hot dog lunch prepared by 8th grade

Monday, May 26 Memorial Day Holiday Tuesday, May 27 Student Council speeches and Elections, 9:00am, Carroll Hall

Wednesday, May 28 PE field day, students wear assigned colors Wednesday, May 28 Year Book distributed

Friday, May 30 Sandwiches-for-the-needy - ALL GRADES provide a sandwich Friday, May 30 Extended Care bill for May 1-16 due

Thank you to all who supported Churro Day. The Ecology Club is happy to announce that they raised $348 for the San Francisco SPCA from this sale.

Dance Festival: Tomorrow evening we will celebrate our own Dancing with the Stars. Your children will be the stars of our annual Dance Festival. The front doors of the school will open at 6:15pm to allow students to enter their classrooms. Students arriving early should line up on the sidewalk (NOT on the school front steps) and wait in an orderly manner until the school doors open at6:15pm. Students should arrive no later than 6:30pm. Parking will be available in the schoolyard beginning at 5:45pm. The doors of the gym will open at6:15pm. As you know, our dance program, under the direction of Sue Rissotto, is an enriching and enjoyable experience for all students. We look forward to seeing you all at this most popular event of the year.

Attention all Cross Country runners: Please note that the CYO Track & Field Meet for this year has been cancelled. In light of this unfortunate news, all practices for the remainder of this school year have been cancelled as well. Stay active this summer and be ready for a strong season next year. We look forward to seeing all runners in the fall of 2014!

Need Parent Hours?: We are in need of a volunteer to take all our bottles and cans to the recycling center. Please let the office know if you have a truck and are available.

Congratulations go out to 3rd grader, Eric Duarte. This past weekend, Eric was honored as one of the brightest young students in the nation at a regional awards ceremony for academically advanced children sponsored by The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY). The Center honored Eric, a participant in the CTY Talent Search, for his exceptional performance on a rigorous, above-grade-level test given to academically talented second-through-eighth-grade students.

As some of you know, Mrs. Kapovich, the 1st grade teacher, had a procedure a few weeks ago and had anticipated on returning to work next Tuesday. She has now been advised by her doctor to postpone her return. We wish Mrs. Kapovich all the best during her recovery and look forward to her return for the next school year.

Finally, we would like to announce that we have several changes in staff for the new school year. Kelly Stamatis, our current 5th grade teacher, is leaving us to take a position with IXL Learning, a comprehensive K-12 practice site. We also wish Kelly, and her fiancé John, well as they prepare to be married in June. Also leaving us and moving closer to her family in Nashville, Tennessee is Jennifer Conley, our current 4th grade teacher. We wish both teachers well as they pursue new challenges in their careers and take advantage of new opportunities. Some wonderful new additions to our staff include Gym Director, A.J. Tanedo (STM class of 2002) who begins work with us next week and Gym Assistant, Andrew Lobre (STM class of 2007) who joined our staff recently. At this time, we would also like to congratulate our Assistant Preschool Director, Rachelle Frantz and her husband Matt, who are expecting their first child in September!

Sincerely, Marie Fitzpatrick Principal