Wednesday, March 23, 2016

STM Newsletter

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Dear Parents,

Last Sunday, which was Palm Sunday, marked the beginning of Holy Week. Our remembrance of the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus makes Holy Week the most sacred time of the year for Catholics. Remember to balance the sacred part of Holy Week with all the other Easter preparations you may be making. Over the next few days, as we draw closer to Easter Sunday, let us remember the days leading up to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
  • Today, also known as Spy Wednesday, recalls the decision of Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
  • Holy Thursday is the day when we remember Jesus and his disciples gathering together for the Last Supper. During this meal, Jesus instituted the very first Eucharist. The Mass of the Last Supper, celebrated tomorrow, reminds us of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples to impress upon them the call to serve others.
  • Good Friday services commemorate the crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus. This is the one day of the year Mass is not celebrated. Instead, Good Friday services are held from noon until 3:00pm. This is also a day of fasting and abstinence to commemorate the pain and suffering of Jesus.
  • Easter Vigil (Holy Saturday) Liturgy consists of several parts, including the lighting of the Paschal candle, the Liturgy of the Word, and the Sacraments of Initiation for those electing to become members of the Catholic Church.
  • Easter Sunday is a joyful celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. He also joined his disciples for a meal and told them to carry on his works.
Please check out your church's schedule for Easter Week activities.
RE-REGISTRATION
  • You must complete one online form for EACH child currently attending STM/Utopia Preschool. (Preschool families who are entering kindergarten do not need to register online.)
  • Deadline to complete re-registration online is TODAY, Wednesday, March 23rd.
  • If the online form is not completed by midnight tonight, a seat will not be saved for your child.
  • As always, re-registration fees are non-refundable (will be billed on Tomorrow, March 24th - due by April 15th).
Families returning to STM/UTOPIA for the 2016-2017 school year click here.
Families NOT returning to STM/UTOPIA for the 2016-2017 school year, click here.
SPELL-A-THON: Please remember that all monies pledged were due back by today's deadline. All families who did not submit their pledges will be charged the amount pledged to their FACTS account tomorrow.
EASTER VACATION: Tomorrow, Thursday, March 23rd is a minimum day for all Preschool-8th graders and the beginning of Easter Vacation. Preschool will dismiss at 12 noon, K-3 at 12:15pm and 4-8 at 12:30pm. There will still be extended care until 6pm that day for K-8 students (Lunch will NOT be provided). Street parking will be limited because of the early dismissal schedule. The school yard will be open between 11am-noon to facilitate the pick up of Preschool students.

You will be receiving your paper copy of the April Calendar and Hot Lunch Menu on Wednesday, April 6th. The information will be available online tomorrow. The school office will be closed this Friday, March 25th as well as all next week, March 28th through April 11st. Enjoy the break!

Sincerely,

Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal
Copyright © 2014 St. Thomas More School, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email from the office of St. Thomas More School.  
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Our mailing address is:
50 Thomas More Way
San Francisco, CA 94132
www.stmsf.org

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Wednesday, March 16, 2016

STM Newsletter

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Dear Parents,

This Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, is known as Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of Holy Week. It celebrates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. Great crowds of people thronged the streets waving palm branches to welcome Him. The people shouted "Hosanna" and laid their cloaks and palm branches from the nearby trees in His path. As we mentioned last week, as part of our preparation for the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, students in grades 3-8 will receive the sacrament of Reconciliation on Tuesday.
 
Please consider joining the student body for mass next Wednesday, also known as Spy Wednesday, at 8:30am to continue our liturgical preparation during Holy Week. Following mass, we will present the 3rd quarter Academic Awards. 
RE-REGISTRATION
  • You must complete one online form for EACH child currently attending STM/Utopia Preschool. (Preschool families who are entering kindergarten do not need to register online.)
  • Deadline to complete re-registration online is Wednesday, March 23rd.
  • If the online form is not completed by the due date, a seat will not be saved for your child.
  • As always, re-registration fees are non-refundable (will be billed on March 24th - due by April 15th).
Families returning to STM/UTOPIA for the 2016-2017 school year click here.
Families NOT returning to STM/UTOPIA for the 2016-2017 school year, click here.
ERIN GO BRAGH!
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!
St. Patrick is one of the three patron saints of Ireland. We celebrate St. Patrick's feast day every year on March 17th. Tomorrow we will hold our annual celebration of this great saint who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. As is our custom, we will mark the day with a celebration of dance and song with an Irish slant. Please join us at 1:00pm in the gym. Students may also wear St. Patrick's Day accessories to add a little color to their uniforms.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY DINNER RAFFLE: Check out the raffle flyer your are receiving today for a chance to win $1,000! Additional raffle tickets are available in the school office. Have you bought your tickets for the church's St. Patrick's Day dinner? Please join us. $30 covers a great dinner and lots of entertaining Irish music and dance! Tickets are still available through the school office. 
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER: We are very pleased and honored to welcome author Marion Blumenthal Lazan to our school on Friday, March 18th. Her book "Four Perfect Pebbles" is one of the books our 7th graders study in-depth each year. Mrs. Lazan is a Holocaust survivor and will share her message of hope and tolerance with our 5th-8th grade students. Her presentation will begin at 9:30am in Carroll Hall. Parents are invited and encouraged to attend.
SPELL-A-THON: Please remember that all monies pledged are due back by Wednesday, March 23rd. All families who do not submit their monies by this date will be charged the $30 fundraiser minimum to their FACTS account. We are very happy with the way this fundraiser went and look forward to having another Spell-a-thon next year. 
EASTER VACATION: As a reminder, Thursday, March 24th is a minimum day for all Preschool-8th graders and the beginning of Easter Vacation. Preschool will dismiss at 12 noon, K-3 at 12:15pm and 4-8 at 12:30pm. There will still be extended care until 6pm that day for K-8 students (lunch will NOT be provided). Street parking will be limited because of the early dismissal schedule. The school yard will be open between 11am-noon to facilitate the pick up of Preschool students.

SPRING SHOW/SAVE THE DATES: Thursday, April 14th and Friday, April 15th, are the dates of the Spring Shows, under the direction of Mary Powelson, our Theater Arts teacher. This year, we have divided the school into two performances on different days. The upper grades (4, 5, 6, 7 & 8) will perform on Thursday night, April 14th at 7pm in Carroll Hall. The following day on Friday, April 15th, at 1pm in Carroll Hall, the lower grades (PK, K, 1, 2 & 3) will perform. We look forward to seeing you at one or both of these fantastic productions.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Go raibh mile maith agaibh!
 
Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal
Copyright © 2014 St. Thomas More School, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email from the office of St. Thomas More School.  
Thank you for helping us go green.

Our mailing address is:
50 Thomas More Way
San Francisco, CA 94132
www.stmsf.org

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Friday, March 11, 2016

Re-registration for 2016-2017

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RE-REGISTRATION FOR 2016-2017 
Thank you for another wonderful year at St. Thomas More School. It's time to re-register for the 2016-2017 school year. We ask all families, preschool through seventh grade, to complete their re-registration online.

The re-registration fee is $375 for each child and will be billed to your FACTS account on Thursday, March 24th. The payment deadline is Friday, April 15th. After this deadline of April 15th, the re-registration fee is $500 per child. As a reminder, any family not-having-fulfilled all of its financial obligations to the school may be dropped from the registered list. These include scrip purchases and parent hours.
 
Re-Registration Guidelines
  • You must complete one online form for EACH child currently attending STM/Utopia Preschool. (Preschool families who are entering kindergarten do not need to register online.)
  • Families returning to STM/UTOPIA for the 2016-2017 school year click here.
  • Families NOT returning to STM/UTOPIA for the 2016-2017 school year, click here.
  • Deadline to complete re-registration online is Wednesday, March 23rd.
  • If the online form is not completed by the due date, a seat will not be saved for your child.
  • As always, re-registration fees are non-refundable.
Copyright © 2014 St. Thomas More School, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email from the office of St. Thomas More School.  
Thank you for helping us go green.

Our mailing address is:
50 Thomas More Way
San Francisco, CA 94132
www.stmsf.org

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St. Thomas More School · 50 Thomas More Way · San Francisco, CA 94132 · USA

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Wednesday, March 9, 2016

STM Newsletter

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Dear Parents,

Students are learning that Lent is a time for preparation for the Resurrection of Jesus. Throughout the Lenten season, students discover how forgiveness, charity, and faith can help them participate in the sacrifice of Jesus. Please work along with us as we help your children explore how they can prepare their hearts for Easter. Discuss with them some of the changes they are hoping to make in their lives during the season of Lent. Share with them some of the changes you hope to make. Together we can help the children understand the significance of this important time in our church calendar. Check out this site for activities you can do with your children.
 
Thank you to all who joined us for our Family Mass this past Sunday. The 6th graders, along with their teachers, Mrs. Santillan and Mr. McKillion, prepared a meaningful service. Thank you also to our wonderful choir and their director, Shelley White, for gracing us with their beautiful voices.

Yesterday, our second grade class received the sacrament of First Reconciliation. When we receive this sacrament we find God's unconditional forgiveness for each and every one of us; as a result we are called to forgive others. The peace of mind and soul which this sacrament imparts to us is one for which there is no substitute. It is a peace that flows from a certainty that our sins have been forgiven and that we are right with God. Please keep the second graders in your prayers as they continue their preparation for their First Communion on Saturday, April 23rd at 10:00am.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS:  Please join us this Friday at 1:30pm in the church for 4th grades presentation of the Stations of the Cross.
 
SPELL-A-THON: Students had lots of fun preparing and studying for the Spell-A-Thon and have completed their part in this fundraiser. Today, your child will bring home their pledge sheets and information on the number of words they spelled correctly. Please remember that all monies pledged are due back by Wednesday, March 23rd.
PARENT SERVICE HOURS
SNACK BAR: Girls' basketball is about to begin and there are many 4 hour shifts available on Friday nights and Saturday mornings at the gym's snack bar. To sign up for a snack bar shift click HERE. Don't forget that families that do not fulfill the 12 hour minimum service hour commitment will be assessed $450 at the end of the school year. 7th Graders can also earn service hours towards their Confirmation commitment. The sign up for 7th Graders can be found under the Athletic tab on the STM website.

TRIVIA NIGHT: We are still in need of a couple of volunteers to help when we host the Winter League Trivia Finals on Saturday, April 9th. If you are available and have not completed your hours, click HERE to sign up!
SPRING SHOWS!
 
SAVE THE DATES: Thursday, April 14th and Friday, April 15th, are the dates of the Spring Shows, under the direction of Mary Powelson, our Theater Arts teacher. This year, we have divided the school into two performances on different days. The upper grades (4, 5, 6, 7 & 8) will perform on Thursday night, April 14th at 7pm in Carroll Hall. The following day on Friday, April 15th, at 1pm in Carroll Hall, the lower grades (PK, K, 1, 2 & 3) will perform. We look forward to seeing you at one or both of these fantastic productions.
SEE'S CANDIES: A BIG thank you to Trilce Farrugia, mother of Enzo (3rd grade). Trilce has volunteered to head up the See's Candies Spring Fundraiser. Please follow the deadline for ordering. Candy orders will be delivered in plenty of time for Easter. Complete and return the form you are receiving this week if you wish to order.

Don't forget to get up early and set your clocks ahead at 2:00am on Sunday, March 13th, or even better, set them ahead on Saturday night. And while you are at it, change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

Finally, while our school calendar for 2016-2017 has not yet been approved by the Archdiocese, we want to let you know that we have requested to begin the new school year on Tuesday, August 23rd, 2016. Hopefully this will help those of you who are planning your vacations now. An official 2016-2017 school calendar will be sent home as soon as it has been approved. The new school year for Utopia, our preschool, will begin on August 15th, 2016.

The 2015-2016 school year is certainly flying by!

Sincerely,
 
Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal
Copyright © 2014 St. Thomas More School, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email from the office of St. Thomas More School.  
Thank you for helping us go green.

Our mailing address is:
50 Thomas More Way
San Francisco, CA 94132
www.stmsf.org

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St. Thomas More School · 50 Thomas More Way · San Francisco, CA 94132 · USA

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