| | | | | Next Wednesday is the Feast of St. Francis. Click here to learn more about the life of this well loved saint. Did you know that St. Francis designed the first Nativity set? In honor of his feast day and his love of animals we will have an opportunity to have our pets blessed. Please join us next Wednesday, October 4th, directly after the 3:00pm dismissal in the school yard. You are welcome to bring your family pets, pictures of your pet, or anything else that represents your pet that you wish to have blessed. Sorry, we cannot accommodate your pets in the classroom during the day. | | |  | | Thank you to all who joined us for our Student Council led prayer service yesterday. A special thank you to the Commissioners of Religious Affairs, Daniel Solorzano and Santino Martinez for preparing such a peaceful service. Please join us on October 24, when the 5th graders will present their prayer service. | | A BIG thank you to all who contributed to the Free Dress Fundraiser this past Monday, that raised $651. With the funds raised from the Student Council Bake Sale, we are happy to report that $1028.60 will be donated to Catholic Relief Services to help those affected by recent hurricanes in Texas, Louisiana and Florida, and earthquakes in Mexico.
As we mentioned last week, on October 7, 2017, Archbishop Cordileone will consecrate the Archdiocese of San Francisco to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. All events will take place at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption. We encourage all families to consider participating in this special consecration. Please click here for more details on the schedule of events. If you and your family plan to participate, the Archdiocese has asked that students who attend Catholic schools to please wear their uniforms to represent their school. | | | This week is K Week. We are Knowledge Seekers who show an appreciation for literature and the arts. This week's question was: What book would you recommend to the other students in your Faith Family? What was your favorite book when you were younger OR what is your favorite book right now? 7th grade will share their answers during morning assembly. | |  | | WOW! What a fantastic effort for our second annual Fun Run! We shattered our goal of $60,000 and received pledges equaling $65,545.48!! We are still waiting on some of the final monies to be collected. Please send those remaining amounts in by tomorrow. Please know that of the total amount pledged, we have expenses that need to be paid; the cost of the employees from fundraisers.org who visited with the classes every day over the past 2 weeks, the cost of the prizes and t-shirts and other general expenses on Fun Run day. We will report our total funds raised shortly. Families who chose not to participate or did not meet the $100 per child donation will be charged a buyout fee of $150 per child on Tuesday, October 10. | |  | AFTER SCHOOL BALLET PROGRAM - Kinder-5th grade This year we are excited to offer an after school ballet program with Ms Shan-Yee Poon, who trained at the prestigious Royal Ballet School in London. She has been teaching for the past 30 years proudly providing the San Francisco Bay Area with outstanding dance instruction. Classes for kindergarten through 5th grade students will be held on Mondays, in Carroll Hall, beginning on October 16. Please check out the flyer you are receiving today for more information. | | MOCK TRIAL WORKSHOP We are delighted to be again offering the Mock Trial Workshop, which will begin on October 10, to our 6th, 7th and 8th graders led by STM father Vilaska Nguyen (Non-profit workshop provider at 826 Valencia and Public Defender). The workshops were incredibly successful over the past two years. Students learned public speaking and critical-thinking skills while being exposed to real-world issues within the criminal justice system. Most importantly, they gained confidence and insight that supported their growth in all academic areas. The workshop culminates in a final presentation before real judges. Please sign up immediately using the flyer in today's envelope as spots are limited. The five sessions will be held on Tuesday evenings from 5:00-6:30pm in the 8th grade classroom (no session on Halloween, October 31). | | | PARENT CONFERENCES Parent conferences are set for the week of October 30. In order to plan conferences at a convenient time for you, we are making both afternoon and evening appointments available. Please follow ALL of the listed directions on the conference request form you are receiving in your envelope today. If this form is not filled in as directed, it will be returned to you! Please remember that your accounts, both tuition and extended care, must be in good standing in order for you to receive a conference and your child's report card. WHEN WRITING CHECKS... Due to new banking policies, we request that when writing checks please write out St. Thomas More and not STM - thank you! SHIELD THE VULNERABLE When signing up to chaperone or volunteer at STM, you must have completed Shield the Vulnerable and have had a background check (which is processed through the Shield the Vulnerable site). If you are unsure of your Shield the Vulnerable status, forgotten your password, or cannot find your STV account, please email Judy at jsilva@stmsf.org. Please do not open a new account without checking first! | |  | SCHOOL TOURS/APPLICATION FORMS We ask your help in encouraging prospective parents to consider St. Thomas More School for their child for the 2018-2019 school year. You, our current families, are our best advertising! Please invite friends and relatives interested in St. Thomas More School to come to one of our school tours for prospective parents. Click HERE to reserve a place on one of the tours.
K-8 new student application forms for the 2018-2019 school year will be available in the front office and for download online beginning on Monday, October 2, 2017. Students currently attending Utopia Preschool and/or with siblings currently attending St. Thomas More School will be given preference in the Kindergarten class of 2018-2019.
2018-2019 PRESCHOOL APPLICATIONS
Utopia, our preschool, has begun accepting applications for the 2018-2019 school year. Please note that preschool spots fill up very fast. If you have a child who is of preschool age (3 years old by September 1st) and you would like them to attend Utopia next Fall, we strongly suggest you arrange a tour with Utopia's Assistant Director, Stephanie Vorrises, and submit an application as soon as possible.
| | | HALLOWEEN PARADE
Our K-8 Halloween parade, will begin at 10:45 in the schoolyard on Tuesday, October 31. All are welcome to attend! When purchasing costumes for wearing to school for the parade, please consider the following: - Age appropriate
- Bathroom accessible
- Make up must be applied at home
- Shoes must be comfortable for walking
- No weapons of any kind
Also remember that Tuesday, October 31 is a minimum day with a 12:15/12:30pm dismissal. | | |  | Does your child have a October Birthday? Please click HERE to schedule a birthday party in your child and complete a birthday book request. | | | As we draw closer to the flu season, we want to take this opportunity to remind you of the precautions you can take to help keep your children healthy. Please encourage your child to practice good hygiene, including washing their hands with soap and water; avoiding touching the eyes, nose and mouth and to not share cups and utensils with people known to be sick. It is always a good idea to regularly disinfect frequently touched surfaces like doorknobs and counter tops too. If your child is showing symptoms of illness, or has a fever, we ask that you keep them at home until they are well enough to return to school.
Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal | | | | | | | |
