| | | | Dear Friends,
One of the most important seasons in our church calendar, the Season of Advent, begins this Sunday. This season is a time for all of us to prepare for the birth of Jesus on Christmas day. Christians prepare for celebrating the birth of Jesus by remembering the longing of the Jews for a Messiah. In Advent, we're reminded of how much we ourselves also need a Savior, and we look forward to our Savior's second coming even as we prepare to celebrate his first coming at Christmas. God wanted so much for us to be with him that he became one of us. This is the greatest Christmas present – God's presence on earth. In the liturgical calendar the season of Christmas begins on Christmas Eve and lasts through the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. Please help your children understand the symbolism of the Advent Wreath and the importance of the true meaning of Christmas. | |  | | ADVENT PRAYER SERVICES
Thank you to the 4th graders for preparing a lovely prayer service yesterday to prepare for the Advent season. Please consider joining us on Tuesday, December 4, for our next prayer service presented by 7th grade in the gym at 8:10am.
SANDWICHES-FOR-THE-NEEDY
This Friday, November 30, is our next collection of sandwiches-for-the-needy. All are welcome to participate and the 2nd and 7th graders are charged with taking the lead that day. 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. We thank you in advance for what we hope will be another huge collection for those at the Martin de Porres House of Hospitality. | | | PEANUT BUTTER FRIDAY
As a reminder, we are collecting peanut butter for The Martin de Porres House of Hospitality. Please send a jar (or two!), any kind, any size with your child by Friday, December 14. If we reach our goal of 500 jars of peanut butter by Friday, December 14, the student body will enjoy free dress on Wednesday, December 19. | | | TOY DRIVE
The SF Firefighters toy barrel is now in the office and is awaiting your donations! Please consider donating new, unwrapped toy(s) for kids ages infant to 12 years old. Let's continue to help the less fortunate kids in our community, especially at this time of the year. We will continue collecting the toys until December 12.
| | |  | AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES We are excited to introduce some new, exciting after school classes through Electivity. Electivity has helped schools in the Bay Area launch a full spectrum of activities that promote new knowledge and life-long skills through enriching learning opportunities that complement the school day. Electivity's Enrichment Programs provide the opportunity for students to continue to learn new skills and discover new abilities after the school day has ended. Click here to see more information and to register online. The password to access the page is stmwin19. | | SCHOOL TOURS Please share this link to sign up for a tour with family and friends considering TK/Kindergarten for the next school year. Our final tour dates are December 5 and 12. APPLICATION FORMS New student application forms Kindergarten, Transitional Kindergarten and grades 1st-8th for the 2019-2020 school year are available from the front office and may also be completed online. 2019-2020 PRESCHOOL APPLICATIONS Utopia, our preschool, has begun accepting applications for the 2019-2020 school year. 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, please arrange a tour with Utopia's Director, Rachelle Frantz, rfrantz@stmsf.org. | | | LET OTHERS KNOW WHY YOU LOVE STM Please take a moment to help market our school by rating us on Yelp and Great Schools. Your positive feedback matters to those potential families who search schools on these sites. Thank you for helping to spread the word about STM! Please print out a copy of your submission and turn it into the office for a free dress pass for your child. | | | | Mercy's Holiday Boutique is an annual event that alumnae, students, parents, and community members attend to celebrate the spirit of the holiday. This year's event showcases over 30 vendors comprised of jewelry, apparel, ceramics, cosmetics and more! This is a great opportunity to get a jump on holiday shopping. Also featured are a free kids' craft table, photo booth, student choirs, food trucks and awesome raffle prizes. It's a great event for all ages, and an awesome opportunity for families interested in Mercy to engage with their community. | | | SANTA'S SECRET SHOP
The Parents' Club present their annual Santa's Secret Shop starting tomorrow, Thursday, November 29. Over the next two days, all the students will have an opportunity to purchase gifts for parents, friends and relatives. Each student should use the envelope they received last week to help them plan their shopping and to keep their money safe.
DECEMBER 2
FAMILY MASS, PANCAKE BREAKFAST, HOLIDAY FAIR & CHRISTMAS TREE AUCTION!
We look forward to seeing you all here this Sunday. Please join us at 10:00am for our Family Mass where we will present all our Confirmation and First Communion candidates. Before and after Mass, check out the Holiday Fair and Pancake Breakfast (9:00am/11:15am) in the gym. They will also offer pictures with Santa.
CHRISTMAS PROGRAM
On December 13, our students will present their Christmas Program and will sing a selection of non-traditional Christmas Carols. All students will be involved in this production. Again this year we will be presenting the program on the stage in our gym. The yard will be open for parking at 6:00pm. The gym doors will open at 6:15pm to allow students to enter their classrooms and for parents to enter the gym. Everyone is asked to line up in an orderly manner until the gym doors open. All students need to arrive by 6:30pm at the latest. We will begin the program promptly at 7:00 pm. We are asking that everyone attending this fun event considers bringing one or two jars of peanut butter for the collection. We look forward to your attendance for this faith-filled and fun-filled production. Everyone is welcome! | | | | Christmas tree auction themes!
8th Grade - Winter Wonderland
7th Grade - Money Grows on Trees
6th Grade - Golden State Warriors >
5th Grade - Fortnite
4th Grade - Lottery scratchers
3rd Grade - TARGET tree
2nd Grade - 25 Days of Christmas
1st Grade - Christmas stockings
Kinder and TK - Dinner and a movie
Preschool - Alcohol and chocolate | | | | We are reaching out to you, our families, asking for items and services to include as a part of the Cioppino Auction this year. Do you own a business, restaurant, or beauty salon? Maybe you have a season pass to a Bay Area sporting event and wouldn't mind donating some seats. If this sounds like you, or you know someone who has access to such donations, please complete this form. Thank you in advance for your generosity. | | Just a reminder that Christmas vacation starts at 12:15/12:30pm on Wednesday, December 19 with a slight change from recent years. We will be offering Extended Care that day.
Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal | | |
"Advent: the time to listen for footsteps – you can't hear footsteps when you're running yourself."
- Bill McKibben
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