Thursday, March 19, 2020

STM Newsletter for March 19, 2020

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Dear Parents: 

The following statement and prayer issued on March 13, 2020, by Archbishop Gomez is insightful and well worth reading and sharing with family members and friends.

WASHINGTON- Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has issued the following regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19):

With the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus, we are confronted once more with the fragility of our lives, and again we are reminded of our common humanity — that the peoples of this world are our brothers and sisters, that we are all one family under God.

God does not abandon us, he goes with us even now in this time of trial and testing. In this moment, it is important for us to anchor our hearts in the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. Now is the time to intensify our prayers and sacrifices for the love of God and the love of our neighbor. Let us draw closer to one another in our love for him, and rediscover the things that truly matter in our lives.

United with our Holy Father Pope Francis, let us pray in solidarity for our brothers and sisters here and around the world who are sick. Let us pray for those who have lost loved ones to this virus. May God console them and grant them peace.

We pray also for doctors, nurses, and caregivers, for public health officials and all civic leaders. May God grant them courage and prudence as they seek to respond to this emergency with compassion and in service to the common good.

In this time of need, I invite all the faithful to seek together the maternal intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and I share this prayer with you:  

Holy Virgin of Guadalupe,

Queen of the Angels and Mother of the Americas.

We fly to you today as your beloved children.

We ask you to intercede for us with your Son,

as you did at the wedding in Cana.

Pray for us, loving Mother,

and gain for our nation and world,

and for all our families and loved ones,

the protection of your holy angels,

that we may be spared the worst of this illness.

For those already afflicted,

we ask you to obtain the grace of healing and deliverance.

Hear the cries of those who are vulnerable and fearful,

wipe away their tears and help them to trust.

In this time of trial and testing,

teach all of us in the Church to love one another and to be patient and kind.

Help us to bring the peace of Jesus to our land and to our hearts.

We come to you with confidence,

knowing that you truly are our compassionate mother,

health of the sick and cause of our joy.

Shelter us under the mantle of your protection,

keep us in the embrace of your arms,

help us always to know the love of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

2020-2021 STM RE-REGISTRATION

It's time to re-register your child for the 2020-2021 school year. We ask that all current TK through seventh grade families complete their re-registration by Friday, March 27, 2020.

RE-REGISTRATION DEADLINES & FEES

  • Re-registration Deadline: Friday, March 27, 2020
  • Re-registration Fee: $450 due by Friday, April 17, 2020
  • Late re-registration Fee: $600 beginning April 18, 2020


Students RETURNING to STM for the 2020-2021 school year 

 

Students NOT returning for the 2020-2021 school year


FINANCIAL POLICIES

Here are the updated Financial Policies for the 2020-2021 school year. The tuition increase of approximately 4.5% will assist in balancing our budget. The rising cost of employee salaries and benefits, textbooks, school supplies and student activities were all factors in deciding the new tuition rates.

Contact our office at office@stmsf.org if you have any questions. 

SCHOOL CLOSURE UPDATES

We are grateful for your continued patience as we respond to the COVID-19 situation that continues to change daily. Given the new directives for residents across at least 6 Bay Area counties to shelter in place we are certain to be closed through April 7th. Below is a message from District 7 Supervisor, Norman Ye regarding the impact and city's response to COVID-19. We are awaiting an update from Pam Lyons, Superintendent of Catholic School, regarding the possibility of a longer closure in the next few days. 

Message from Supervisor Norman Yee, District 7 Supervisor


A. DISTANCE LEARNING

Meanwhile, our teachers and staff are learning new and exciting ways to work with your children and communicate with you during these unusual times. Now that the closure may extend indefinitely we will be adding many more interactive sessions for all grade levels. The faculty has participated in several online professional development workshops this week to learn and work together to develop additional strategies to improve and enhance our Distance Learning Protocol.

We had a faculty meeting via Zoom yesterday afternoon to discuss next steps, and you will receive further information from your child's teacher in the next few days. 

Grades 6-8 Parent Portal has reopened during the school closure for you and your child to review grades and assignments. 

Please continue to check your emails as well as your child's class blog or class community app (i.e. ClassDojo, Seesaw and Google Classroom) for daily updates. Feel free to contact our technology coordinator, Mrs. Wong, at bwong@stmsf.org if you have questions about distance learning or need technical support.

B. ATTENDANCE DURING CLOSURE

Complete your child's daily attendance on our school website at www.stmsf.org/attendance between 6:00-10:00 am each school day. Your daily submissions will be part of your child's permanent record.

C. TESTING POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

Please notify us immediately if your child or any family member tests positive for the coronavirus.

D. POSTPONED EVENTS

The following events are postponed. We will not reschedule these events until we have further information on the school closures. 

  • 1st Annual Dance Party & Silent Auction
  • Boba Sale
  • Homework Club
  • 7th/8th Grade Social

E. CANCELLED EVENTS

  • Annual Golf Tournament is cancelled
  • Sunday Masses cancelled until further notice - Please refer to Fr. Marvin's message to the community below. 

Temporary Cancellation of Masses at St. Thomas More Church

Message from Fr. Marvin:  
Beloved Parishioners and Friends of St. Thomas More,

I am sorry to share this with everyone that beginning today, March 17, 2020, all scheduled weekday and weekend masses are temporarily cancelled until further notice. 

However, Archbishop Cordileone had asked that pastors or their delegates should celebrate the "Mass at which only one minister participates" GIRM, nn. 252-259 in their parish churches every day.  This mass, known before as the private mass or mass without a congregation, will be only the priest and one altar server. In this way, Mass will continue to be celebrated in every parish while respecting the social distancing that is being urged on us. This mass will also enable the priests to offer the intentions of the donors.  

In addition, the Archbishop had asked that this designated Mass needs to be livestreamed.  This would also give us priests the opportunity to continue to communicate with the parishioners in real-time with regard to some important matters such as the possibility of Holy Communion, Anointing of the Sick, Confessions, upcoming celebration of Holy Week…

Please continue praying with me the ORATIO IMPERATA against the spread of N-CORONAVIRUS

Please know that I hold each of you in my heart especially whenever I celebrate the Holy Eucharist.  Thank you for your love, faith, and generosity.

God is with us…
Father Marvin

During this Lenten season let's continue to remember and pray for all those affected by the virus, both in our local community and worldwide. We are especially grateful to our many healthcare workers who daily prioritize the needs of others. We miss the children very much but we are glad they are safely at home with you. We continue to keep you in our prayers as you adapt to these unprecedented and challenging times. 

Here are some virtual hugs to share with the children…

🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

Sincerely,

Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal

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

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