| | | | | August 19, 2020
Dear Parents,
It is so exciting to be back for a new school year. Seeing all the students on Monday as they picked up their books and supplies was heartwarming. How they've grown in the six months since we saw many of them in person! A few of the boys are pleased that I can't ask them to get a haircut. However, here we are on day two of the 2020-2021 school year. I have joined most classrooms several times yesterday and today, and the students seem to have settled down to schoolwork very quickly. Eighth graders were taking a pre-assessment math quiz today and didn't even look up when I visited, second graders already knew the characters in their new Superkids readers and were eager to share what they had learned, and first graders had joined breakout rooms with some of their teachers and teacher's aides. We are definitely off to a great start! Parents, you are to be commended for preparing your children so well to begin a new school year with distance learning. Teachers reported that it has made a tremendous difference to see so many students with a dedicated space set aside for learning, all supplies at hand, and students checking in on time each morning, ready and eager to learn. Many students are wearing school uniforms which helps delineate school time from the rest of their day. Once your child is signed in to class, it is really helpful if you say goodbye and allow the teacher to keep the attention focused on her/him during that period. Together, we will make this an awesome year for our children. | | |
THEME FOR THE YEAR
This is our theme for the 2020-2021 school year.
Students will be incorporating this theme into many projects and activities throughout the school year. | | | Spanish and Mandarin Language Classes This year Spanish will be offered to 7 and 8 graders. Ms. Kane will be the teacher. Beginning next week, Mandarin will be offered from grades K-6 with Ms. Zhang. | | | School Counselor Ms. Vanessa Gamache is on staff three days a week. Please read her letter of introduction below.
Dear St. Thomas More Community, My name is Vanessa Gamache and it is with great pleasure that I would like to introduce myself as the new counselor here at St. Thomas More School for the 2020/21 school year. My education and training started with a Master's in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of San Francisco. This program emphasized preparing students to be socially and culturally responsive relationship and family therapists and mental health counselors. At its core, the clinical training program upheld values of equity, social justice, community, cultural wealth, and collaborative problem solving. I look forward to bringing this body of education, training, and experience into my work here at St. Thomas More. As the School Counselor, my primary responsibility is to promote the academic, personal, social development, and well-being of all students. I look forward to offering support to the students, staff, families, and community. If you are interested in having your child(ren) meet with me please notify me, the school, or your child's teacher. I will be available during school hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and can be reached directly by email at vgamache@stmsf.org Warm regards, Vanessa ------------------------------- Vanessa Gamache, LMFT
Counselor
St. Thomas More School
(Available Monday, Wednesday, Friday) vgamache@stmsf.org | | | | Wednesday, August 19 - Minimum Day - 12:15/12:30 dismissal
Thursday, August 20
Minimum Day - 12:15/12:30 dismissal
Virtual Back To School Night - see below for schedule
Friday, August 21 - Minimum Day - 12:15/12:30 dismissal
Monday, August 24
PE begins (Mondays and Wednesdays)
Minimum Day - 12:15/12:30 dismissal
Teacher In-service - 1:00-3:30
Wednesday, August 26
Music begins (Wednesdays) Thursday, August 27
Mandarin K-6 classes begin (Thursdays and Fridays) Friday, September 4
Archdiocesan Teacher Inservice Day - Student Holiday | | | AFTER SCHOOL OPTIONS With CYO sports postponed for the foreseeable future, and no ability to offer any after school activities, here are a few options for your consideration. Band: Joshua Frye, Director, Music Matters LLC has offered after school band classes at St. Thomas More for many years. Currently he is doing private online lessons. Please contact him directly if interested at joshyfrye@gmail.com Volleyball: SF Juniors are planning to begin volleyball camp at STM in September. Information will be shared once it becomes available. Arts and Crafts: Peopleopogie offers hands-on humanities, arts, and STEAM experiences for all ages. https://www.peopleologie.com/ | | | SCHOOL AND EMERGENCY FORMS Please complete the following forms to ensure we have the proper information for your child. Due by 8/17 Due by 8/30 | | | BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020
Below is the Back To School Night Schedule for Thursday, August 20, 2020. Homeroom teachers will send out more information and a Zoom link to join their Back To School Night session. -
6:30-7:00 pm - TK, K, 4 and 6 -
7:10-7:40 pm - Grades 1, 2, and 7 -
7:45-8:15 pm - Grades 3, 5, and 8 | | | DISTANCE LEARNING
Check out our Distance Learning Resource with information on class schedules, blogs, and English-Language Art (ELA) and Math curriculums. | | | PARENTS' CLUB Our Parents Club continues to thrive under the leadership of Jessica Cabrera, mom to Roman(4) and Dawson (2) and we are grateful to her for once again accepting the nomination to be PC President. She is ably assisted by Vice President, Cecilia Sainez, mom of Benny (8). The position of Secretary is still open so feel free to contact Jessica if you are interested. The Parents' Club is the fundraising arm of our school and this year will present them with some additional challenges as usual activities are no longer possible. The first PC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 3rd via Zoom. All are welcome to attend and we welcome your great new ideas. | | | PARENT HOURS Because of the uncertainty surrounding the return to school and our need to avoid large gatherings when we do return, we have made some adjustments to the required parent hours for this school year. We are reducing your commitment of a minimum of 15 hours to just 6 hours. These six hours can be completed for volunteer activities sanctioned by the Parents' Club or the St. Thomas More School administration. The buy-out fee for those who do not complete the minimum of 6 hours will be reduced to $350. Donations of paper may be requested in lieu of hours at a later date. | | | FUN RUN The Fun Run has been postponed for several weeks as we want to concentrate on getting all our classes up and running successfully for now. More information will be coming your way in early September. | | | | At this point, we have no further updates regarding the reopening of our school. San Francisco County remains on the watchlist. For school to reopen on September 8, we will need to be off the watchlist for at least 14 days. We will keep you updated with any new developments. And finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff members who have worked quietly behind the scenes with me all summer long, while they should have been on vacation, in preparation for the variety of changes brought about by this pandemic and the many reports that needed to be submitted; Becky Wong, technology coordinator, Betty Quinlan, administrative assistant, and admissions assistant, Carla Blenkinsop, bookkeeper and HR liaison, and Nancy Cottura who manages all your FACTS accounts. It has been such a gift to work with such a dedicated and hardworking team.
Kindest regards,
Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal | | | | | | | | |
