STM Newsletter for Wednesday, September 23, 2020

View this email in your browser September 23, 2020 Dear STM Community, The two recent, racially-motivated attacks against KZV, our neighboring school on Brotherhood Way, are crimes against the children of that school. How scary it must be for their students to see a bullet hole in the sign in front of their school, or to see hateful graffiti on the walls of their school buildings. How would we feel if that happened at STM? Please keep their community in your thoughts and prayers. Use this opportunity to speak to your children, in an age-appropriate manner, regarding God's love for all people.  The following is an excerpt from a blog by educational leaders at Verbum Dei High School in Los Angeles: "in Genesis we learn that "God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them" (Gen. 1:27). Scripture doesn't say God created some people in God's image. Scripture shows us that every human is made in the image of God, inherently has equal dignity, and that it is imperative to take action when that dignity is called into question."   Application to Reopen School Our application to reopen our school has been submitted to the San Francisco Department of Public Health and is now in the review process. We are working with a physician from that department to provide additional information prior to scheduling their visit to our school site. In preparation for reopening, we have scheduled onsite pre-return testing for all school employees on 10/8/2020.  Regular employee testing will continue for the rest of this school year. San Francisco requires that school employees continue to be tested at least every two-months after returning to work. CALENDAR Tuesday, September 22 Serra High School virtual visit with Grades 7-8 at 2 pm  Thursday, September 24 Riordan virtual visit with Grades 7-8 at 2 pm  Monday, September 28 Minimum Day - 12:15/12:30 pm dismissal Teacher In-service Day Thursday, October 1 Mercy Burlingame Virtual Visit with Grades 7-8 Parents' Club Meeting 7 pm PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES Parent conferences are an opportunity to discuss the achievements of your child with their teacher, as well as how best to support their continued growth, academically, and in the areas of social and emotional development.  All conferences will be virtual this year. During your conference, the teacher will also share the results of the STAR baseline test taken in early September.  An email invitation will be sent to the primary email address listed on your FACTS account today at 5 pm via SignUpGenius. Sign-ups close on Friday, October 2, 2020. Please contact your child's homeroom teacher if you have any questions about conferences.    Sign Up Dates: Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 5 pm - Friday, Oct. 2 at 11:59 pm    Parent-Teacher Conference Dates: Monday, Oct. 5-Wednesday, Oct. 7   Afternoon sessions: 2:00-4:00 pm    Evening sessions: 5:00-7:00 pm  Check out Fifth Grades' Day 2 Dance Challenge video!   FUN RUN UPDATE Our Fun Run Fundraiser is off to a great start! As I write this we have passed the $18,000 mark. These funds will be used to purchase Air Purifiers for all classrooms and to cover some of the costs associated with operating the machines and regularly replacing the filters. While we know that keeping our windows and doors open is one of the best ways to ventilate our classrooms, we also know that this will not always be possible to do when the weather gets cold, wet and windy, or the air quality is unhealthy. Air purifiers can help neutralize many of the threats posed by air pollution and hopefully will help remove some virus particles from the classroom air. The last few years have shown us that our air quality deteriorates rapidly with the increased number of fires in our state. We want to be prepared for the next time the air quality index becomes unhealthy. Thanks for supporting STM! Distance Learning Reminders Now that we are well settled into the school year with distance learning it's time to remind ourselves that our focus is on building up our students into independent life-long learners. Step away when students are participating in online learning to promote the development of responsibility and independence. A note about recording class sessions: The school will record class time and archive them for internal use. Students and parents are prohibited from recording, sharing or public posting of class sessions or other online engagements. All class meetings are the intellectual property of the school. Picture and Pick Up Days School pictures are scheduled for Wednesday, October 13 and Thursday, October 14, 2020. We will also use this day to pick up Fun Run t-shirts and prizes. Previously, this was scheduled for Friday, October 9, but doing both on the same day as school photos will minimize the number of visits needed to the campus. STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS Student Council Elections are on Tuesday, October 13th. Student Council officer positions are open to seventh and eighth-graders. Refer to the STM Student Council Election Guidelines and Intent to Run Application for more information and a calendar for deadlines. BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION Join me in earning cash for our school by using the Box Tops app. It's an easy way to make a difference. All you have to do is buy Box Tops participating products (like Cheerios!) and scan your grocery receipt. Box Tops are worth $.10 each and they add up fast! Twice a year, our school receives a check to help pay for whatever we need - equipment, supplies or experiences the kids love! Use this referral code BM1V2FFP when you sign up and you'll get 50 Bonus Box Tops when you scan your first receipt (Offer expires 9/27/20)! Download the Box Tops for Education app here. Pope Francis, 2017               "the rivers don't drink their own water; Trees don't eat their own fruits.  The Sun does not shine for itself;  And flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves.  Living for others is a rule of nature…  Life is good when you're happy;  but it is much better when others are happy because of you "!!! With gratitude for all you do for our school, Marie Fitzpatrick Principal Copyright © 2020 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 unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences    Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

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