STM Newsletter for November 24, 2020 - Thanksgiving Edition

View this email in your browser November 24, 2020 Dear STM School Community, We are all looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday and despite the challenges of the pandemic we have much for which we are thankful. However, the holidays also bring challenges and a strong desire to be with family and friends at this time.  Whatever your plans are, we urge you to be considerate of others and not have your child return to school if you have mixed with others outside of your normal "bubble" or if you travel during this time. We each have a personal responsibility to quarantine if we have been exposed to someone who may have the virus. Quarantine helps prevent the spread of disease that can occur before a person knows they are sick or if they are infected with the virus without feeling symptoms. According to the Travel guidelines issued on November 17th from the San Francisco Department of Public Health, "COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in many parts of the country. Nonessential travel, including holiday travel, is not recommended. Travel outside the Bay Area will increase your chance of getting infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, and spreading it to others after your return. Additional precautions should also be taken when hosting and interacting with people traveling to the Bay Area, especially from other areas with widespread COVID-19. Many people with COVID-19 have no symptoms." I am attaching again the latest guidelines and urge you to follow the recommendations. San Francisco: COVID Travel Advisory   Yesterday, TK parents were advised that a student in the classroom had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. That student will quarantine for 14 days after the last exposure and will need to stay home until they are safe to come back to school. The student is awaiting testing but scheduling an appointment is difficult at this time given the major uptick in cases in the Bay Area.  After consultation with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and following guidelines from the CDC, we have made the decision to close the TK classroom until December 7.  The Kindergarten through 8th-grade classrooms will stay open and your children can still return to school after Thanksgiving break if you believe it is safe. We will update you if anything changes.  If any member of your household is showing symptoms, even if they are mild, please keep your child at home until you have been tested. Please keep monitoring your child for symptoms and have them stay home if they are sick or show any symptoms. Please contact your healthcare provider for any other questions. This link may be helpful in knowing what symptoms you should check Parents and Guardians: COVID-19 Health Checks. Santa's Secret Shop! Holiday Online Shoppe! This year our Parents' Club had hoped to offer in-person shopping to students on campus in addition to the Holiday Online Shoppe for students to purchase gifts for family and friends. However, in light of the rapid increase of positive COVID-19 cases in the Bay Area, we are revising that plan. All students will have the opportunity to shop online, beginning next Monday, November 30. Watch for more details and begin to prepare these shopping lists! Thank you for all you do to keep our school and community safe. Happy Thanksgiving! 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

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STM Newsletter for Wednesday, November 18, 2020

View this email in your browser November 18, 2020 Dear STM Families, We are so grateful to now have over 60% of our students back on campus. It is joyful to come to school each day and to see their smiling faces and hear their excited chatter.  The recent spike in COVID-19 cases in California and the Bay Area reminds us to continue to be extremely vigilant and to follow guidelines from the local health department, as well as the CDC, in all our decision making.  As we head into Thanksgiving break I want to remind you again about the need to continue to  follow the COVID Travel Advisory updated November 12, by the SFDPH. Please consider keeping your child at home for 14 days after the break, or have them tested, if they have been in gatherings with people outside of your regular bubble.  Teachers and staff now have the opportunity to be tested on campus twice a week, with a 24 hour turnaround, and this has definitely been helpful in relieving anxiety.  EXTENDED CARE When we completed our last survey regarding returning to campus we had 27 families express interest in having an Extended Care Program in place. With this in mind, two staff members were hired to run that program. Currently, we only have three students attending EC. This is not sustainable financially, so unfortunately we will be discontinuing the program after December 18th. Hopefully, this will give families using the service enough time to make alternative arrangements.  Returning to In-Person Learning If your family is currently in distance learning, the next opportunity to return to in-person learning will be January 6, 2021.  We will not be accepting any additional students back in December. If you wish to have your child return in January, complete the Request for Student In-Person Learning form no later than Monday, December 15, 2020 so that we have adequate time to make any necessary adjustments.  Please email our Admissions Assistant, Betty Quinlan, at bquinlan@stmsf.org, if you have any questions. TRIMESTER 1 REPORT CARDS  Report Cards and STAR Parent Reports will be distributed tomorrow, November 19, 2020.   In-school Learners: Printed copies of the trimester 1 report cards and Q2 STAR parent reports will be distributed in school. Grades 1-8 will also have student ID cards sent home. Grades 7-8 students will not have printed copies of the report card. Please view grades in Powerschool.  Distance Learners: Teachers will email parents a digital copy of the report card and STAR parent report to families with distance learners.  The student ID card will be held in the office for when your child returns for in-person instruction. CALENDAR Thursday, Nov. 19 Trimester 1 Report Cards and Q2 STAR Parent Reports distributed Monday, Nov. 23 and Tuesday, Nov. 24 TK-8 Distance Learning Days  Minimum Days - 12:15/12:30 pm Wednesday, Nov. 25-Friday, Nov. 27 Thanksgiving Holiday - school closed Monday, Nov. 30 Classes resume FUN RUN What a successful event this was! The total raised was about $70,000. After paying website costs, buying prizes and t-shirts, and other expenses our profit was close to $50,000.  A special shout out to our five biggest student fundraisers who raised a whopping $8940 between them. Coming in with the highest total was Eoin Clancy from 3rd grade with $2255, followed closely by Patricia Paraiso (8), Eithne Clancy (3), David Hom (K) and Briana Seymore (1). Congratulations to everyone on a job well done. For families who did not meet the minimum requirement of $100 per student, your FACTS account will be billed tomorrow, 11/19 for $150, as outlined in our financial policies. STM 29th Annual Cioppino Dinner  Save the date: Saturday, February 27, 2021  We are doing things, a little differently this year - Cioppino On The Go! More information to come. Until then…Remember how much fun you had buying baskets at Cioppino? Or wishing you had been there when you saw the great items your friends brought home? Cioppino Christmas Baskets are now here! Do your Christmas shopping early and help our school at the same time.Order a beautiful gift basket custom made by the Cioppino Committee and delivered to you in time for Christmas. View and purchase Christmas baskets here https://stmcioppino.weebly.com/ Only $25.00 per basket!  Basket orders must be placed by December 1st. Christmas Basket questions: Linda Shah (alumni) Lp1114@aol.com or Trilce Farrugia (3nd & 8th Grade) trilce.farrugia@gmail.com Interested in joining the Cioppino Committee or volunteering contact Angelina Lee (Kindergarten)  angelina.lee03@gmail.com Don't forget to save the date for Cioppino On The Go!   HOLIDAY SHOPPE We'd start the online shop on November 30th and have it open until Friday, December 11th. We'll have our 2 day in person event on December 9th and 10th. A sign up genius will be going out to ask for limited parent volunteers for this event.   AMAZON SMILE  You can make an impact while you shop for Black Friday deals. Simply shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/94-1665274 and AmazonSmile will donate to St. Thomas More School, at no cost to you.     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

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Rainy Day Dismissal

View this email in your browser Rainy Day Dismissal Dear STM Families,  On rainy days, please pick up your child from the designated building exits as marked in the map below.  Please wait at the bottom of the steps as teachers and aides dismiss their students. If you have two or more children, please meet them at the exit for the youngest child. Please continue to practice social distancing. Thank you for patience! STM Office 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

This email was sent to bwong9.stmnewsletter1920@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences St. Thomas More School · 50 Thomas More Way · San Francisco, CA 94132 · USA