STM Newsletter for Wednesday, December 16, 2020

View this email in your browser Ugly Sweater Designs from Sixth Grade  December 16, 2020 Dear STM Families,  Ho, Ho Ho! There was much excitement in the air today as Santa visited! He seems to know that STM students have been really really good this year and he enjoyed learning about the fun activities they are doing to prepare for Christmas! The Student Council organized a fun Spirit Week for everyone as well as an ornament coloring project to share with our elderly neighbors at Alma Via and to send some holiday cheer their way.  Santa visits Kindergarten Santa visits Fourth Grade PICK UP DAY TOMORROW Thursday is pick-up day for all grades. Materials and books needed for January distance learning will be on tables out front or on the schoolyard benches, labeled by grade and student name or number. We will move items to the gym if it rains. Your classroom teacher will notify you if a pick-up has been scheduled. SCHOOL UNIFORMS We will continue with modified school uniforms for the remainder of the school year.  Beginning January 5, all students will be required to wear their uniform shirt and sweater during distance learning. We hope that this will lead to increased student engagement and will serve to delineate school time from other activities.  CALENDAR Thursday, Dec. 17 - Christmas Character Day Friday, Dec. 18 - Minimum Day Monday, Dec. 21-Monday, Jan. 4  Christmas Holiday - school closed Tuesday, Jan. 5 TK-8 classes resume with distance learning until Jan. 15th Minimum Day - 12:15/12:30 dismissal Tuesday, Jan. 19 TK-8 In-person instruction resumes; full day COVID19 PROTOCOLS AND TRAVEL RESTRICTION As we head into vacation time we need to keep in mind our responsibility to be vigilant, to continue to practice proper social distancing, mask wearing and following guidelines from the San Francisco Department of Public Health and our California state mandates. Included here are the most updated advisories as well as the form you will be required to submit the week before we return to in-person learning on January 19. We will send you the January Return to School form again on January 10. It will need to be completed by all students between January 11-14, 2021, in order for your child to return in-person learning. Adhere to the Stay-Safer-At-Home Order C19-07q updated December 9.  Follow the COVID Travel Advisory from SFDPH Complete the Archdiocese of San Francisco January Return to School form REQUEST TO RETURN FOR IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION If you wish to have your child return on Tuesday, January 19, please complete Request for Student In-Person Learning form no later than Tuesday, January 12, 2020, so that we have adequate time to make any necessary adjustments. We will not be checking emails, or updating the roster, once Christmas vacation begins. In an attempt to help your planning for the remainder of the school year we are providing additional dates when students may return to in-school learning.  For these dates listed below, please submit this form at least 5 business days prior to your child's return to campus. Please email our Admissions Assistant, Betty Quinlan, at bquinlan@stmsf.org, if you have further questions. Return for in-person instruction schedule: January 19 February 16 March 8 April 12 May 4  LINK: Request for Student In-Person Learning Form CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY TO STM! In today's mail we received a grant in the amount of $85,000 from the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation. This grant goes towards the renovations of the boys and girls bathrooms in the main school building. This renovation is part of the ongoing seismic retrofit of the school. We are so very grateful to the Gellert Foundation for their support of this project. They have previously assisted with grants towards the science lab, which is named in their honor, with the recent roof replacement and have supported families through our Tuition Assistance Program for many years. Please offer a prayer of thanks for their extreme generosity and support of Catholic education. DONATIONS NEEDED  This year we have been forced to cancel or modify many of our major fundraising activities such as The Fall Festival, the STM Golf Tournament and the Pancake Breakfast because of restrictions caused by the pandemic. However, we continue to make improvements to the school facilities and to provide additional resources to enhance student learning. We have three projects that we are hoping to complete in the Springtime if we can raise the funds. Thank you to all those who donated to our school improvement projects. So far we raised $1,850 in a week!  School Improvement Projects: Acquire and install desktop speakers for classroom laptops to ease communication among in-class and distance learning students. Install a mail slot by the front door. Install a clear barrier on the second floor outside of the library and science lab. Pandemic Tax Tip: Non-Itemizers Can Deduct $300 for Charity Donations in 2020 Please consider an end-of-year donation to allow us to proceed with these improvements. If you won't be itemizing your deductions on your 2020 federal tax return — and most taxpayers won't — be sure to take advantage of the special $300 charitable-giving deduction that Congress authorized this spring in response to the pandemic. LINK: DONATE TO SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT FUND EXTENDED CARE PROGRAM CANCELLED Beginning January 2021, afternoon extended care will no longer be offered. Very few families availed of the service and we are unable to continue running the program at a loss. We will reopen both Morning Care and afternoon Extended Care for the 2021-2022 school year.  12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS AT STM To watch all of the 12 Days of Christmas at STM videos check out our Youtube Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfAKkD9GK82IrDcai5y53HyPdZq4m-BqO As we look towards 2021, we, at St. Thomas More School, continue to be  filled with hope and gratitude. I am confident that we will continue to build on our strengths so that collaboratively we can work to provide the best possible environment for our students to learn, thrive and to grow in God's love. Wishing you a joyous Christmas season and a happy and peaceful New Year.                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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January 2021 School Reopening

View this email in your browser December 11, 2020 Dear STM Families: This message is to inform you that we will not be reopening our campus on January 6, 2021, as previously planned. Rather, we will reopen on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.  Since November 28, 2020, San Francisco and most surrounding counties have moved from the yellow to the purple tier. This newest surge in infections continues to increase alarmingly and hospitalization rates have tripled over the last month. This trend is predicted to continue into the new year. Especially concerning are the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations where more and more people will gather with family and friends with some traveling out of state to do so.   When we reopened the school in October, we were optimistic that the number of cases locally was declining and that we had plans in place to mitigate the spread of infections. While our robust plans are still in place, reopening in the midst of a huge surge puts staff and students at a higher risk. The Mayor and the Department of Public Health are allowing schools to remain open, however, we believe that returning to full-time distance learning for the first three weeks in January is the safest thing to do for the staff and students at St. Thomas More School and Utopia Preschool. While this decision will no doubt cause inconvenience to some of our families, we believe that it is in the best interest of the whole STM community. Families and school personnel will have extra time to quarantine and be ready for a safer return to campus. All faculty and staff will be tested the week before reopening. We urge you to use this extra time to quarantine with your family. While testing for students is not required, we are strongly recommending that students get tested where possible.  Pick-up-Day, Thursday, December 17, from 11am-2pm  To facilitate three weeks of distance learning the teachers will be preparing materials for pick-up for students currently distance learning. Students currently in school will be taking home all their books and needed materials on that day. With God's grace and blessing, we will return to campus strong, healthy, and eager to continue with learning from January through June. We look forward with hope to the relief that a vaccine will bring and a brighter outlook for 2021. With gratitude, to all members of our strong STM community. 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 December 9, 2020

View this email in your browser December 9, 2020 Dear STM Community, Today and everyday we are grateful for the love and support that we have received from our parent community. During the past nine months you have shown your appreciation for the work that the teachers and the front office staff have done in so many ways. Thank you for the many kind notes, expressions of gratitude, and helpful suggestions you have shared with us. During difficult times your show of appreciation has been uplifting and has enabled all of us to reach new heights in our efforts to support your children and your family.  Please accept our sincere gratitude. DONATIONS NEEDED  This year we have been forced to cancel or modify many of our major fundraising activities such as The Fall Festival, the STM Golf Tournament and the Pancake Breakfast because of restrictions caused by the pandemic. However, we continue to make improvements to the school facilities and to provide additional resources to enhance student learning. We have three projects that we are hoping to complete in the Springtime if we can raise the funds. They include the following: Aquire and install desktop speakers for classroom laptops to ease communication among in-class and distance learning students. Install a mail slot by the front door.  Install a clear barrier on the second floor outside of the library and science lab. Please consider an end-of-year donation to allow us to proceed with these improvements. Use the following link to donate: https://stthomasmoreschool.aware3.net/form/ji2Rn84pn   LINK: DONATE TO SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT FUND CLASSROOM TECH ADVANCEMENTS One of the reasons our hybrid instruction model has functioned so smoothly is thanks to Princess Costello, a second grade parent, who facilitated a donation from her company, Facebook, of 65", 82" and desktop sized monitors. This generous donation could not have come at a better time! These devices have been instrumental in delivering instruction in our classrooms and have helped our teachers connect and interact with our distance learning students engaged in remote learning from home. The monitors have also been an excellent medium for our students to share their ideas, presentations and projects with their entire class. A big thank you to the O'Shaughnessy Family. Sinead and Michael, parents of Anna in 8th grade, donated and installed a custom made sneeze guard for our front counter. It looks really great and provides not only protection from viruses but also from the biting cold winds that come through the hallways now that all our doors and windows are open to allow for maximum ventilation. CALENDAR Friday, Dec. 11 - Last Day of Holiday Online Shoppe ​Friday, Dec. 18  TK-8 Distance Learning Day Minimum Day - 12:1512:30 dismissal Monday, Dec. 21-Monday, Jan. 4  Christmas Holiday -  school closed Tuesday, Jan. 5  TK-8 classes resume with distance learning Minimum Day - 12:15/12:30 dismissal Wednesday, Jan. 6 TK-8 In-person instruction resumes REQUEST TO RETURN FOR IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION For the safety of all our students and staff we will continue to keep our on-site cohorts of students as stable as possible.This is even more important given the spike in cases in San Francisco County and the most recent stay at home directives from the Governor's office.   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 on January 6, please complete 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. We will not be checking emails, or updating the roster, once Christmas vacation begins. In an attempt to help your planning for the remainder of the school year we are providing additional dates when students may return to in-school learning.  For these dates listed below, please submit this form at least 5 business days prior to your child's return to campus. Please email our Admissions Assistant, Betty Quinlan, at bquinlan@stmsf.org, if you have further questions. Return for in-person instruction schedule: January 6 January 25 February 16 March 8 April 12 May 4   LINK: Request for Student In-Person Learning Form  STUDENT COUNCIL ACTIVITIES  Our Student Council has been very busy over the past few months and have some great plans for December as well. They are arranging a special Winter Themed Spirit Week for the last week of school. Let's get in the Christmas Spirit! Monday, December 14: Pajama Day Tuesday, December 15: Christmas Colors Day Wednesday, December 16: Flannel Day Thursday, December 17: Christmas Character day Please check out their video to see what they have in store to bring on the excitement of the holidays. Spirit Week Video The residents of Alma Via, the assisted living facility across the street, are in for a treat as the Student Council has organized making Christmas decorations for them to brighten their spirits and their hallways.   The Student Council also prepared posters to remind us to continue to practice safety and wear our masks, just like Santa! Check out this adorable poster by artist Vivian Nguyen. SANTA VISITS STM STUDENTS! Santa has just sent me a text to say that he's popping into our Zoom sessions next Wednesday to say hello to all our students in Preschool through 5th grade! I can't believe he's fitting a visit to us into his busy schedule. 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS AT STM I hope you had an opportunity to check out the presentations for the first three days of Christmas from our students. Thanks to our 7th graders for sharing some new Advent facts with us on Monday. Yesterday, Kindergarten gave us a beautiful rendition of "Away in a Manger" and also a peak into their classroom. Unfortunately, the section of the video recorded with the students on zoom didn't make it to the video today. Oh, the joys and challenges of technology! Today, we hear jingling coming to you from our awesome TK students! Check out our Christmas Calendar to see what other wonderful treats the children have prepared for you.    The last day to submit your December Scrip order is Thursday, December 10 at 8 pm.  And finally, we wish you a very happy Christmas and holiday season. We know that this past year has been very difficult for all of us, and we pray that the coming year brings more certain times for our world. With prayers and good wishes for better days ahead. Magsaya ngayong bakasyon! Feliz Navidad Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo 圣诞节快乐 Shèngdàn jié kuàilè Nollaig Shona Duit Веселого Різдва' Veseloho Rizdva  Advent  Christmas Blessings! Marie Fitzpatrick   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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