National Catholic Schools Week 2013

Monday, January 28th

• Classroom Observation: 9:00-10:30 and 11:00-12:00 all classrooms.

Tuesday, January 29th

• Classroom Observation: 9:00-10:30, 11:00-12:00 and 1:15-2:30 all classrooms. 
• Dance/Movement Day: Each class will have its regular, weekly dance class with Sue Rissotto, our professional dance and movement instructor. Classes are in the school’s gymnasium. 

Wednesday, January 30th

• Classroom Observation: 9:00-10:30, 11:00-12:00 and 1:15-2:30 all classrooms. 
• Physical Education Day: Each class will have its regular, weekly physical education class with a professional P.E. instructor from Rhythm and Moves. Class is held in the schoolyard or the gym. 
• First Reconciliation: Students will receive their First Reconciliation at 10:00am in the STM Church. 
• Guitar Lessons: Weekly after school guitar lessons, 3:15-4:00, are available for those who wish to enroll. 
• Student Council Meeting: 3:00-3:30, fourth grade classroom, all are welcome. 
• Boy Scout Meeting: St. Thomas More’s Boy Scouts meet at 7:30 p.m. in Carroll Hall. Interested visitors are welcome to attend a meeting of Troop 343, the most active Boy Scout Troop in S.F. 
• School Advisory Board: Please feel free to join us at 7:00pm in the library for this meeting. 

Thursday, January 31st

• Classroom Observation: 9:00-10:30 and 1:15-2:30 all classes. 
• Music Day: Each class will have its regular, weekly music education class with a professional music instructor from Rhythm and Moves. Classes are in Carroll Hall. 
• Grandparents Day/Special Lunch: Grandparents are invited to join the students to enjoy a pasta lunch, as well as other exciting activities. 
• Band Classes: Optional weekly after school band classes, 3:00-4:30. 
• Parents’ Club Meeting: 7:00pm in Carroll Hall. 

Friday, February 1st

• First Friday Mass: Please consider joining the student body for the 8:30am Mass in the Church. 
• Classroom Observation: 9:30-10:30 and 11:00-12:00 all classes. 
• School Spelling Bee: The school finals of its annual school Spelling Bee Championship, 1:10, Carroll Hall. All are welcome! 

Sunday, February 5th

• The culmination of Catholic Schools Week is the gathering together for Family Mass. Following the Mass, please enjoy the open house at the school, refreshments in the gym and our annual Book Fair! 
• Mass: Families come together at 10:00 a.m. in St. Thomas More Church. Kindergarten students take a prominent role in this liturgy. 
• Open House: Classrooms will be open; teachers will be present. Open House begins about 11:30 after the 10:00 Mass. The office will be open to accept applications during Open House, which will end about 12:30. 
• Hospitality: Following Mass, our very active Parents’ Club will host coffee and breakfast treats in the gym. 
• Book Faire: The Parents’ Club runs its annual Scholastic Book Faire in the library and second floor lobby of the new building immediately after the Family Mass.

STM Newsletter for January 16, 2013

Dear Parents:

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. strived to teach valuable lessons of equality, compassion, and understanding to people everywhere. King is perhaps best remembered for delivering his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech in front of a quarter of a million people in the Mall in Washington, DC. His famous line, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," still resonates today. Dr. King continually encouraged everyone to make a difference. Let us all continue to THINK like Jesus as we become more active, concerned citizens who care for others and become involved in acts of charity and work towards a more just society for all. We can enjoy a three-day weekend this weekend thanks to the observance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday.

A compulsory meeting for parents of all students who are receiving First Reconciliation this year will be held in the 2^nd grade classroom tomorrow night, January 17^th beginning at 6:30pm. At least one parent from each family is required to attend.

This Friday marks the end of the second quarter. Report cards will be sent home with your child next Friday, January 25^th. If you do not receive a report card next week, please check with the office to ensure your accounts are up to date.

CIOPPINO 2012: Work continues in preparation for our BIG fundraiser on Saturday, February 23^rd. Thank you for the many donations that have come through the school office for our Cioppino baskets and auction items – keep them coming! Consider getting together with other parents from your child’s class to purchase a table. This event is a lot of fun. Remember, childcare is available for a nominal fee. Please respond as soon as possible as we believe this will be a sell out event again this year. To purchase tickets, please use the flyer you are receiving today and return it to the school office. The next Cioppino meeting has been scheduled for this coming Tuesday, January 22^nd at 7:00pm in Carroll Hall.

NATIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK: This runs from January 27^th through February 3^rd. Please mark your calendars for our Family Mass, Open House, Book Faire, and other exciting events on Sunday, February 3^rd. The schedule of activities for National Catholic Schools Week is included in your envelope today and will be available on our website shortly. Again this year we will be having a special day where we invite grandparents and other special friends to spend some of the day with the children. Pencil in Thursday, January 31^st for this special day. Invitations for this Grandparents lunch are included in your envelope today. To help celebrate our grandparents and other special adults in the lives of our children, all students and their adult guests will receive a free pasta lunch that day! All pasta lunches will include garlic bread and juice/milk.

LOCKDOWN DRILL:  A lockdown of a building or group of buildings is an emergency procedure intended to secure and protect occupants who are in the proximity of an immediate threat. This procedure is used when it may be more dangerous to evacuate a building than stay inside. By controlling entry/exit and movement within a facility, school and emergency personnel are better able to contain and handle any threats. As we continue to plan for the safety of our students and staff here at St. Thomas More School we are planning to have a lockdown drill on next Tuesday, January 22^nd at 10:00am. Teachers will prepare the students in advance in this “Be Safe” drill and we will continue to practice these regularly. Please discuss the need for lockdown drills with your child at home in an age appropriate manner. We don’t want this to be a scary experience but we will need full cooperation from everyone to ensure our drills are successful. Just like the monthly fire drills conducted by the SFFD they will become a regular part of our safety routine.

USF DIGITAL MEDIA AND LEARNING:  We are very excited to be asked once again to participate in a unique partnership with the University of San Francisco. Our students will work in collaboration with USF graduate students in an exciting course entitled, Digital Media and Learning. This is our sixth year participating in this program and is open to all 7^th and 8^th grade students. Because of class size restrictions there are only eight spots open to STM students. The sessions will take place on Thursday afternoons between 4:30 and 6:00pm at the School of Education at USF, 2350 Turk Boulevard. The first session will begin on Thursday, February 14^th and will continue for seven weeks. If you are interested in having your child participate, please review the flyer in today’s envelope.

PM EXTENDED CARE: Do you need a 2012 payment summary from Afternoon Extended Care for your flexible spending account or your 2012 tax return?  Please contact John Kavanagh at JKav@stmsf.org and he will provide it.

WARRIORS TICKETS: Thank you to all who sent in reservations for Warrior tickets. Unfortunately we received many more requests for tickets than we could fill. Those whose orders we were not able to fill are having their checks returned to them.

SHOPAROO: Have you registered for this simple fundraiser yet? STM has over 200,000 points, which translates into $450! Download the Shoparoo app to get started and begin taking photos of your grocery receipts in order to earn points. It’s really that easy!

UNIFORM SURVEY: Thank you to the 103 families who shared their thoughts on suggested uniform changes via the online uniform survey. We will take some time to read all your comments and analyze the results. Be a part of the final decision making process by attending the next Parents’ Club meeting on Thursday, February 7^th.

PIZZA/HOT DOG SALES: Today you are receiving pizza and hot dog order forms for the next quarter. Please remember that order forms will only be sent home at the beginning of each quarter. This will be your only opportunity to order. You must order for all four sales if you wish to participate in these special lunches. Please clearly mark the name, grade and the word PIZZA or HOTDOG on the envelope if you wish to order.

KINDERGARTEN APPLICATIONS: We continue to receive applications for next year’s kindergarten class. Have all preschool families and younger siblings of current students turned in their applications? Beginning next week, we will start the screening process. Preschool students will be tested during their school day. Siblings and other students new to our school will be contacted to schedule an appointment. Just a reminder that kindergarten applicants must be 5 years old by October 1st, 2013 in order to apply. Application forms are available from the school office or can be downloaded from our website.

STM TAP: We are happy to announce that we have again this year received a $20,000 grant from the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation to be used for tuition assistance. Funds will be distributed on the basis of those families who need the most help. To qualify for temporary tuition assistance, families will need to show proof of financial hardship and funds will be distributed on a discretionary basis by the school administration. Please let Mrs. Fitzpatrick know in writing if you are interested in receiving an application form. Applications will be sent home in next week’s envelope. Thank you once again to the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation!

SUMMER SCHOOL: We have already begun receiving information on various summer school activities. In the event that we receive enough flyers to send home for each family, these will be included in your envelope as we receive them. All other summer school flyers will be available for download from our website as we receive them.

GRADUATION PICTURES: 8^th grade graduation pictures are this Friday. Please follow the appropriate dress guidelines given by Mrs. Spiegel.

COLDS AND FLUS: For the second day in a row, more than 10% of our student body are absent due to illness (14 students are absent in 3^rd grade today). If your child is showing ANY symptoms of illness such as headaches, cough, dizziness, fever, or stomach aches please keep them at home. This will avoid spreading these symptoms to others. While we keep our school building nice and warm, the students are often cold at recess time. Please send them to school in warm jackets. Let’s all work together to keep our school campus as healthy as possible.

LET'S GO NINERS...LET'S GO! This Friday, January 18^th, in support of the SF 49ers making it into their division championship, we are allowing students to wear 49ers (red and gold) accessories. The school uniform must be worn, however, hats, earrings, headbands, socks, etc may also be worn (no jerseys). Let's hope they make it into the Super Bowl...and maybe we'll have a 49ers free dress day!

Sincerely,

Marie Fitzpatrick

Principal

STM Newsletter for January 9, 2013

Dear Parents:

Happy New Year! It was a great vacation, but it is nice to be back. We hope your vacation was enjoyable, too. On these cold mornings, it is important that your child has a healthy breakfast to get a good start to the day and a warm jacket to wear to school. While the building is nice and warm, it gets quite chilly when they go outside at recess time. The heavy rains during the holidays resulted in some blocked drains on the school roof. Unfortunately, this led to a sizable leak in the fourth grade classroom. Luckily, damage was minimal and can be easily repaired. Students have been temporarily evacuated to the Science Lab but should be able to return to their classroom tomorrow.

This past Sunday marked the Feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany is traditionally celebrated the 12th day after Christmas. The term epiphany means to show or to reveal. When the Wise Men, who brought the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus they were the first to acknowledge Jesus as King and so were the first to show or reveal Jesus to a wider world as the incarnate Christ. Today, the day is now observed as a time of focusing on the mission of the church in reaching others by showing Jesus as the Savior of all people.

The Parents’ Club has their usual monthly meeting tomorrow night, Thursday, January 10^th at 7:00 p.m. in Carroll Hall. See you there!

Next Monday, January 14^th, Olive the storyteller will be here for the kindergarten

through third grade students. Come and enjoy some magical tales in Carroll Hall at 8:30 and 9:30.

Also on Monday the 14^th, our 3^rd graders have prepared a prayer service for 1:00 p.m. in the gym. All are welcome to attend.

The next Cioppino meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 15th. Anyone interested in helping with the event are invited to attend the meeting at 7:00 in Carroll Hall.

CIOPPINO: Speaking of Cioppino…Please mark your calendars for Saturday, February 23^rd. Our annual Cioppino Feed is the major fundraiser of the year and your support is very much needed and appreciated. The evening includes appetizers, antipasto, salad, garlic bread, cioppino (or chicken if you prefer), dessert, balloon prizes and a fabulous auction. Babysitting is also available on site! Please consider getting a table together with some other parents from your class. We can guarantee a fun evening for all!

The committees in charge are busy looking for raffle and silent auction items to use as part of this event. Many such items are received through the generosity of our parent community. Do you have items at home that you cannot use? Are you always thrilled by all your Christmas gifts? Do you really need another chia pet? Well, one person’s garbage is another person’s treasure. Send us your unwanted/unneeded gifts. We’ll turn those lumps of coal into diamonds! The committee is now accepting donations of all kinds.

BRICK CAMPAIGN: Planning continues for the Creative Arts Center that we hope to build off the gym. Along with our architect, David Finn, we have met with sound and lighting companies and hope to have a better estimate of the actual costs shortly. While we are in the process of writing grants to raise the funds for this project we also need to have your support to enable this to become a reality in the next year or two. Have you bought a brick or a plaque yet? If not, please consider doing so at this time. We are sending home a flyer again today to help with the ordering process.

FIELD TRIPS: The fourth graders are receiving a permission slip today for their upcoming field trip the San Francisco Botanical Gardens on Wednesday, January 23^rd. All 5^th-8^th graders are receiving a permission slip today to attend the Mercy S.F. Winter Dance Concert, on January 24^th. Please pay attention to the due date, as late forms will not be accepted.

TUITION PAYMENTS: A reminder that the January payment is now due for those of you on the monthly tuition payment plan. Also, the quarterly payments are due no later than January 15^th. If you have not yet paid your Capital Improvement fee of $350 per family, which was due last month, please submit it to the office as soon as possible. Extended Care billing notices for the month of December are in your envelopes today.

KINDERGARTEN APPLICATIONS: We will begin processing kindergarten applications and scheduling screening appointments by mid-January. If you currently have a child in Utopia or a sibling who wishes to apply for kindergarten and have not completed the application, please do so as soon as possible.

TEXT ALERT: As we did in December, we are going to send a text message to once again TEST our new alert system to the phone numbers we have on file. If you wish to add an additional cell phone number to receive this alert, please use the Contact Information Update Sheet on the Contact Us tab on our website by Friday, January 11^th. We will conduct our next TEST text message next week.

JOANNE PANG FOUNDATION: In support of the Joanne Pang Foundation we will have a free dress fundraiser on this coming Friday, January 11^th. Please read the enclosed flyer for further information on this important cause.

Thank you for all your ongoing generous support.

Sincerely, 

Marie Fitzpatrick                    

Principal      

STM Newsletter for December 12, 2012

-->

Dear Parents:

For a long time now, many have lost sight of what Christmas really means. People these days think Christmas is just giving and receiving presents. We ask that you take time from your busy schedule to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus' birthday, and that you remind your children of this. As you make holiday plans, don't forget to include Advent and Christmas services at your local church. Please continue to use the Advent calendar you received last week to help your family prepare for the birth of Jesus on December 25^th.

Many thanks to all the students and their families, along with our friends at Alma Via who generously donated to the Thanksgiving food drive.  We provided the San Francisco Food Bank with two full barrels of canned and boxed foods to be distributed to our hungry brothers and sisters in San Francisco.  The staff of the St. Francisco Living Room were thrilled to received the many jars of peanut butter and jelly for the seniors in their breakfast program who look forward to a healthy and nutritious meal.  Your compassionate and charitable deeds are much appreciated by the various organizations we serve through our community outreach programs.

Our second peanut butter drive this holiday season was for the benefit of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. You may recall us mentioning ‘Peanut Butter Friday’ in last week’s letter. If we reached our goal of 300 jars of peanut butter by last Friday, the student body would enjoy free dress on Wednesday, December 19^th. We are happy to announce that not only did we reach our goal, we exceeded it by over 100 jars. That’s right – we collected over 400 jars of peanut butter! What a great accomplishment. Thank you to all who brought in one jar, or two, to donate to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. For your efforts, we can all enjoy free dress next Wednesday, December 19^th!

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM: Tomorrow evening, Dec. 13th, our students will present our annual Christmas Program in the Church. All students will be involved in this production. Students should wear dressy clothes unless notified otherwise by their teacher. No t-shirts or sweats please. Please review the clothing suggestions sent home last week. The front door of the school will open at 6:15 pm to allow students to enter their classrooms. Students are asked to line up on the sidewalk in an orderly manner until the doors open. Families with preschoolers will enter through the side gate and drop their children in their classroom. All students need to arrive by 6:30 pm at the latest. The yard will be open for parking at 5:30 pm. As we said last week, this year, we will present the program in the church. We ask that everyone respects the 5:30pm Mass that evening and remain outside the church until Mass is over. School staff will be stationed at the church doors and will let you know when you may enter. Parents may line up at any of the three entrances. We will begin the program promptly at 7:00 pm. We look forward to your attendance for this faith-filled and fun-filled program. Everyone is welcome!

SANDWICHES-FOR-THE-NEEDY: Our last collection for the year is this Friday, December 14^th, when the 2^nd and 6^th graders will take the lead. We encourage ALL families to provide an extra sandwich for this last collection of the year. Some of our older students will once again work with residents from Alma Via on Friday to make at least 50 additional sandwiches to add to this collection.

FEES: A reminder that the Capital Improvement fee of $350 per family is due no later than dismissal Friday, December 14^th. Please note that this is also the due date for the November Extended Care payment.

CHRISTMAS VACATION: Christmas vacation begins at 12:15pm for grades K-3 and at 12:30pm for grades 4-8 on Wednesday, December 19^th. Preschool will also be dismissed at 12:00pm. There is no afternoon extended care that day, so plan ahead. Staff members will not be available to babysit! Classes resume at 8:10am on Monday, January 7^th, 2013.

USF BASKETBALL NIGHT: The Athletic Board presents a Night at USF Basketball on Saturday, December 29^th.  General admission tickets are only $2 and a discounted food voucher is also available. Reservation forms for this fun event were included in your envelope last week.  The deadline to purchase tickets is tomorrow, Thursday, December 13^th!

CHRISTMAS SPORTS CAMP: There are still some spots available in the Downy Sports Camp. Check out the flyer you are receiving again today.

PUNTO Y RAYA: STM students have gone international! Three animated films created by STM students made it as finalists in the Punto y Raya Junior Film Festival in Barcelona. Unfortunately, they didn't win the grand prize, but did very well to be finalists against many other entries from around the world. The finalists’ work has been put on a 'Best of…' DVD. Click here to see a trailer. Congratulations to the following finalists: Matt Nuris, Rainier DeLa Cruz, Elyssa Nicolas, Gaby Freedland and Isabel Sanchez. A big thank you to Sharon Lawrence, who helped the students prepare for this contest. Sharon offers many afterschool technology programs to our students throughout the year.

      

Finally, congratulations are in order. Our first grade teacher, Sue Kapovich is a brand new grandma! George Douglas Kapovich was born yesterday to Greg Kapovich (class of ’95) and his wife, Vanessa. Our best wishes go out to the Kapovich Family.

Sincerely,

Marie Fitzpatrick

Principal

STM Newsletter for December 5, 2012

Dear Parents:

This coming Saturday, we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The title of Immaculate Conception recognizes Mary’s privilege of coming into the world free from sin. Through the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection, every human can be freed from sin at Baptism. Through that same power, Mary was always free of sin, even from the very first moment of her life. Please join the student body at Friday’s 8:30am Mass as we celebrate this special privilege given to Mary.

Thank you for your presence and support at the Family Mass last Sunday. A special thank you to the second and seventh graders and their teachers Mrs. Heikel and Mrs. Girlich for putting together such a beautiful and reverent service. It was nice to see all our First Communion and Confirmation candidates as they continue their faith filled journey towards Christ. Thank you also for your generous support of the second collection of $526.55, which goes to support the school and its programs.

Next Wednesday, December 12th, third through eighth graders will participate in a reconciliation service as we do each year during the Advent Season. That will begin in the Church at 9:30.

A big thank you to Gina Sheridan and Ivette Roca who successfully co-chaired Santa’s Secret Shop this year. The children had a wonderful time shopping for all those on their list. Thank you also to all who volunteered their time to set up and help the children with their Christmas shopping last week.

We hope you all enjoyed the activities of this past weekend. Thanks to the Parents’ Club, and the Alumni Association and all who worked so hard on the Pancake Breakfast and children’s activities. A big thanks especially to Linda Shah and Anarose Schelstrate, who chaired this event. The pancake breakfast was enjoyed by all and a special thank you to the following 7^th and 8^th grade dads who showed up to cook/serve breakfast: Eddie Alvarado (Natasha, 7th), John Coffey (Sean, 8th), Jon Gamboa (Sydney, 8th), John Kavanagh (Julie, 8th), and Tommy Li (Agnes, 7th).

PARENTS' CLUB MEETING: Please consider joining us tomorrow night for our monthly Parents’ Club meeting. All are invited to Carroll Hall for that meeting beginning at 7:00pm. Newcomers are always welcome! Remember, this is your club. Fundraising and Friend-raising is only possible with participation from all our families.


PEANUT BUTTER FRIDAY: As a reminder, we are collecting peanut butter for the St. Vincent de Paul society. If we reach our goal of 300 jars of peanut butter by this Friday, December 7^th, the student body will enjoy free dress on Wednesday, December 19^th. Please send a jar (or two!), any kind, any size with your child by Friday, December 7^th.

ONE WARM COAT: During these cold days, we are reminded to count our blessing that we have enough to eat, warm coats, and cozy homes. Unfortunately, many others in our community are not so lucky. As we mentioned last week, St. Thomas More is once again participating in the One Warm Coat program. Please look through your closets and see if you can locate a warm coat or jacket that is in good condition, clean and ready to be worn by someone less fortunate. Please drop off your donations anytime between now and Monday, December 17^th to the school office.

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM: Next Thursday evening, December 13th, our students will present their Christmas Program and will sing a selection of favorite Christmas Carols. All students will be involved in this production. Students should wear dressy clothes unless notified otherwise by their teacher. No t-shirts or sweats please. Please review the clothing suggestions you are receiving today. The front door of the school will open at 6:15 pm to allow students to enter their classrooms. Students are asked to line up on the sidewalk in an orderly manner until the doors open. Families with preschoolers will enter through the side gate and drop their children in their classroom. All students need to arrive by 6:30 pm at the latest. The yard will be open for parking at 5:30 pm. This year, we will present the program in the church. We ask that everyone respects the 5:30pm Mass that evening and remain outside the church until Mass is over. School staff will be stationed at the church doors and will let you know when you may enter. Parents may line up at any of the three entrances. We will begin the program promptly at 7:00 pm. We look forward to your attendance for this faith-filled and fun-filled program. Everyone is welcome!

CIOPPINO 2013: Ask anyone who has been to St. Thomas More School's Annual Cioppino Dinner and Silent Auction and they will tell you it is more than a meal – it is a night to remember! Save the Date: Saturday, February 23^rd, 2013. The evening begins at 5:00 pm with appetizers and a no-host bar. While you're enjoying North Beach's finest focaccia (pizza bread), our kitchen crew's famous meatballs, prawns or one of our other mouth-watering appetizers, you have the chance to bid on some of our wonderful auction prizes, buy a key to our treasure chest, purchase raffle tickets, or a balloon with an instant winning prize number inside. Or simply mingle with friends while you wait for dinner: succulent salad, delectable antipasto, heavenly garlic bread and the best Cioppino to be had anywhere. Don't like fish? Order a chicken entrée instead. But don't miss this great event. And don't forget to save room for dessert! Complete the evening with dancing. And all this for only $50.00! Babysitting is also available on site! This event is our biggest fund-raiser of the year so check out the enclosed flyer and reserve your tickets now. For more info: Linda Shah at lp1114@aol.com or Anarose Schelstrate at anarose0707@gmail.com. This event, like all events, is only successful with schoolwide participation. We look forward to seeing you there!


PROGRESS REPORTS: Progress Reports are going home today. Any student, third grade and up, in danger of, or currently receiving a grade lower than a C in any subject area is receiving such a notice. There are two copies of each notice. Please sign and return the pink copy so that we know you have received the notice. The top parent’s copy is for your records.

EXTENDED CARE BILLING: Bills for November are being sent home today. Please pay by the due date, Friday, December 14^th to avoid the $25 late fee.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FEE: This fee, as described in the financial policies is in support of the construction and maintenance of the classroom additions and the gymnasium. The fee is set at $350 per family. As a reminder, the Capital Improvement fee must be paid in full by next Friday, December 14^th.


UNIFORM CHANGES/ADDITIONS: We are thinking about making some minor changes/additions to our school uniform for the 2013-2014 school year and would love some input from our families. One change we are considering is that the junior high (6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade) will wear a navy blue V-neck knit sweater with the school’s new logo on the right chest rather than the current button up cardigan. Another suggestion is to have all students wear a P.E. uniform on Wednesdays. This will consist of a crew neck or ¼ zip sweatshirt, sweatpants, and a t-shirt all with the school’s name or logo. Please use this link to complete a short (2 questions) survey about these changes and let us know what you think. The survey will be available online until Monday, December 17^th.

STUDENT SAFETY: Students checking in to the after school extended care program must do so at dismissal or directly after their after school activity (sport practice, detention, homework club, etc.). Once a student leaves the campus, they are no longer covered under the school’s insurance. For the safety of your child, if at anytime you believe you may be running late for pick-up, just call the school office and ask to have your child placed into extended care.

Additionally, please report any strange people you see hanging around the school or church. Recently someone vandalized a number of the church’s pews by making scratches on them. For the safety of all the students, we do not allow them to wait up by the church steps past 3:10pm.
HURRICANE SANDY: In response to inquiries about how to help people in our Catholic education community affected by Hurricane Sandy, the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) has developed a partnership with Catholic Charities USA to most efficiently get help to our colleagues. Together, they have established the 2012 Hurricane Sandy Catholic Education Fund. Please check out their website to see how you can participate and help.

Today was our final school tour. Thank you to all who joined us for our school tours over the past month. The next opportunity to tour the school will be during Catholic Schools Week, which runs from January 28 ^th-February 3^rd. Parents of students who are siblings of current students or who attend Utopia Preschool will need to complete an application form for our 2013-2014 kindergarten class.

Christmas has come early to St. Thomas More School – we are happy to announce that we have received a $5,100 grant from the Olympic Club Foundation to be used for new soccer uniforms and volleyballs. More good news – from our participation in the Asian Heritage Street Celebration Raffle Fundraiser, we raised $256 and received a certificate of honor from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for our participation. Thank you to the Olympic Club Foundation and to all who supported our Asian Heritage Street Celebration Raffle Fundraiser!

Last but not least - Christmas vacation starts at 12:15/12:30pm on Wednesday, December 19th. There is no extended care that day, so plan ahead.

Sincerely,

Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal

STM Newsletter for November 28, 2012

Dear Parents:

One of the most important seasons in our church calendar, the Season of Advent, begins this Sunday. This season is a time for all of us to prepare for the birth of Jesus on Christmas day. Christians prepare for celebrating the birth of Jesus by remembering the longing of the Jews for a Messiah. In Advent, we’re reminded of how much we ourselves also need a Savior, and we look forward to our Savior’s second coming even as we prepare to celebrate his first coming at Christmas. God wanted so much for us to be with him that he became one of us. This is the greatest Christmas present – God’s presence on earth. In the liturgical calendar the season of Christmas begins on Christmas Eve and lasts through the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. Please help your children understand the symbolism of the Advent Wreath and the importance of the true meaning of Christmas. Each Monday in December we will begin our school day with an Advent Prayer Service in the gym. Parents and other family members are welcome to join us at 8:10am. Today we are sending home an advent calendar to help you and your family celebrate this special season in the liturgical year.

SANTA’S SECRET SHOP: The Parents’ Club presents their annual Santa’s Secret Shoppe starting tomorrow, Thursday, November 29th. Over the next two days, all the students will have an opportunity to purchase gifts for parents, friends and relatives. Each student is receiving an envelope today to help them plan their shopping and to keep their money safe.

DECEMBER 2nd: We look forward to seeing you all here this Sunday. We will begin the day with a 10:00am Family Mass where we will present all our Confirmation and First Communion Candidates. Monsignor Labib generously allows the school to receive the proceeds from the second collection when we have Family Masses. We are sending you a special collection envelope for your use at Sunday’s Mass. Following the Mass, the Parents’ Club will present a Pancake Breakfast in Carroll Hall. They will also offer activities for the children and pictures with Santa. Please use the flyer enclosed in your envelope today if you have not already made a reservation for the pancake breakfast. Cioppino 2013 tickets will also go on sale this Sunday at the Pancake Breakfast. They make great Christmas gifts for those "hard to buy for" family and friends.

STM SCHOOL ADVISORY BOARD: All members of the St. Thomas More School Advisory Board will meet tonight in the school library at 7:00pm. All parents are invited to attend and learn about the good work that our new School Advisory Board is doing.

SCHOOL TOURS: We are holding another school tour tomorrow at 9:00am. We are very grateful to our 8th grade student ambassadors for doing such a stellar job by sharing information about our wonderful school with prospective families. Our final tour is scheduled for December 5th. Please call or email the office to reserve a space. A reminder that kindergarten applications are available in the office or can be downloaded from our website. Please share this information with your family and friends. Don’t forget that Utopia families and siblings or current students interested in kindergarten for the 2013-2014 school year must complete an application form if you have not already done so.

FIELD TRIPS: Tomorrow, select 3rd through 8th graders will enjoy the ACT’s production of A Christmas Carol. The show ends at 3:10pm and students are expected to arrive back at STM no later than 4:00pm. Next Monday, the 2nd and 5th graders will travel to the Palace of Fine Arts for a performance of The Nutcracker by the Westlake School for the Performing Arts. Later next week on Thursday, December 6th, the 2nd graders will travel to Skyline College for the Elves and the Shoemaker.

CALENDERS: Today you will find the December calendar in your envelope. On the reverse side, is the lunch menu for both December and January. Keep these handy as December proves to be a busy month!

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM: Please remember to reserve the night of December 13th for the St. Thomas More School Christmas Program. All students will be involved in this production. Information regarding clothing suggestions will be sent home next week. We look forward to your attendance for this faith-filled and fun-filled program.

CHILDREN'S CHOIR VOLUNTEER: We're still looking to form a children's choir who will sing during our Sunday Family masses and weekly Friday masses. Please contact Jen Conley - jconley@stmsf.org, Charo Alonso - csalonso@yahoo.com (650-303-2593) or Mylee Bernardo - myleeb@gmail.com if you or anyone you know might be interested in leading our choir.

NIGHT AT THE RACES: We are happy to report that this event raised over $3400 for our technology program! Thank you to all who joined us for Night the Races on November 17th. This is always a great event.

SCHOOL UNIFORM PANTS: Beginning Monday, December 3rd through March 28th, 2012, girls will be able to wear uniform pants. Those who wish to purchase uniform pants, may do so through either of the uniform companies that we contract with, Dennis Uniform and Simply Uniforms. Please remember that navy blue knee-high socks need to be worn with the pants. Girls must wear their uniform skirts (not the pants) on field trips or on occasions specified by the school. Please remember that Simply Uniform and Dennis Uniform scrip can be purchased for all your uniform needs.

COLD WEATHER: During these cold and wintery days, please be sure to send your child to school with a warm coat or jacket. While we understand that it may be raining upon drop-off and pick-up, we strongly suggest your child does not bring an umbrella to school. Often the strong winds and heavy rain make the umbrellas difficult to use, especially for the younger children.

ONE WARM COAT: These cold days also reminded us to count our blessing and give thanks that we have enough to eat, warm coats, and cozy homes. Unfortunately, many others in our community are not so lucky. St. Thomas More is happy to participate in the One Warm Coat program. Please look through your closets and see if you can locate a warm coat or jacket that is in really good condition, clean and ready to be worn by someone less fortunate. ALL types of coats are needed and will be distributed to needy people by St. Anthony's and the Hamilton Family Shelter. You can also drop off your donations anytime between now and December 17th to the school office.

PEANUT BUTTER FRIDAY: As we move towards the holiday season, we want our students to continue to ‘THINK link Jesus’ by participating in our annual collection of peanut butter. Our collection this year, lead by the first graders, will benefit the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The St. Vincent de Paul Society has requested peanut butter, as it is a much-needed nutritious staple for them throughout the holiday season. If we reach our goal of 300 jars of peanut butter by December 7th, the student body will enjoy free dress on Wednesday, December 19th. Please send a jar (or two!), any kind, any size with your child by Friday, December 7th.

We’ll see you this weekend!

Sincerely,

Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal

Santa's Secret Shoppe

Nov. 29 and 30th will mark our annual Santa's Secret Shoppe where students can shop for special gifts during school hours.  A flyer and money envelope will be placed in next Wednesday's envelope so please check it before your student comes to school the next day.  

 

There are also a few more spots available for parents to volunteer at the Santa's Secret Shoppe (credited towards mandatory hours), so click on the SignUp Genius on the website and help out!

 

Don't forget to turn in those raffle tickets and choose which prize you'd like to win (boys bike / girls bike / stocking full of toys)!  Tickets are due in Nov. 28th.  Drawing will be on Dec. 2nd at the Holiday Faire after family mass.