STM Newsletter for November 13, 2019

View this email in your browser Dear Friends, All Souls month, November, is a special time when we think of all deceased family and friends who have gone before us. We remember the love and wisdom they shared with us and we are reassured that our God is a God who loves us unconditionally.  These memories, which are especially strong at Thanksgiving time, remind us that we are all members of the Communion of Saints. CALENDAR ITEMS Thursday, November 14 - Grades 5-8 Mercy Play field trip Friday, November 15 Last day of Q2 STAR testing End of Trimester 1 - T1 report cards go home next Friday, November 22 Sunday, November 17 Family Mass led by Grade 5 at STM Church 10:00 am Wednesday, November 20 Prayer Service led by Grade 6 at STM Gym 8:10 am THANKSGIVING BREAK Please remember that Monday, November 25 and Tuesday, November 26 are minimum day dismissals, 12:15/12:30. Extended Care will be available for both days. STM will be closed from Wednesday, November 27 through Friday, November 29 for Thanksgiving holiday. School will resume on Monday, December 2 for a full day and regular 2:45/3:00 pm dismissal. LETTERS TO SANTA As part of the Holiday Faire/Pancake Breakfast promo this year, we are accepting letters to Santa. A special mailbox for Santa will be located on the first floor of STM for these letters to be placed. Letters can be "mailed" up until dismissal on Friday, December 6th. Directions: Greetings from the North Pole Post Office  Sample Letter to Santa Walking in a Winter Wonderland Pancake Breakfast with Santa  Sunday, December 8, 2019 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Join us for this year's Walking in a Winter Wonderland Pancake Breakfast with Santa. Breakfast includes a pancake bar, sausages, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, juice, coffee, and tea. RSVP by December 5, 2019 The Holiday Faire/Pancake Breakfast committee are looking for unique vendors for the upcoming Holiday Faire, 12.08.19, if interested, please complete the vendor form by November 28. Any questions, please contact Catherine and Candace Elumba. CHRISTMAS PROGRAM DATE CHANGE Due to a schedule conflict for our music teacher, our Christmas Program is now scheduled for Wednesday, December 11 at 6:30 pm.  FOOTBRIDGE REMOVAL/PARENT MEETING ON NOVEMBER 21 As written in last week's newsletter regarding the footbridge removal parent meeting, we encourage you to attend the Thursday, November 21 meeting at our school. The meeting will start at 6:30 pm and all STM families who attend will receive a free dress pass for their child/ren. I did receive a written response to my letter from Supervisor Yee's office. I urge you to also write to him at this time so that he understands the seriousness of our concerns. VIRTUS TRAINING FOR STUDENTS In the month of November, TK-8 will begin the mandatory Archdiocesan VIRTUS Safe Environment training. These are instructor-driven lessons that will teach students about safety and personal boundaries. For more information about the VIRTUS Safety Program, visit the VIRTUS website. SHARED GOVERNANCE CLIMATE SURVEY The Department of Catholic Schools is committed to supporting each shared governance school in the positive, focused process of continuous school improvement. A shared governance school, such as St. Thomas More School, is a school under the sole guidance of the Superintendent of Catholic Schools rather than a parish. In order to understand the unique perspectives of each school community, the Department of Catholic Schools and your school principal are seeking feedback on the share survey. This survey is anonymous and consists of 10 questions. Your participation will help the Department of Catholic Schools best serve your school community and support your school principal. Your thoughtful attention to answering these questions is appreciated. Please complete the survey by Monday, December 2, 2019.  Shared Governance Climate Survey SCHOOL TOURS Please share this link to sign up for a tour with family and friends considering TK/Kindergarten for the next school year. Below are the remaining tour dates for the year. Sign up for school tour - November 20 and December 4 NEW STUDENT APPLICATIONS Application forms for Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and grades 1-8 are available from the front office or online. Kindergarten and TK students who have  completed their applications by December 6th will be scheduled for screening on Saturday, January 11th. Siblings of current students, as well as students in our TK and Preschool will be given first preference in the application process.  PRESCHOOL APPLICATIONS Utopia, our preschool, is scheduling tours for families interested in applying for the 2020-2021 school year. If you have a child who is of preschool age (3 years old by September 1st) and you would like them to attend Utopia next Fall, please arrange a tour with Utopia's Director, Rachelle Frantz, at rfrantz@stmsf.org. She can also be reached at (415) 317-6269. As we continue to prepare for Thanksgiving, please consider joining us Sunday, November 17 for our 10 a.m. Family Mass led by fifth grade and also next Wednesday, November 20, for a Thanksgiving prayer service presented by sixth grade at 8:15am in the gym. Sincerely, Marie Fitzpatrick Principal Copyright © 2019 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 November 6, 2019

View this email in your browser Dear Friends, Now that the midterm election season has come to an end, we remember and pray for all those who worked to keep the democratic process alive and well in our country. The following prayer by Cardinal Adam Maida, Archbishop of Detroit, reminds us of all for which we should be thankful. God of all nations, Father of the human family, we give you thanks for the freedom we exercise and the many blessings of democracy we enjoy in these United States of America. We ask for your protection and guidance for all who devote themselves to the common good, working for justice and peace at home and around the world. We lift up all our duly elected leaders and public servants, those who will serve us as president, as legislators and judges, those in the military and law enforcement. Heal us from our differences and unite us, O Lord, with a common purpose, dedication, and commitment to achieve liberty and justice in the years ahead for all people, and especially those who are most vulnerable in our midst. Amen. CALENDAR ITEMS   2019-2020 Monthly Calendar Monday, November 4 - Friday, Nov. 15 - Q2 STAR testing  Thursday, November 7  Grades 7-8 field trip to Sacred Heart's Fall Play: The Crucible Parents' Club Meeting 7 pm in the Library Friday, November 8 - Sandwiches for the Needy led by Grade 2 Monday, November 11 - Veterans' Day Holiday - School closed Thursday, November 14 - Grades 5-8 to Mercy High School Play: Shakespeare Then & Now Sunday, November 17 - Family Mass Please join us this Sunday, November 17 for our next Family Mass. Thank you in advance to our fifth grade families for taking the lead in this Mass beginning at 10:00am. See you there! Thursday, November 21- Parent Meeting, Footbridge over Brotherhood Way proposed removal  Thanksgiving Week Minimum Days - Monday, November 25 and Tuesday, November 26 are 12:15/12:30 dismissals. Extended Care will be available. School Holidays - School is closed from Thursday, November 27 through Friday, November 28. School will resume on Monday, December 2 for a regular schedule day 2:45/3:00 pm dismissal. FOOTBRIDGE REMOVAL/PARENT MEETING In September, we shared with you our concerns over the proposed removal of the footbridge across Brotherhood Way. This is part of a much bigger development called Parkmerced Vision that aims to revitalize Parkmerced over the next 20+ years. This project has received approval from the city and construction near Thomas More Way is slated to begin in Spring 2020 with a redesign of the intersection with Brotherhood Way. This redesign involves the removal of the footbridge. A recent article in the Bay City Beacon states that over the past five years 60% of crashes have occurred at intersections. The footbridge across Brotherhood Way ensures the safety of our children. Brotherhood Way is extremely wide and traffic constantly races up Brotherhood Way to get on the 280 freeway.   It is important that you are aware of what is planned and that we work together to ensure that the safety of our children and families is always in the forefront of the minds of the developers. A parent meeting with the owners of Parkmerced is scheduled for Thursday, November 21, at 6:30pm at St. Thomas More School. This will be your opportunity to learn about this project and its potential impact on our community. Your attendance is critical to show that we are united in our approach to safety issues. We have also invited the parents from our neighboring schools on Brotherhood Way, Brandeis and KZV, to attend. Supervisor Norman Yee will be in attendance, but he has not come out in opposition to removing the bridge. I think it is important to bring this to his attention before our meeting. Attached is a letter that I have prepared to send to his office. Please consider writing to Supervisor Yee with your thoughts on this issue. Here's his email: Norman.Yee@sfgov.org. Letter to Supervisor Norman Yee SCHOOL TOURS Please share this link to sign up for a tour with family and friends considering TK/Kindergarten for the next school year. Below are the next tour dates. Sign up for school tour - November 6, 20 and December 4 APPLICATION FORMS New student application forms Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten and grades 1st-8th for the 2020-2021 school year are available from the front office and may also be completed online. 2020-2021 PRESCHOOL APPLICATIONS Utopia, our preschool, has begun accepting applications for the 2019-2020 school year. If you have a child who is of preschool age (3 years old by September 1st) and you would like them to attend Utopia next Fall, please arrange a tour with Utopia's Director, Rachelle Frantz, rfrantz@stmsf.org. 8th GRADE RECOMMENDATIONS This is the time of the year when 8th graders are busily writing their high school essays and completing their applications. Because of changing demographics, many families attend church in parishes other than where their school is located. Please remember that students will need to have their clergy recommendations signed by the pastor in the parish where they attend Mass and other church services. This will ensure that recommendations are written by a pastor who knows your child and who is familiar with your family's involvement in your local church. Please note that all recommendation forms will go directly to Miss Kane. She will then distribute them to the appropriate staff members.          Receive 5% off by reserving your yearbook online by November 30. Walking in a Winter Wonderland Pancake Breakfast with Santa  Sunday, December 8, 2019 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  Join us for this year's Walking in a Winter Wonderland Pancake Breakfast with Santa. Breakfast includes a pancake bar, sausages, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, juice, coffee, and tea. RSVP by December 5, 2019 Sincerely, Marie Fitzpatrick Principal     Subscribe to our Athletics newsletter - The Bronco Bulletin "Believe you can and you're half way there" - Theodore Roosevelt Copyright © 2018 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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