STM Newsletter for February 12, 2014

Dear Parents:
 
As we move closer to the feast day of St. Valentine, we ask that you remember those less fortunate around you by showing a little love. The parable of the Good Samaritan from the Gospel of Luke is a great example of this. The parable tells of a traveller who is beaten and robbed along the side of the road. First a priest and then a Levite come by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a Samaritan comes by. The Samaritan helps the injured man. We mentioned last week that the St. Martin de Porres House of Hospitality are currently in need of some specific items for their mostly male clients. The items they are requesting are blankets, men's socks, travel sized toothpaste, toothbrushes, shaving cream, and razors. We will be collecting these items as part of our L♥ve Thy Neighbor Campaign through the month of February. Please send them with your child or drop them off in the bins at the front office.
 
Sandwiches-for-the-Needy: Our next collection for the Martin de Porres House is this Friday, February 14^th, when the 5^th and 6^thgraders will take the lead. We encourage ALL families to provide an extra sandwich. Some of our older students will prepare 50 additional sandwiches with the residents at Alma Via to add to this collection.
 
Cioppino 2014!: Saturday, February 22^nd is fast approaching! We are just ten days away from our best Cioppino dinner ever. More than half the families in the school will be there. We have been told that Cioppino is sold out and that any reservation not paid for by this Friday's deadline will not be held as there is a waiting list.
 
Silent Auction: In today’s envelope you are receiving information about the Cioppino silent auction items. Please review the items and send in your bids! Thank you for dropping off your donations to the school office. We are still accepting donations for our silent auction and for balloon prizes.
 
Mother-Son Dance: Watch out for our next exciting family event scheduled during March. Saturday, March 22^nd, is a special night for mom’s and their sons at the annual Mother-Son Dance. Check out the flyer you are receiving in today’s envelope.
      
A Minimum Day and a Holiday!: Please remember that this coming Friday, February 14^th, is a minimum day for optional parent-teacher conferences. Dismissal for the primary grades will be at 12:15 followed by the fourth through eighth grades at 12:30 as usual. We remind you also that Monday, February 17^th is a holiday in honor of Presidents' Day.
 
USF Digital Media and Learning: Congratulations go out to our students who were selected for this program: 8^th graders, Nathan Candle and Brandon Santos and 7^th graders, Michelle Auyeung, Izadora De Oliveira, Zoe Taylor and Shivaya Urcuyo. In addition to their schoolwork here at STM, they will begin additional classes at USF tomorrow!
 
Neighborhood Concerns: Please be aware of your surroundings when picking up and dropping off your students. We have had some issues recently with attempted break-ins to vehicles parked nearby as well as reports of strangers in the vicinity of STM. The police have been alerted and we remind you not to leave personal belongings in plain sight in your vehicle.
                                   
Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick                 
Principal

STM Newsletter for February 5, 2014

Dear Parents:

Our 2^nd grade students, along with their parents, will be celebrating the sacrament of Reconciliation at 10:00am tomorrow. Their journey as young Catholics will continue when they receive the sacrament of First Communion at 2:00pm on Saturday, May 3^rd. Preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as penance) for the first time is an exciting event in a child’s life.

It is a time for focus on God’s mercy, how we forgive among our family, friends, and community, and how we celebrate forgiveness. According to Sandra DeGidio, O.S.M., the Parable of the Prodigal Son is perhaps the most strikingly powerful illustration of the human process of reconciliation.  Many of us find it difficult to believe the story. The father welcomes the son back instantly—doesn't even wait for him to get to the house. This is not the way we Catholics have viewed the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the past. Most of us tend to view this sacrament with the attitude of the older son in the story: Forgiveness comes only after you recite your list of sins and agree to suffer a bit for them. But God really is like the merciful parent in this parable: not out to catch us in our sin but intent on reaching out and hanging on to us in spite of our sin. Reconciliation is not just a matter of getting rid of sin. The important point is what God does in, with and through us. God is love.

The seventh graders will be receiving Confirmation on Friday, May 2^nd, and over the next few months they will perform a number of service hours and attend an all day retreat to prepare them for this important and special occasion. Please keep both classes in your prayers during this important time as they continue on their spiritual journey over the next few months.

National Catholic Schools Week at St. Thomas More School was a wonderful success. We have accomplished so much here by working together. Thank you for all the positive comments made to the teachers and staff this past week. It is great to be recognized for a job well done.

Thank you to Becky Wong, John Kavanagh and Heidi Haas who organized a great Grandparents and Special Friends Day and to everyone who made it such a success! The children were so happy to have over 200 special guests join us for this fun event. A HUGE thank you goes out to Jeffrey and Maria Spiegel and our awesome 8^th grade cooks for their help in preparing over 500 pasta lunches for all to enjoy. Thanks also to the many other parent volunteers who pitched in to make the day run so smooth.

A HUGE thank you once again this year to Joan Cuddihy, Judy Silva, and their competent committee of booksellers for the great job they did all last week with this year’s Book Fair. Thanks to all of you who bought books to enrich your children’s lives and to donate to the classroom libraries. While we don’t yet have a complete accounting of the proceeds of the sale, we do know that approximately 10% more books were purchased this year than at previous Book Fairs.

Spelling Bee: Another thrilling Spelling Bee, complete with a nail-biting ending was enjoyed by all on the last day of Catholic Schools Week!  Defending his title was this year's winner, 8th grader Tony D'Aura, and runner-up, 5th grader Jordan Mak.  Congratulations also to third place winner, 6th grader Dylan Limjoco.  Other school participants included: 8th graders Melina Diaz and Tianna Ramos, 7th graders Shivaya Urcuyo, Dylan Rojo-Cagadoc, and Michelle Auyeung, 6th graders Justin Santos and Chloe Sladewski, 5th graders Clark Kelly and Lorenzo Mutuc, and 4th graders Christian Bustos, Isabella Brenes, and Nicoli Panelo.  Conratulations to all our participants!  You are ALL winners!

L♥VE THY NEIGHBOR CAMPAIGN: Our twice-monthly sandwich collection serves the needs of clients at St. Martin de Porres House of Hospitality. They are currently in need of some specific items for their mostly male clients. The items they are requesting are blankets, men's socks, travel sized toothpaste, toothbrushes, shaving cream, and razors. We will be collecting these items through the month of February. Please send them with your child or drop them off in the bins at the front office. Your acts of kindness do not go unnoticed.

PARENT HOURS: As we mentioned last week, the Parents' Club is currently doing an audit of the hours that still need to be done by some families and will be opening up further volunteer opportunities in the near future. Note that yard duty service does not substitute for parent club hours. Please consider attending our next PC meeting tomorrow night at 7:00pm in Carroll Hall to provide your input with regards to scheduling of hours in the future.

Cioppino 2014 and FREE DRESS: Work continues in preparation for our BIG fundraiser on Saturday, February 22^nd. Thank you for the many donations that have come through the school office for our Cioppino baskets and auction items – keep them coming! Ticket sales have really picked up for the event. Reservation forms are included in your envelopes again today – tell your friends! This event is a lot of fun. Remember, childcare is available for $25 and includes a pizza dinner and snacks. Please respond as soon as possible so that we can begin work on our seating plan. Remember, as an added bonus every school parent who buys a ticket for Cioppino will receive a FREE DRESS PASS for their child/ren to be used on Monday, February 24^th.

School Holiday: This Friday, February 7^th is a school holiday for the students. Teachers and administrators from all the Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese will be attending an all day professional development in-service at Archbishop Riordan High School.

SPELL-A-THON: Please remember that all monies pledged are due back by Thursday, February 13^th. We are very happy with the way this fundraiser went and look forward to having another Spell-a-thon next year.

Field Trips: Taking a field trip on Tuesday, February 18^th, are the fourth graders. They will be traveling to the San Francisco Transfer Station to observe how recycled material is collected and organized. Permission slips for this trip are going home today.

Scrip: Just a reminder that all families are required to generate a minimum of $100 profit by participating in the electronic scrip programs authorized by the school. Scrip purchased between May 1^st, 2013 and April 30^th, 2014 will be credited to this requirement. Families who do not wish to participate in the scrip program will have the option of buying out at $150. This Valentine’s Day, we remind you to think Scrip when you’re shopping for flowers, candy, and the perfect date night for your sweetheart.

Candy Grams: The Student Council has extended the deadline to order Candy Grams to tomorrow, Thursday, February 6^th. The Student Council will send home the candy grams your have ordered for you to complete on Friday. Please send back the completed candy grams to the office by dismissal on Wednesday, February 12^th. The Student Council will then attach candy to the cards and deliver them on Valentine’s Day.

Afternoon Extended Care: Do you need a 2013 payment summary from Afternoon Extended Care for your flexible spending account or your 2013 tax return? Please contact John Kavanagh at JKav@stmsf.org and he will provide it.

Thank you to two very generous STM parents for their time and support of our tech program! Mr. Limjoco, father of Ethan (5), Dylan (6) and Ian (K) recently donated 6 Cisco wireless access points to our school. Mr. Colom, father of Carlos (8) and Noah (1) has worked diligently on installing and upgrading our network devices in the last month. These network upgrades are significant and important to the successful integration of technology in all of our classrooms and our 1:1 iPad program. Both parents' contribution have ensured that our internet access has been extremely fast and reliable.

Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick       
Principal          

STM Newsletter for January 29, 2014

Dear Parents:
 
The Family Mass, Book Fair, the school-wide open house and the general spirit of goodwill were a fitting beginning to National Catholic Schools Week at St. Thomas More School. We have accomplished so much here by working together. A special thank you to our kindergarten teachers, Heidi Haas and Megan Kennedy, for preparing a beautiful Family Mass with the kindergartners and their families. We are so proud of our wonderful kindergarten students. This is a good time to reflect on the benefit of being part of a Catholic school. The strong school community, grounded in a shared faith and the support and high expectations of parents, teachers and the larger community, offers your children a foundation for facing the rapidly changing world around them. By sharing this belief in God’s goodness and living out their faith every day, your children are blessed with a clear advantage. Faith provides an anchor that will serve your children well into the future.
 
You are welcome to visit the Book Fair any morning this week before school begins or right after dismissal. Just go straight to the library where Joan Cuddihy and her crew of booksellers will be there to assist you. Check out the wish lists the teachers have prepared of books they would like to have in their classroom libraries. Consider donating a book to your child’s classroom. Can’t make it to our Book Fair? Check out our Online Book Fair. Click here to purchase books. All orders will ship directly to school for free when the Online Fair has ended.
 
Tomorrow is Grandparents and Special Friends Day! Thank you to the 200+ special guests who have RSVP’d for this fun event. The children are really looking forward to welcoming them to our school. Your children are so lucky to have such special people in their lives.  Carroll Hall will be open at 11:00am for our early arriving guests.  Grandparents Day activities will begin at 11:30 a.m.  The day's activities will conclude with a prayer service led by third grade at 1:30pm in the Gym.
 
REPORT CARDS/HONOR AWARDS: Report cards will be sent home with your child on Friday, January 31^st. Make sure your accounts are in order so that your child may receive their report card. We would like to invite everyone to join us at the honor awards ceremony on Friday, January 31^st immediately following the 8:30am mass.
 
SPELL-A-THON: Today you will be receiving your child’s corrected spell-a-thon test and pledge sheet. Just a reminder that all monies are due back by Thursday, February 13^th.
 
SPELLING BEE/ACADEMIC AWARDS: We invite everyone to join us for our annual Spelling Bee on Friday beginning at 1:10pm in Carroll Hall.

CYO HALL OF FAME: As previously mentioned, this year John Bickle has been chosen as one of the honorees for the 7th Annual Catholic Charities CYO Athletics Hall of Fame dinner. This event will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Father O'Reilly Catholic Charities CYO gym at St. Emydius. Please consider joining us to recognize and honor John’s legacy at this event. Tickets can be purchased through the CYO website. Individual dinner tickets are $90 each. If you wish to join together with some other families and purchase a table at one of the sponsorship levels this will include a pre-dinner reception, premier seating and a tribute in the printed event program, recognition on-screen and sponsorship acknowledgment in all printed materials.

SCHOOL HOLIDAY: Be prepared! Friday, February 7^th is a school holiday for the students. Teachers and administrators from all the Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese will be attending an all day in-service at St. Mary’s Cathedral.
 
CIOPPINO 2014: Work continues in preparation for our BIG fundraiser on Saturday, February 22^nd. We have only had a handful of families send donations into the office. We cannot do this without your help. Most of the items we use in our baskets come to us by your kind donations – please keep them coming! To purchase tickets, please use the flyer you have previously received. 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. As an added bonus, every school parent who buys a ticket for Cioppino will receive a FREE DRESS PASS for their child/ren to be used on Monday, February 24^th.
 
HIGH SCHOOL RECOMMENDATIONS: Our Junior High teachers and I have been busily writing recommendations and preparing transcripts for the high schools to which our 8^th graders have applied. These have all been safely delivered into the hands of the high school admission offices. Our soon to be graduates will be notified of their acceptances by mid-March. Good luck to all.
 
PARENT HOURS: Last week we wrote about the 10 parent hours that are a requirement for this school year. Many of you expressed frustration with the difficulty in signing up for activities because all the slots had been taken. The Parents' Club is currently doing an audit of the hours that still need to be done by some families and will be opening up further volunteer opportunities in the near future. Note that yard duty service does not substitute for parent club hours. Please consider attending our next PC meeting on Feb. 6th to provide your input with regards to scheduling of hours in the future.
 
PEN: Parents Education Network (PEN) is a coalition of parents collaborating with educators, students and the community to empower and bring academic and life success to students with learning and attention differences. They are a grassroots organization with national impact, founded in 2003 by a group of parents whose children have learning and attention differences, and who individually struggled to find the information, services, and expertise to help their children succeed academically. Here is a link to their website which provides many valuable tools that you may find useful as well as information about their speaker series. http://parentseducationnetwork.org/
 
RE-REGISTRATION: Re-registration for current students will be online again this year. More information on how to re-register will be available mid-March.
 
SAVE THE DATE: Please save the evening of Tuesday, March 11^th at 6:30pm for a mandatory parent meeting for all families of preschool through 7th grade. Students will not be allowed to attend this meeting. While we strongly encourage you to find a babysitter, we will offer limited free babysitting for those unable to make other arrangements. We will provide more details as we get closer to the date.
 
Today you are receiving the February calendar of events and hot lunch menu. Keep these handy as February proves to be a busy month.
 
Marie Fitzpatrick             
Principal              

STM Newsletter for January 22, 2014

Dear Parents:

National Catholic Schools Week runs from January 26^th through February 1^st. Please mark your calendars for our Family Mass, Open House, and Book Fair, and other exciting events this Sunday, January 26^th.

As a faith community, we will gather together on Sunday, January 26th at the 10:00am Family Mass. Let's use this opportunity to reflect on the importance that we all place on Catholic education. Our kindergarten students and families will take the lead in preparing this special Mass, which is the opening activity of the celebration of National Catholic Schools Week. We look forward to seeing you all there.

A schedule of all these events and the times of classroom observation during this week can be downloaded from our website. Feel free to drop in and see what’s going on around the school. Please share the schedule with friends who may be interested in our school.

ONLINE BOOK FAIR: Our Online Book Fair is now LIVE! Click here to purchase books.

All orders will ship directly to school for free when the Online Fair has ended. 

CYO HALL OF FAME: As previously mentioned, this year John Bickle has been chosen as one of the honorees for the 7th Annual Catholic Charities CYO Athletics Hall of Fame dinner. This event will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Father O'Reilly Catholic Charities CYO gym at St. Emydius. Please consider joining us to recognize and honor John’s legacy at this event. Tickets can be purchased through the CYO website. Individual dinner tickets are $90 each. If you wish to join together with some other families and purchase a table at one of the sponsorship levels this will include a pre-dinner reception, premier seating and a tribute in the printed event program, recognition on-screen and sponsorship acknowledgment in all printed materials.

COLDS AND FLUS: As we continue our way through the flu season, please remember that students MUST be fever free for at least 24 hours before returning to school. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE - if your child is showing ANY symptoms of illness such as headaches, cough, dizziness, fever, or stomach aches, keep them at home. This will avoid spreading these symptoms to others.

SANDWICHES-FOR-THE-NEEDY: Our next collection for the Martin de Porres House is this Friday, January 24^th, when the 3^rd and 4^th graders will take the lead. We encourage ALL families to provide an extra sandwich. Some of our older students will prepare 50 additional sandwiches in our school kitchen to add to this collection.

  

REPORT CARDS/HONOR AWARDS: Report cards will be sent home with your child on Friday, January 31^st. We would like to invite everyone to join us at the honor awards ceremony on Friday, January 31^st immediately following the 8:30am mass.

SPELL-A-THON: Just a reminder that pledges for the Spell-a-thon are due to your child’s teacher by dismissal on Monday, January 27^th. Keep those pledges coming!

      

2014-2015 KINDERGARTEN: We thank you for all the referrals of new families who have now applied to the school. Kindergarten screening of our Utopia applicants is well underway. This Saturday we will meet with those new to the school and sibling applicants for their screenings. The first round of kindergarten acceptance letters will be going home shortly.

2014-2015 UTOPIA PRESCHOOL: Our preschool program for the 2014-2015 school year is now close to capacity. We do however still have a few openings for the afternoon sessions. Preference will be given to school families if applications are received in a timely manner.

CIOPPINO 2014: Work continues in preparation for our BIG fundraiser on Saturday, February 22^nd. We have only had a handful of families send donations into the office. We cannot do this without your help. Most of the items we use in our baskets – keep the donations 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. As an added bonus, every school parent who buys a ticket for Cioppino will receive a FREE DRESS PASS for their child/ren to be used on Monday, February 24^th.

PARENT HOURS: As a reminder, each family is required to volunteer for a minimum of 10 hours for Parents' Club activities and supervise 4 sessions of yard duty.  Each family may sign up for a maximum of FOUR hours per qualifying event however there is no limit to the amount of time you are willing to give to our students and staff! As per the Financial Policies, failure to complete a minimum of 10 parent participation hours and 4 yard duty sessions as assigned by the Parents’ Club and/or the St. Thomas More School administration will result in a $450 fee to be paid before a child can re-register for the following school year.

Yard Duty: All yard duty time slots serves as 30 minutes. You must be signed up on "Sign Up Genius" to be qualified to fulfill your sessions.  If you want to show up to a yard duty session, check and sign up to confirm availability prior to showing up at the school.

Qualifying Parents’ Club events: Fall Festival, Santa's Secret Shop, Holiday Fair, Book Fair, Cioppino and Coaching.**

**Coaching: Registered coaches, with approval of Athletic Board/Director, for full-season sports will receive credit for their required hours.  Yard duty is a separate requirement.

WARRIOR TICKETS: The Warriors tickets are in! If you ordered and paid for tickets, you will need to pick them up at the front office and sign that they have received them. Tickets will not be sent home with your child. Go Warriors! See you on Friday Night!

SAVE THE DATE: Please save the evening of Tuesday, March 11^th at 6:30pm for a mandatory parent meeting for all families of preschool through 7th grade. Students will not be allowed to attend this meeting. We will offer free babysitting for those unable to make other arrangements. We will provide more details as we get closer to the date.

FACTS: Since the stability of our school and the quality of its programs are of the utmost importance, we are always seeking ways to make improvements to benefit everyone. After much research and investigation, we have decided to partner with FACTS Management Company to help us manage our tuition payment program and financial aid assessment for the 2014-2015 school year. FACTS is used by many schools locally and over 5,000 schools nationally. We are excited to be working with them and are confident this program will offer greater efficiency and financial stability for the school while providing convenience to families. More information will be available at the mandatory parent meeting in March.

TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Families that applied for the STM TAP will be receiving an application form today. 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. We will continue to accept application requests through the end of January.

STUDENT HOLIDAY: Plan ahead - Please remember that the school will be closed on Friday, February 7^th. This is the day set for the annual Archdiocese Professional Development for all Catholic school teachers and administrators.

See you on Sunday!

Sincerely,

Marie Fitzpatrick                                              

Principal  

STM Newsletter for January 15, 2014

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 on Thursday, January 23^rd beginning at 6:30pm. At least one parent from each family is required to attend.

OUR LADY OF FATIMA STATUE VISITS STM CHURCH: This Sunday, January 19^th St. Thomas More Church will host a procession and special Tagalog Mass in Honor of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Please check out the flyer you are receiving today for more information.

REPORT CARDS/HONOR AWARDS: This Friday marks the end of the second quarter. Report cards will be sent home with your child on Friday, January 31^st. We would like to invite everyone to join us at the honor awards ceremony on Friday, January 31^st immediately following the8:30am mass.

NATIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK: This runs from January 26^ththrough February 1^st. Please mark your calendars for our Family Mass, Open House, Book Fair, and other exciting events on Sunday, January 26^th. We are asking our kindergarten class to provide breakfast pastries and treats for our Open House. Please send these items to the front office on Friday, January 24^th or bring them to the gym before Mass on Sunday, January 26^th. Thank you for the great response to Grandparents Day (January 30^th). So far we have over 50 Grandparents and other special friends joining us for a special pasta lunch and other fun activities. There is still time to sign up! Send in your reservation form by this Friday. We are also looking for donations of breakfast pastries and treats for Grandparents day. Please drop your donations to the school office on the morning of January 30^th.

ONLINE BOOK FAIR: Our Online Book Fair is now LIVE! Click here to purchase books. All orders will ship directly to school for free when the Online Fair has ended.

WARRIORS TICKETS: Thank you to all who sent in reservations for Warrior tickets. Tickets will be distributed to families once they have been received by the school.

GEOGRAPHY BEE: Congratulations to all participants of our annual school Geography Bee. Runners up 5^th grader Antonio Roca and 8^thgrader Tony D’Aura were both eliminated in the same round while 7^thgrader Francesca Diaz took 2^nd place. Our school's champ, who will represent us in the statewide competition for the second year in a row, is 5th grader Zach White. Good luck in the next round, champion Zach!  
  
CYO HALL OF FAME: As previously mentioned, this year John Bicklehas been chosen as one of the honorees for the 7th Annual Catholic Charities CYO Athletics Hall of Fame dinner. This event will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Father O'Reilly Catholic Charities CYO gym at St. Emydius. Please consider joining us to recognize and honor John’s legacy at this event. Tickets can be purchased through the CYO website. Individual dinner tickets are $90 each. If you wish to join together with some other families and purchase a table at one of the sponsorship levels this will include a pre-dinner reception, premier seating and a tribute in the printed event program, recognition on-screen and sponsorship acknowledgment in all printed materials.

STUDENT SAFETY/IPADS: Students are not to use their iPads before and after school or any on campus extracurricular activities (e.g. sports practice). Students must keep their iPads in their backpacks when not in use. Student use of these devices without permission during school and extended care hours is in violation of the school iPad use policy. Students in violation will have their device confiscated. iPads stored anywhere else besides their backpack will also be confiscated. Please note there will be a charge of $25 to have the iPad returned once confiscated. Students will only be allowed to have their iPads back once a written note is received from their parent/guardian and the $25 fee is paid. 

SPELL-A-THON: Just a reminder that pledges for the Spell-a-thon are due tomorrow to your child’s teacher.  Check out the flyer in today’s envelope for important upcoming dates.

USF CLASSES: There are still a few spaces available for students in grades 7 and 8 to work in collaboration with USF graduate students in an exciting course entitled, Digital Media and Learning. This will look great on the resume of students applying for high school next year! Please let Mrs. Fitzpatrick know if you are interested.

CIOPPINO 2014: Work continues in preparation for our BIG fundraiser onSaturday, February 22^nd. 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. As an added bonus, every school parent who buys a ticket for Cioppino will receive a FREE DRESS PASS for their child/ren to be used on Monday, February 24^th. The next Cioppino meeting has been scheduled for this coming Tuesday, January 21^st at 7:00pm in Carroll Hall.

KINDERGARTEN SCREENING: We have received many kindergarten and preschool applications for the 2014-2015 school year. Many thanks also for your referrals of new families. A reminder that again this year we will be screening all kindergarten applicants in order to assess their readiness for our kindergarten program. Kindergarten applicants in Utopia will be assessed during their school day over the next few weeks. For siblings of current students and new families, emails were sent out this week about our screening day, Saturday, January 25th.

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 21^st at 9:00am. 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.

PM EXTENDED CARE: Do you need a 2013 payment summary from Afternoon Extended Care for your flexible spending account or your 2013 tax return?  Please contact John Kavanagh at JKav@stmsf.org and he will provide it.

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.

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!

GRADUATION PICTURES: 8^th grade graduation pictures are this Friday. Please follow the appropriate dress guidelines given by Mrs. Girlich. As a reminder, boys should wear white-collared shirts and ties with either a suit or dress pants and dress shoes. Girls are reminded that there is to be no make-up, dangling earrings, or nail polish.

LET'S GO NINERS...LET'S GO! This Friday, January 17^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 8, 2014

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.

This past Monday marked the Feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany is traditionally celebrated the 12th day after Christmas. The term epiphanymeans 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 byshowing Jesus as the Savior of all people.

The Parents’ Club have their monthly meeting tomorrow night, Thursday, January 9^th in Carroll Hall. Tomorrow’s meeting will begin with social hour at 6:45pm. See you there!
 
SANDWICHES-FOR-THE-NEEDY: Our first collection for the new year is this Friday, January 10^th. Thank you again to the 1^st and 2^nd graders who will take the lead. We encourage ALL families to provide an extra sandwich for this first 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. Please remember that in order to facilitate the distribution of sandwiches, we have been asked to provide just one type of sandwich: turkey on sliced white or brown bread.
 
Next Monday, January 13^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.
 
1:1 IPAD PROGRAM: On Monday, we kicked off our 1:1 iPad program for our 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders. Both students and teachers were excited to embark on this fantastic opportunity. Today, all 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders are receiving the iPad Student Account Permission Form and 1:1 iPad Student Responsibilities and Agreement that will need to be signed and returned to their classroom teacher no later than Wednesday, January 15^th. Please remind your child to be extra vigilant in leaving their backpacks unattended during practices and after school to ensure that none of these valuable devices go missing.
 
USF DIGITAL MEDIA AND LEARNING:  We are very excited to be asked once again to participate in a unique partnership with theUniversity 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 seventh 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 13^th and will continue for seven weeks. If you are interested in having your child participate, please click here for more information and to review the flyer.
 
CIOPPINO: Please mark your calendars for Saturday, February 22^nd. 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! 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 anotherchia 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. Please drop all donations to the school office.
 
The next Cioppino meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21^st. Anyone interested in helping with the event are invited to attend the meeting at 7:00 in Carroll Hall.
 
NATIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK: This runs from January 26^ththrough February 1^st. Please mark your calendars for our Family Mass, Open House, Book Faire, and other exciting events on Sunday, January 26^th. 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 guests to spend some of the day with the children. Pencil in Thursday, January 30^th for this special day. Invitations for this Grandparents lunch are in your envelopes today. To help celebrate our grandparents and other special guests in the lives of our children, all students and their adult guests will receive a free lunch that day! We are looking for parent volunteers to help prepare this lunch. If you are available, please contact the office as soon as possible.
 
SPELL-A-THON: Children have been doing a great job getting sponsors for the spell-a-thon over the past few weeks. Keep it up! Check out the flyer in today’s envelope for important upcoming dates.
 
PAYMENTS DUE: A reminder that the January payment is now due for those of you on the monthly tuition payment plan. 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 are happy to announce that we have received a large number of applications for our 2014-2015 kindergarten class. Please note that in accordance with California State law children must be 5 years of age on or before September 1^st in order for them to attend kindergarten in the fall. As a reminder, 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. We will begin processing kindergarten applications and scheduling screening appointments by mid-January.
 
Thank you for all your ongoing generous support.
 
Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick                        
Principal