St. Thomas More Cathedral School

1. Message from the President
2. STM Auction 2024
3. In the Classroom and Academic Reminders
4. Restaurant Fundraiser Update
5. PTO Executive Board Interest
6. Parent Volunteer Corner
7. In the Parish and Community
8. Lunch Information
9. Save the Dates
10. Reference Information

Upcoming Events

• March 5: PTO Meeting (Hybrid) - we will post a meeting link next week

Drop off reminder

Please use the drop off procedures outline in the student handbook. STM encourages us to use the drop off especially during construction.

• Questions, ideas, concerns, even gripes...feel free to contact me.
  
• If you have events to be included here in the weekly newsletter, please let me know by Wednesday of each week.

Hearts have given way to shamrocks, which means... the Auction is getting close! Check out the latest below!

Tickets: Tickets are on sale right now, but there's a limited number of table seats left. Buy yours today!

ENDS FEB. 28** Bring home half the pot! Tickets are 2 for $25, 6 for $50, and 15 for $100, but only through Feb. 28. Contact Amanda Wade with any questions!

Sign-Up Parties: Interested in hosting a wine tasting for parents? Maybe a pizza party? Put your creative hat on and think of some awe-inspiring ways to donate to the Auction. Click here to sign up and reach out to Carla Plaza with questions. The deadline is March 1!

Business Donations: Do you know someone with a business? Ask them to be an Auction sponsor and they can promote their business to the STM community. Please reach out to Mimi Kifle for more details. The deadline is March 8!

Donate Libations: We're accepting donations of beer, wine, and liquor to include in auction items, and for every $15 worth of libations you contribute, you'll earn ONE volunteer hour. Please reach out to Michelle A if you would like to donate!

For general questions, please email stmschoolauction@gmail.com.

Thanks for supporting this major STM fundraiser!

Don’t worry, we all have and here is your chance to do just that. If you are interested, please log your interest using the google form below. Don’t be shy – your contributions will make STM a better place for our children.

PTO Interest Form

• This form will be available through March 15, 2024. Interested parties will be contacted through April 2024.
• An board election slate will be published for consideration April 15, 2024
• PTO Elections, May 7, 2024.

PTO By-Laws:

Sorry kids, no dress down day however, you will have amazing leftovers this weekend (still a win for the parents).

Again Thanks to Robin for coordinating!

St. Thomas More will be hosting a VIRTUS class on Saturday, February 24, 2024 from 3:00pm - 7:00pm. These classes fill up quickly, so mark your calendars. See details here on how to register.

As we move into the last half of the school year, we wanted to touch base about STM's volunteer hour requirements and share some exciting opportunities to get involved. First, a huge thank you to all of you who have already contributed your time and energy to support our school community. This post is an initial reminder to our families who have not yet satisfied their volunteer hour requirements. Not to worry though, because we have plenty of fantastic opportunities for you to jump in and make a difference!

A second and final reminder post will go out to families who are short on hours around spring break.

Just a quick reminder that each family is required to complete 20 volunteer hours throughout the school year. For our single-parent households, the requirement is 10 hours. If the volunteer hour requirement is not fulfilled, unmet hours will be billed to the family's FACTS account at a rate of $15 per unfulfilled hour. For more info, check out the STM Handbook.

We want to make sure your current volunteer hours are properly recorded, so please take a moment to check and record your hours on the Volunteer Hour Reporting Portal. This is where the hour totals are being pulled from, so please make sure this is up to date.

To help you fulfill any remaining volunteer hours, here are some upcoming opportunities! Check out the full list on our Volunteer Sign Ups webpage.

VIRTUS Training: STM will be hosting a VIRTUS training session on Saturday, 2/24. Being VIRTUS-trained allows in-person volunteering at the school and opens a lot of doors for helping out at recess, lunch and in the classroom. Please consider registering! Check out the instructions to sign up!

Recess Volunteers: Come join the fun on the playground, give our teachers a needed break and help ensure our students have a safe and enjoyable recess experience. You'll need VIRTUS training for this. Sign up for February here!

Pizza Lunch Support: Come help out in the cafeteria each Friday to help distribute pizza slices. VIRTUS training is required. Sign up here!

Classroom Support/Donations: Assist with classroom activities, donate materials for classroom activities, every little bit helps! Donations are calculated as $15 = 1 hour volunteer time! Record your donations here!

Auction Support/Donations: Get involved in our exciting fundraising efforts by contributing items for auction or lending a hand during the auction event. It's a chance to give back while having a blast! Check out the auction website and keep checking the PTO website for sign up opportunities!

Field Trip Chaperones: Volunteer as a chaperone for one of our upcoming field trips. It's a fantastic opportunity to create lasting memories and bond with our amazing students. Check with your teacher and room parents on upcoming opportunities!

Hot Dog Bash: The final event of the year and will be scheduled in June. Check out the PTO newsletter and website for more info!

Grade-Specific Activities: Support upcoming grade-specific activities. Typically parents in the corresponding grades assist with these events. Reach out to your room parents or teacher for more information!

• 1st Grade: First Holy Communion Reception (donations & event help)
• 4th Grade: Colonial Day, Iditarod Race, Let Them Eat Cake
• 6th Grade: Greek Day, Pi Day

• STM PTO Website
• Volunteer Sign Ups
• Record and Check Volunteer Hours
• STM VIRTUS Training (2/24/2024)
• STM Auction Website
• STM Handbook
• PTO Newsletters

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to reach out to me at STM.PTO.Volunteers@gmail.com.

Currently, we have needs for the following roles:

1. *Recess Monitors - signups are on Membership Toolkit; and
2. *Lunch helpers because little hands need help opening lunch boxes and yogurt squeeze tubes.
3. STM Auction (see the post on the Auction!)
   

*As a reminder, all volunteers must be VIRTUS trained to volunteer at school events during school hours, including field trips*

** For parents who can volunteer outside of school hours, the Book Fair is open for volunteers. Please see the post above for signup opportunities.

Join us for a parish and school family friendly night of Bingo! Starting at 6:00 pm on Saturday, March 2, 2024 in the school gym with the option to purchase pizza for dinner followed by 5 exciting games of BINGO. There will be prizes for each round and a special grand prize for the full card!

• Bingo Cards will be sold in packs - one pack includes - 3 bingo cards per round and five rounds will be played. Each pack is $5.00. Purchase as many packs as you would like. Additional cards may be available for purchase that night.
• Water, soda and snacks are free. STM Families may receive Cathedral Service hours for donating a individually packaged snack. The value of the snacks should be equivalent to $15.00 to receive one hour of credit. Sign up below to receive credit.
• You do not need to order pizza to participate!

If you have any questions, contact Tara Quaadman at tquaadman@cathedralstm.org or Benjamin Paczak at bpaczak@cathedralstm.org.

Sign Up: https://forms.ministryforms.net/viewForm.aspx?formId=db812324-6f86-46bf-af08-fe0f3ee183bf

Exciting Camp opportunities this summer! KSS Programs will operate their summer camps at STM June 24-August 9.

With options like Lego Robotics, Jewelry Making, Chess, Coding, and Soccer, you're sure to find an exciting class for your chid(ren)!

Registration is now open. Visit https://www.kssprograms.com/ for more information.

Flyers were sent home last Wednesday, as well, so please be sure to check your child's folders.

STM (School) Calendar

Note: For MASS times for specific classes, please consult the school calendar for details

• March 1: Spring Uniform Begins (see handbook and refer to reference section for uniform vendors)
  

• Pizza Lunch
• Stations of the Cross 2-2:45 pm
• March 5: PTO Meeting
• March 6: STM Class Pictures
• March 7: End of Second Trimester
• March 8: No School
• March 13: March Birthdays DDD
• March 14: Parent University (am/pm sessions)
• March 15: Report Cards
• Pizza Lunch
• Stations of the Cross 2-2:45 pm
• March 16: First Communion Retreat
• STM Auction

***Note: PTO Board Meetings (beginning in September)– anyone is welcome to attend AND you receive 1 hour of volunteer participation time for attendance. Plus you know all the details (usually the first Tuesday of every month). We will work on a mix of in person and hybrid meetings so that you all can participate.

Parish Calendar

• June 17 -21, 2024: Vacation Bible School (registration and volunteers needed) details
  

Enjoying life without comments of "Mom, what is mystery meat?"? I know I am.

For all of my parents who are still working through logistics, visit https://ordernow.myhotlunchbox.com/login if you have not already to get yourself in the system and lunches for your students squared away.

• Monday - Tropical Smoothie
• Tuesday - Noodles & Co
• Wednesday - Chick-fil-A
• Thursday - Which Wich

NOTE:

1. Lunches can be cancelled up until noon THE BUSINESS DAY BEFORE delivery.
2. If you have sick students, please let STM know so that your lunch can be donated or sent home with a sibling.

Starting now, we are excited to introduce self-reporting for volunteer hours. While the majority of the hours have already been recorded in our Membership Toolkit system, we want to ensure that every contribution is accurately reflected. This will also allow families to check their volunteer hour balance. We will still continue to use the volunteer sign-ups for volunteer coordination and tracking purposes, but all volunteer hour balances will be managed via the new portal.

To access this new portal for self-reporting hours, please utilize the following steps:

1. Navigate to the STM PTO Website’s new Volunteer Hours page (LINK) and log into your account.
   
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and verify the “Previously Reported” hours that have been recorded for your family.
   
3. Review the hours logged for your volunteering/donations and verify that they are accurately represented in the system. If you find any discrepancies or if there are additional hours that haven't been recorded, please take a moment to submit them through the system.

Please be as descriptive as possible with any submitted entries because all self-reported hours will undergo thorough cross-checks with sign-up sheets and event chairs to guarantee accuracy and completeness.

If you encounter any challenges or have questions about the self-reporting process, feel free to reach out to stm.pto.volunteers@gmail.com.

• Visit our website and register for an account at https://stmpto.membershiptoolkit.com!
• Here is a video primer on MT for your reference.

If you have questions, please contact Amy, our PTO Volunteer Coordinator at stm.pto.volunteers@gmail.com.

We keep talking about volunteering but let’s take a few steps back and talk about how to get to volunteer during school hours. Want to sling some slices of pizza or attend an amazing field trip as a chaperone? You will need VIRTUS Training and an account with the Diocesan Office of Child Protection.

There is an application, background check, and training you must complete but once you are done - volunteering is more accessible. Each parent/guardian must be VIRTUS compliant in order to volunteer within the school. Please reach out to the STM Office for further information.

Retail locations to purchase new uniforms can found here:

1. Flynn & O’Hara (650-19 Main St, Fairfax, VA 22031)

2. Robcyns (3660 King Street, Alexandria VA 22302)

3. Land’s End (Preferred School Number: 900077975) - PE Uniforms Only

If you need to change how your children are picked up, please use this dismissal form by 2:30 pm.

STM Handbook

President - Kristen Wright

President-Elect - Katie Burch

Secretary - Allison Rabin

Treasurer - Hannah Maloney

Vice President of Fundraising - Wege (Mimi) Kifle

Vice President of Events - Sara Harrington

At-Large CYO - Cesar Enriquez

At-Large PK -8th - Genevieve Kelly

At-Large DI - Jennifer McIntyre

At- Large Room Parent - Allison Nicholson

Email: stmptopresident@gmail.com
Website: https://www.stmschool.org/
Location: 105 North Thomas Street, Arlington, VA, USA
Phone: 703-528-6781