St. Thomas More Cathedral School

1. MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

2. PTO MEMBERSHIP TOOLKIT

3. YAY LUNCH

4. TACO TUESDAY AT TACO BAMBA

5. STM HIGH SCHOOL VISITS AND HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT TEST

6. LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

7. BREAKFAST WITH SANTA

8. STM BAND ORNAMENTS

9. STM AUCTION – SAVE THE DATE!

10. UPCOMING EVENTS

11. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AND VIRTUS TRAINING

12. PARENT SUPPORT

13. WINTER UNIFORM TIME!

14. STM 2023 – 2024 PTO EXECUTIVE BOARD

Hey everyone!

Highlight of the Week: I want to send a congratulations to my fellow 8th grade parents for the grade completing Confirmation. It was a beautiful sacrament to be part of and again, as an 8th grade parent, thank you to our 6th grade families who contributed to the reception immediately after. Seeing the newly confirmed from our parish and school along with their families and sponsors beaming afterward was wonderful. A true slice of heaven – a time of fellowship and joy.

PTO Business and Parent Support: Let’s have a chat about volunteering! Would anyone be interested in a call on a Thursday night (not Thanksgiving don’t worry) and talk through opportunities that remain for the school year. If I see enough interest, I can set up a call and we can just walk through what is still out there and hold some space for questions.

Words of gratitude: I also want to take this time to say Thank You to our veterans and our military spouses! Our service members and their families give their time, sweat, and tears to the stability of our nation. There are not enough words to thank them for their service and dedication.

Please take some time to remember your family and friends who were or are veterans and say a prayer for them and their families.

- Kristen

Contact:

• If you have questions, please feel free to email me at stmptopresident@gmail.com - do not hesitate to ask.
• If you have information to here in this space, please email me by Wednesday afternoon every week.

We're excited to introduce our new PTO website, which now allows for volunteer sign-ups, access to the family directory and a hub for overall PTO information!

Invitations to join the website and create an account were sent out to all the email addresses on record this week. Please check your email for your invitation today! Reminders will be sent next week for anyone who has not signed up yet.

Please check out the new website here: https://stmpto.membershiptoolkit.com.

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

As we heard on Tuesday and an email from Yay Lunch, the company will be ceasing operations which means we need to have a suspension in lunch service. The last day of Yay Lunch Service November 17, 2023. The company has provided more details for users.

Lunch for November 20 and 21 will need to be arranged by parents.

If parents have any ideas, please let us know by contacting me (stmptopresident@gmail.com) and At Large Member, Ginny Kelly (gmmccarthy@gmail.com) so we don’t have to inundate Mrs. LaBarge. Also please use the parent FB page for collaboration as well.

Again, many thanks to Robin for setting this up. We were able to spend over $1,500 at Taco Bamba which equates to a $300 check to STM! Thank you for participating and more news about a DDD will be forthcoming.

Before we all start crying - our babies, I mean 8th graders are heading off to High School next year. Crazy Right? I wanted to share some of the schools that are accepting applications and planning to visit STM in the coming weeks:

• High School Visit - Visitation and Gonzaga Nov. 16, 2023
  
• High School Placement Test (8am to 10am) Nov. 30, 2023

Come help at the library! We have stacks of new books, and I need help cataloging them!

I am seeking 2-3 very interested parents! After the initial training, volunteers will be scheduled to help on Wednesdays (when the volunteers are able to help) at either 8:15 am or 1:00 pm on a weekly basis.

In addition, the annual Book Fair is around the corner! It's a big project that needs a lot of personnel. Helping at the register is the main need, 8 am - 6 pm, Monday - Thursday during the last week of January.

Interested in helping at either or BOTH? Please email Mrs. Pacheco at spacheco@stmschool.org.

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED - VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED!
Wow, we are truly astonished by the overwhelming interest in the event! Our Breakfast with Santa event filled up faster than we could have ever imagined! We're genuinely sorry to those who were hoping to secure a spot but missed out this time.

We would like to express our gratitude to Harris Teeter for partnering with our school by providing a food donation for this event. We are incredibly thankful for their support.

Your volunteering spirit is the key to making this event a fantastic success, so sign up today!

Volunteers are needed for setup Friday night (12/15) before the event and during the event (12/16) (VIRTUS TRAINED NOT REQUIRED) SIGN UP HERE TO VOLUNTEER

Do you happen to own an Elf costume? If you do, please consider signing up for the volunteer slot to don your costume at the event, as it will surely delight the STM children!

Thank you for your continued support! If you have any questions, please contact Rosalinda Wolfe-Bertling at rosalinda.ortega@gmail.com

Order your commemorative St. Thomas More 2023-2024 Christmas ornaments for $15/ea. Available in two designs, these high-quality boxed, ceramic ornaments make the perfect gift for the STM student, parent, alumni in your life.

Ornaments sold out last year, so don’t miss out! ORDER TODAY

Save the date and mark your calendars for STM's biggest night of fun and fundraising! The 2024 Spring Auction will be held on Saturday, March 16 at the Knights of Columbus in Arlington.

Planning is underway and we are currently forming this year's committee of volunteers. If you are interested in joining the auction committee, please email stmschoolauction@gmail.com or contact one of the event co-chairs:

Elizabeth Doherty (elizabeth.santadonato@gmail.com);

Mimi Kifle (wegek@hotmail.com); or

Allison Nicholson (allisonbnicholson@gmail.com).

STM Calendar

• November 11: Veterans’ Day

• November 13: Discover Catholic Schools Week

• November 14: Kindergarten Veteran Salute
• November 15: Pre-K and Kindergarten Open House
• November 16: Georgetown Visitation and Gonzaga School Visit with 8th Grade
• November 16: Nativity Play Rehearsal
• November 16: STM Parent University
• November 17: Chick Fil A Lunch
• November 20: Pre-K Thanksgiving Feast
• November 20: Nativity Play Rehearsal
• November 22: Thanksgiving Break begins
• November 27: No School
• November 29: Middle School House Meeting
• November 30: High School Placement Test
• November 30: Nativity Play Rehearsal
• December 1: Chick Fil A Lunch
• December 1: Report Cards Released
• December 5: PTO Meeting
• December 6: December Birthday Dress Down Day
• December 7: Nativity Play Rehearsal
• December 8: Feast of the Immaculate Conception
• December 8: Chick Fil A Lunch
• December 11: Nativity Play Rehearsal
• December 14: Nativity Play Rehearsal
• December 14: Parent University
• December 15: 8th Grade Field Trip
• December 15: Kindergarten Christmas Play
• December 15: Chick Fil A Lunch
• December 16: Breakfast with Santa (Registration Closed)
• December 18: Nativity Play Dress Rehearsal
• December 19: Nativity Play in Lee Hall
• December 20: Pre-K Christmas Sing Along
• December 20: Early Dismissal (no extended day)
• December 21: Christmas Break
• January 2: PTO Meeting (tentative)
• January 3: Classes Resume

***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.

Let’s have a chat about volunteering! Would anyone be interested in a call on a Thursday night (not Thanksgiving don’t worry) and talk through opportunities that remain for the school year. If I see enough interest, I can set up a call and we can just walk through what is still out there and hold some space for questions.

I would not be a good PTO board member if I didn’t advocate for leaders within our school community. 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.

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

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.

Remember the phrase “It takes a village”? Let’s remember that when I say that you are not alone. Feel free to email, use STM Parent FB, or your Room Parent to find answers. We are here to support our little humans AND (wait for it....) each other.

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. Please see the displays below about how to dropoff and pick up the students. If you have family or friends - please send this to them.

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/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1649633&type=d&pREC_ID=1792214
Location: 105 North Thomas Street, Arlington, VA, USA
Phone: 703-528-6781