St. Thomas More Cathedral School

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

Highlight of the Week: PTO Meeting!:Lent, President’s Day, and Black History Month!

I mean a trifecta in my house!

• With Lent, it always bring on new challenges on how to explain this time of self-reflection, sacrifice, and selflessness to my kids. I noticed that kids are bringing the Rice Bowls home, please see any guidance from your students’ teacher about when and where to return them before the end of Lent.
• President’s Day is Monday (so no school) but if you are looking for a fun and engaging (my kids read boring) to talk about the “Father of the Nation”, Mt. Vernon is having a free admission day (first come first served) on both Monday and Thursday.
• ABC’s of Black History – as the daughter of a teacher and quasi-history major, February is always a fun month to understand the contributions of African American culture in America. If you have time this month (or this summer), pop on over to National Museum of African American History and Culture. From understanding the middle passage to arts in America, you would be wowed and inspired.

PTO 2024-2025 Board Nominations

The PTO Board Nominations Interest form are live today!

• 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

Upcoming Events

• February 22
• CSW Bingo Dress Down Day
• Lebanese Taverna Fundraiser

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.

• February 19: President's Day = No School
• CSW Bingo Dress Down Day is February 22, 2024

Wow! One month to go and the excitement is building. Check out the latest news and be sure to click those links!

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

50/50 Raffle: Bring home half the pot! Tickets are 2 for $25, 6 for $50, and 15 for $100. Early bird pricing through Feb 28! Contact Amanda Wade with any questions!

Donations & 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!

** DEADLINE FEB 20!** Teacher/Student Photos: We're collecting teacher/student photos for display at the Auction! Help us highlight the dedication of teachers with photos and gratitude notes. Send pics here, but please only send what you feel comfortable sharing as these will be displayed publicly.

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!

Sponsorships: We're still accepting sponsorships, but there is only one table sponsorship left. If you're interested, please visit the website to sign up. If you have any questions, please reach out to Elizabeth Doherty.

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.

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

Thanks for supporting this major STM fundraiser!

Need a change of pace for dinner? Lebanese Taverna has partnered with us again for dinner.

If we get $500 in fundraising proceeds, the kids will get a DDD (approximately March/April). Plus dinner is already handled for Thursday.

A couple quick housekeeping points:

• Food will need to be reheated or served at room temperature
  
• Pick-up will be at 3:00 at STM

Link here: https://www.giftrocker.com/secure/Order/?h=4bc8b73d

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.

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.

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.

STM (School) Calendar

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

• February 19: No School - President's Day

• February 22: CSW Bingo DDD
• February 23: Pizza Lunch
• Stations of the Cross 2-2:45 pm
• 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

• February 17: Lenten Morning of Reflection - Mass at 9am followed by bagels and a talk at 80 North Glebe Road (Parish Event) register here
• June 17 -21, 2024: Vacation Bible School (registration and volunteers needed) details

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