St. Thomas More Cathedral School

1. Message from the President
   
2. In the Classroom and Academic Reminders
3. Volunteer Corner
   
4. Lunch Information
5. Fundraising Events
6. STM Auction 2024
7. Save the Dates
8. Reference Information

Highlight of the Week: To Be Blessed and Highly Favored

On behalf of the entire community of parents and guardians, we want to thank the teachers, administration, and staff of the St. Thomas More Cathedral School. Our children, your pupils, are indeed Blessed and Highly Favored to have you as their Educators in all things great and small. These past few months have flown by but in that short period of time, the children have thrived. So again thank you. No token is great enough to express our gratitude but we are here to support you in all that you do.

Now onto my second note of gratitude, to you. Yes, you the parents! Having kids doesn’t come with a manual or software updates and life moves so fast. When I said, “Come Join the PTO”, you showed up. From Room Parents, Scouting, CYO, to chairs of Race for Education, Restaurant Fundraising Outreach, and the STM auction, you have shown up and out. Thank you! I know your time with your children and your lives are valuable and to give some of that to the STM Community means a lot.

Upcoming Events

STM Nativity Program (see further details). Come with patience (the main virtue of Advent) and be prepared to be entertained. I can’t wait to see you all in some capacity there.

PTO Business

None until January (Woo Hooo)

Contact

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

Many thanks to the STM Administration and Teachers for making sure this school-wide event continues throughout the renovation of the Cathedral.

Schedule of the Event:

• 4:30 pm Grades 1&2 sing (4:00 pm arrival in the gym)
• 5:00 pm Grades 3&4 sing (4:30 pm arrival; meet at Door 2)
• 5:30 pm Grades 5,6,7 sing (5:00 pm arrival; meet at Door 2)
• 7:00 pm Grade 8 Nativity Play with 4th-8th Grade Youth Choir (6:15 pm arrival in the gym)

Come with patience (the main virtue of Advent) and be prepared to be entertained. I can’t wait to see you all in some capacity there.

You should have or will be receiving a flyer on Winter Enrichment for your students.

Important Information

• Registration OPENS: Tuesday, January 9th @ 9am
• Registration CLOSES: Tuesday, January 16th @ 11:59pm

Detailed registration information can be found here.

The STM PTO website is officially live, and the response has been incredible! Over half of our families have already registered, which has unlocked their access to volunteer opportunities, the student directory, event information, and details about upcoming PTO meetings. It's your one-stop shop for staying connected.

Visit our website and register for an account at https://stmpto.membershiptoolkit.com! Amy was great at finding a primer video on how to use MT. 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.

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. Breakfast with Santa
4. 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*

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.

The company that best fits our needs is My Hot Lunch Box. As of the December PTO Meeting, We anticipate a February 5, 2024 launch. Please continue to loop in on daily lunch logistics and until then, please arrange for your student's lunch.

The STM PTO is excited to announce that our tradition of Pizza Lunch Fridays will return again in January 2024. We have once again partnered with Old Dominion Pizza, a locally owned business, to provide our students the option of ordering 1 or 2 slices of cheese pizza. Each student will receive a bag of pretzels, and fruit snacks with their pizza order.

There will be a total of 15 pizza lunch Fridays this year. These lunches are only available to students who have ordered and paid in advance through this form. Prices are $120 for a 1 slice order and $135 for a 2 slice order.

https://payit.nelnet.net/form/ocYUb20u

Lucky to be MORE on March 16, 2024!

The auction chairs are thrilled to share our 2024 theme: Lucky to be MORE! We are, indeed, Lucky to be MORE, with dedicated teachers and staff, a wonderful parent community and fantastic students. Save the date on Saturday, March 16 at the Knights of Columbus in Arlington and start thinking about how you will celebrate Lucky to be MORE with us!

If you are interested in volunteering to help put on this night of FUNdraising, 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).

The 2024 STM Spring Auction is just around the corner and the annual Gift Card Drive is here to kick off planning season! Please consider sending your student to school with a gift card from January 3-5.

Each class that collects at least $300 in gift cards will earn a Dress Down Day on January 8th! Any type of gift card is accepted and all denominations are greatly appreciated.

To help you decide, the gift cards are used in various ways in support of the auction, including for supplies and decor, to create and supplement silent auction baskets, and they’re the foundation of auction game, Restaurant Row. In the past, Amazon, Target, Visa, local restaurants and favorite chains, and just about any store you can think of have all been super helpful in meeting our goals of the Drive. Thank you for supporting the biggest fundraiser of the year!!

STM (School) Calendar

• December 18: Nativity Play Dress Rehearsal
  
• December 19: Nativity Play in Lee Hall - the STM Blast had detailed schedule listing by grade.
• December 20: Pre-K Christmas Sing Along
• December 20: Early Dismissal (no extended day)
• December 21: Christmas Break
• January 3: Classes Resume
• January 10: PTO Meeting

STM Parish Events

• 12/17 – Sacred Music for Advent and Christmas (4:30pm at St. James Catholic Church in Falls Church, 905 Park Avenue, Falls Church) featuring Cathedral and Youth Choir from STM. Livestream will be available here.
  
• Please see here for a list of Mass Times and Confessions during Christmas at the Cathedral. For more information about upcoming events at the Parish, see here.

***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.

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 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.

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