St. Thomas More Cathedral School

1. Message from the President
2. Teacher Appreciation Week
3. In the Classroom
4. Parent Volunteer Corner
5. In the Parish and Community
   
6. Save the Dates
   
7. Reference Information

Thank you so much to our teachers who teach, guide, and support our students in ways great and small. No amount of gratitude is enough for what you do.

I also want to wish all mothers, grandmothers, aunts - a very special Mother's Day. I saw this quote which truly encapsulates this week and this weekend:

In your arms, you held us. Little did we know but you have given us the greatest treasure that will never fade in our hearts and that’s your love.

So thank you teachers and moms!

• Questions, ideas, concerns, even gripes...feel free to contact me until May 25, 2024.
  
• If you have events to be included here in the weekly newsletter, please let me know by Wednesday of each week.

Congratulations to the new 2024-2025 STM PTO Executive Board.

PTO Executive Board

• President: Katie Burch Nolte
• President Elect: Allison Nicholson
• Vice President, Events: Rosalinda Wolfe-Bertling
• Vice President, Fundraising: Mimi Kifle
• Secretary: Allison Rabin
• PTO Volunteer Coordinator: Amy Hughes
• Treasurer: Steve Parente
• At Large, Pre K to 2nd Grade: Janay Podraza
• At Large, 3rd Grade to 5th Grade: Vacant
• At Large, Middle School: Genevieve Kelly
• At Large, DEI: Jennifer McIntyre
• At Large, CYO: Ceasar Enriquez
• At Large, Room Parent Coordinator: Michelle A.

Unelected Committee Chairs

• Teacher Appreciation: Tessie Caulfield, Meredith Lay, and Carolyn Hickey
• Race for Education: Summer Menchero, and James Whiteside
• Oktoberfest: Olivia Devereaux
• Trunk or Treat: Janay Podraza, Ashley Kealey, and Katie Nolte.
• Country Christmas/Breakfast with Santa: Rosalinda Wolfe-Bertling
• Uniform Committee: Vacant
• 2025 Auction Chairs: Elizabeth Doherty, Sumner Menchero, Allison Nicholson, Mimi Kifle
• Hot Dog Bash (June 2025): John Rovinski
• Restaurant Coordinator: Robin Capetto
• Pizza Lunch: Jessica Paska
• Chick Fil A Lunch: Goldie Tesfaye

Please note that help is needed everywhere so if something interests you, and you can provide support - let's go! Pitch in! Every bit counts and helps to make this community grow.

Enjoy some sweet snacks while strolling the halls of STM during Fine Arts Night on May 13. Cash and Venmo will be accepted.

Listen...these kids say nothing about their schedule. And, between work, activities, and everything else...when did this come up or happen? Many thanks to Dedra and Christina as Room Parents and all the parents leading the charge to make this last month at STM special for our graduating 8th Graders!

• Monday, May 13, 8th Grade Bake Sale at Fine Arts Night (6:30 p.m. at the School)
• Friday, May 17, Shakespeare Production for Parents (8:30 a.m. in the Gym)
• Monday, May 20th, Shakespeare Festival (off-site)
• Tuesday, May 21, Pizza Lunch to Celebrate Shakespeare Festival
• Tuesday, May 28th, Terrapin Adventures Field Trip
• Friday, May 31st, Eighth Grade v. Faculty Volleyball Game
• Friday, May 31st, Spring Fling - Middle School Dance
• Thursday, June 6, Thank You Tea (4:00 p.m. at the School)
• Friday, June 7, Picnic (11 a.m. at Lacey Woods Park)
• Monday, June 10, Class Clap-out (Time TBD but traditionally immediately after the first bell in the morning)
• Monday, June 10, Graduation (6:30-8:00 p.m., St. Agnes Church)
• Tuesday, June 11, Graduation Party (7:00-11 p.m., Army Navy Country Club)

As we approach the end of the school year, we want to provide a final reminder regarding volunteer hour requirements. If you are receiving this email, your family is currently short on their volunteer hour commitments for this school year. All unfulfilled hours after the deadline of May 17th will be sent to the front office for pay out at a rate of $15 per 1 unfulfilled hour. As a reminder, families are required to complete 20 hours of volunteering (10 hours for single parent households).

All volunteer hours must be logged on our self-reporting portal by close of business (COB) May 17th. This deadline is fast approaching, so we urge you to ensure that your contributions are recorded ASAP.

If you are signed up to volunteer at an event after May 17th, please estimate and log your volunteer hours in advance.

The final list of hours contributed by all families will be pulled at COB on May 17th. It's essential to plan accordingly if you intend to fulfill your volunteer hours to avoid a pay out at the end of the school year ($15 for every unfulfilled hour).

We have several upcoming volunteer opportunities that you can take advantage of to fulfill your remaining hours. Please also check out the full list of volunteer opportunities on the PTO website and also reach out to your room parents of any class-specific volunteering opportunities.

• May - June Recess Volunteers (VIRTUS required)
• Pizza Lunch Volunteer (VIRTUS required)
• Hot Dog Bash (6/12/2024)

• In addition to in-person volunteering, classroom donations count as $15 spent = 1 hour volunteer time

Here is a consolidated list of links for your reference:

• STM PTO Website
  
• Volunteer Sign Ups
  
• Record and Check Volunteer Hours
  
• STM Handbook
  
• PTO Newsletters
  

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to assist you in any way we can. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to reach out to me at STM.PTO.Volunteers@gmail.com.

Are you ready for the biggest party of the year? See all the details below.

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

• May 13: Fine Arts Night
• May 15: Battle of the Books
• May 17: Pizza Lunch
• May 22: Shakespeare Play
• May 24: Early Dismissal with NO Extended Day
• May 27: No School
• May 31: Pizza Lunch
• June 5: June Birthdays DDD
• June 10: 8th Grade Clapout
• June 10: Pre-K stepping stone ceremony
• June 10: 8th Grade early dismisal
• June 10: 8th Grade Graduation
• June 11: Kindergarten Graduation
• June 12: Early Dismissal - NO EXTENDED DAY
• June 12: Hot Dog Bash

***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

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

Please 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.

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.

• Go to www.arlingtondiocese.org
• Click on Protecting our Children at top of the page
• Scroll down and click on background check-this will take you to the online paperwork
• Once the paperwork has been approved please go by the office to pick up your background check form and take it to the diocese building located in front of the school.
• After the paperwork is approved you will also be prompted to sign up for a VIRTUS class if you haven't taken one already

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.

Reminder on Drop Off: While not a new policy, STM is enforcing the 8 am start time. As a reminder, if you are IN the car line by 8 am, you will be able to drop your children off as normal. If you arrive to the car line AFTER 8 am for any reason, you should proceed to the Cathedral parking lot and WALK YOUR CHILD IN. Please DO NOT just drop them off in the Cathedral lot - this is a huge safety issue with cars driving in all directions at that time. If a STM faculty or staff member directs you to the Cathedral parking lot, please follow directions and address any issues or disputes later.

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