The Phoenix Flyer: St. Thomas More School Newsletter
January 9-13, 2023
Principal’s Message
Building Community – One Body, Many Parts
1 Corinthians 12:12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
Dear Parents and Families,
We were greeted by some wild weather this week, which reminds me we are fully into our winter. Any day we have sun from now until July is a gift!
Thank you to all the families who continue to give feedback on our newsletter and website. These are both a work in progress.
As we head into next week, let us remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who led a beautiful example of how to celebrate diversity. As he so aptly put it,
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
—”Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963
This resonates with me, especially in relation to our theme on building community this year in “One body, many parts.” Let us continue to lift each other up and work as a community who cares for one another and celebrates our differences.
평화 Pyeonghwa (Peace in Korean),
Elizabeth Glaze
Dates to Remember
1/13 MLK Assembly, 11am (note: this date is incorrect on the calendar)
1/16 Holiday – MLK, Jr. Day Observed
1/23 Early Dismissal (Teacher PD)
1/27 Book Fair Kickoff
1/29 – 2/3 Catholic Schools Week
Auction Update
Auction Updates:
Final Procurement DEADLINE Friday, January 13, 2023
Invitations to the Dream Big Fly High – Step Into Spring Gala have been sent home, here are a few details for the event:
RSVP for the Gala:
Early Bird: $85.00 tickets before January 20, 2023
Ticket Price: $95.00
Final RSVP due on January 31, 2023
Embassy Suites Hotel Room Block: Embassy Suites Hotel Room_STMS Auction Gala
Procurement: You may continue to drop off items in the office during school hours. On Friday, January 13th we will be collecting items in the parking lot during the morning drop off.
$250 Procurement Commitment: If your $250.00 procurement commitment has not been completed by 3:00pm on Friday, January 13, 2023, your FACTS account will be billed in February 2023 for the outstanding portion.
Please check out our Amazon wish list for ideas: https://smile.amazon.com/registries/custom/16MZ1EB1D7KLS/guest-view
Class Baskets: Due January 13, 2023.
Class Art Projects: Due January 13, 2023.
Jessica Lang | Auction Procurement Team | St. Thomas More School
Cell (425) 890-5891 Email: jessica@nvllaw.com
Follow Along @stmsauction
Parent Club
Hello Families!
Happy 2nd week of January! Below are some reminders.
Thank you for those you who have volunteered to lead the class auction projects and class baskets, and for all of those who have contributed and helped in any way! If you still want to turn in some items, the deadline is this Friday, Jan 13th! Please reach out if you have any questions or need additional assistance.
Ms. Watters is looking for Co-Coordinator for Book Fair Family Night and volunteers! Please see the sign-up genius in newsletter.
*We need your help! We are looking for coordinators to lead the Chocolate Fundraising and the Valentine Dance. If you are interested, please let Francesca and Suzi know by January 13th. If we cannot secure leads by the deadline, we will be unable to offer these activities.
*School Commission is looking for volunteers for the committees listed below. Please reach out to Vicky Jarman at
vljarman@hotmail.com if you are interested.
- Safety/Facilities & Maintenance
- Technology
- Fundraising
- Strategic Planning
- Grants
All are welcome to attend the Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly hosted by 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Graders on Friday at 11am in the Dalton Hall!
No School on Monday – Holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Have a great week!
Francesca and Suzi
Parents Club
Scrip
Scrip will continue to be an easy and ongoing Fundraiser. All rebates from gift cards purchased until April 30th, 2023 will count towards this year’s fundraising commitments.
Scrip Announcements:
*7TH GRADE WON THE GIFT CARD CONTEST FOR A HOT COCOA PARTY!!
*NEW IN PERSON SALE TIMES:
- Wednesday 8-9am
- Friday 2:45-3:30pm
- Every other Sunday 9:30-10:30am
*CURRENT SAFEWAY/ALBERTSONS CARDS
*RaiseRight increased bank transaction fees to $0.29.
*VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
We are in need of one more seller for each sale listed above. Remember, you can drop in and are not expected to commit weekly, however MUCH Appreciated if available.
STMS Families are required 40 hours of Volunteer Hours each year (4 to be for the Auction). Selling Scrip has been a great way many of us have connected with our community by getting to know the names and faces of parents and their children. Saying our “Hello”’s in the parking lot and building friendships and relationships!
Email us at stmpsscrip@gmail.com for questions!
HAPPY NEW YEAR from your Scrip team!
Tiffany Butts- Scrip Coordinator (Volunteer)
-Always Welcoming New Volunteers!-
Due to an update, current Safeway/Albertson’s cards in our inventory or previously purchased, will only be reloadable via the RaiseRight App until Mid January. We will keep you posted when the new reloadable cards are in our inventory.
Book Fair
Book Fair is coming January 27-February 2nd
More information will be coming as we get closer to the dates, but put these on your calendar now.
Saturday, January 27 6:00-8:00 pm – Family night. The Renggli Room will be transformed into Space Stations families can explore together.
Sunday, January 28 9:30 am – 1:30 pm Book Fair will be out of this world for families to shop together.
Monday January 29 – February 2nd 8:30 am-3:30 pm– Classes will be assigned a special day and time to shop Book Fair. Families can also attend after school until 3:30.
Wednesday, February 1st 6:00-8:00 pm – Reading Under the Stars. 3rd and 4th grade students will be reading their speech storybooks. All are invited to come and listen! Book Fair will NOT be open during this time though.
Miss Watters needs a galaxy of beings to help with Book Fair and these special events. Don’t space out. Sign up now using the Sign Up Genius below.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050F45AFAF229-2023
Bookmark Contest: Miss Watters completed the Book Fair Bookmark Contest with classes this last week.
If your child was absent or needs another entry form, click here.
2 winners from each class will be chosen to win $10 to use at Book Fair.
Entries are due by Friday, January 20th.
Miss Watters is still looking for a coordinator for the Family Night, January 28th. She will have all the activities planned and ready, she just needs someone to coordinate volunteers and get everything going while she is in Book Fair. Please contact her ASAP if you are willing to help.
Specialist Spotlight
Our specialists work hard to provide a variety of interesting and engaging activities for all of our students. We would like to share some of the highlights of their work, as well as a little bit more about each of them.
Deanna Maddock is our Computer teacher and resident Tech Guru. She has been with STMS for 10 years, and teaching computer class for 9 of those years. Mrs. Maddock has found her groove teaching technology – she is not afraid to try new technology tools and her lessons are engaging and lighthearted. She enjoys watching students have the “lightbulb” moment when things click and they are able to utilize technology to explore their creativity as well apply new skills. One of the tools Mrs. Maddock utilizes in her classroom is the Technokids curriculum. This curriculum is project-based and students are enthusiastic about the lessons, which align with our technology and Common Core standards, as well as incoporating real-world experiences. Some of the lessons include writing travel brochures, creating timelines of important events, learning about being fit and being healthy, as well as reinforcing computer literacy skills such as how to use MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher. One of the biggest priorities for Mrs. Maddock is teaching internet safety and digital citizenship skills; this curriculum provides thoughtful ways to teach these skills to students in a meaningful way.
When she is not teaching, Mrs. Maddock enjoys baking with her granddaughter, spend time with her family, cooking and trying new recipes and completing puzzles. Her favorite thing in the world is chocolate chip cookies.
Hot Lunch
All pizza lunches will include choice of drink (water, soda, juice) and a treat.
Hot dog lunches will include choice of drink (water, soda, juice) bag of chips and treat.
Cost is $5 per lunch extra slice or hot dog is additional $1. Please see the link below for the order form.
If you volunteer to help with our Hot Lunch fundraisers, please use the Sign Up Genius below:
Hot Lunch Schedule through March
Jan 13 NO HOT LUNCH | Jan 20 Hamburger | Jan 27 Pizza |
Feb 3 Hot Dogs | Feb 10 NO SCHOOL | Feb 17 Pizza |
Feb 24 Grilled Cheese | Mar 3 Pizza | Mar 10 Pizza |
Mar 17 Grilled Cheese | Mar 24 Pizza | Mar 31 Pizza |
School Mass & Assembly Schedule
This year each grade level will lead the 3rd Sunday Mass (or Saturday vigil Mass), which coincides with Coffee & Donuts (with the exceptions of December, April, and June). Please see the table below for Mass times and participating grade level . All participants and attendees in school uniform will get a free dress pass. Please note we have made revisions to the scheduled Masses.
Jan 21, 5pm * | 7th and 2nd Grades |
Feb 26, 10:30 ** | 6th Grade and Kindergarten |
Mar 19, 8:30 | 3rd Grade |
Apr | Spring Break |
May 21, 10:30 | 5th and 1st Grades |
*The January date has been changed from 1/14 to 1/21 to not conflict with Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend.
**The February date has been changed from 2/19 to 2/26 to not conflict with President’s Day weekend.
Volunteers
Parents who wish to volunteer will need to be current on their Virtus Training, Protecting God’s Children and complete the School Volunteer Agreement attesting to their vaccination status. Parents wishing to volunteer inside the school building will need to be fully vaccinated.
Here are some upcoming training dates that are nearby (register on Virtus):
1/11 Our Lady of Hope, Everett (Zoom)
1/19 Holy Cross Catholic Church (Zoom)
CYO
CYO 4th -8th Grade Volleyball and 3rd Grade Boys Basketball Registration Deadline is Friday, January 13th. Register at https://www.teamsideline.com/seattlecyo
Please contact Karen Pena at kjpena77@gmail.com for questions:
School Commission – Committee Members Needed
The School Commission is looking for parents interested in joining the committees designated to work on school priorities. If you are interested in joining any of the committees, please email Vickie Jarman, “Vickie Jarman” vljarman@hotmail.com or Maria Houser, “Maria Houser” maykahlo34@yahoo.com.
- Safety/ Facilities & Maintenance: Review facilities for safety concerns; help make recommendations on needed services and materials.
- Technology: Review tech needs and make recommendations.
- Fundraising: Review fundraising efforts for viability and make recommendations for future fundraising activities.
- Grants: Research grants that meet needs of school. Write grant proposals.
- Strategic Planning: Assist with long-range school planning based on accreditation goals.
Guidelines for COVID, Flu and RSV
Please continue to keep your child at home if they are ill. We will continue to follow the advice and recommendations of the Snohomish Health District as we navigate the cold and flu season. If students have active symptoms from any respiratory infections and/or have a fever, they should not come to school.
Please see the letter published from the Snohomish Health District from November 18, 2022.
St. Thomas More School is following the COVID guidelines published by the Washington State Department of Health and the Snohomish Health District. As of the end of October, STMS had 7 reported cases of COVID-19 positive test results to date.
The Snohomish Health District has recently revised their guidelines. The link to the guidelines can be found below:
If your child exhibits COVID-19 symptoms at school, they will be asked to wear a mask, and we will call home. We have COVID-19 testing available and may require proof of a negative test prior to their return to school. The options for testing are:
- Testing is conducted at home by the parent, and a copy of the negative test is sent to the school.
- Testing is conducted by the parent at STMS with our testing supplies.
- Testing is conducted by one of the office staff at STMS.
If your child tests positive, the quarantine period is 5-10 days. If after 5 days, your child is symptom free he/she may return to school (wearing a mask) as long as you provide proof of a negative test result. Negative tests should be emailed to the STMS office staff. Siblings of a child who test positive, or if a child is exposed to someone else in the home who tests positive, may return to school as long as there are no COVID-19 symptoms with proof of a negative and remain masked.
Patrol
Anyone looking for volunteer hours? We can always use your help in patrol!! You will receive 1 hour for every AM or PM day. Please contact me (Robert Trias) for which days you are available and either mornings (AM) or afternoons (PM) or both. You contact myself @ (206)353-2000 or TRIAS0175@yahoo.com , I will also be doing patrol every Monday (PM), so you can talk to me at school.
Thank you!!!
Coffee & Donuts
Please see the links below to sign up. We need more people to sign up for the 8:30 Mass.
Website
We are continuing to revise and improve the website. You can now access the calendar under the Parents tab for to see upcoming events. There is also updated Auction information. We will continue to keep you informed of updates and improvements throughout the year.