The Phoenix Flyer: St. Thomas More School Newsletter
October 9-13, 2023
Principal’s Message
New Beginnings
Jeremiah 29:11 “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’
Dear Parents and Families,
Today we celebrated our Mass of the Holy Spirit, which is a Fall tradition here at STMS. At this Mass, we invoke the Holy Spirit to be with us through a new school year, and to bless our students, staff and parents. The fourth grade class is the host of this Mass, and with the guidance of their teacher, Mrs. Atkins, and our Music teacher, Mr. Ocfemia, our students did an amazing job. We were pleased to see many families in attendance.
This Friday, we will gather as a staff another Fall tradition, the Christ in the Classroom Retreat. This year we are exploring ways to enrich our prayer life, which will help is strengthen our relationship with God. We look forward to sharing the fruits of our time together with our students throughout the year.
In Christ,
Elizabeth Glaze
Blessing of the Pets
On October 4, we held our annual Blessing of the Pets. Here are some of the photos from this beloved event, honoring St. Francis on his Feast Day.
Dates to Remember
10/13 No School, Teacher In-service
10/15 School-led Mass, Grade 3 (8:30am)
10/20 Student Picture Day (Individual) – Free Dress
10/25 James Knight event (more details below)
10/ 26 Noon Dismissal, Parent/ Teacher Conferences
10/27 No School, Parent/ Teacher Conferences
10/28 Trunk or Treat. St. Thomas More Parish & School (see details below)
10/31 Halloween Fest and Parade
11/1 All Saints’ Day Mass, 9am
Partners in the Gospel
St. Thomas More Parish is hosting a listening session on Thursday, October 12th, at 7pm in the Narthex. For more information on Partners in the Gospel, please visit the STMP website at https://www.stmp.org/.
Hot Lunch
Hot lunch is back!! Please see the link to the printable monthly Hot Lunch form, or stop by the school office for a hard copy.
Please note: The deadline for all hot lunch payments is Thursday. We are not able to accept payments sent in on Friday morning.
We need volunteers! Please use the Sign Up Genius link below to earn volunteer hours by helping us with our hot lunch.
James Knight
Local Area Events
St. Brendan’s Dance
Please see the flyer below on St. Brendan’s Dance on Thursday, October 12. This event is open to 7th and 8th graders. Students must bring a signed permission slip. Since we don’t have our ID cards ready, we will send over a class roster to the school.
Trunk or Treat
Please see the link to the flyer for information on this year’s Trunk or Treat with St. Thomas More Parish.
Halloween Party in Dalton Hall
Please sign up to help with decorations, donate a pizza, popcorn, games, cookies, candies, and drinks to count towards your volunteer hours requirements (see the form for specific volunteer hours for each item)!
Parent Club
Thank you to our wonderful 2023-24 Room Parents
We still have 2 positions open in PreK 4 and 2nd grade.
| Preschool 3 Jason Gardner PreK 4 OPEN | Kindergarten Jenna Gardner, Lan Voba | 1st/ 2nd Grades Angelica Mora Need One More |
| 3rd Grade Francesca Abellera Melanie Abigania | 4th Grade Dayana Barajas Brigitte Poole | 5th Grade Anna Golla Fadia Kassab |
| 6th Grade Jessica Lang | 7th Grade Joy Hequibal | 8th Grade Carrie Verge Sharon Geyer |
Auction News
Our STMS Dads are getting ready to head out on the town for our Annual Dads on the Loose Auction Event. While they enjoy dinner, drinks, laughter, and fellowship we need to make sure they are transported in style! We are looking for several drivers to transport all these deserving dads, as they move from St. Thomas More to a few local bars in Lynnwood.
You can earn your auction volunteer hours in 1 fun/easy night!
Saturday, October 14, 2023 (8pm to 1am)
Drivers will need to pick up Dads from St. Thomas More, transport them to a few pre-selected bars and return them home to their doorstep.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Jessica Lang at (425) 890-5891 or Jessica.e.nunn@gmail.com
Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080A49AAA82CABFF2-45102428-drivers
NOTE: If you are a Dad, or know a Dad who would like to attend there are still spaces available. Cost $100 a person, checks can be made out to STMS, write Dads on the Loose in notes. Please also RSVP at the following link by Thursday, October 12th at 5pm so we can make sure we have enough food, drinks and drivers to accommodate you! http://evite.me/7JvTTfPm9G
Save the Date – Gala Auction March 9, 2024
We need parent volunteers! Please let us know how you would like to support our Gala Auction, our largest fundraiser of the year. Contact the school office at (425)743-4242.
Patrol
Please see the link to the current Patrol schedule.
Scrip
Bonus Fest is still happening on Raise Right!
REMINDER: There will be no Scrip Sales this Friday. No School! Come see us on Sunday in the Breezeway between Masses.
WE STILL NEED MORE HELP! You don’t need to be on a set schedule, but we are looking to build our on-call/substitute roster. We are looking for Wednesday morning or Friday afternoon availability. Please contact Therese Sarr (sarrtherese206@gmail.com) if you are interested. It’s a great way to get those Volunteer Hours and a great reminder when you are volunteering to restock your Scrip and add to your $700 commitment.
We are looking for more Sunday Sellers! Please help Therese and consider selling on Sundays to get your Volunteer Hours. Sign up below- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4AA5AB2AA1F5C70-fall
A special Thank You to The Barajas Family and Ixtapa Family Restaurant for being one of our participating local businesses to contribute to STM through our Scrip Program! Many of you have read and heard of the closing of their restaurant, here in Lynnwood. Check your wallets and around your home if you have any Ixtapa Scrip and use them by the 22nd!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is where and when you can buy Scrip:
✨️In the timed parking lot-Wednesdays 8am-9am and Fridays 2:45pm-3:15pm
✨️In the Breezeway-Sundays (every other; 10/1, 10/15,etc.) 9:30am-10:30am
✨️Anytime, via the Raise Right app.
Questions, Comments, Concerns? Contact Your Scrip Admin Team:
-Gemma Ardiente (ordering & inventory) gemma_ardiente@comcast.net
– Rachel Rogers (bookkeeping) rrodgers517@gmail.com
-Therese Sarr (volunteer selling coordinator) sarrtherese206@gmail.com
-Nick Golla (communications) nngolla@gmail.com
Ixtapa
Dear St. Thomas More Community,
After serving their community for 17 years, The Barajas family have decided not to renew their lease at their beloved Lynnwood Ixtapa Family Restaurant.
Ixtapa has been a huge part of our community with generous donations to our school, including ‘Dining for Dollars’ events, hot lunches, catering ‘Teacher Appreciation’, birthday parties, sports banquets and many more special occasions.
Show your love and appreciation by joining the community to make one more memory for the books on Friday, October 13th after the scheduled Fairbanks Farm event.
Thank you Ixtapa and Barajas family for everything you have done for our community.
Sincerely,
Friends of the Barajas Family
(This is a non-hosted event)
CYO
Basketball registration is open!
4th-8th grade boys and girls register now! League games are from Nov. 18-Jan 28th. Practices can begin as soon as we have a team, coach, and gym space reserved. We need to register teams by October 13th. So, again, register now if you are interested!
3rd grade boys and girls will register starting Jan 1st. If a parent from each class could take lead on organizing the teams that would be great. Just talk to parents of your child’s gender to get it going. We had a great Basketball season last year; let’s keep it going!
Register at:
https://www.teamsideline.com/sites/seattlecyo/current-programs
Contact Laurel Pehanich or Joe G if you have any questions (or want to help volunteer)!
Coffee & Donuts
Do you need volunteer hours that can be done outside of the regular work week? Come Set up, Serve, and Clean up on Sundays for Coffee and Donuts after both the 8:30am and 10:30am Masses. It’s easy and fun and a great time for fellowship and fun with our community.
Bring kids with you. Have them dress up in Full Dress and help greet and serve. They can earn a Free Dress Pass!
Click the link below. Please print and fill out and return to the office.
Extended Care Donations Needed
Some of our games and activities in Extended Care are missing items, in poor condition and rather outdated. Some of the items that need replacing include:
Games – (e.g.) Monopoly, Life
DVD’s (G rated only, please)
Crafts (any)
For your donation, you can receive 1 volunteer hour (per donation, not per item). Check back in this space for an updated list of items we still need as we begin to receive donations.
Volunteers
Current Volunteer Opportunities
Preschool Cots – Assembly
We need one or two volunteers to help us assemble cots in the preschool classroom. These cots are part of the requirements we need to obtain our license and need to be assembled before the visit by the DCYF licensor.
Requirements for Parent Volunteers
Parents who wish to volunteer will need to be current on their Virtus Training, Protecting God’s Children and complete the Volunteer Handbook acknowledgement form.
Online sessions are also available in English and Spanish. Visit Virtusonline.org and click on the Current Registration tab. Trainings are good for 3 years. If you need to renew your status, you can do so online at Virtusonline.org.
For information on how to create your profile and register for a class, please click on the link below and look for the Registration Guide under Adult Employee Information and Resources, or contact Heather Anderson at heather.anderson@stms.org or (425) 743-4242.
Archdiocese of Seattle – Safe Environment
We want to help all of our families meet their volunteer hours and become more engaged with our amazing STMS community. Please complete the survey below so we can better understand your talents and interests in volunteering.
Volunteer Talents, Interests and Needs
Guidelines for COVID, Flu and RSV
St. Thomas More School is following the COVID guidelines published by the Washington State Department
of Health and the Snohomish Health District*.
The Snohomish Health District has recently revised their guidelines. The link to the guidelines can be found below:
NEW
Snohomish County Health Department COVID Guidelines – PDF with Barcode
WA State Department of Health Guidelines
NEW
CDC recently made an announcement sharing the news below (see links).
Every U.S. household can receive four free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered to their home through USPS beginning Monday, September 25, 2023.
COVID.gov – Free at-home COVID-19 tests
Important Updates to STMS Guidelines
- If your child tests positive, the quarantine period is 5-10 days. If after 5 days, your child is symptom free and has not had a fever within the last 24 hours, he/she may return to school and will need to remain masked through day 10.
- Day 0 is the first day of the onset of symptoms, or if asymptomatic, the first day of the positive test.
- If your child was previously asymptomatic before testing positive, but starts to exhibit symptoms after testing, day 0 is the first day of symptoms (the 5-day count starts over).
- 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 and remain masked through day 10 of exposure of anyone in the household testing positive for COVID.
- If your child exhibits symptoms of illness at school, they will be asked to wear a mask, and we will call home. We have COVID-19 testing available at school – please email or call the office if you would like your child tested.
If students have active symptoms from any respiratory infections and/or have a fever, they should not come to school.
*If you have any questions regarding STMS guidelines, please contact the school office at (425) 743-4242. Please note that although STMS guidelines are based on the Washington State Department of Health and the Snohomish County Health District, we reserve the right to add extra precautions.
