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Dear Parents,
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The teachers and staff began their school year on Monday and what a memorable day it was! After morning meetings, we gathered together and experienced the incredible solar eclipse. At Tuesday's opening Mass, Most Reverend Bishop Michael Burbidge said that the Diocesan theme for this year should be "Look Up!" He said that the eclipse should be a reminder to all of us that we need to raise our eyes to heaven daily and pray. Yes, please be assured that prayer is an essential part of every day at STM. We continue to follow the many IHM prayer traditions that include prayers before and after meals and the Rosary. STM school is blessed with a rich history and I want to share one piece of history that was celebrated in a special way. This year, our own Mrs. Maureen Arroyo, Pre-K to 3rd grade Spanish teacher, celebrates 40 years of teaching in the Diocese of Arlington. She was honored at Tuesday's Mass and the entire congregation of 1700 teachers and staff gave her a standing ovation. At the end of the gathering, Mrs. Arroyo was surprised with a visit from a former student who happened to be in her first Kindergarten class at STM. Liz Roselewicz is now a Kindergarten teacher herself in the Diocese of Arlington. What a wonderful story!
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Mrs. Maureen Arroyo with former STM K Student Liz Roselewicz
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And now we are ready to gather with you!
Are you ready? It's almost time for Thrilling Thursday and we sure are ready to meet and greet you and hear the sounds of children back in the building. Please come to the cafeteria between 5:00pm to 6:30pm to visit classrooms, meet teachers, see what after school enrichment activities are available, and purchase used uniforms. To help facilitate updating Power School, we will also have the Tech Team available in the Computer Lab to help parents enroll and navigate the STM parent portal, update demographic information and provide student access IDs and Passwords.
As announced in the June 7, 2017, Blast, I am pleased to present the faculty for the upcoming 2017-2018 School Year:
Please welcome the St. Thomas More Cathedral School Faculty & Staff for 2017-2018:
PreK - Miss Sarah Conrad
Kindergarten - Mrs. Robin Baney and Ms. Krista Paul
First Grade - Mrs. Pat Coleman and Mrs. Cathe Fonzi
Second Grade - Ms. Emily Sheckels, Ms. Mary O'Connor, and
Mrs. Kelly Pietuszka
Third Grade - Mrs. Kyle Lee and Ms. Nora Cox
Fourth Grade - Ms. Megan Flaherty, Ms. Cat Hancock, and
Ms. Veronica Fernandez
Fifth Grade - Mrs. Malia Busekrus and Mrs. Stephanie Pacheco
Sixth Grade - Mrs. Nancy Meehan and Mrs. Jodie Morgan
Seventh Grade - Ms. Ina Loughlin and Ms. Jennifer Kusnierczyk
Eighth Grade - Mrs. Cynthia Larsen and Mrs. Dina Johnston
Art - Mrs. Deb Lockwood
Music - Ms. Andrea Scully
Spanish PreK-3rd - Mrs. Maureen Arroyo
Spanish 4th-8th - Mrs. Carol Bonilla
Computer - Mrs. Emily Stocker, Mrs. Laura Winstanley
Library - Mrs. Mary Anne O'Rourke
PE - Mrs. Brenda Bauer
Finally, as you prepare for next week, please remember the following important notices:
- Monday, August 28 is a full day of school
- NO HOT LUNCH AVAILABLE UNTIL AFTER LABOR DAY
- Please pack a bagged lunch and drink and snack(s) as needed per child and grade
God Bless,
Eleanor McCormack
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TELEPHONE USE/MESSAGES FOR STUDENTS
The office telephone is not generally for student use; however, students may ask permission to use a school phone from the office personnel.
Students are discouraged from calling home for forgotten items.
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NEW FOR 2017-18
New: Students are not permitted to bring cell phones, pagers, smart watches, etc. to school this year.
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Parents may request a waiver
in writing to this no-cell/pager policy if their child walks to or from school, rides a bus to school or if parents believe there are unique circumstances that warrant a student having a cell phone, etc. Students must bring the phone, etc., to the office for safekeeping and pick it up daily.
Electronic items that are used in violation of this policy will be confiscated by the Principal or her designee and will only be returned to a parent.
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"See to it That No one Misses the Grace of God" (Hebrews 12:15)
Do you have a desire to share Christ's love? Do you feel called to connect with other women in our parish? Would you like to be a part of an authentic community of women who share Christ's love?
The Cathedral of St. Thomas More is discerning whether to bring Walking with Purpose, a women's Catholic Bible study program to our parish, and
we are seeking a group of women leaders AND participants.
Walking with Purpose features at-home study, weekly small group discussions and a monthly Connect Coffee event for a talk on a relevant topic. The program offers leaders an online training and mentoring program to help you shepherd other women and draw them closer to Christ.
If you are worried you do not have the skills to be a leader in this program, not a problem! Few things stretch and grow our faith like stepping out and asking God to work through us. If you would prefer just to participate, that's great too!
Say
YES
, and get ready to watch what He can do through imperfect women who depend on Him. Contact Iris at
571-334-9340
or email
[email protected]
for more information.
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ST. THOMAS MORE TENNIS TEAM
The St. Thomas More CYO tennis season is just around the corner. If your child is in 3rd - 8th grade and is interested in playing tennis on the
St. Thomas More tennis team this season, please contact Lee Plaza -
[email protected]
. Please use "Tennis" in the subject line and let me know the child's name, grade and skill
level (beginner, intermediate, advanced).
We hope to start practices ASAP, so please don't delay in getting on my email list. All parents from last year's team will automatically be sent the information for this upcoming season. Practices will be one evening a week for an hour and a half and tennis matches are Sunday afternoons beginning on September 17 and through October 29 (with November 5 as a back-up date).
I'm also sad to say that Coach Carlos has moved out of the area, so depending on participation level, I may need one or two 3
rd
or 4
th
grade parents to step up to help with the younger kids.
Please let us know if your child has an interest in playing as soon as possible and whether you are able to help coach at practices and/or weekend matches. We're looking forward to a great season!
Thank you.
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CALLING ALL BOYS IN 4TH-8TH GRADE!
STM is training a new group of
altar servers
, and we want you to be a part of the action! If your son is interested, please fill out this form and return it to the Cathedral Rectory Office. Additional forms will be available in the School and Rectory Offices. Training dates are as follows:
Saturday
, September 9 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Wednesday
, September 13 from 3:15 PM to 5:15 PM
Wednesday
, September 20 from 3:15 PM to 5:15 PM
If you are unable to make one of these dates, please contact Fr. Christensen at
[email protected]
.
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BLAST SUBMISSIONS
STM Blast items
must be submitted to [email protected] by noon on Monday
in order to be included in that week's edition.
All submissions must be in print-ready form.
Items received after this deadline will be held until the following issue.
Thank you for your cooperation.
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Upcoming Events
Thursday, August 24
THRILLING THURSDAY!
5:00pm-6:30pm
STM School Cafeteria
Monday, August 28 First Day of School
for
Grades 1 to 8
FULL DAY with Extended Day
BRING BAGGED LUNCH & DRINK!
Monday, August 28
"Boo-Hoo" Coffee for 1st-8th Grade Parents
in Cafe
following morning drop-off
Mon-Tues-Wed
August 28-29-30
PreK and K Orientations
STM School
Tuesday September 5
Back to School Night
for 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th
7:00pm
Wednesday, August 30
First FULL DAY for
Kindergarten Students
Wednesday, August 30
"Boo-Hoo" Coffee for K parents in Cafe following morning drop-off
Friday, September 1
11:30am Dismissal
NO EXTENDED DAY
Looking Ahead. . .
Monday, October 23
Confirmation at 7pm
Cathedral of STM
Confirmandi and Sponsors gather at 6:15pm
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