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Dear STM Families, Next week is a huge week for all of us! Catholic Schools Week begins on Sunday and culminates on Saturday with the STM Virtual Auction—and then the Chiefs play in the Super Bowl the next day!! We are blending these two events at St. Thomas More School with some friendly competition with St., Lawrence Catholic School in Tampa, Florida. Our teachers are working together for some collaborative virtual learning projects while we ask you to join in on the fun with some charitable collections and fundraising. The principal at St.Lawrence Catholic School has agreed to send us a basket of treats from the Tampa Bay area if they win while I will send a basket of KC BBQ sauces and rubs if our school doesn’t triumph! Thanks for your help in playing along! Special thanks to Michelle Lizak and her committee for all of their work on our STM Catholic Schools Week activities. I will delineate each day for you below and attach her amazing graphics below. Please watch for an email from your child’s grade level teacher for their individual activities, as well. STM SCHOOL UPCOMING EVENTS: Sunday, Jan. 31 Celebrating Parish: share a photo of family attending or watching Mass (in uniform) to get an out-of-uniform pass for Monday; see details on attachments Monday, Feb. 1 Celebrating Community: Kick-off of Class and School-wide service projects; see details on attachments: STM Spirit Wear Day Tuesday, Feb. 2 Celebrating Students: Surprise snacks, classroom games, virtual art show, No Homework night, STM Dine-Out Night; Sweats/Sports Wear Day Tuesday, Feb. 2 Southern Kitchen KC—Dine-Out Night; mention STM when ordering Wednesday, Feb. 3 Celebrating Nation: Specialized classroom activities tied to celebrating our nation and the world; 8th grade Fundraiser—treats at afternoon recess for $1/ each; Student’s favorite color shirt day Thursday, Feb. 4 Celebrating Vocations: Thank-you notes to priests; share donated gift cards to the priests; celebrate vocations in the classroom; Chiefs Spirit Day! Friday, Feb. 5 Celebrating Volunteers and Teachers: NO SCHOOL; Student Learning Conferences; Staff Appreciation Luncheon and Surprise Saturday, Feb. 6 Celebrating Families: Families celebrate each other by sharing time together Saturday, Feb. 6 STM VIRTUAL AUCTION! Tuesday, Feb. 9 Spring Photos; Re-takes Thursday, Feb. 9 Registration packets for 2021-22 School Year go home in backpacks Friday, Feb. 12 NO SCHOOL; Teacher Professional Development Monday, Feb. 15 NO SCHOOL; President’s Day Wednesday, Feb. 17 Ash Wednesday CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK INFO: Attached is a schedule of the events for next week’s Catholic Schools Week. We kick-off the week with weekend Masses. To help celebrate we are asking Students to wear their STM Uniform to one of the weekend Masses (in person or virtually) and post on Facebook or submit a picture via email. If they participate, they can dress in Spirit wear on Monday. We have a lot of fun activities going on next week – so each day next week you will be receiving email and text message reminders of CSW events that will be coming up the following day. To help you prepare for next week, here are some quick question/answers: What does my child wear next week?
We’d love to see photos of the children and families doing something together – with a special visitor! See attached instructions and printable to use! STM VIRTUAL AUCTION NEXT SATURDAY!: The St. Thomas More Community has consistently shown they RAISE UP STM when it comes to the annual Fund-a-Need campaign. In the last two years, over $167,000 has been raised for a specific educational need at STM. We have successfully provided all faculty and staff with new laptops, replaced all desktop computers in the student computer lab and provided $15,000 to the arts and library programs. In the face of a pandemic our needs have grown, and we will RAISE UP and meet those needs! Stay tuned for more information regarding the 2020-2021 Fund-a-Need campaign, and plan to attend our virtual auction on Saturday, Feb 6th, 2021. ACTIVITY FEES: All Activity Fee amounts were due by January 15, 2021. On January 31, 2021 any unpaid fees will be charged to the credit card on file with the parish office. Please take care of any charges before that date or contact Tim Waris for more information. SPRING PLKC SPORTS INFORMATION: Boys’ volleyball registration for grades 4-8 is now open on the PLKC website. The session will run from March 8 through May 7. Games will be Friday nights. I am looking for coaches for teams as well so please let me know if you are interested. Rules for season will be same as girls COVID rules which are posted on the website. If you have any questions please feel free to email Jenny Smith at jkalbsmith@gmail.com. Registration for boys and girls track for 4th through 8th grades is also open. Please contact Tim Waris for more information. STM YEARBOOK ORDERS: Order envelopes were sent home with your child for the 2020-21 STM School Yearbook. All orders are due on March 8—no extensions available. If you did not receive an envelope, you can order at ybpay.lifetouch.com and use the Yearbook ID code: 12113021 COVID DASHBOARD BELOW... The STM COVID Task Force met this afternoon to discuss a proposed document: “STM Travel Expectations.” Much conversation was shared regarding international and domestic travel, air travel, car travel, and travel to areas with large crowds. Team members debated whether to share strong language about expectations for travel from each of these scenarios or to share suggestions only. Another scenario was the option to cancel Spring Break and keep everyone in school instead. A decision was made by the group to wait for information that is forthcoming from the Diocese regarding travel. That information will be shared along with STM recommendations next week. Another topic covered was a statement from Bishop Johnson that virtual learning during the 2021-22 school year will be offered only to students who have health issues that prohibit them from attending school in person. Information was shared about STM parent inquiries regarding COVID:
Today is the feast day for St. Thomas Aquinas. Please consider sharing this prayer written by him with your family: Grant to me…Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen. Peace and Blessings, Linda Crosthwait, STM Principal  Dear STM Families, Tomorrow, January 22, is designated in all the Dioceses in the U.S. as a particular day of prayer and penance called the "Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.” As individuals, we are called to observe this day through the penitential practices of prayer, fasting and/or giving alms. The 2021 March for Life in Washington D.C. is going virtual this year--find FAQs, tips for observing from home, and sign up for the livestream link on the March for Life website: https://marchforlife.org/statement-on-2021-march-for-life/ I hope January has brought as much joy to your homes as your children have brought to our halls and classrooms! We are so grateful for the vaccines that are beginning in Jackson County. Yet, we are keeping Covid-19 guidelines at the forefront as we work to keep your children and ourselves as safe as possible. Thank you for your ongoing partnership with us in staying safe and reporting any COVID-related illnesses or questions. Please don’t hesitate to email us at Health@stmcyclones.org . LOST & FOUND RECOVERY EVENT TOMORROW: Our cold mornings and 'warm' afternoons have caused a huge increase in our mound of Lost & Found jackets, sweaters, hats, gloves, etc. Tomorrow (Friday) you will have the opportunity to look through these items to recover your child's missing articles. Please come by the front of school to check through these from 3-3:30 p.m. DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE TISSUES, HAND SANITIZER, PENCILS & PAPER?: With half of our school year over, it's important to make sure that all students have the necessary supplies to finish out the year. Each student should have a small hand sanitizer and box of tissues for personal use at his/her desk. Please ask your child about supplies and replenish these necessities as necessary. Thanks so much for your support! STM AFTER-CARE ACCEPTING PK-5 STUDENTS NOW: Please call our school office if you are interested in after-school care for your preschool through grade 5 student. We are now accepting registrations for the second semester and are including preschool students, as well. Call 816-942-5581 for more information or to register. 8TH GRADE PARENTS: The final payment for 8th Grade Graduation will be due February 15th. The total amount due is $100. Please drop off check to Colleen in school office. If you need to Venmo the money please contact Tiffany Garcia at t.garcia621@hotmail.com. The 8th Grade Class will also be doing a graduation fundraiser during Catholic Schools Week. We will need each student to donate pre-packaged Treats/Snacks to sell during lunch on Wednesday of that week. Watch for a Sign-up Genius later this week. Thanks, Tiffany Garcia CATHOLIC SCHOOLS' WEEK: We are so excited to celebrate Catholic Schools’ Week at the end of January! Our Catholic Schools’ Week organizers have worked so hard to provide a faith-filled and fun week for our students! See the attachment below for a look at our plans for January 31 through February 6. Please consider this prayer to share with your family: God our Creator, we give thanks to you, who alone have the power to impart the breath of life as you form each of us in our mother's womb; grant, we pray, that we, whom you have made stewards of creation, may remain faithful to this sacred trust and constant in safeguarding the dignity of every human life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. St. Thomas More, pray for us. Peace and Blessings, Linda Crosthwait, STM Principal   Dear STM Families,
Today marks the final day of our first semester of this unusual school year. We are so excited about the second half and count our blessings every day that we get to work with your children. As the year progresses, STM staff members are committed to stay strong with our COVID-preventive protocols and procedures. Though many are weary of the constant sanitizing, distancing, and cohort existence, we will not loosen up. We have learned a lot along the way and continue to search out best practices for keeping your child(ren) safe. At STM, a key component to limit the spread is your willingness to monitor your child’s temperature and check for symptoms each day. Also, your accurate reporting to our nurse, Amy Hokanson, and/or to health@stymcyclones.org is imperative in maintaining a healthy school environment. Your cautious responses are imperative in keeping our community safe from COVID infection. We are so thankful for the cooperation of our school families in following these standards. STM is a Catholic community whose members stand together to keep each other safe and healthy. The STM COVID Task Force met again this afternoon. Both parent and STM staff members are sharing ideas, considering proactive policies, and reviewing our current practices. Below is the COVID-19 Dashboard that will become a fixture in each Cyclone Chatter, as it was suggested by this Task Force. The data will be collected weekly from Thursday-Wednesday to be shared in this newsletter in a month-long format. STM COVID-19 DASHBOARD Week of 1/7-1/13 HEALTH CHECK AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE 96.9% Students in Quarantine 32 Students in Isolation 1 Staff Members in Quarantine 5 Staff Members in Isolation 2 STM SCHOOL UPCOMING EVENTS: Thursday, Jan. 14 Last day of 2nd Quarter (1st Semester) Friday, Jan. 15 All STM Activity Fees are DUE Friday, Jan. 15 Diocesan Prof. Dev. Day for all teachers—NO SCHOOL Monday, Jan. 18 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day—NO SCHOOL Monday, Jan. 18 STM Dine-Out at Caleb’s Tuesday, Jan. 19 First day of 3rd Quarter (second semester) Jan. 30-Feb. 6 Catholic Schools’ Week Friday, Feb. 5 Teacher-Requested Parent Conferences—NO SCHOOL Saturday, Feb. 6 STM Auction STM AFTER-CARE ACCEPTING PK-5 STUDENTS NOW: Please call our school office if you are interested in after-school care for your preschool through grade 5 student. We are now accepting registrations for the second semester and are including preschool students, as well. Call 816-942-5581 for more information or to register. NO SCHOOL TOMORROW OR MONDAY: A diocesan Professional Development day was scheduled for us next Friday, Jan. 15. (This date was not on our original calendar, as the date was scheduled for us by the diocese in late November.) Teachers will be working through Virtue Based Restorative Discipline training with a national trainer on Zoom meetings at STM. There will be no school on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We will come together on Tuesday, Jan. 19 to begin the second semester. GO TO CALEB’S ON MONDAY! Please consider a meal from Caleb’s on Monday as they will give a portion of your purchases to STM Home and School. Don’t forget to mention STM when you place your order! BIRTHDAY TREATS: Students can still wear spirit wear on or near their birthdays, When it is your child’s birthday, please feel free to send individually pre-packaged items for classroom treats. So sorry that we can’t accept a box of donuts or baked items that have been bagged by you. Also, please follow the nut-safer guidelines in choosing your treats. I’ve witnessed classroom birthday celebrations with individual Rice Krispie treats, Little Debbie cakes, etc. that were appropriate and so appreciated by the children! I know it seems strange, but so it goes in COVID times. Thanks for your compliance with these guidelines. WE NEED STM SPORTS UNIFORMS! If your child’s STM sports uniform from volleyball (or any other sport) is at your home, please turn it in to the STM School office. The volleyball coordinator has not received all of the uniforms from this past season and is missing uniforms from other seasons, as well. Your cooperation is so appreciated! Please consider this prayer to share with your family: Remember us, O God; from age to age be our comforter. You have given us the wonder of time, blessings in days and nights, seasons and years. Bless your children at the turning of the year and fill the months ahead with the bright hope that is ours in the coming of Christ. You are our God, living and reigning, forever and ever. R/. Amen. St. Thomas More, pray for us. Have a great 4-day weekend with your family! GO CHIEFS!!! Peace & Blessings, Linda Crosthwait, STM Principal Dear STM Families,
Our first week back at school has been a good one! Your children and their teachers have hit the ground running as we near the halfway mark in our school year. Students in grades 1-8 are attending Mass during one of the four Mass times during the week, and prayers to culminate the Christmas season have been shared in all classes. What a wonderful way to start the New Year! As discussed in earlier correspondence, we continue our work to provide the safest and most viable learning environment as possible at STM. Our COVID Task Force has been expanded to include six parents: Courtney Fitzgerald, Layne Griffith, Ben Lizak, Matthew Pomianek, Natalie Rellihan, and Stephanie Rogge. This advisory board met for the first time this afternoon to refresh and tweak the COVID-related procedures at STM. Our work today was to delineate the areas to address. Updates from our meetings will be shared in future Cyclone Chatter newsletters. We will publish a COVID Impact Dashboard each Thursday beginning next week. We will include data of number of students in ‘Isolation’ and ‘Quarantine’, number of staff members in ‘Isolation’ and ‘Quarantine,’ and our overall absentee rate for the week from Wednesday to Wednesday. This data will be shared as information to keep you updated and not as criteria to change our learning mode. Please watch for that information in each Cyclone Chatter beginning January 14. STM SCHOOL UPCOMING EVENTS: Friday, Jan. 8 Deadline to change learning mode for 3rd Quarter Friday, Jan. 8 First Friday STM Spirit Day Jan. 11-14 Winter Benchmark Testing in grades 3-8 Thursday, Jan. 14 Last day of 2nd Quarter (1st Semester) Friday, Jan. 15. All STM Activity Fees are DUE Friday, Jan. 15 Diocesan Prof. Dev. Day for all teachers—NO SCHOOL Monday, Jan. 18 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day—NO SCHOOL Monday, Jan. 18 STM Dine-Out at Caleb’s Tuesday, Jan. 19 First day of 3rd Quarter (second semester) Jan. 30-Feb. 6 Catholic Schools’ Week STM SPIRIT DAY TOMORROW: It’s the first Friday-school day of 2021—so tomorrow is a STM Spirit Wear day. Students may wear an STM Spirit Shirt with school-appropriate khakis, jeans, STM Spirit Shorts, Spirit Wear Active Pants, or uniform bottoms (no cargo pants). NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS NEXT FRIDAY, JAN. 15: A diocesan Professional Development day was scheduled for us next Friday, Jan. 15. (This date was not on our original calendar, as the date was scheduled for us by the diocese in late November.) Teachers will be working through Virtue Based Restorative Discipline training with a national trainer on Zoom meetings at STM. WINTER BENCHMARK TESTING NEXT WEEK: All students in grades 3-8 will take Diocesan Winter Benchmark Assessments in Math, ELA, and Written Expression. When our students took these tests in September, they scored above expectation in each grade level and subject area. We will be able to gauge their growth since then through the results of these tests. Please make sure your child gets a good night’s rest and eats breakfast (everyday, but especially) next week for this testing. BIRTHDAY TREATS: Students can still wear spirit wear on or near their birthdays, When it is your child’s birthday, please feel free to send individually pre-packaged items for classroom treats. So sorry that we can’t accept baked items that have been bagged by you. Also, please follow the nut-safer guidelines in choosing your treats. I’ve witnessed classroom birthday celebrations with individual Rice Krispie treats, Little Debbie cakes, etc. that were appropriate and so appreciated by the children! I know it seems strange, but so it goes in COVID times. Thanks for your compliance with these guidelines. A Prayer for the New Year: Thank you, Lord for giving us the brand new year ahead. Help us live the way we should each new day. Give us strength and courage to aid others in need more than we worry about ourselves. The year ahead is empty, help me fill it with good things. Each new day give me wisdom to recognize the joy and happiness You bring. Amen. St. Thomas More, pray for us. Peace and Blessings, Linda Crosthwait, STM Principal Dear STM Families,
Was your Christmas holiday as happy and blessed as mine? I certainly hope so! Though I didn’t get to spend time with my extended family, I have been able to contemplate and recognize the many blessings our Lord continues to shower on all of us—even in these crazy COVID times. My untimely exit from school in mid-November has definitely helped me to continue to consider all of the many things I am grateful for in my life. My return to STM ‘IN PERSON’ on Monday, January 4 is very near the top of my list!! Thank you to all who prayed me back to robust health so quickly. I share my recovery story with anyone who will listen—and I credit YOU for my healing heart and rebounding energy! The STM staff and I are so ready to welcome your children back to school and hit the ground running in 2021. As I said in my last newsletter before Christmas, there has been a lot of work going on in the background to rebuild our safe STM ‘bubble’ for in-school learning to continue as we all need. Here are some of our continuing efforts to maintain a safe and healthy learning environment for our students and staff:
In the meantime, we ask all parents to temperature screen and monitor students closely for any signs of potential illness daily. If at any time during quarantine the student exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 including fever, new or persistent cough, headache, loss of taste or smell, muscle or body ache, nasal congestion, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, please contact your health care provider and notify STM at Health@stmcyclones.org . Please share any reports of such illness or exposure to Health@stmcyclones.org before Monday if your child will be absent. It’s important for us to continue to maintain this data to inform your child’s teacher for sharing (just the data) with our community. Temperature Check Sheets are to be returned MONTHLY during second semester. A new version of the form is attached below. Thank you for keeping track daily of your child’s health record. We will ask for those to be turned in on Monday, Feb. 1. Don’t forget to follow the guidelines to wear a mask, wash your hands often, avoid large crowds, and isolate from anyone who is known or suspected of COVID infection. Your continued prayers are needed for the health and well-being of all of our staff and families at STM. These will be the BEST ways to ensure that we will be able to stay on-site and in school. STM SCHOOL UPCOMING EVENTS: Monday, Jan. 4 First day of school in 2021 Monday, Jan. 4 Mrs. Corkins’ class First Reconciliation Service at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8. Deadline to change learning mode for 3rd Quarter Thursday, Jan. 14 Last day of 2nd Quarter (1st Semester) Friday, Jan. 15. All STM Activity Fees are DUE Friday, Jan. 15 Diocesan Prof. Dev. Day for all teachers—NO SCHOOL Monday, Jan. 18 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day—NO SCHOOL Monday, Jan. 18 STM Dine-Out at Caleb’s Tuesday, Jan. 19. First day of 3rd Quarter (second semester) Jan. 24-30 Catholic Schools Week TABLET RETURN INSTRUCTIONS: If your child borrowed a STM computer tablet during Distance Learning, please have your child return it to his/her homeroom teacher on Monday, Jan. 4. Our computer teacher, Mrs. Elliott, will pick those up from the teachers to put the tablets back in rotation to our classrooms. STM SPIRITWEAR: STM Spiritwear orders were distributed last week. If you did not receive yours, your child will bring it home on Monday, Jan. 4. Thank you to our STM Spiritwear Chairpersons!! As we usher in 2021, please join me in praising our Lord and Savior with thanksgiving and petitions for a healthy and prosperous year! Here’s a prayer you might share as a family: God, thank you for a new year. May everyone in our family be willing to begin anew with a clean slate. We know that you are always ready to forgive us. Help us to be willing to forgive ourselves and to forgive one another. As we begin a new year, remind us of our truest values and our deepest desires. Help us to live in the goodness that comes from doing what you want us to do. Help us to put aside anxiety about the future and the past, so that we might live in peace with you now, one day at a time. Amen. St. Thomas More, pray for us. Happy New Year! Peace and blessings, Linda Crosthwait, STM Principal |
Cyclone ChatterThis is a weekly letter that Linda Crosthwait, Principal of STM puts out for school families. Archives
January 2022
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