St. Thomas More Cathedral School
PTO Newsletter: August 10, 2018
Included in this Newsletter
Popsicles in the Park
Back to School Picnic
Used Uniforms Needed
Message from the President
We are less than a month away from the 2018-19 school year! The incidentals form (where you sign up for special lunches, milk, and juice) is now live:
https://www.stmschool.org/admissions/incidentals/ please take care of your forms ASAP. The Pizza Lunch and Chick-fil- A Fridays are huge fundraisers for school, and more importantly, you don't have to pack lunch for Friday!
Thrilling Thursday is the kickoff to the new school year and will be held on August 23 at 5pm! This event gives families the opportunity to check out your child's teacher assignment and visit their classroom, purchase used uniforms, learn a little about the after school enrichment opportunities we will be offering AND, visit the PTO Volunteer Table!
Enjoy these last few days of summer!
Heather Doucet
PTO President
Message from the Secretary: AtoZ Site Update
Next Thursday, August 16, you will receive an email from "STM PTO" with a request to update your information on the AtoZ Connect site. Check your email inbox for a message from the STM PTO, and look in your spam folder as well if you don't see it.
We use this site for a variety of functions:
Managing volunteers for PTO events and tracking volunteer hours
Providing a searchable school directory that you can access from your phone or a computer
Sending emails to volunteer event coordinators, parents, teachers and staff
See the links below for additional information about how to use the site.
If you are a returning family, please log in and verify that your personal information (address, phone, email) is up-to-date.
If your family is new to STM, your account information on the site includes what has been provided by the school office (children's name, grade and your emails). Please update that to include first/last names, address, and phone numbers, so that your family record is complete and available in the school directory.
At Thrilling Thursday, stop by the PTO table where we can answer any questions and demonstrate how to use the website for new families (and those who may need a refresher).
After Thrilling Thursday, you can log in to AtoZ to assign each child to their teacher -- this will allow you to see the other families in your child's classroom, and help the teachers and room parents to easily communicate with you.
Finally, the volunteer events for 2018-19 have been refreshed, so you can start signing up to help out with all of our great PTO activities. As a reminder -- all families have to complete 20 hours of volunteer efforts (10 hours for single parents) during the school year, and hours are only tracked using AtoZ. You can get credit for items purchased/donated in support of events, as well as actual volunteer hours logged in support of any event.
For any questions regarding access to the AtoZ site, problems logging in, or help finding specific events, please email Mike Schiller at stm.pto.secretary@gmail.com.
Thanks in advance for all of your time supporting STM's PTO events throughout the year!
EASY. EFFICIENT. EFFECTIVE. Pictures below show you some functions of AtoZ Directories for STM.
Log in Screen
Default Screen
Menu
Event Sign Up
Volunteering for an Event
Update Account Information
Add Parent/Student
View My Family Sign Ups
Popsicles in the Park
Popsicles in the Park kick off this weekend. Siblings welcome!
Pre- K: Saturday, August 11 at Bluemont Park, 10:00 am
Pre-K: Sunday, August 26 at Alcova Heights Park, 9:00 am
Kindergarten: Saturday, August 11 at Alcova Heights Park,10:00 am
First Grade : Saturday, August 25 at Alcova Heights Park, 9:00 am
The STM Back to School Picnic
The only thing you need to bring is your family!
Monday, September 3 from 5-7 pm
Barcroft Park - 4200 S Four Mile Run Dr, Arlington, VA 22206
We Need Your Used Uniforms
The supply closet is bare!
Please bring your used uniforms by the office so that we can stock the uniform supply closet for Thrilling Thursday’s sale (8/23).
Please fill out Medical Forms!
Just a friendly reminder from your new school nurse! Please bring in or email your health paper work if you haven't already. If you are unsure what you need to turn in, here is a helpful guide for some common situations:
PreK/Kindergarten/New Enrollees: Full School Entrance Health Record (this is the one your pediatrician signs and includes the complete vaccine record)
1st grade and up returning students (and Kindergartners who attended preschool at STM): Confidential Student Health Update form (only requires parent sign off, not pediatrician)
ALL 6th graders: Proof of administration of TDaP booster along with Confidential Student Health Update form
Students receiving ANY NON INHALER/NON EPI PEN medication at school: While we encourage you to administer scheduled medications at home whenever possible, students needing medication at school must have this UPDATED medication authorization form. If the medication is prescription, the form must be signed by the student's health care provider. Even if you've had one in the past, you will need a new one, including specific dosages, for this school year.
Students receiving INHALER/EPI PEN medication: an UPDATED medication authorization form for antihistamines and/or epi pens and/or inhalers. This is a special form, different from the one above. It needs to be signed by the student's health care provider. Even if you have had one in the past, you will need a new one, including specific dosages, for this school year.
Students with severe food/environmental allergies and/or asthma requiring potential treatment at school: UPDATED Severe Allergy Anaphylaxis Action Plan and/or Asthma Action Plan as signed by the child's care provider. Even if you've had one in the past, it must be updated for this school year.
Forms can be submitted electronically, as long as they are legible and signed by all necessary individuals to nurse@stmschool.org. If you have questions about which forms you will need, please send them to nurse@stmschool.org.
Please remember your students are not permitted to carry medications into the school. If you have medications to be stored in the clinic this school year, please plan to bring them on Thrilling Thursday (8/23). Mrs. Burnside will be in the clinic ready to accept any outstanding paperwork and medications. Please note that your child may be denied entry to school without the proper health paper work completed before their scheduled first day.
I am very excited to get to know your students this year!
God bless, Mrs. Burnside, MSN, RN, CNL, IBCLCSign Up for Soccer!
The recreational soccer program is the cornerstone of the Arlington Soccer Association. Players register and are placed on teams within one of ASA's neighborhood soccer clubs based on elementary school enrollment or geographical location.
Most STM students belong to a specific club within ASA called the "Arlington Kiwanis Club" managed by STM parent, Cindy Schaller. Registration for fall teams is still open for Kindergarten players. Parents registering their child should select St. Thomas More as their school and the best efforts will be made to place STM students on the same kindergarten girls and boys teams. The season for Kindergarten kicks off September 22nd!
Email questions to: arlingtonkiwanis@arlingtonsoccer.com.
Registration link: http://www.arlingtonsoccer.com/programs/recreation/registration/player-registration
Attachments area
Attention Military and Defense Civilian Families: Fort Myer Van
Attention Military and Defense Civilian Families:
If your child will be attending before / after school care at Fort Myer and requires transportation to/from STM, please contact:
Katie Caldwell
703-299-8448
Transportation service arrangements are being finalized now for the 2018-19 school year. Please advise soonest if your child requires a seat on the Fort Myer van.
Attachments area