Message from the President

Have you registered as a volunteer?

An Afternoon Pick-up Friendly Reminder from Mrs. Bauer

Race for Education

Box Tops for Education Contest

International Festival

California Pizza Kitchen Restaurant Fundraiser

STM Spring Auction - SAVE THE DATE!!

Volunteer Builder - TIP(s) OF THE DAY!

Student Directory

Happy Friday!

We have a busy end of October! Items in bold are included on the Volunteer Builder site!! Please check to see if there are openings you can fill.

Sunday, October 16th - 7th Grade Coffee/Donuts after masses

Monday, October 17th - School Picture Day (get those haircuts this weekend!)

Wednesday, October 19th - 11:30 Dismissal and California Pizza Kitchen Fundraiser

Thursday, October 20th - Dress Down Day for CPK attendees

Saturday, October 22nd - International Festival from 12 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 23rd - 3rd Grade Coffee/Donuts after masses

Monday, October 24th - 8th Grade Confirmation/Reception (6th grade families host)

Tuesday, October 25th - Kindergarten America Sings Concert

Wednesday, October 26th - Race for Education!

Thursday, October 27th - Middle School Halloween Social (3:15-4:45 p.m.)

Friday, October 28th - NO SCHOOL!

Sunday, October 30th - 4th Grade Coffee & Donuts after masses

Have a wonderful weekend.

Kassie Stewart

PTO President

Approximately 25 families still have not registered as volunteers. Are you one of them? It is very important that you register your family as soon as possible so that you are not billed $300 at the end of the year. Volunteering for events and accruing hours via the Volunteer Builder site is the only way to log volunteer hours. Please visit http://stthomasmorecathedralsch.volunteerbuilder.com/ to register TODAY!!

Dear Parents,

This is a friendly reminder that cars MUST NOT pull into the end of a row that has already been completely filled. Completely filled = a car that has slipped into the last parking lot space outlined in white on the pavement. When that row is filled, move on to the next available row!! If you are hanging off the end of the row, you are "doing it wrong." Please abide by the guidelines we have set in place. Also - if there is a parent who is regularly at 1st pick-up - who understands the guidelines - and is able to leave their car and assist Mrs. Bauer with filling up the lot properly, we would be happy to offer volunteer hours for this role. THANK YOU!!

Nine years ago, we launched a very successful fundraising program called the Race for Education. It is an annual tradition for the students, faculty and others to walk or jog around a designated area of the school to honor the funds we’ve raised to add more STEM-based technology into our classrooms. Through the years, funds have been used to improve the school's security system; enhance the media center and classroom libraries; and even send a student-built satellite into space! This year's proceeds will be used for putting additional IPads, laptops and other STEM-based technology resources into the classroom directly for student use.

STEM-based education is the wave of our children's futures ... come be a part of it!

How do I make it happen on GoFundMe?

1. Copy and paste the GoFundMe link to a personal email and forward to as many family and friends as possible. This is also a great opportunity to expand our donation horizons by utilizing your social media presence to get the word out!

2. In your emails and social media posts, personally remind your loved ones how important the STEM curriculum is to the STM children and school community.

3. You may either bcc: Catherine Ryall, the Race’s Chairperson, or forward her the email you sent (cathbu@aol.com). For social media posts, simply send her a screen shot of the posting.

4. Please note in the comment field of your donation the student for whom you are donating the money.

GoFundMe link - https://www.gofundme.com/2zysm2wk

How else can I donate to this fantastic cause?

1. You may mail a donation by check to St. Thomas More Cathedral School, F/B/O PTO Race for Education and [name of student], at 105 N Thomas Street, Arlington, VA 22203.

2. You may also make a donation through Faith Direct, athttps://membership.faithdirect.net/enrollment/LiveTransaction_frame.php?id=399. Please note the donation is made F/B/O PTO Race for Education and [name of student].

3. For current parents of the school community, you may also make donations through your FACTS account! Donation authorization forms will be posted online and distributed via backpack mail.

Class Initiatives:

Pizza Party for upper and lower classes for most MONEY raised!

Dress Down Day for upper and lower classes with most LAPS ran!

Just for Soliciting Donations:

Email solicitations or SM post only = 1 entry into $200 VISA gift card raffle

SM post + 1-5 email contacts = 2 entries into $200 VISA gift card raffle

SM post + 6-10 email contacts = 3 entries into $200 VISA gift card raffle

SM post + 11 or more email contacts = 4 entries into $200 VISA gift card raffle

AUTUMN CONTEST: NOW COLLECTING BOX TOPS & LABELS FOR EDUCATION

Now is the time to send in your clipped “Box Tops for Education” and “Labels for Education”! STM is holding our Fall contest to see which classroom sends in the most logos (per child average). The prize is Winners Choice between a Dress Down Day pass or a Popsicle Party for the winning classroom. The contest is running now – the final day to send them in is Friday, October 21.

It’s easy to send in the logos – just clip out and put them in a Ziploc-type bag marked with your child’s name and teacher’s name, to make sure your student’s class gets credit in the contest. Then, send the bag in via backpack mail, or drop off at the school office. It’s that simple! The Box Tops and Labels are found on many common household and food items, and this is an important fundraiser for our school. To learn more about what to clip, visit the school website’s program page here http://www.stmschool.org/pto/shopping-programs/school-rewards-programs/index.aspx }. Questions? Email our parent-coordinator at marcianddavid@comcast.net. Thanks for clipping!

The PTO is pleased to partner with California Pizza Kitchen yet again to help raise money AND have some fun with friends. October 19th is an early release day, so head on over after pick-up, order on-line. or meet up with friends for dinner at the restaurant. No matter when you go, STM will receive 20% of the sales made by those who refer to the fundraiser upon payment. A dress down day will be granted to all who participate. The DDD will be on October 20th. A copy of your dinner receipt will serve as your DDD pass.

When it comes to registering as a volunteer, there are tasks that have been given time slots. Some time slots only offer one hour, some two or three - depending on the task. You click your task and hit the blue Volunteer button. Done! But what happens when you're not registering for a specific task, or when you worked more hours than the time slot allows? What if you spent $90 on items for a raffle basket, but the system only allows you the 1 hour for $15 spent? What now??.....

Follow the photos below to see how you can edit your hours to equal the amount you spent OR update the amount of hours you've actually fulfilled.