St. Thomas More Cathedral School
PTO Newsletter - Back to School Edition - August 21, 2017
Included in this newsletter:
Drop-Off & Pick-Up...How to do it the RIGHT way!
STM Back to School Picnic Info
Volunteer Registration Info
New Family Corner - What is Pizza Lunch & Market Day Table
STM Band Meeting/Registration
It's ALMOST the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!
(Please note corrected error of the Thrilling Thursday date below. It's still on Thursday, just the 24th instead of the 25th)!!
I cannot believe we are only one week away from the first day of school (for 1st - 8th grades). We'll be seeing the little kids in red on Wednesday the 30th, and then our Pre-K class on September 5th. I'm looking forward to seeing familiar faces again and the opportunity to meet the many new families who are joining the STM community. The PTO, with the help of our wonderful Welcome Committee, had a busy summer planning park play dates, welcome back coffees, and our 4rd Annual Welcome Back Picnic (scheduled for September 4th at 4 p.m.)
We officially kicking off the school year with our "Thrilling Thursday" on August 24th. For those of you who pre-purchased school supply kits, they will be delivered to your child's classroom as soon as they arrive at the school (fingers crossed it's before Thursday!) In case you are new to the school and missed it - Thrilling Thursday is 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, most-importantly, visit the PTO Volunteer Table to learn about the upcoming volunteer hours and our new volunteer tracking system (more below!)
On Monday the 28th, everyone is welcome to visit the Cafeteria after drop-off to celebrate the first day of school with a cup of coffee and a quick visit with friends, old & new. On Wednesday, Aug. 30, from 8-9 am, ALL parents are invited to a coffee in the cafeteria to celebrate the first day of kindergarten. New families, returning families, people who just like cinnamon muffins...come hang out with us after drop off. Whether they're tears of sadness or joy, it's all okay at the Boo Hoo Breakfast! And last but not least, there will be a Boo-Hoo Coffee for our Pre-K families on September 5th from 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. All are welcome!
Please read the friendly public service announcement below about the Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures, but as always the first two weeks is when Mrs. Bauer and the rest of the faculty and staff NEED YOUR PATIENCE!!!
Have a great year!!
Kassie Stewart
PTO President
The joys of Drop-Off and Pick-Up!!
Morning Drop-Off:
1. Enter through the driveway on N. Thomas Street by way of Cathedral Lane, N. Pershing, or N. Trenton to 2nd Rd. North. See PHOTO 1.
2. If you are coming via Rt. 50 West, you must not do an illegal U-turn going the wrong way on a one-way road in order to turn left onto N. Thomas Street. Take the George Mason exit and turn right onto N. Trenton to 2nd Rd. North and then right onto N. Thomas St. You will be reported to the school and police presence will be requested.
3. Parents alternately turn right or left into N. Thomas Street driveway. Use your blinker, as some commuters who live on N. Thomas sometimes speed through on their way to 50.
4. Arrive early. Gates open at 7:40 a.m. and close at 8:00 a.m.
5. Don't pull into the Cathedral lot and allow your child to get out of the car near the library and walk into the playlot to line up!! Not only is it against the rules, it is unfair to the families following the proper procedures and it is unsafe for you and your child. Please get in line with everyone else. Your time is not more precious than everyone else's.
6. Parents who have already dropped off their child exit the line via the gates separating the school and Cathedral lot, and exit onto Cathedral lane. (TIP: there is plenty of space to create a right turn/left turn option out of the lot. If you are turning left, please allow enough space for a car to be able to turn right.)
7. Drive Slowly and Be Patient!
8. Be kind to the 6th grade safeties and our faculty/staff. They are out there sweating, freezing or getting wet in order to help your children out of the cars.
9. If you have a meeting in the school or are attending the first-day coffees, drop off your child in the drop-off line and then continue to the parking lot. Children older than Pre-K should not be walked from the Cathedral parking lot into the school or school play lot.
Afternoon Pick-Up:
1. Enter the school via Cathedral Lane at the entrance behind the Dunkin' Donuts. If you are first person in line, follow the instructions on the first parking lot gate (the same one you exited at drop-off). Typically, you are allowed to open the gates 30 minutes prior to dismissal.
2. See PHOTO 2 for a map of where to start the line. Stop at the fence line at the exact spot marked with a dot on the map.
3. Do not park where the star on the map is unless you bid on the first parking space during the Spring Auction. Do not park behind them either. The Auction winner is dismissed first and then each row files out in order.
4. Please fill the rows one by one. Some people choose to be the first in the row, but if you're that person, PLEASE park within the lines. See PHOTO 3. Once the last car in a row hits the end of the white parking lines, start a new row. Mrs. Bauer asks that you do not park at an angle so you can fit at the end of row 1.
5. Park within the lines directly behind the car in front of you.
6. Pull up to the person in front of you providing about 1-2 feet of space for children to walk through. See PHOTO 3.
7. There are two pick-ups. Pick Up #1 is for cars who arrive at 2:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Pick up #1 is for all cars who are able to fit into the lot prior to the dismissal time of 3:15. As soon as there is movement of children on the lot, the gates are closed. Pick Up #2 is for cars who arrive at 3:15 p.m. (or post- dismissal whistle) until about 3:25 p.m. This is the perfect solution for those families who don't want to sit in their car in the lot for 30+ minutes. Pick Up #2 parents wait until all children from PU#1 are in their cars and the first two rows from PU#1 have been dismissed. At this point, PU#2 cars are filed in to the lot and fill in the rows vacated before them. Once the last car from PU#1 dismisses the lot, PU#2 parents exit their cars and collect their children. Please follow instruction from Mrs. Bauer and the 6th Grade Safeties.
8. Please teach your children that PU#2 is not a scary option. Children who are not picked up at PU#1 are taken down the stairs and wait in the courtyard (or in the school during inclement weather) with their friends and faculty. If you arrive after the gates are closed, there is no need (and it is against the rules) to park in the Cathedral lot and walk into the first pick-up to grab your child. Your children are in excellent hands. Please don't do this - #5 rule for morning drop-off applies here as well.
9. Keep in mind, your child will be sent to extended day should you arrive at the school AFTER the PU#2 gates are closed (approx. 3:25-3:30). This too is NOT a scary option! In any case, a safety plan should be discussed with your child in the event that you are unable to make it to your child in time due to traffic, a flat tire, etc. They should know that both options are a possibility and that they are safe at school.
10. Exit the school via N. Thomas St. in two lanes. Right lane turns right on N. Thomas. Left lane turns left on N. Thomas.
11. If you must take your child out of school for an appointment, you must do so before 2:40 p.m. After 2:40 p.m. the office will not dismiss your child.
12. Don't be a Jack Butler! :) Enjoy the video below, and thanks for your consideration this year!
PHOTO 1
PHOTO 2
PHOTO 3
STM Back to School Family Picnic
HAVE YOU RSVP'd?? The STM PTO invites you to the 4rd Annual Back to School Family Picnic! Please join us to welcome new families and catch up with friends you've missed over the summer! We'll be grilling hamburgers and hot dogs and enjoying some fun games and activities such as a football toss, limbo, corn hole, and arts and crafts.
*We lost our committee chairs for this event this year, so the PTO could use a few extra hands to help. Please reach out to Jessica Powers if you are able to help set-up, clean-up, grill, or help shop for burgers & dogs. jessanddan0903@gmail.com *
Please RSVP if you are able to join so we can plan accordingly!
Do so by clicking on the original invitation link: https://www.smore.com/dfpq4
We also ask that families contribute the following based on your last name:
A-F Individual servings of water or juice
G-P Side Dishes or Salads
Q-Z Desserts
St. Thomas More PTO
Monday, Sep 4, 2017, 04:00 PM
Bon Air Park, North Lexington Street, Arlington, VA, United States
Directory Updates Needed!
The PTO would like to express its’ sincere gratitude for everyone’s participation and support in getting your family’s information into the Volunteer Builder site last year. This summer we learned that the Volunteer Builder software platform ha4 been acquired by a new company called AtoZdirectories and here’s why this is GREAT news for STM:
- Increased functionality and more user friendly
- Easy access from home computer and mobile devices
- Fully interactive school directory (just click to text, email or call right from the directory!)
- Simple transition from Volunteer Builder — all you have to do is log on, view the information you entered last year (contact info, student info…) and un-check the “hide” box to allow access to your family information in the directory.
- Simple volunteer process (“Event Sign-Up” menu item) and tracking ("Event Sign-Up"/"My Family Signups")
- The option to "sign up" for an event you volunteered for even after the event has passed so that you can still get credit for the hours. (This was not an option in last year's system).
- TEACHERS & STAFF - You can also update your data and have access to the directory.
It is our hope that you will appreciate this evolution in the technology (we feel strongly that you will!) and that the end result will be 100% participation and greater overall utilization by the STM community. There are even additional menu items and functionality that we will continue to develop as time goes on -- such as an online spirit wear store!
All families received an email on Monday, August 14th that walked you through the log-in process with direct links to your information. You can either use your Volunteer Builder password from last year, or click FORGOT PASSWORD and reset. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO DO THIS.
Here is a link to the PTO Newsletter with photos & instructions on using the new site.
**ALL FAMILIES' VOLUNTEER HOURS MUST BE INPUT INTO THIS SYSTEM. We will not be accepting excel spreadsheets or individual emails after May 25th, 2018**
The school policy is that families are asked to commit to 20 hours of volunteer service OR opt not to volunteer and donate $300 ($15/unfulfilled hour) to the PTO at the end of the school year. Single-parent families are asked to contribute 10 hours of service per year.
SIGN UP AND DON'T GET CHARGED FOR UN-FULFILLED HOURS AT THE END OF THE YEAR!!
EASY. EFFICIENT. EFFECTIVE.
IMPORTANT!
In order to be a volunteer within the school (pizza lunch, Race for Education, classroom helper, room parent) or for roles such as scout leader, sports coach, field trip chaperone, etc., you must be VIRTUS Trained. All hopeful volunteers must attend a "Protecting God's Children" session, and then fill out the appropriate background check/paperwork - available via the STM School office. Once the office has record of your session attendance, and the paperwork has been received, you are granted the ability to volunteer in the school. Family-based events (such as the International Festival, Breakfast with Santa and Hot Dog Bash) do not require Virtus-Trained volunteers, as the children's parents are onsite. Questions? Contact Mimi Neubauer @ mneubauer@stmschool.org.
Visit www.virtusonline.org for training locations throughout Northern Virginia.
**NEW FAMILY CORNER**
Throughout the year, on almost every full-day Friday, the school offers Pizza by the slice (by subscription only) and a specific grade or club (choir, CYO, band, etc.) hosts the "Market Day Table." The Market Day table (held ONLY during Pizza Lunches - not Chick-fil-A lunches) sells trinkets, snacks, pencils, chips, etc. to all students for 25 cents per item. Depending on the host for that week - [our first Pizza Lunch is scheduled for September 8th, hosted by the 7th grade], the parents of that grade donate items to be sold. Hot ticket items include trading cards, ALL kinds of chips, pop-corn, bubbles, party-store favors, used books, pencils, pens, hi-lighters, erasers, fruit snacks, bracelets, rings, etc. Proceeds from the market day table and the pizza sales are distributed equally to each grade & club at the end of the year to be used to benefit the class. Be sure to collect those quarters and remember to send money in with your child on the designated pizza lunch days. Most teachers recommend sending 4 quarters. **Also - please visit the calendar on the AtoZDirectories site to volunteer for your chid's class pizza lunches (must be VIRTUS trained). We especially need volunteers for the days when a certain grade is not the host, such as Band, choir, & the "Specials" (PE, Spanish, Computer, Library, Music).
After School Enrichment - Fall 2017 Registration Information
STM Band Registration (for Parents of kids in Grades 4-8)
Please come to the STM Gym (Lee Hall) on Thursday, September 7th at 6:45 to register new and returning students. An information meeting for new parents will take place at 7:00pm. Open registration will continue until 8:00pm. Students are not required to attend the meeting or registration session.
STM Cathedral School PTO
Email: kassiestewart2000@gmail.com
Website: www.stmschool.org
Location: 105 Thomas Street Northwest, Washington, DC, United States
Phone: 7035286781