New Family Handbook

"The land which you are to enter. . .is a land which the LORD, your God, looks after; his eyes are upon it continually from the beginning of the year to the end." De 12:11-12.

St. Thomas More School Parents Club

Guide to School Events for New Families

For years we have heard from families new to our school how confusing that first year here at STM School was, trying to figure out what the various school events were all about. We came up with the idea of a written guide telling month by month what other families learned through experience their first year. We hope that knowing some of this information in advance will allow you and your children to get the most out of the events that make up our unique school culture. Remember to contact your Ambassador Family, too, if you have questions about upcoming events.

September:

Ambassador Family: Each family that has child(ren) at St. Thomas More School for the first time is assigned an Ambassador Family. The Ambassador Family is one who has been in the school for several years, is familiar with how things run and can answer questions for the new family. The Ambassador Family contacts you in the late summer and welcomes you to the school. You can meet your Ambassador Family as you mutually agree before school starts, or at the Welcome Back Coffee on the first day.

First Day of School: This is a half day for the children. The Parents Club hosts a coffee hour for the parents. The coffee is held in the Renggli Room in the Community Center. Here you can visit with other parents, buy milk tickets, sign up to buy t-shirts & sweatshirts with the school logo and find out about upcoming events like the Auction. Plan on attending this if you can. It helps to start putting names with faces and to meet other new families.

Hot Lunch Tickets and Milk Tickets: Hot lunch is no longer available from the Edmonds School District--sack lunches are to be brought from home. Milk service is provided for students that would like to purchase milk at lunchtime. Milk tickets are $6.00 each, 20 milks per ticket or cartons are $0.30 each. You may send in a check to the school office labeled 'Milk Ticket' with your child's name and grade. A tally is kept as the milk ticket is used.

Scrip: Scrip is a program where you buy gift certificates for merchandise you normally use. Participating stores give the school a discount on the gift certificates. For example, the school only has to pay Safeway $95 and gets to keep $5 for $100 worth of gift certificates. Merchants give us 3-25 percent discount on the certificates. You can buy scrip for gas, groceries, clothes, books, CDs, gifts, travel—just about anything you need. The beauty of this program is, you do not have to spend a penny on something you were not already going to buy! It takes a little planning and organization, but give it a try and you will be amazed at how easy it is to raise funds for the school through Scrip. Scrip is available in the school parking lot before and after school. You will see the cars parked at the southeast corner. Scrip is also for sale after masses on Sunday. Scrip is just one of your fundraising options.

School Calendar: On the first day of school a school year calendar will be sent home in the Wednesday envelope. Take this calendar right away and tack it up behind your regular calendar. That way you will have a reference for days school is not in session. At the end of every month, a monthly calendar for the upcoming month is sent home in the Wednesday envelope. Most people post this on the refrigerator or bulletin board for reference throughout the month.

The Wednesday Envelope: Every Wednesday the oldest child in the school from each family brings an envelope home with various communications from the school. Establish a regular habit of looking at the material, sending back necessary forms, and getting the envelope back into your oldest child's backpack to return to school on Thursday. If you lose the envelope, the volunteers who work on the Wednesday communications have a hard time getting your information home to you. There is a replacement fee if you lose your Wednesday Envelope.

Parents Club: The Parents Club exists to support the overall mission of the School. We have an annual commitment to the school operating budget which we fulfill through fundraising. These funds assist in keeping tuition affordable. Extra money from our fundraisers is used for Parents Club activities during the year. We provide social activities that will bring the staff, students and parents together as a Christian community. Our legislative advocacy committee organizes political action. We provide educational programs of interest to parents and we support the school administration and teachers in their ministry as Catholic educators.

Parents Club General Meetings: All parents are automatically members of Parents Club, there are no dues. Everyone is encouraged to attend general meetings which are held the first Wednesday of each month. Watch for meeting notices/agendas to be sent home in the Wednesday envelope.

School Commission: The School Commission provides our pastor and principal with expertise and experience to assist them in planning, finances, decision making, policy formation and public relations for the school. The meetings are open to the school and parish community except for the February meeting, where the following year's budget is finalized.

Curriculum Meetings/Back to School Night: This is a very informative meeting you don’t want to miss. During the first hour of the meeting, you will have an opportunity to visit your child’s classroom. His/her teacher will explain the curriculum for that grade as well as the classroom policies and expectations. Note: there are only two classroom sessions, each scheduled for 30 minutes. If you have more than two children in the school, you will want this to be a two-parent night so you can cover all the grades. The last hour is the general meeting in Dalton hall. The Principal, the Parents Club, School Commission, Auction chairs and faculty are introduced.

School "Families": "Families" are made up of a student from each grade for seating at school Masses and for other events during the year. Seventh and eighth grade students are the "parents" and older students help the younger students with their conduct during Mass. The students are wonderfully behaved with this arrangement. Look for your child at the first Mass you attend and this will be her/his assigned place for the rest of the year at Mass. Most students, especially young ones, appreciate if their parents sit near them when the parents attend a school Mass. Students sit in the middle sections and parents sit in the side sections and in the middle in back of the Church.

Mass of the Holy Spirit: Usually held during September at 9:00 a.m., this is the first mass of the school year for the whole student body and parents. Plan on attending if possible. This is a very uplifting and validating experience for new families when you see all the children at mass in their full dress uniforms. You will be so impressed with the children's participation in the liturgy, particularly with the public speaking ability of all the students. This is a full dress uniform day, as are all school mass days.

Full Dress Uniform: For boys, this includes long pants (navy for grades K-5, khaki for grades 6-8) and the school uniform sweater vest with white polo shirt. For girls, full dress uniform is skirt or skort/jumper and the school vest with white top. Please make an extra effort to note when school masses will be held and check that your child(ren) have a uniform sweater when they leave home. If they arrive at school without it on a mass day, they go to the office and try to borrow a sweater from the lost and found box.

Magazine Sale: The Magazine Sale is another fundraising option. It usually takes place in September. Your child will bring home all the information in the Wednesday envelope.

Development Office: A Development Coordinator through the Development Office is responsible for the endowment fund, recruitment, alumni relations, public/media relations for the school and for relations with the surrounding community. The Development Office works closely with the Auction leadership.

School Band: Students may join band beginning in January of 4th grade. This year we will have beginning (Mondays & Wednesdays) and advanced (Tuesdays & Thursdays) bands which meet before school.

Choir: Choir meets before and/or after school and is taught by our music teacher.

Drama Club: Run by parent volunteers with staff supervision. Open to all students as an after-school activity. Students rehearse and perform plays for the students, staff and parents. Student conduct standards are the same as for regular classroom time, i.e., students are expected to be very responsive to parent volunteer direction.

Chess Club: Another extra-curricular activity run by parent volunteers with staff oversight. Chess Club meets after school with novice, intermediate and advanced levels. There are chess tournaments at various times throughout the year on the weekends.

MSL Program: Mrs. Connie Pintler works with certain students who benefit from a "Multiple Styles of Learning" approach, usually grades 1-7. The goal of this program is to maximize the learning ability of every student, and by sixth or seventh grade, Mrs. Pintler's students are very often among the high achievers in their classes. See the Principal, Mrs. Pintler or your child's teacher if you have questions about whether your child could benefit from this program.

Accreditation: In the spring of 2006, our school became accredited by the same organization that accredits colleges and universities. Of course, we were already accredited by the state. Our new level of accreditation provides a higher level of scrutiny and validation for the quality of our program. The extensive process that our faculty went through in preparation for the on-site visit did much to clarify our goals for the future and to strengthen the overall curriculum of the school. An additional benefit of this higher level of accreditation is that it is helpful in obtaining grants to enrich our program. We received the highest level of accreditation, a six year approval. Accreditation means we have an ongoing program of self-assessment and quality improvement in place.

Second Step Program: Second Step is a program for peaceful conflict resolution and problem-solving. Parents and children learn these skills so we can reinforce at home the lessons the children learn at school. Second Step is one component of our school’s efforts to really help our children learn to care about one another and minimize feelings of isolation and not belonging that can be so hurtful.

School Counselor: Services of a counselor, one day a week, is available for children who are experiencing a variety of difficulties at school or at home and need a skilled listener help them work through issues. You can speak with the Principal or your child’s teacher if you believe the counselor can be of help to your child.

October:

Blessing of the Pets: The entire school celebrates the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. In past years, KING and KIRO TV have covered our Blessing and showed our story during their news broadcasts that evening. Bring any animal you have, including birds and goldfish. The ceremony begins at 2:30 p.m. and lasts until school is out. The students enjoy this extra treat so much and are disappointed if their pet doesn't get blessed. It's worth taking a few hours off work if you can!

School Pictures: Individual school pictures are in the fall, so you can plan your haircuts accordingly. Students can either wear their uniforms or dress up for picture day. Most students dress up. Class pictures are in the spring and this is a full dress uniform day.

Class Auction Project: Each class does a collective project where the children make something that can be auctioned off in the live auction on the Gala Dinner night. Examples include a quilt with all the kindergartners' handprints on it, individual Christmas tree ornaments with a tablecloth and napkins with snowflake designs made by the children. There are designated parents who are responsible for each class Auction Project and they need a lot of help and support. Each class may receive a dollar allotment from the Auction Committee.

Free Dress: Free dress days come about once a month. Parents are asked to exercise good judgment in supervising the clothes selection their children make on these days so that the children still reflect the image of our school that we all want. Jeans and sweats are OK, but all clothing should avoid the baggy, floppy look. And, of course, we want to avoid clothing that can be construed as gang-like and no spaghetti straps and/or bare mid-driffs.

Halloween: Classes usually have a Halloween party and students can come to school in costume. Your room parent may call you for some contribution to the party. Costumes must not interfere with leaning or pose a safety issue.

Gift Wrap: This fundraising option usually takes place in mid to late October. Our supplier offers a wide variety of high quality wrapping paper and gifts at reasonable prices. Information regarding the sale will be included in your Wednesday envelope.

November:

Gala Dinner Auction: This is really the social event of the parish year. People dress up and have a great night out together. If this is your first year, start thinking about a group of eight people you would like to sit with. Then when you buy your tickets you can tell the seller whose table you would like. Seventy percent of the money goes to the school. These large amounts of money support the operating budget for the school year and allow us to continue progressing with our curriculum. Such a large amount of money, of course, helps us hold the line on tuition, too. Even if you do not feel like you can bid on items at the Auction, you help support the event by attending. Also, the silent auction has some great deals that almost anyone can afford. Tickets go on sale the end of September after masses on Sunday. Volunteering to help on the Auction is a wonderful way to meet people and feel like you are really part of the school community.

Thanksgiving Mass: The classes all collect food and bring it to the church for mass the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. This is another beautiful mass for which the children produce the liturgy and if you can attend you will find your holiday enriched and blessed. Mass is at 11:00 a.m. and the students are dismissed at noon for the holiday weekend.

Parent First Reconciliation and First Eucharist Meetings: These meetings are for the parents of all parish second graders as they prepare for the sacraments. The classes are a big help in your at-home preparation for the sacraments, as most of us could use a little assistance in explaining transubstantiation to an eight year old!

December:

Ice Cream Socials: The Parents Club sponsors ice cream socials at 3 p.m. on report card day. Children, parents, grandparents and siblings are welcome for free ice cream to celebrate a trimester of hard work and accomplishment by everyone.

Pixie Gift Shop: On a Friday in December Parents Club sponsors Pixie Gift Shop, where the children bring money and buy small gifts for the family members who live with them. Parent volunteers help the children shop and wrap their gifts, including gift tags. Gifts range in price from 50 cents to $10.00. The children come home with a wrapped gift for their immediate family members and they absolutely love it. This is just a great event and is a favorite of parents for volunteering.

Christmas Program: This program is put on by the students. Each class will perform as well as band and choir. Every family is asked to bring a dozen cookies to the parish hall for the reception after the program. Students wear their Christmas dress up clothes to this program. The program is held in the church.

January:

Snow Dragons: The Snow Dragons are a group of children and their parents who take a chartered bus to Steven’s Pass to ski and/or snowboard. The bus leaves from the STM parking lot on Friday afternoons for approximately 6 weeks beginning in January. This activity is organized by volunteers and is not sponsored by STM. Watch your Wednesday envelope for information in the fall.

Speech Tournament: The students K-8 work on speeches that are given in their classrooms and judged in late January/early February. Students in grades K-3 have an assembly where they are given the opportunity to present their memorized speech to students and parents. Watch the monthly calendar that is sent home in the Wednesday envelope for the date of this assembly to schedule your time to be there. For the younger children, parent attendance can be very important. The classroom winners then compete for overall prizes. We have outside judges from the community come to the school for the two day overall winners event. This is a unique feature of our school curriculum. By the upper grades, you can really see the confidence and skill with which our students speak in public. Our students participate in the Blanchet High and Seattle Prep speech tournaments with other Catholic grade schools. Grand prizes in these tournaments are scholarships to the two schools. If you can attend our school's two day judged events you will be so impressed! Lots of home preparation is required, so support your students in making their speech choice and in practicing.

Book Fair: During Catholic Schools Week (held some time in late January or early February) the library holds a Book Fair. Watch for a brochure to come home with samples of books available. Each class has time to visit the Book Fair during school and you can visit with your child during the school time assigned for her/his class or before or after school. The prices are great and you can purchase books to donate to the library also. Watch for the end of the year Book Fair for great summer reading bargains for the kids.

February:

Midwinter Break: On Presidents Day weekend (usually four days) there is no school! Mark these dates on your calendar and plan a family getaway or special event if you like.

Safeco Field: This fundraiser takes place during baseball season. For selected games, volunteers staff the food booths operated by Ivar’s, such as Ivar’s, Kid Valley and Grounders Garlic Fries at Safeco Field. For more information, contact the Safeco Field Coordinator and watch your Wednesday envelope.

March:

Stone Soup and Stations of the Cross: One Friday during Lent, the school staff is responsible for helping prepare and serve Stone Soup for the parish and for producing the Stations of the Cross liturgy on Good Friday. The school's Stations liturgy is a beautiful family Lent activity to participate in together.

Chocolate Sale: The chocolate sale is another fundraising option. It usually takes place prior to Easter. Your child will bring home all the information in the Wednesday envelope.

Good Friday Stations of the Cross: Make plans ahead of time to get time off work and attend as a family if at all possible!! Our eighth grade enacts the Way of the Cross in an exceptionally moving and beautiful liturgy. Young students can sit with their parents if they wish. Stations begin at 12:00 p.m., watch for the monthly calendar notice. The children are dismissed for Easter break after Stations so you can spend a quiet afternoon together. If you arrange any time away from work for a school event this year, be sure Good Friday Stations is the one.

April:

Middle School Camp: Sometime in the spring every year, the sixth and seventh grades, their teachers and some parents go to Camp Hamilton for four days. This is an intense growing experience for everyone involved. Plan on being a parent volunteer if you can, there really is nothing like it!

Family Fun Night: Family Fun Night is held in the parish hall and includes the kids. This is a fun night for the family to gather for a night out. It includes fun activities and a dance for all.

Discernment Day: In the spring each year, Parents Club calls for volunteers for those who are interested in serving as officers for the coming year. A Discernment Day session is held in May during which the responsibilities of officers are explained. The participants pray to ask the Holy Spirit to guide them in discerning God's will for the leadership of our organization. All who feel that God is calling them to serve as officers, choose to become our officers for the coming year. We are pleased at how Spirit-filled and inclusive this process is.

May:

Spring Program: A musical presentation for K-8 featuring our choral and instrumental music groups. May be combined with an open house for viewing the classroom work. Each family is asked to bring a dozen cookies for the reception.

Primary Track Meet: For grades K-3, held at St. Mary Magdalene in south Everett with a variety of races and field events. All children participate in two or three events. Students wear the school t-shirt and blue or black shorts (uniform shorts are OK). Parents drive and the kids really appreciate if you can attend and support them. St. Thomas More, St. Mary Magdalene, Immaculate Conception/Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Holy Rosary all compete at this event.

Upper Grades Track Meet: The same schools as for the primary meet all compete at the Everett Memorial Stadium. Same clothing guidelines as for the primary grades and the students are transported by parent drivers or busses. This is a very volunteer labor-intensive event, so if you can help out, please do.

Student Body Elections: The Middle School Students file for student body offices toward the end of May. The campaigns run for three days. Students in grades 1-8 vote. Officers and classroom representatives are installed prior to the end of the school year.

June:

Scrub Day: Students are asked to bring rags/sponges to school and wear clothes they can clean in. They clean their desks and chairs using cleaning solutions from the school. Parent volunteers help and supervise, depending on the grade level, i.e., guess who does most of the work for kindergarten.

Knights of Columbus/Parents Club End of the Year Barbecue: Parents Club funds, the Knights cook and parents serve the students and staff a BBQ lunch one day the last week of school.

End of School Moving Up Ceremony: Here is another really worthwhile event to come and see if you possibly can. This event is held in the church. Each class chooses a representative to thank various members of the school community for their help during the year. The class moves from their assigned space in church to join their new teacher for the next year. They are then officially promoted! If you have an incoming kindergartner, they are asked to come forward to join the kindergarten teacher, who is all alone up front with no students after her students have joined the first grade teacher. This is so exciting and fun for those little ones anticipating kindergarten. Parents can go up the aisle with them for moral support.

Well, congratulations, new parents! You have also "moved up" and are now a veteran STMS parent!

"I, myself, " the LORD answered, "will go along, to give you rest." Ex: 33:14