Dear STM Catholic Parents and Students, PRINCIPAL’S LETTER

PRINCIPAL’S LETTER
Dear STM Catholic Parents and Students,
Welcome back! What a blessing it is to begin the 2013/2014 school year! The administration,
faculty, and staff are excited to return and be of service to you and your children. Thank you for your
investment in and continued support of Catholic education. It is going to be an awesome year!
A huge thank you to Home & School for organizing and executing last Tuesday’s New Family
Ice Cream Social and Friday’s Back-to-School Picnic. The weather was perfect, the attendance for
both events was great, and everyone enjoyed themselves. I think it is safe to say that the dunk tank
was a big success! Thanks to Mr. Dahn, Mr. Goerke, Mr. Milburn, Mrs. Burkholder and Mr. Johnson
for being such good sports! Thank you Lisa Zinno, Katy Coleman, Kama Sarkissian, Bridget
Keating, Tami Smith, our maintenance crew, and all the parent volunteers that made these events
possible. I hope you found your way to our STM Catholic Spirit Stand at the picnic. If not, you
will have an opportunity to do so at both Back-to-School Nights! Thank you Donna Martinez and
Michelle Pierce for taking this on and promoting STM Catholic!
All parents and students are asked to carefully read the Technology Acceptable Use Policy and
Pledge that you will find in your Parent/Student Handbook this year. This policy is new to STM
Catholic and a signed copy must be on file for each student to participate in our technology program.
Please note, students are responsible for providing their own ear buds or headphones to use with
the mobile iPad labs. These devices will be kept in the classroom.
Make sure you order your August/September lunches. Details will arrive via an IC Blast.
Although we had a few parents with teary eyes at this morning’s Yahoo/Boo Hoo party, our
kindergarteners are off to a great start. Parents, rest assured your children are in excellent hands. If
you know of any other families who are looking for a great school, we still have seats available in
kindergarten and several other grade levels. Please have them give us a call.
Again, welcome back and thank you for being part of our STM Catholic community!
Peace and blessings,
Jan Altevogt, Principal
Question of the Week
Is it important to do the right thing even if others are angry as a result? Why or why
not?
This week’s Gospel reading is Luke 12:49-53
“…’I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!...”
FR. DOUG SAYS, “HAVE A GREAT YEAR, EVERYONE!”
Woodlawn School, my K-8 school back in Illinois, closed twenty years ago. What a wonderful
school it was! Woodlawn School was where I was a starter on the basketball team – and developed a
healthy self-image. It was where I struggled to learn German, which was a required course for all sixth,
seventh and eighth graders. It was in the Woodlawn School gym, where, in absolute terror, I delivered
the valedictorian speech at our eighth grade graduation ceremony. With great fondness, I still
remember school dances, fieldtrips, track meets, Christmas carols – and even square dancing during
gym class!
Five years ago, we had a reunion in the old school gym. It was a fantastic night! Members of our
eighth grade basketball team were there. My first girlfriend was there. And Mrs. Schuldt, my seventh
grade religion teacher, was there – a Catholic, who reminded me that my essay on the “Jesus People”
represented the very beginning of my spiritual journey.
I share all of this to encourage all our students, parents and teachers to “hang loose” and enjoy all
the wonders of this new school year. Sure, there will be a lot of hard work, but during this year you
will develop friendships that will last a lifetime. You will discover talents you never knew you
possessed. You will have opportunities to go deeper in your relationship with Christ and the Church.
And if you encounter special challenges (as all of us do from time to time), you will find that God’s
grace will always help you make it through.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of any help in any way. I’ll be in and out of the
school nearly every day, visiting classrooms, chatting with students and assisting our teachers. But I’m
also available at other times, as well. I’m just a call or e-mail (frdougg@stthomasmore.org) away.
Have a great year, everyone!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Aug
19
Mon
Aug
19
Mon
Aug
19
Mon
Aug
19
Mon
Aug
19
Mon
Aug 19-23 M-F
Aug
20
Tue
Aug 23
Fri
Aug 23
Fri
Aug
24
Sat
Aug
26
Mon
Aug 27-29 T-Thu
Aug
28
Wed
Aug
28
Wed
Aug 30
Fri
Aug 30
Fri
Aug
30
Fri
Sep
1
Sun
Sep
2
Mon
August/December Milk Orders Due in Main Office, 8:00 am
First Day of School
Kindergarten Orientation, 8:00 am, Individual Kindergarten Classrooms
Yahoo/Boo Hoo Party for Kindergarten Parents, 9:00 am, Small Cafeteria
11:30 am DISMISSAL for all grades (LION’S DEN CLOSED)
No Hot Lunch Served—Milk Free
August/September Hot Lunch Ordering Closes Online
Parents in Prayer, 8:00 am, Small Cafeteria, Welcome, Rosary
First School Mass, 9:00 am, Teachers/Staff (Dress Uniform)
6th Annual STM Parish Jericho Jog
Hot Lunch Begins
Grade 6 Outdoor Ed at High Peak Camp, Estes Park
Q&A with Father A, 10:23 am, Mrs. Swindle 8S
Grades K-4 Back-to-School Night, 6:00 pm
Parents in Prayer, 8:00 am, Small Cafeteria, Teachers, Administrators, and Volunteers
Mass of the Holy Spirit, 9:00 am, Dineen (8D) (Dress Uniform)
11:30 DISMISSAL—Staff Development (LION’S DEN OPEN)
October Hot Lunch Ordering Open Online
NO SCHOOL—LABOR DAY—(LION’S DEN CLOSED)
School Office:
303.770.0441
Middle School Office:
303.221.9195
FAX (Main Office):
303.267.1899
FAX (Middle School)
303.221.9153
Attendance:
303.221.9237
MS Homework:
303.220.3396
Jan Altevogt, Principal
ext. 162
AnnaMarie Murillo, Elem AP ext. 163
Barb Markulik, MS AP
ext. 136
FROM THE HOME AND SCHOOL
COMMITTEE
The Home and School Committee is extremely
grateful to all of the amazing volunteers who
dedicated their time and talent to make the
annual Back-to-School Mass and Picnic and
New Family Ice Cream Social a HUGE
success! This event would not be possible
without you! THANK YOU, THANK YOU,
THANK YOU!!!!
MEDICATIONS
The medication forms that you and
your doctor must fill out for ANY
medication kept at school can be
found on the website under Forms
and Documents. This includes
any over-the-counter medication. We must
have these on file. You must provide the
medication to the clinic in order to have it
administered to your child(ren). Please let us
know if you have any questions. See the
Parent/Student Handbook for the complete
policy we must follow.
INDIVIDUAL PICTURE DAY
Individual picture day is Tuesday, September 3.
The date is incorrect on the order forms and
flyers; however we will still use them. Order
Forms will be sent home Wednesday, August
28. Additional forms are available outside the
main office. Picture Day is a "Dress-Up Day".
If your child chooses not to
dress up, he/she should be in
uniform. See the Dress Code
which was in the August
mailing.
Faculty Phone: Direct Dial Numbers are
Listed In The
Family/Student Directory
Monday Notes: lindat@stthomasmore.org
(Deadline for submission is Wed. @ 3:00 pm)
Lion’s Den:
Sarah Teall
303.221.9185
Cell: 720.984.7769
Website:
www.stmcatholic.org
Email:
stmschool@stthomasmore.org
PARENT/FAMILY HANDBOOK
The Parent/Family Handbook will be coming
home with your youngest/only student soon.
Please read it and return the completed, signed
forms found inside the cover by the September
6 deadline.
VOLUNTEER BOOKLET
A Volunteer Booklet will be coming home with
your youngest/only child soon. Please take the
time to go through it as it has many
opportunities to volunteer available to you.
Please return the filled-out half-sheet to the
main office. These will be given to the
chairperson who will contact you.
PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY –
MANDATORY COACHES AND
PARENTS WORKSHOPS
Coaches Workshops
All coaches must attend a Play Like A
Champion Today training session prior to
coaching a team in the Catholic Schools
Athletic League (CSAL).
Date
September 7
September 7
September 9
Time
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
2:00 – 5:00 pm
5:00 – 8:00 pm
Location
JP II Center
Shrine of St. Anne
JP II Center
Parents Workshops
All parents with students in Grade 5, or any
new families in grades 6-8, must attend a Play
Like A Champion Today training session prior
to their child(ren) playing on any sports teams
in the Catholic Schools Athletic League.
Parents of students that do not participate in the
sports ministry, but do participate in other cocurricular activities are also expected to attend
a Play Like A Champion Today training
session.
Date
August 28
August 28
September 10
September 10
September 12
September 12
September 19
September 19
Time
5:30 – 6:30 pm
7:00 – 8:00 pm
5:30 – 6:30 pm
7:00 – 8:00 pm
5:30 – 6:30 pm
7:00 – 8:00 pm
5:30 – 6:30 pm
7:00 – 8:00 pm
Location
Shrine of St. Anne
Shrine of St. Anne
JP II Center
JP II Center
Shrine of St. Anne
Shrine of St. Anne
JP II Center
JP II Center
VOLUNTARY STUDENT INSURANCE
ENROLLMENT FORMS
Information and enrollment forms for
Voluntary Student Accident Insurance were
sent home in the August mailing. They are also
posted on the website under Forms and
Documents/Voluntary
Student
Accident
Insurance. Students are not covered through
the Archdiocese of Denver. All parents must
have insurance coverage in order for their child
to participate in sports. Parents must purchase
insurance coverage if they do not have their
own insurance that covers sports injuries.
MEDIA MINUTES
The library will again be open after school on
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00-3:45 pm for
Reading Counts beginning on August 20.
Please remember that all students must be
accompanied by an adult during this time.
Thanks to those students who visited the library
during the summer, we already have over eight
million words in Reading Counts!
FROM LION’S DEN
Due to the licensing requirements by the State,
Lion’s Den requires 24-hour notice for drop-ins
to assure compliance with the State regulations.
Call Sarah Teall at 720.984.7769 and speak
with her if you will be using Lion’s Den on a
drop-in basis on a given day.
AFTERNOON SCHOOL CAR LINE HELP
NEEDED!
Please consider helping for 30 minutes in the
afternoon just before you pick up your kids.
It's easy and you'll work with a partner each
afternoon. You would need to arrive between
2:30-2:40 p.m. and should be done by 3:10
p.m. We are looking for people who can help
once a week or once every other week. Thanks
for your consideration. Please email Mrs.
Altevogt at jana@stthomasmore.org right
away if you can help!!!!
USED UNIFORM SALES
Used Uniform Sales will be held on the FIRST
WEDNESDAY of each month from 2:00-6:00
p.m. in the school basement.
A donation drive in the morning carline will be
held on August 27, 28, and 29 from 7:00 - 8:00
am. Bring uniforms your children have outgrown to donate. Thank you!
If you have any questions or need to purchase
used uniforms at a different time, please
contact Tiffany at tiffany@franzluebbers.com.
SAFE ENVRIONMENT TRAINING
SESSIONS
If you are a new volunteer working with
children, you are required to attend this
training. The schedule for training is as
follows:
Monday, August 26, 2013 at 7:00-8:30
pm in McCallin Hall
Saturday, September 21, 2013 at 9:0010:30 am in McCallin Hall
Please RSVP by calling 303.221.9144.
Additional classes
www.archden.org.
may
be
found
at
TRAINING FOR NEW JUNIOR GREAT
BOOKS
Training for leaders is coming soon! All adults
and high schoolers are eligible to be leaders
and we need you! The leader-training seminar
will be held on Saturday, September 21, from
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information or
to register, please contact Monique Dinkel at
303.916.4292 or modinkel@msn.com by
September 12.
JERICHO JOG
The Sixth Annual Jericho Jog
at St. Thomas More Parish is
Saturday, August 24, 8:0010:00 a.m. Join in for a great
time including a 5K race, 1K
Family Fun Run, yummy food and lots of fun
for the whole family including face painting,
clowns, prizes and relaxing chair massages. To
register go to www.active.com and enter
Jericho Jog in the search box. For more
information,
go
to
www.stthomasmore.org/jericho-jog or see the
attached flyer.
JOIN US IN AMERICAN HERITAGE
GIRLS AT STM
Another great year of American Heritage Girls
is getting started. American Heritage Girls is a
Christian Scouting Organization where girls
work on various badges, participate in service
projects and grow as strong leaders in their
community. Our troop, which consists of all
age levels, meets once a month in the evenings;
and individual units, which are made up of girls
in the same grade level, meet for an additional
meeting each month. For general questions,
please
contact
Teresa
Kennedy
at
stpkennedy@yahoo.com. If you are interested
in your daughter joining and/or you are
interested in helping out please contact the
appropriate Unit Leader.
7th/8th
Grade:
Becky
Hensler,
henslerreb@gmail.com
6th
Grade:
Teresa
Kennedy,
stpkennedy@yahoo.com
5th
Grade:
Julie
Krager,
juliekkrager@earthlink.net or Jill Guerrero,
jrbean225@gmail.com
4th
Grade:
Laura
Rohling,
denverrohlings@gmail.com or Christy Hupka,
cmhceili@msn.com
3rd
Grade:
Holly
Lister,
holly.lister@gmail.com
2nd
Grade:
Teresa
Kennedy,
stpkennedy@yahoo.com or Jodi Lieske,
jodi_lieske@yahoo.com
1st
Grade:
Kristen
Chisenhall,
3chickadees@gmail.com or Cari Smith,
cari.smith15@yahoo.com
Kindergarten:
Teresa
Kennedy,
stpkennedy@yahoo.com
COMMUNITY ELECTRONICS
RECYCLE
Saturday, September 7, 9:00-11:30 am
Church parking lot
Electronic recycling collection is set for the
parish. Certified data destruction by Metech
Recycling. See www.stthomasmore.org for
details on accepted items. Limit one computer
and one TV, two computers or two TVs. No
limit on smaller items. This event is part of the
STM’s Stewardship of the Earth.
SIGN UP NOW FOR FIRST EUCHARIST
PREPARATION
If your child is in 2nd or 3rd grade and already
baptized, s/he can prepare for his/her First
Eucharist this year. Preparation begins in
September and is in addition to and separate
from education provided by the school. Please
register by September 6. On-line registration
can be done at: registrations.stthomasmore.org
or good old fashioned paper forms are available
in the Information Cove at Church and on the
wall outside the Office of Catechesis. We
begin with parent meetings in September which
take place in St. Francis Hall. Just choose one
to attend, AFTER registering your child. There
is no need to RSVP as to which meeting you
are attending.
Tuesday, September 10, 6:30-8:00pm
Thursday, September 12, 6:30-8:00pm
Monday, September 16, 12:30-2:00pm
Additional information is available on the STM
website under the Faith Formation tab. For
questions, please contact Linda Enloe at
lindae@stthomasmore.org or 303-770-0531 x7.
AUGUSTINE INSTITUTE
See the attached flyer to hear a talk, Consuming
the Word:
the New Testament and the
Eucharist in the Early Church” by Dr. Scott
Hahn.
STEPHEN MINISTRY
Stephen Ministry is designed to help those
individuals who are having
difficulties in coping with
life’s
problems.
Stephen
Ministers, through listening,
caring, and prayer, help their
care receivers cope. Stephen
Ministry is a one-on-one, confidential, caring
ministry. Care receivers are assigned on a
gender specific basis. Each Stephen Minister
has received over 50 hours of training, and part
of that training has been to recognize if and
when a care receiver’s problems are beyond
their capabilities. A class will be starting this
fall. If you wish to be trained as a Stephen
Minister, contact the Stephen Ministry at STM,
contact either Paul Quinn at 303.770.2499 or
Judy Dietz at 303.790.0784.
Men of St. Thomas More:
MOMS (AND DADS) OF ST. THOMAS
MORE
"Men For All Seasons" is a men's group at St.
Thomas More. Our goal is to help your
husbands be better Catholic husbands and
fathers.
We meet for an hour starting at 6:20 am
Fridays and will begin our fall session on
September 20. This year we will be watching
and discussing Fr. Robert Barron's acclaimed
"Catholicism" series.
Please encourage your husbands to come give
us a try.
Thanks! If you have any questions, please
contact one of us:
John Christian, jprchri@hotmail.com
Murray Deline,
mdeline@madisoninsurance.net
Steve Bell, s.bell@employersedge.com
P.S. Our last summer session will be with Dr.
Ted Sri on September 6. We'll go to 6:30 am
Mass and meet afterwards. Your husbands are
welcome!
The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Denver, under the jurisdiction of
Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, S.T.L. and at the direction of the Superintendent, state that all of their
Catholic schools admit students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all the right, privileges,
programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the schools. Furthermore,
Archdiocesan schools admit handicapped students in accord with the policy on Admissions, 4.2.1. These
schools do not discriminate on the basis of race, age, handicap, color, national or ethnic origin in the
administration of their educational policies, employment practices, scholarship and loan programs or
athletic or other school administered programs.