PARKING LOT REGULATIONS: The safety of our children is our first priority, and we need to

work together to make that happen. All parents, grandparents, and other relatives who drop

off or pick up your children before and after school need to be aware of and respect the park-

ing lot rules. If you need to get out of the car for any reason, please park in a marked spot.

Cars may not “park” in the drive through lane. Children should be ready to exit the vehicle,

backpack and materials in hand. If those materials are in the trunk, please move through and

park in a marked spot. All students, parents, or others walking into the school need to use

the crosswalk, and follow the directions of the teacher, principal or parent helper. On that

note, I could really use help both in the mornings and certain afternoons. Mr. Rodriguez has

volunteered to cover afternoon crosswalk duty Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I need

someone to cover Mondays (2-2:15) and Fridays (3-3:15) and to take the morning shift (7:45-

8). If you are able to help, you will be given service hour credit! Please contact the office. It

really takes 2 to keep the mornings going smoothly and safely.

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT: Next Wednesday evening Back to School night will start in the hall

promptly at 7 PM. Father Thai Le will open the meeting with a prayer, and introduce himself

as our new Parish Priest Administrator. Once the teachers are recognized, there will be 3

breakout session so parents can visit the classrooms for short presentations. Please remem-

ber this is not the time for a conference with the teachers. If at all possible please arrange for

your children to stay at home. Seating is limited, and there is no playground supervision.

PICTURE DAY: We plan picture day on Student Body Mass day, so everyone will already be

dressed in their formal uniform. Don’t forget to have the picture form filled out and returned

to school to be given to the photographer. Checks are made payable to Pictures with Class,

All children will be photographed on picture day for inclusion in the class composite, and the

school yearbook.

STAR TESTING: The first series of STAR testing will be taking place between Aug. 22 and Sept

9. Please do not schedule appointments during those days, and ensure your children are

ready to do their best by getting plenty of sleep and eating a good breakfast.

SAVE THE DATE: STM’s first fundraiser of the year will take place on Saturday, September 24.

2016. Save the date and join us for dinner and dancing in a new venue, California State Uni-

versity of Los Angeles. Watch for more information to follow, but be thinking about friends

and family you can invite to enjoy this “destination” event, replacing the Casino night.

Excellence in Education

We are embarking on a journey together in this brand new school year. As we look

ahead at all that this year might reveal, let us remember Jesus, who will walk

beside us every step of the way.

w w w. s t t h o m a s m o re a l h a m b r a . o rg

St. Thomas More Parish School

August 17, 2016

Weekly Newsletter

7th grade Bazaar

Thank you STM stu-

dents, parents and

teachers for support-

ing our 7th grade

Christmas Bazaar.

We raised $678.91,

which of art items for

the junior high. God

Bless You!

Page 2

If you need to have your fingerprints registered with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, please refer

to the following link for a complete schedule:

LA Archdiocese Fingerprinting Schedule

St. Thomas More Newsle t ter

CALENDAR

August

8/21 First Cross Country Meet

8/22 8:30 AM Student Body Mass

Picture Day

2:00 PM Chess Club begins

2:00 PM Regular Monday Dismissal

8/23 Happy Birthday Miss Garcia

8/24 Back to School Night 7 PM

8/29 10:30 AM Band Assembly

September

9/5 NO SCHOOL—Labor Day

9/10 Happy Birthday Coach Perez

9/12 8:30 PM Grand-friends Mass

and Reception

EARLY DISMISSAL—NOON

9/16 Preschool Bingo—6-9 PM Parish Hall

Did you know?

A study on online victimization found

that approximately one in five children

receive sexual solicitation from a

stranger over the internet. Given today’s

reliance on online contact, imagine how

much that number has grown over the

last several years. Children who use the

internet cannot be totally safe from

dangers, because the internet is open to

all, but parents should monitor activity

and sites visited to ensure that their kids

aren’t being contacted by predators.

Talk to your child about internet safety

and appropriate vs. inappropriate

communication.

Monday Mass School Liturgy—August 22, 2016

First Reading: January Nava

Responsorial Psalm: Isabelle Hernandez

General Intercessions: Zachary Ferraro , Thomas

Sutton, Ryan Bunch

Presentation of the Gifts: Jayne Sepulveda, Arieli

Espinoza-Almeida, Francisco Shaw, Sydney Tholen

Greeters: Valerie He, Brandon Rodriguez, Jeremy

Hoyos, Emily Rocha

Altar Servers: Patricia Salazar, Tyiest Sneed & Daniel

Silva

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Please check attached pages for information

regarding Cross Country and Speech and De-

bate.

Ask your children about Chess Club.

Information about the STM Band will be avail-

able after the demonstration on Monday, August

29 at 10:30 AM.

Coach Sanchez will start the B Football prac-

tices next week on Wednesday, August 24.

GRADES 5th and 6th only. Practices will be

Wednesday and Thursday. CYO Sports fees are

$75 per athlete per sport. Watch for the registra-

tion form and return with fee by the deadline

(which will be highlighted on the form.)

CODE OF HONOR

Adopted September 23, 2007 © National Speech & Debate Association

 “As a member of the National Speech & Debate Association,I pledge to uphold the highest standards of integrity, humility, respect, leadership, and service in the pursuit of excellence.”

Integrity: An honor society member obeys the highest ethical standards and adheres to the rules of the organization. Members recognize that integrity is central to earning the trust, respect, and support of one’s peers. Integrity encompasses the highest regard for honesty, civility, justice, and fairness.

Humility: A member does not regard him or herself more highly then others. Regardless of a person’s level of success, he or she always looks beyond oneself to appreciate the inherent value of others.

Respect: A member respects individual differences and fosters diversity. He or she promotes tolerance, inclusion, and empowerment for people from a variety of backgrounds.

Leadership: A member influences others to take positive action toward productive change. Association members commit to thoughtful and responsible leadership which promotes the other core values in the Code of Honor.

Service: A member exercises the talents he or she has been given to provide service to his or her peers, community, and the activity. At all times a member is prepared to work constructively to improve the lives of others.

STM SPEECH AND DEBATE CLUB

We are excited to announce the return of the Speech and Debate Club at STM. Students in grades 3rd – 5th are invited to attend. Please read the following information and if you are interested in joining, please fill out the bottom portion of this letter and pay the registration fee. Sessions will begin on Wednesday, September 7th.

ACTIVITY FEE– The activity fee for participation on the Speech and Debate Team is $20.00 for the season. The fee defrays some of the expense of registration for speech tournaments and membership in the National Speech and Debate Association.

PRACTICES–Practices will be on Wednesday mornings from 7:00 am to 7:45 am. In order to compete well at tournaments, practice is extremely important.Students will be sent to morning care if they arrive after 7:05 am. Students who miss 2 or more practices will not be able to participate in competitions.

TOURNAMENTS– Speech team members will be given the opportunity to participate in tournaments. Parents will be asked to cover their child’s entrance fee.

EVENTS– The following events are offered: Interpretation of Literature (Drama, Humor, Poetry, and Duo), Extemporaneous Speaking, Prose and Creative Storytelling, Debate (SPAR)

TRANSPORTATION– Due to liability issues and cost, students are expected to provide their own transportation to and from meets. Carpooling and arranging rides, however, can be done on your own.

What is a parent’s role in helping their child compete in a Speech Tournament? The Parent’s

primary role is to help your child decide whether they would like to participate in speech and

then if they commit, to make sure that they give their best effort. You are ideally suited to help

your son or daughter decide what kind of speech event or events to enter. After your child has

decided what event(s) they would like to try, your job is to help your child prepare their speech

or select an interpretive piece and prepare it for use in a tournament. Please don’t be scared

about helping your child prepare a speech or find an interpretive piece for the first time. You

will also need to bring your child to the tournament. Most tournaments are an all

day/afternoon affair. I will email out a schedule in advance so you know what to expect. Please

arrive at a tournament at least 30 minutes before an event is scheduled to start. In summary a

parent should help decide whether to give competitive speech a try and ensure full and active

participation, help prepare a speech or select and condense an interpretive reading or duo and

then help them practice and polish the speech.

NATIONAL SPEECH AND DEBATE ASSOCIATION

Once the activity fee is processed, students/parents will be given access to resources on the

NSDA website (speechanddebate.org)

Students and parents must agree to abide by the Code of Conduct established by the NSDA (see

next page)

What is the Dress and Behavior Code for Speech Tournaments? Pants, skirts or dresses with

nice shirts or blouses are best for girls and slacks / khakis with an ironed button down shirt

minimum but sport coat and tie are preferred for boys. Please wear dress shoes. No jeans on

tennis shoes. Please dress for success and remember that most of your judges are walking the

same halls and around the school just like you. If you act unprofessional or behave poorly, this

could cost you a ranking or a trip to finals. Your judges are human and will form an opinion of

you, sometimes even before they hear you speak. Be on your best behavior at these

tournaments. Treat your judges and competitors with courtesy and respect.

Where can I find additional resources about speech? Besides resources found on the NSDA website, I urge you to attend a tournament. There is no better way to find out about competitive speech than to go and watch (as a student) or judge (as a parent).

What are some things I can do to improve my speech? Practice Smile Have fun giving your speech Good and genuine eye contact with every person in the room Vary your tone, volume and voice Get in character -try a different voice -Southern drawl, up north Canadian eh?, Boston, Joysey, New Yawk, -boy imitating girl or girl imitating boy Poise Draw Your Audience In Are you passionate about your topic? Does your audience feel like they are there?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I agree to abide by the rules and code of conduct set forth in this document and pay the $20

Speech and Debate club fee.

Student Name: ______________________________

Parent Signature: _____________________________

Phone Number: ______________________________

Date: _______________________________________