How do we embrace our love for Christ at STM Catholic School? We welcome new families to our community, we foster the joy of our students, and we protect our faith!
Dear St. Thomas More Families,
In the past year, we have added a new tagline to our school community – “Building Futures through Faith and Academic Excellence”. Building strong futures together for our students, families, and community as a whole, is a cornerstone to STM Catholic School’s mission. Throughout the past year, and thanks to the generosity of our many donors at last year’s Fund-A-Need, our school has grown, and many new families have joined our STM Catholic School family. But the work is not done: We are called to continue to welcome new families to our school, to foster the joy of our students, and to remain steadfast in protecting our faith. The 2022 Mane Event’s Fund-a-Need initiative is intended to address these areas of need at our school.
The 2022 Mane Event Fund-a-Need will focus on three key areas of growth for our school and our students:
Ongoing funding of the 2021 Marketing Initiative
Our 2021 Fund-a-Need initiative was to implement a formal marketing plan to build awareness and bring new families to our school. This effort was massively successful and brought 67 new students to our school for the current school year. We want to continue to spread the news of our incredible school and welcome new families into our STM Catholic community; therefore, we will continue these marketing efforts in the 2022-2023 school year. The estimated annual cost for these marketing efforts is $5,000.00.
Extra security at our parish during weekly school masses
Our faith and Jesus Christ is at the center of all we do at STM Catholic School, and our school masses are one of the most important and special weekly experiences for our students and faculty. Though our faith gives us courage, we want to take every precaution possible to give our students, staff, and families peace of mind while they worship. Therefore, we have hired off-duty Arapahoe County police officers to provide additional security during weekly school masses. The estimated annual cost for this extra level of protection is $10,000.
Begin a multi-year campaign to fully replace the main playground
Most excitingly, this year’s Fund-a-Need will kick-off a two-year initiative to raise the funds needed to remove and replace all playground equipment on the main STM playground. Some of the equipment is in need of repair, while the rest is nearing the end of its lifespan. We want our students to continue to experience joy and laugher while they are at school, and one of the best places for that is on a playground. All funds raised above $15,000 at this year’s paddle raiser will go toward the new playground initiative. We are at the very early stages of this process; however, based on initial proposals, the total cost of new playground equipment will be approximately $200,000-$250,000. In addition to the Mane Event, we will seek to raise the necessary capital through various fundraising initiatives here at the school and parish.
You can support the 2022 Fund-a-Need projects at the Mane Event on November 5, 2022. At the conclusion of the live auction that evening, we will hold a paddle raiser in support of our Fund-a-Need initiatives. If you are unable to attend, you can still contribute to our paddle raiser through the Silent Auction Website. All paddle raiser donation levels will be available through our bidding website. You can also donate by sending a check to the school office with “Fund-A-Need” in the memo line. Donations to Fund-A-Need are tax deductible. Thank you in advance for your continued generosity.
Peace and blessings,
Mrs. Gretchen DeWolfe
Principal
Fr. Randy Dollins
Pastor