My schedule for Nov. 21-22: T – St. Martin; M – St. Al’s

To our St. Martin of Tours School Families:

Here is a list of some upcoming activities here at school:

TODAY – Report Cards sent home
Thursday, November 17 – Mass, 8:00am
Wednesday, November 23 – Friday, November 25 – Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL
Sunday, November 27 – First Sunday of Advent
Monday, November 28 – Classes Resume
Thursday, December 1 – Mass, 8:00am
Friday, December 2 – Spirit Wear

The St. Martin’s Book Fair is taking place this week! Students will be able to preview the Fair on Monday, Nov. 14 and then shopping will be various times throughout the day from the 15th – 18th. We are highly encouraging families to participate in the eWallet program. This is a safe, cash-free option for your student to shop. Future Fairs will likely be cashless, so this would be a good time to get used to the eWallet program! You can find instructions at this webpage: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/stmartinoftoursschool3. PLEASE NOTE – Scholastic has a new policy that tax will be collected on ALL purchases! Make sure to keep this in mind when budgeting and sending in cash with your child/children.

From the Cafeteria – Please make sure you are keeping up on your child/children’s lunch account. There are many accounts that have a negative balance that needs to be taken care of. Children whose accounts are negative may be served an alternative lunch – peanut butter sandwich or cheese sandwich – even though a hot lunch is ordered. Please contact Mary Jo in the cafeteria – mstegman@saintmartin.org or 513-661-7609 immediately to arrange to pay your balance.

The St. Martin of Tours St. Vincent de Paul Society will distribute Thanksgiving meals THIS Saturday, November 19. If you are in need this holiday season, please contact our St. Vincent de Paul Society at 513-661-0085 as soon as possible.  St. Aloysius Gonzaga has a part-time aftercare position open in their preschool. The hours are 2:00pm-6:00pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. If you, or anyone you know, may be interested, please contact Stephanie Goettke at goettke_s@saintals.org or 513-587-3978.

The parish has asked that parents/guardians DO NOT pick their children up in the “circle” driveway at the corner of Harding Ave. and Glenmore Ave. that goes into the church parking lot. That parking area is reserved for the church and we need to respect that people who have business at the church use that area on a consistent basis. Alternately, you can park on Glenmore and wait for your child/children there. 

Recently there has been a bit of a problem with students who are being left at school past our dismissal hours. This is a reminder that we begin to dismiss students around 2:10pm with the walkers and bus riders. We try to have the car riders in the gym by 2:15pm to begin their dismissal process. The dismissal line moves fairly quickly and the parking lot is usually cleared out by 2:20pm or 2:25pm. There are staff members who stay with the car riders outside until the school bell “rings” at 2:30pm. After 2:30pm, students are brought into the office and then have to wait there until someone comes to pick them up. If students are not picked up on time and we are not aware of any issues, we are left in limbo and don’t know what is going on. In addition, there has to be a staff member who stays with them. Please make sure you arrive prior to 2:30pm to pick up your child/children – if you know you may be running late, please call the school office at 513-661-7609 so we are aware. 

There will not be a letter next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. I am so very thankful for all of our families, students, and staff! I appreciate your patience, understanding, and your words of encouragement as I continue to navigate two schools. I hope and pray that you all have a safe, happy, and enjoyable Thanksgiving!

Thank you for all you do! 

Sincerely,

Mr. Jason Fightmaster

Principal

St. Martin of Tours School

My schedule for Nov. 14-18: T, W (PM), Th – St. Martin; M, W (AM), F – St. Al’s

To our St. Martin of Tours School Families:

Here is a list of some upcoming activities here at school:

Thursday, November 10 – Mass, 8:00am
Friday, November 11 – Happy Feast of St. Martin of Tours!
Veteran’s Day – NO SCHOOL
End of the First Trimester
Saturday, November 12 – Martinfest, 7:11pm-11:11pm in the Parish Center, Adults Only (Gym)
Wednesday, November 16 – Report Cards sent home
Thursday, November 17 – Mass, 8:00am
Wednesday, November 23 – Friday, November 25 – Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL

The St. Martin’s Book Fair will take place NEXT WEEK! Students will be able to preview the Fair on Monday, Nov. 14 and then shopping will be various times throughout the day from the 15th – 18th. We are highly encouraging families to participate in the eWallet program. This is a safe, cash-free option for your student to shop. Future Fairs will likely be cashless, so this would be a good time to get used to the eWallet program! You can find instructions at this webpage: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/stmartinoftoursschool3. PLEASE NOTE – Scholastic has a new policy that tax will be collected on ALL purchases! Make sure to keep this in mind when budgeting and sending in cash with your child/children.

As we are approaching colder weather, it is important to remember that there some Uniform/Dress Code policies that are in the Handbook that need attention. First, NO HOODIES may be worn in the school building. Students may wear a hoodie to school, at recess, and home from school, but they may NOT be worn in the school building. Second, NO BOOTS may be worn in the school building during the day. If a student wears boots to school, they should have another pair of shoes to change into when they arrive in the classroom. Types of boots include Timberlands, UGGS, Hunter, Columbia, Land’s End, and others. Finally, non-hooded sweatshirts must be St. Martin Spirit Wear or be ONLY PLAIN COLOR Maroon, Gray, Black, White, or Navy Blue. There should be no logos, designs, pictures, sayings, etc. on the sweatshirt. Eighth graders will be permitted to wear the spirit wear of whichever high school they choose to attend AFTER they are committed to that high school in mid-January.

Thank you for all you do!

Sincerely,

Mr. Jason Fightmaster

Principal
St. Martin of Tours School

To our St. Martin of Tours School Families:

Here is a list of some upcoming activities here at school:

Thursday, November 3 – Mass, 8:00am
PTO, 6:30pm
Friday, November 4 – Picture Re-Takes (out of uniform)
Spirit Wear (uniform bottoms)
Sunday, November 6 – Daylight Saving Time ENDS – FALL BACK one hour!
Tuesday, November 8 – Election Day – School is IN SESSION!
Thursday, November 10 – Mass, 8:00am
Friday, November 11 – Happy Feast of St. Martin of Tours!
Veteran’s Day – NO SCHOOL
End of the First Trimester
Saturday, November 12 – Martinfest, 7:11pm-11:11pm in the Parish Center (Gym)

The end of the first trimester next week is quickly approaching! Now is the time to really buckle-down on schoolwork as gradebooks will close on Thursday, Nov. 10. Grades are always available on Option C so families should know where their child/children stand with grades at all times – please check that and talk about what may need to get done!

As we reach the beginning of November, please remember that, starting YESTERDAY, November 1, students were NO LONGER permitted to wear SHORTS to school. This rule also applies to gym days, so students need to wear either uniform pants or sweatpants on gym days.

Picture re-take day will take place on Friday, November 4. Any student wishing to get their picture re-taken may be out of uniform that day (following out of uniform guidelines), while other students will need to abide by the Spirit Wear guidelines (spirit wear top, uniform bottoms) – as mentioned above, NO SHORTS!

The St. Martin’s Book Fair will take place during the week of November 14 – 18. Students will be able to preview the Fair on Monday, Nov. 14 and then shopping will be various times throughout the day from the 15th – 18th. We are highly encouraging families to participate in the eWallet program. This is a safe, cash-free option for your student to shop. Future Fairs will likely be cashless, so this would be a good time to get used to the eWallet program! You can find instructions at this webpage: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/stmartinoftoursschool3. PLEASE NOTE – Scholastic has a new policy that tax will be collected on ALL purchases! Make sure to keep this in mind when budgeting and sending in cash with your child/children.

Thank you for all you do!

Sincerely,

Mr. Jason Fightmaster

Principal
St. Martin of Tours School

My schedule for Oct. 31-Nov. 4: M (1/2), T, Th (1/2), F – St. Martin; M (1/2), W, Th (1/2) – St. Al’s

To our St. Martin of Tours School Families:

Here is a list of some upcoming activities here at school:

Thursday, October 27 – Mass, 8:00am
Monday, October 31 – Happy Halloween!
Tuesday, November 1 – All Saints Day – Mass, 10:00am
Thursday, November 3 – Mass, 8:00am
Friday, November 4 – Picture Re-Takes (out of uniform)
Spirit Wear (uniform bottoms)

Again, for Halloween, we will be following the procedure as we have in year’s past. Any class party will be celebrated at the teacher’s discretion – information will come from the homeroom teachers. Students in grades K-5 will be permitted to wear a costume; most grades will NOT wear their costumes all day, so please make sure there are uniform clothes either worn or brought to school – look for a communication from the homeroom teacher regarding costumes. Remember the school-wide guidelines for costumes (if the guidelines are not followed, the costume will not be worn):

1. NO masks or any other item that covers the face or head
2. NO actual or representation of any weapon of any kind.
3. NO makeup (including temporary tattoos, etc.).
4. NO representation of blood or any other type of injury to the body

As we reach the beginning of November, please remember that, starting November 1, students are NO LONGER permitted to wear SHORTS to school. This rule also applies to gym days, so students need to wear either uniform pants or sweatpants on gym days.

Picture re-take day will take place on Friday, November 4. Any student wishing to get their picture re-taken may be out of uniform that day, while other students will need to abide by the Spirit Wear guidelines (spirit wear top, uniform bottoms) – as mentioned above, NO SHORTS!

We currently have 22 students whose EdChoice Scholarships have been DECLINED because families have not retuned the Acceptance Form that we need to submit to the state of Ohio. Mrs. Mathis has been trying to contact those families, but we are still not receiving those forms. If you do not turn in this form, you will lose the EdChoice Scholarship and be responsible for paying tuition. We have these forms on file in the office and one will be attached to the weekly One Call Now email. Please do this ASAP!

If you are bringing in a child/children that are tardy in the morning, please be careful in the parking lot. We have students and teachers that move in between the Red and Yellow school buildings during the day and we want to keep them safe!

Thank you for all you do!

Sincerely,
Mr. Jason Fightmaster
Principal
St. Martin of Tours School

To our St. Martin of Tours School Families:

Here is a list of some upcoming activities here at school:

Thursday, October 20 – Mass, 8:00am
Friday, October 21 – PTO $1 Out of Uniform
Monday, October 24 – PTO fundraiser at Penn Station – see flyer
Thursday, October 27 – Mass, 8:00am
Monday, October 31 – Happy Halloween!
Tuesday, November 1 – Mass, 8:00am
Thursday, November 3 – Mass, 8:00am
Friday, November 4 – Picture Re-Takes
Spirit Wear

Thank you to all of the parents/guardians who were able to come to conferences last week. We appreciate you making the time to come and talk to your child/children’s teachers. If you were not able to come and would still like to meet with your child/children’s homeroom teacher, please contact them to arrange a time to meet. The first trimester ends on November 11, so there is still time for the students to make any necessary changes/improvements!

All Spirit Wear orders should have been received. I did notice there were a few orders that had items that were out of stock or back ordered. If you have any questions, please use the contact information on your receipt that was included with your order.

In looking ahead to Halloween, we will be following the procedure as we have in year’s past. Any class party will be celebrated at the teacher’s discretion – information will come from the homeroom teachers. Students in grades K-5 will be permitted to wear a costume; most grades will NOT wear their costumes all day, so please make sure there are uniform clothes either worn or brought to school – look for a communication from the homeroom teacher regarding costumes. Please remember the school-wide guidelines for costumes (if the guidelines are not followed, the costume will not be worn):

1. NO masks or any other item that covers the face or head
2. NO actual or representation of any weapon of any kind.
3. NO makeup (including temporary tattoos, etc.).
4. NO representation of blood or any other type of injury to the body

Thank you for all you do!

Sincerely,

Mr. Jason Fightmaster
Principal
St. Martin of Tours School

To our St. Martin of Tours School Families:

Here is a list of some upcoming activities here at school:

Wednesday, October 12 – Conferences 2:45pm-8:00pm (dinner break 5:00-5:30)
Thursday, October 13 – Conferences 10:00am-6:00pm, NO SCHOOL for students
Friday, October 14 – NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, October 18 – First Reconciliation Family Meeting, 7:00pm
Thursday, October 20 – Mass, 8:00am
Friday, October 21 – PTO $1 Out of Uniform

Parent(Guardian)/Teacher Conferences are today and tomorrow. Online signup for conferences is no longer available
– if you weren’t able to sign up for a time, you can still contact your child’s homeroom teacher and schedule a time that
is convenient to come in on a different date. We cannot accommodate parents/guardians who “pop in” for a
conference – times must be scheduled! If you are running late or are unable to make your scheduled conference time
please contact your child’s homeroom teacher via email or Option C to let them know. You can call the office, but there
is a good chance that no one will be available to answer the phone – an email or an Option C message would be the
preferred method of communication. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you!

In the weeks ahead there is a lot going on for our 8th graders! There will be a communication coming home soon
from the Archdiocese with Open House dates and other information about our area Catholic High Schools. For the time
being, most important is the High School Placement Test, which takes place on Saturday, November 19. Many of the
high schools are hosting HSPT prep classes and you also need to register for the HSPT. Information regarding the HSPT
classes and test registration can be found easily on any of the high school websites.

In looking further ahead, to Halloween, we will be following the procedure as we have in year’s past. Any class party
will be celebrated on Monday, October 31 – information will come from the homeroom teachers. Students in grades K5 will be permitted to wear a costume with the following guidelines:
Most grades will NOT wear their costumes all day, so please make sure there are uniform clothes either worn or brought
to school – look for a communication from the homeroom teacher regarding costumes. Please remember the schoolwide guidelines for costumes (if the guidelines are not followed, the costume will not be worn):

1. NO masks or any other item that covers the face or head
2. NO actual or representation of any weapon of any kind.
3. NO makeup (including temporary tattoos, etc.).
4. NO representation of blood or any other type of injury to the body

Thank you for all you do!

Mr. Jason Fightmaster

Principal St. Martin of Tours School

To our St. Martin of Tours School Families:

Here is a list of some upcoming activities here at school:

Wednesday, October 5 – Progress Reports released on Option C (10/6 12:01AM)
Thursday, October 6 – Mass, 8:00am
Friday, October 7 – Spirit Wear
Wednesday, October 12 – Conferences 2:45pm-8:00pm (dinner break 5:00-5:30)
Thursday, October 13 – Conferences 10:00am-6:00pm, NO SCHOOL for students
Friday, October 14 – NO SCHOOL

Progress Reports will be released on Option C early tomorrow morning. The plan was to release them today, but Option C won’t allow same-day online releases, so Progress Reports will be posted online at 12:01AM tomorrow. A few families may also receive a paper copy of the Progress Report if the teacher feels it is necessary. ALL families can access the Progress Report on Option C through their Parent/Relative account and then clicking on “Student” on the top menu and then “Report Cards” in the dropdown box. From there, you can select the student whose report you wish to see. Instructions can be found here: Progress Report Instructions and they will be attached to my email as well.

Parent (Guardian)/Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday, October 12 and Thursday, October 13 (please see times above). Sign-ups for conferences will be through Option C and are currently open. You will need to log in to your Option C parent account and there will be a link on the front page. Times are “first come, first served”! I sent an email communication out on Monday asking anyone who had signed up on Monday to check the status of their sign up as I had to adjust some things and some sign ups may have been deleted. Also, please remember that parents/guardians of students in Grade 4 are to sign up with Mrs. Rolfes, Grade 5 are to sign up with Ms. Stevens, and Grades K, 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 should sign up with their HOMEROOM teacher ONLY. The Middle School teachers will have notes from all subject area teachers to go over in their conferences, so you do not need to meet with each individual teacher.

I have been informed by the cafeteria staff that there are some families who are not keeping up with their lunch money balance. I know that there has been communication from the cafeteria, but that doesn’t seem to be having much effect. From now on, if there is a balance due on a family’s lunch account, which has been communicated multiple times but not addressed, an alternate lunch will be served to that student/students. Please contact Mary Jo Stegman in the cafeteria for more information – mstegman@saintmartin.org. You can put money into your child/children’s account by going to www.saintmartin.org and clicking on “Donations”, then follow the prompts to deposit money or you can always send cash or a check to school.

Thank you for all you do!

Sincerely,

Mr. Jason Fightmaster

Principal St. Martin of Tours School

To our St. Martin of Tours School Families:

Here is a list of some upcoming activities here at school:

Thursday, September 29 – Mass, 8:00am
Monday, October 3 – Conference Sign-Ups begin on Option C
Wednesday, October 5 – Progress Reports released on Option C
Thursday, October 6 – Mass, 8:00am Friday, October 7 – Spirit Wear
Wednesday, October 12 – Conferences 2:45pm-8:00pm (dinner break 5:00-5:30)
Thursday, October 13 – Conferences 10:00am-6:00pm, NO SCHOOL for students
Friday, October 14 – NO SCHOOL

As some of you may be aware, the principal at St. Aloysius Gonzaga (St. Al’s) and the St. Al’s parish decided to part ways last week, leaving St. Al’s without a principal. On Friday, I received a phone call from Fr. Matt asking me if I would be willing to step in at St. Al’s and help them during this transitional period. After some pointed prayers, discussion, and contemplation, I have decided to take on this responsibility. What this is going to look like is still in the planning stages, but I am thinking my days will be on a weekly rotation – 3 days here, 2 days at St. Al’s, then 2 days here, 3 days at St. Al’s. That will certainly not work out every week, but that is my preliminary plan.

Please know, that during my days at St. Al’s we have a very competent staff here with 3 former administrators and 2 aspiring administrators who will be able to deal with any issues that may arise if I am not here. Of course, if there is some “major” emergency or issue, I am always available, but there will be day-to-day issues that will be dealt with by other staff members, perhaps even without my knowledge. During this time, I would like to ask for your patience and understanding regarding my communications with you. If you need to contact me, the best way will be through email at jfightmaster@saintmartin.org, if you decide to call, please understand that phone messages will take longer for a response, as I may not be at St. Martins that day or even the following day. I will do my best to continue my weekly communication to you as well! I ask that you please pray for the St. Al’s and St. Martin’s school communities, our Parish Family community, and for me as we navigate this transition period.

Parent (Guardian)/Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday, October 12 and Thursday, October 13 (please see times above). Sign-ups for conferences will be through Option C and will open on Monday, October 3. You will need to login to your Option C parent account and there will be a link on the front page. Times are “first come, first served”!

Our Parish Family is holding the annual pet blessings on Sunday, October 2 at St. Martins at 1:00pm and then on Tuesday, October 4 at Our Lady of Lourdes at 6:00pm.

Thank you for all you do!

Sincerely,

Mr. Jason Fightmaster

Principal St. Martin of Tours School

To our St. Martin of Tours School Families:

Here is a list of some upcoming activities here at school:

Thursday, September 22 – Mass, 8:00am
Friday, September 23 – Picture Day – students out of uniform, see information below
Tuesday, September 27 – Confirmation Candidate/Parent Meeting, 7:00pm in Parish Center (Gym)
Thursday, September 29 – Mass, 8:00am

The month of September certainly seems to be zooming right along and so are things here at school! In the news the past few weeks, there have been many stories about threats being made against schools by young people in our area. We talk about internet and social media safety quite a bit at school, but things that are posted on social media are most often posted outside of the school setting. Please talk to your child/children, if they have access to social media, about the consequences of these actions. In the latest news story, there was an elementary student here in Cincinnati that was arrested and charged with multiple criminal violations due to a threat posted on social media – even though the threat was not substantiated. I think we can all agree that the safety of our children is a very high priority and it certainly is a team effort!

This Friday, September 23, is Picture Day! Everyone will get their picture taken whether they are buying photo package or not. Photos can ONLY be purchased ONLINE using our school code: EVTP6CWQS at https://my.lifetouch.com. All students will be permitted to be out of uniform Friday for pictures – please keep in mind that out of uniform rules apply – NO holes, rips, or tears in clothing (whether you can see skin or not), NO hoodies, shoulders/belly/back must be covered, closed toed/closed heeled shoes must be worn, etc. If you have any questions about the out of uniform policy, please refer to page 17 in the Family/Student Handbook. If a student is in violation of the out of uniform policy, the parent/guardian will receive a phone call and need to bring other clothes for that student to change into. The student will also be subject to disciplinary action as deemed appropriate by school staff.

Please remember that we have a Uniform Code and a Personal Appearance Policy at St. Martin of Tours School (Family/Student Handbook, pgs. 15-17). Part of the Personal Appearance Policy is that there is to be NO extreme colors/highlights in any students’ hair. We are starting to get a number of students who are coming to school with colors and highlights in their hair that are in conflict with this policy. Any hair color or “decoration” other than a student’s natural hair color is considered an extreme color/highlight. Please keep this policy in mind – warnings have been given and students will be subject to disciplinary action if this policy is deliberately/continuously violated.

Thank you for all you do!

Sincerely,

Mr. Jason Fightmaster

Principal St. Martin of Tours School

To our St. Martin of Tours School Families:

Here is a list of some upcoming activities here at school:

Thursday, September 15 – Mass, 8:00am
Thursday, September 22 – Mass, 8:00am
Friday, September 23 – Picture Day

Our morning drop-off procedure still needs a little work – please remember that there is NO staff supervision outside until 7:20am. I have been noticing that some families are dropping of their child/children and leaving before 7:20am. We are having an issue with one of our buses coming very early, dropping the students off, and then leaving. We are trying to rectify that situation, but I assume that people are seeing those bus riders at the door and then think it is OK to drop other children off as well. Please DO NOT drop your children off and leave if you do not see an adult staff member outside! We are aware of some issues and we are addressing them, but please do not add to the problem by dropping children off and leaving before there is staff supervision. I do ask that if you see any children not being respectful outside and there is no staff member present, please let me know – an email is fine – jfightmaster@saintmartin.org.

Next Friday, September 23, is Picture Day! You will receive envelopes for pictures next week. Everyone will get their picture taken whether they are buying photo package or not. If you want to purchase a photo package, you can do so with the envelope or by using our school code online: EVTP6CWQS at https://my.lifetouch.com/mylifetouch/#/. All students will be permitted to be out of uniform NEXT Friday for pictures – again, please keep in mind that out of uniform rules apply – NO holes, rips, or tears in clothing, NO hoodies, shoulders/belly/back must be covered, closed toed/closed heeled shoes, etc. If you have any questions about the out of uniform policy, please refer to page 17 in the Family/Student Handbook.

Thank you for all you do!

Sincerely,

Mr. Jason Fightmaster

Principal St. Martin of Tours School