St. Thomas More School

Suburb

$2495.00 in parish grades 1-8 $3500.00 out of parish grades 1-8

For parishioners only

St. Thomas More follows the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's Graded Course of Study for all academic subject areas. The curriculum is approved by the state of Ohio and corresponds closely to the state standards

Reading/Math Tutors (2) Speech Therapist Psychological assessment services provided onsite by the local school district on request

All classrooms have at least two computers for student use, in addition to the teacher workstation. Two building have computer labs. Media carts and interactive whiteboards are in use throughout the campus. Online subscriptions include United Streaming Video, Brainpop, Edline and Gradequick web.

Numerous basketball championships Lego Robotics teams consistently rank in the top 15 at the state level; placing second in 2006

Publications: students produce both our school yearbook and newspaper, using Webease and Microsoft Office (Word and Publisher) Spanish is offered as an after school elective Karate is offered as an after school elective.

John Fieno, Ph.D

300 Parking Spaces

Hair: Hair must be clean and neat. Boys' hair should not touch the collar or cover the eyes.

Uniform: Shirts must be tucked in, except when playing in the gym or on the playground. Skirts may not be rolled. Pants and skirts may not be worn below the waist.

Shirt/blouse: The uniform polo with the St. Thomas More logo in solid white or red is required. The only alternative is a solid white dress shirt or turtleneck worn under the uniform jumper, fleece or sweatshirt..T-shirts worn under the uniform must be solid white short-sleeved or sleeveless.

Slacks: Boys and girls may wear navy blue twill uniform pants year round. No cargo pants or pants with rivets.

Shorts/Skorts: Navy blue uniform shorts or skorts may be worn April 1 to November 1. Fingertip length or longer is required.

Jumpers/skirts: K-3 uniform jumper in STM plaid . Gr. 4 uniform jumper or skirt in STM plaid . Gr. 5-8 uniform plaid skirt Skirts and jumpers must reach no higher than two inches above the center of the knee when buttoned at the natural waist.

Sweatshirts: Navy blue crew neck with St. Thomas More logo worn over a school shirt or white turtleneck. Fleece pullovers: Red or blue STM fleece pullover.

Sweaters: Navy blue V-neck vest, crew neck, or cardigan sweater worn over a school shirt or white turtleneck. Socks: Solid navy or white socks. Girls may wear footed hose, or tights or leggings (Schoolbelles brand only) in solid navy blue or solid white only.

Shoes: Shoes must be worn at all times. Gym shoes are preferred. No open-toes shoes, sandals, "Heelies" or "Crocs" permitted. Gym shoes with non-marking soles are required for gym class.

Jewelry: Please keep to a minimum. Girls may wear a single pair of small pierced earrings (post and small hoop only).

Scout uniforms: Scout uniforms are allowed on designated meeting days or as otherwise requested by the scout leader and approved by the principal. Students must wear the complete uniform required by the national scouting organization.

Spirit Wear: You may wear STM spirit wear on out-of-uniform days or field trips that do not require uniform dress. Spirit wear is provided exclusively through Schoolbelles and St. Thomas More School. Jeans and cargo pants are permitted on out-of-uniform days. Shorts must be fingertip length or longer.

NOT PERMITTED: Make-up, artificial fingernails, tattoos, Spandex-wear, athletic apparel, or printed T-shirts with offensive slogans or images are not allowed. Jackets or coats may not be worn in the classroom during school hours. Body piercing, other than ears, is not permitted. Jackets and coats are to be allowed to be worn inside the classrooms during school hours. All students should have a school sweatshirt or fleece.

St. Thomas More School is the parish school of St. Thomas More Parish in Withamsville, Ohio, in Greater Cincinnati. The school serves students in kindergarten through grade eight. It is accredited through the Ohio Catholic School Accrediting Association (OCSAA) and follows the prescribed course of study provided by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The Mission Statement of the school is as follows:

"St. Thomas More School will realize its commitment to Catholic education by developing ample and quality opportunities for spiritual, academic and personal growth. We will be a living example of Christ's presence through prayer, religious study, liturgical celebration, and service to the community. The student body of St. Thomas More will be challenged and enriched by the high standards of qualified teachers who affirm the students' dignity and talents. The St. Thomas More School curriculum and practices will demonstrate Christian principles in all endeavors."

St. Thomas More School exists to share the Gospel message through word and action to the enrolled students. Through shared learning, prayer and celebration of students, faculty, parents, and the St. Thomas More parish community, our goal of evangelization is realized.

The administration, faculty, and staff of the school work together to assist in the spiritual, intellectual, and physical development of its students, providing the required academic curriculum and enrichment courses to promote each child's personal growth. Parents are considered the primary educators of their children with the support and encouragement of the pastor and pastoral staff, the STM Education Committee, the Parish Council, the PTO, and the Athletic Boosters Association.

The parish of St. Thomas More was established as a mission in 1940 by Archbishop McNicholas to serve the Catholics of the Withamsville, Mt. Carmel, Forestville, and Amelia areas. In late 1940, the former Glen Este-Withamsville Elementary School was purchased by the Archdiocese to establish a Catholic presence in the area. Still in use by the parish as More Martyr Hall, the building served as the first church. The first Mass was celebrated on January 19, 1941. The mission was elevated to the canonical status of a parish in 1950. Father Francis Heider was installed as pastor by the Very Reverend Monsignor Raymond Stoll on December 21, 1950.

By 1944, the parish was seeking larger quarters. Near the original church was an abandoned pre-Civil War era Methodist-Episcopal Church, which had been acquired by Union Township. The township hoped to convert the building into a fire station. The Pastor of St. Thomas More, Fr. Francis Heider, convinced township officials that it would be a better use of public funds to sell the building to the parish, and use the funds to build a new fire station. Archbishop John T. McNicholas dedicated this second church August 20, 1944. When State Route 125 was widened to four lanes of traffic during the 1950's, the interior layout of the church was reversed to move the altar to the south wall.

In the fall of 1944, the old church building reopened as St. Thomas More Elementary School. During the summer of 1945, the Glaser residence, near the new church, added 4 additional classrooms. The Glaser property also included three acres of land, which connected the two parish properties. The Glaser residence is still in use, being converted to the parish rectory shortly after Fr. Heider's twenty-fifth anniversary of ordination, on June 14, 1949.

The present elementary school building known as Father Heider Hall was built in June of 1948, with 4 classrooms and a large auditorium. Bishop Rehring, Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati, dedicated the school in 1949. Four additional classrooms were added in 1952.

Again pressed for worship space, the parish embarked on the building of a larger church. Bishop Leibold laid the cornerstone, and Archbishop Altar dedicated the new church in 1961. The building was referred to by many as the "Cathedral in the Cornfield" due to its great size in comparison to the size of the community at that time.

By 1996, the parish had grown to 1200 families, and the planning of what is known as "Phase I" began. Included in this ambitious project were the remodeling of the front entrance, a multi-purpose building (gym), library, parish dining room and kitchen, meeting rooms, and kindergarten. Phase I also brought the renovation of the church undercroft that is now used for junior high classrooms. The concept of a Marian Grotto at St. Thomas More Parish began during the planning stage of Phase I.

Developing the parish properties into a cohesive, attractive campus has been the focus of Phase I. In order to provide adequate parking and enlarge the church driveway, the second church building and convent west of the church were razed in September of 1999. This left vacant a strip of ground adjacent to the parking area to the east of the church. The Pastor, Fr. John P. Fischer suggested a Grotto be built overlooking the school and church. The Grotto was constructed and dedicated in the spring of 2001.

Fr. William C. Wagner was appointed Pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in July of 2001. During Fr. Wagner's first year, the Sanctuary of the church and the Sacristy were reappointed. A new state of the art sound system was also installed in the church replacing a system that had been pieced together over a period of 20 years. More Martyr Hall was remodeled for meeting use and the outside entrances to Heider Hall were upgraded. In the fall of 2002, three new modular buildings were installed that included four additional large rooms and a new state auxiliary facility. In late 2003, the adjoining property at 804 Ohio Pike was purchased for use as our short-term St. Vincent de Paul home for those in need in our community. In November 2005, the parish celebrated their 65th anniversary with the release of a new parish photo directory. In 2006, a state of the art digital telephone system was installed along with our own email server. We continue to ensure we have the latest technology available for our school and for managing our parish. In 2007, all new energy efficient windows and blinds were installed in Heider Hall.

Today, St. Thomas More Parish has over 1525 families and the Parish Council is working on planning for our growth in the future. Our parish is located in one of the fastest growing areas in the Cincinnati metropolitan area.