Campus
St. Thomas More School is a parish elementary school located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Students are enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grades. The school was established in 1969 and had additions built in 1983 and in 1993. Its campus consists of two school buildings (the main school building and the Primary Learning Center), the church, the rectory, and the convent.
Church
In order to ease the overcrowding at St. Catharine of Sienna Parish, Bishop McShea announced in May 1966 the formation of a new parish located west of Allentown. Five hundred families at that time formed the core of a parish community to be known as St. Thomas More which was under the direction of pastor Monsignor Robert J. Coll. The current pastor is Monsignor John P. Murphy, and there are currently 2800 families that make up the parish community.
St. Thomas More School
Main Building
The main building houses students in grades two through eight. There are three classrooms of students for each of these grades. The junior high grades (grades seven and eight) attend major subject classes in their own two-story wing which includes six classrooms and three offices. The main building accommodates a large computer lab, an expansive library, a large art room, a music room, a large gymnasium/auditorium with a stage and pull-out bleachers for productions, and a science lab. The students eat lunch in the Family Center which is also used for parish receptions and meetings. Student lunches are prepared in a large professional kitchen located off the Family Center. The main building also has the school administration offices, a health suite, a conference room, two learning resource rooms, two guidance counselor offices, two teacher work rooms/lounges, and a separate faculty dining room.
Primary Learning Center
The Primary Learning Center (PLC) is a separate building which holds the classrooms for kindergarten and first grade. There are five kindergarten and two first grade classrooms. The PLC has a large multi-purpose room which is used for music and gym classes, its own primary library, and its own computer lab. These classrooms provide a self-contained environment for the students; however, students have lunch in the main building and attend assemblies there. The PLC also has a teachers' lounge, two offices, and a conference room.
Library
There are currently two libraries in the school, one in the Primary Learning Center (PLC) and one in the main building. The combined facilities and materials are more than adequate for the students and faculty.
The library in the PLC contains primary books and magazines and is used by kindergarten, first, and second grades. There is adequate seating on steps for one class for story time and/or instruction. A table with eight stools provides an area for student reading.
The main library, which supports third through eighth grades, has seating for an entire class at tables and chairs, as well as seating on the steps in the story alcove. There is a separate research section with tables and chairs and a bank of computers, surrounded by the collection of print encyclopedias and other reference books. Study carrels are set apart from the general area. In addition, an enclosed room with a table and chairs is used for private small group instruction.
Shelving space adequately holds the collection of more than 10,000 volumes with room for expansion. Conveniently located special shelving in the main library holds magazines, atlases, professional and parent materials. There is a large workroom adjacent to the library that has more than adequate space for processing and repairing books and for storage of audio/visual materials.
Technology Labs
The school currently has two computer labs. One computer lab is located in the PLC for kindergarten, first and second grade classes. This lab contains enough computers for each student and also provides a connection to the Internet and our school network. These computers are used for a program called Imagination Station which focuses on improving students' reading skills. The computers are also used to teach computer classes once a week to the kindergarten, first and second grade students. In addition, each of the classrooms in the PLC contain four computers for student use.
In the main building, there is another computer lab containing 27 computers that are used for the computer education program. Each class is scheduled for one 40-minute period of computer instruction per week. This class time includes technical instruction and instruction on software application products used for class projects. Many of the projects are joint-effort projects between the computer class and a core grade level class such as social studies or science. The computer lab is also available at other times for teachers to bring individual classes to work on projects.
Cafeteria
Students eat lunch in the Family Center, a large dining room that is also used by the parish as a banquet/reception facility. The Family Center is a part of the main building and has a large kitchen attached where lunches are prepared. The cafeteria is run by two coordinators with the assistance of a staff of volunteers. Approximately 300 hot lunches are prepared and served to students each day. Students may choose a full meal, an entree, or salad bar and also are provided a selection of nutritious beverages. Carbonated soft drinks are not offered. An a la carte table in the cafeteria allows students to purchase a varying selection of additional items on different days of the week.
Playground
There is a large mulch playground tucked between the main building and the Primary Learning Center. This playground is enjoyed by various grades at varied times for class recess time as well as during lunch recess. It has a large modern play gym, ample running room, a wooden deck area with built in benches, a picnic table, and a park bench. A good portion of the playground is shaded by several large trees. Adjacent to the playground is a paved driveway area, closed to traffic, that has two four-square grids and a large colorfully painted map of the United States.
The school grounds also include a set of large soccer fields. These are open to students during lunch recess and are also used for gym classes during appropriate weather.
Gardens
The school and church grounds are adorned with beautiful flower gardens. Tucked between two parts of the main building is a special garden called the Grotto. Designed after the Grotto at Lourdes, it is a rock garden filled with plants and flowers. A beautiful statue of Mary overlooks the Grotto and all who visit it. A park bench is serenely situated in the Grotto for reflection. The flowers are planted annually by a class of St. Thomas More students.