August 15, 2023
SFDS Summer Update #4 2023
Dear Academy Families,
Yesterday the church celebrated the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We remember when Mary was taken (“assumed”) into heaven, body and soul. Why would God take Mary’s body and soul into heaven? In part because Mary is special to God: she said, “Yes” to becoming the mother of Jesus. But God also wanted to show us that one day, all of us will share in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Mary is the first person in the Church to experience the resurrection in its fullness. As we celebrate this important feast day in the liturgical year, it is also a reminder that the school year is about to begin.
Research shows that family involvement and open lines of communication promote student success. Positive interactions between teachers and parents will strengthen the support all children need for success in school. Our goal at St. Francis is to foster and promote an atmosphere of open communication regarding your child's progress and behavior both at home and at school.
It is our hope that our weekly email blasts, our Mobile App, our robust school website, and our Facebook and Instagram pages will assist families in finding out what is happening in our school. With this wealth of information, it is our goal to ensure all families have the opportunity to be an integral part of their child’s learning experience. We are confident that by working together, we will be able to best meet the needs of all our students at St. Francis.
Before we get to the next update we would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Dina Tammaro for all of her years of service. Mrs. Tammaro has been involved with St. Francis de Sales school for over 30 years. First as a parent volunteer, then as a member of the Home School Board as treasurer and finally over the last few years as one of the Academy Board of Trustees. Mrs. Tammaro has always been someone the academy community could count on especially with the organization and finances of our fundraising endeavors over the past 20 years. In 2018 Mrs. Tammaro was awarded the Sister Patricia Chelius Distinguished Service Award for her years of service. At the end of August Mrs. Tammaro’s term on the Board of Trustees comes to an end. We again say thank you to Mrs. Tammaro for all of the time she has sacrificed and talent she has shared over the years here at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy.
Please look below for a few updates and reminders as we are now just a few weeks away from the 2023-2024 school year.
2023-2024 Faculty Update: Over the weekend we were informed that Mrs. Schmitt (Pre-K Teacher) will not return for this upcoming school year as she has accepted a position in the New York City Deparetment of Education. We wish Mrs. Schmitt the best of luck in her new job and thank her for her years of service to our school community. We look forward to announcing her replacement in our next email update.
FACTS Student Information System: As we have over the last two years we will be using the school management system – FACTS SIS (Student Information System). We’re in the process of setting up the FACTS Family Portal for the 2023-2024 school year. FACTS is a private and secure online platform that will allow you to see academic information specific to your child while protecting their information from others. All you need is an internet-capable device to view information such as attendance, daily grades, transcripts, discipline issues, school calendar, and tuition accounts. For returning families your username and password are the same as they were last year. For new families your username and password are the same that you used to fill out the application in the Spring. Just a reminder to both returning and new families that our District Code is SFDS-NY. Just a reminder that the FACTS Family Portal will not be able to be accessed until around Labor Day weekend.
FACTS has created a five-minute Family Portal Overview video to introduce you to the system. Please watch it at your convenience by clicking here. The password to access the video is Portal.
Substitute Teachers Needed: St. Francis has been blessed to have a wonderful team of substitute teachers who we rely on throughout the year. We are currently looking to expand our pool of substitute teachers. If anyone is interested in discussing becoming a Substitute Teacher or Substitute Aide for the 2023-2024 school year please send a letter of interest, resume (dates of prior employment and schooling) and list of three references with relationship and current phone numbers.
Send to: [email protected]
Special Lunches: The Academy Family Association is happy to announce that our special lunches (Weekly Bagel and Pizza Day and Monhlty Chicken Finger Day) will be available once again this school year. Order forms will be sent out digitally on the first day of school. Please take a moment to look at our school calendar for the dates of operation.
After School Program: We are happy to announce that starting September 18, 2023 the After School Program will begin. The goal of the After School Program is to provide a safe, nurturing, fun environment for children who need care after the regular school day. On most days the program will include time for play, snack, homework help, and an activity for the day (arts & crafts, board games, etc.).
The program will run Monday through Thursday on most days when school is in session and will be staffed by members of the faculty assisted by 7th & 8th Grade students and 6th graders (starting in January 2024). Children in Grades PreK-5 may attend. After school is not in session on 1/2 day dismissal days. For more information on our After School Program and our registration form for those that are interested in using the service please click the links below.
After-School Registration Form
Early Morning Drop Off Program: We are happy to announce that continuing on Monday, September 11th we will be offering an Early Morning Drop off program from 7:00 am-7:40 am each day. For more information about this program please click here.
First Week of School: The first week of school is now just a few weeks away. As we know early on there are many dates, such as ½ days, and meetings that all families should know about. Please click the link below to stay current with the schedule for all grade levels for the first days of school.
Back to School Nights (Meet the Teacher): On Thursday, September 7th at 6pm all parents (Grades Nursery- Kindergarten), on Wednesday, September 13th at 6pm (Grades 1-4) and on Thursday September 14th at 6pm (Grades 5-8) all parents are invited to meet their child's teacher(s). More information to follow on this special event in the coming weeks. We hope to have 100% attendance at these important nights of the school year. We ask that parents of Nursery-Kindergarten students bring all supplies for their children to Back to School Night in a labeled bag. Students in Grades 1-8 should bring their supplies on the 1st day of school. If there are too many supplies to bring in one day, please feel free to have your child bring the supplies on the first few days of school.
8th Grade TACHS Registration: 8th Grade Parents starting on Monday, August 21st you can begin to register your child for the TACHS exam. If your child will take the TACHS exam (entrance exam for Catholic High Schools) please register as soon as possible. For more information including how to register please click here. Any questions please contact Mr. Scharbach at [email protected].
Immunizations: We wanted to inform you of important vaccination requirements from the New York State and New York City Departments of Health that must be completed before your child(ren) return to school this September 2023. Please use the reference sheet as a guide for the immunizations required for returning to school this coming September.
Uniforms: Please click here for a few helpful reminders when getting your children’s uniforms ready this summer.
For the full uniform policy please click here.
Some reminders as we get those Back to School Haircuts and go to the store for shoes and other items.
The only sweater or sweatshirt that students will be allowed to wear in the school building is the school sweater from Flynn and O’Hara and/or the quarter-zip sweatshirt that the school sells annually in the Fall.
NO other SFDS sweatshirts or CYO sweatshirts will be allowed to be worn in the classroom. The gym sweatshirt can only be worn on gym days.
Hair must be a natural color. Streaking, highlighting, lowlights, glints, etc. are not permitted.
Hair must be clean, neatly combed, not totally covering the ears or eyes, or falling below the shirt collar (boys).
Shoes: Students may choose brown or black shoes to wear with the summer uniform (sneakers and sandals are not permitted; Sperrys/Boat shoes without design or bright colors may be worn with white/black socks).
Shoes for the winter uniform must be black leather dress shoes with black rubber soles. They can be tie or slip ons. Please see the following suggested shoe styles for boys and girls in grades 1-8. The links are only to serve as samples of approved styles. If you have questions regarding shoe styles, please email Mrs.Hayes at [email protected]. As always, the uniform is up to the discretion of the staff and administration of St. Francis de Sales. Black sneakers and/or black moccasins are not part of the school uniform. Families may be asked to purchase new uniforms and shoes, if they do not follow the uniform policy.
In Nursery, Pre-K and Kindergarten students wear sneakers all year long. We thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Sperry Unisex-Child Authentic Original Boat Shoe - Tan or Black Only
Black Leather Mary Janes (Girls Only)
Flynn & O’Hara continues to be our only uniform supplier. If you need anything for next year, we suggest that you visit the store early in the summer to avoid the crowds. The store location is The Shops at Atlas Park, 8000 Cooper Avenue, Lower Level, Glendale, NY 11385. Uniforms can also be ordered online at flynnohara.com,or by phone at 718-326-2704.It is recommended that all orders are placed ASAP to make sure that uniforms are delivered for the first day of school.
Please email Mrs. Maureen Hayes [email protected] with any questions.
Thank you for your support!
Tuition: Just a reminder that yesterday August 15th the first tuition payment was due for the 2023-2024 school year.. All families should have a FACTS account. (https://factsmgt.com/) Here you can see how much is owed, dates when tuition or other fees are due, past payments, etc. Any questions about your account please reach out to our Bookkeeper Mrs. Marguerite Kazalski at [email protected]
Now more than ever planning is so important. At this point, we need to know as soon as possible an exact number of students in each grade level. By not paying tuition we may not be able to hold a seat for your child. If there are any issues paying on 8/15 please let us know so we can plan for your child(ren) to be joining us.
Main Office Hours: The summer office hours along with the calendar for next year are already posted on our website. Throughout the summer check the calendar for any updates. Although the school office may be closed at times, we are always available with any questions or concerns through email at [email protected]
2023-2024 School Year, Summer Assignments, and Supply Lists: On our website there is a landing page for all information about the next school year (Calendar, tuition, yellow bus, uniform, etc.)
All supply lists and summer assignments are available and can be found by clicking here. Please note we also have created supply lists on Amazon for your convenience. Here you will find almost everything on your child’s supply list with some exceptions (ie. Bookbags) that you can order all or some of the supplies needed for next school year. Please note that all summer assignments and school supplies are expected to be brought to school on the first day unless otherwise noted.
Just a reminder that school will officially begin Wednesday, September 6th for students in Grades 1 to 8. Children in Kindergarten will begin on Friday September 8th. Children in the Nursery and Pre-K will begin on Monday, September 11th.
2023-2024 School Year Volunteering: For the safety and well being of each and every child in our school, all volunteers must go through the following process:
1) Read and sign a code of conduct
2) Have a background check
3) Take part in the VIRTUS program. (Register at virtusonline.org. Download the registration guide.)
Please note that St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy will be offering two sessions of the VIRTUS program on 9/25 and 11/6.
After completing the VIRTUS Program we ask that you please bring to the office a copy of your certificate for us to keep track of in our database. We hope that this is not an inconvenience for anyone, but we need to be sure that all adults who interact with students are in compliance.
Also a reminder that VIRTUS now requires anyone working with children to complete “re-certification” training every seven years.
If your VIRTUS certification was more than seven years ago (before December 2016), please log on to www.virtusonline.org and complete the self-paced module, Protecting God’s Children On-Line Awareness Session 4.0_Brooklyn and also complete an updated background check if indicated for your account.
If you need assistance with your account, such as user name and/or password, please contact the VIRTUS Help Desk at 1-888-847-8870. For further information or assistance, or if you are unsure if you were trained before 2016, please email Lisa Hayden at [email protected].
REMINDER: You must complete the update by this coming September to be able to volunteer at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy.
SAVE THE DATES
Catechetical Sunday: Catechetical Sunday is when those designated to serve as catechists are called forth to be commissioned for their ministry. Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of Baptism, in passing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. All are welcome to join the Saint Francis faculty and Saint Francis Religious Education faculty at this very special liturgy at 10:00am on Sunday, September 17th.
Catholic High School Fair:
Have, a great week. Our last summer update will be during the week of August 28th.