Dear Academy Community, 

As we approach the joyous celebration of Christmas, I extend my warmest greetings to each member of our St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy community. This season is a time of reflection, gratitude, and above all, a celebration of the love and hope that Christmas brings into our lives.

In the spirit of the season, let us pause to appreciate the blessings that surround us—the gift of faith, the support of our families, and the camaraderie within our school community. Together, we have journeyed through another year filled with challenges and triumphs, and it is heartening to witness the resilience, compassion, and determination that define us as a community.

Christmas reminds us of the extraordinary gift of love bestowed upon us through the birth of Jesus Christ. His teachings of compassion, forgiveness, and unconditional love serve as guiding lights in our lives and in the culture of our school. May we be inspired by His example to extend kindness and understanding to one another, fostering a sense of unity and harmony within our diverse learning community.

As we gather with family and friends during this festive season, let us also remember those who may be facing challenges or loneliness. Our collective strength lies in our ability to uplift one another and share the warmth of love and inclusion. This Christmas, let us strive to be beacons of hope, radiating the light of Christ's love to all those around us.

I am immensely grateful for the dedication and hard work of our teachers, staff, parents, and students. Your commitment to nurturing a faith-filled environment has made St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy a special place of growth and learning. As we anticipate the new year, may we continue to collaborate, inspire, and support each other on our shared journey of education and faith.

From all of us at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy, Merry Christmas!  May the New Year bring you even more blessings, and may we continue to grow and work towards creating a faith filled community in the heart of Rockaway, one child at a time.

Onto a very busy final week of 2023……

2023 Christmas Show Final Directives

Dress Rehearsal: All students should be ready in costume on Monday 12/18 for our dress rehearsal.

Some students just need to dress up while others have a costume. Children may wear their gym uniform under their costumes on the day of their dress rehearsal.

The dress rehearsals are as follows Monday 12/18

10am-11:30am: Kindergarten-Grade 7 (B Classes), 3C and those 8th graders who volunteered to participate

12:45pm-2:15pm Kindergarten-Grade 7 (A Classes), 5C and those 8th graders who volunteered to participate

The dress rehearsal serves as a chance for elderly relatives who are unable to come out at night or handle a large crowd to see the show. These dress rehearsals do not serve as a way to get a sneak peek or another viewing of the show. Thanks in advance for your cooperation. We will only open the doors for the dress rehearsal about 10 minutes before the rehearsal at 9:50am and 12:35pm.

Any questions please feel free to get in touch.  

Ticket Orders: We are sold out of tickets for Monday and Tuesday. We are asking that anyone who is not using all of their tickets to please drop them off at the main office. If there is any issue with tickets at this point,  please let us know so that we may try and handle them.

Coming and Going on Show Nights: The children have been practicing for many weeks and they are expected to be present for the show on the night their class is performing. Students who are in the play should arrive no earlier than 6:00 pm and should enter the CYO entrance. They will be directed to their rooms from there. Members of the audience will enter through the main door.

For safety reasons, every child in Grades 1-8 in the show must remain in school with his/her class until the play is over. Please do not ask for your child to be dismissed early. Thanks in advance for your cooperation with this matter.

The Following are instructions for the children to follow at the end of the show. When the show is over, the older children in each family should get their coats and go to the classroom of the youngest sibling. We will ask that one parent go to the youngest child’s classroom to pick up the children. Further instructions will be explained at the end of each show.

Absent on the Day of the Christmas Show: Please understand that if your child is ill during the day of their Christmas Show, he or she should not be sent to school at night for the show. With Christmas and break around the corner, we would like to try our best for students to not spread more germs than necessary. It's okay to miss the show if they are sick. 

Special Kindergarten Instructions:

1.     The shows will begin at 6:30 pm.  Children are asked to be at school at 6:00 pm.  You may drop your child off at the small hall.  Parents should then proceed to the main entrance.  The doors will not open before 6:00 pm, so please do not come early.

2.     After the performance, you are asked to pick up your child in the small hall.  Please wait until instructed to pick up your child. In order to keep the show running smoothly, it is necessary for you to exit the building using the small hall doors/ You may either leave at that time or return to the gym to watch the other classes perform using the main entrance.  You must have already purchased a ticket to the show in order to enter the auditorium.

3.     Please be aware that you may not be able to exit the parking lot if you wish to leave after the Kindergarten/Band performs in the show.  The parking lot gets very crowded on the nights of the Christmas show so, if you cannot stay until the show is over, you should try to find parking on the street in the area of the school.

50/50 and 8th Grade Raffle: Please note that on the night of the show there will be a 50/50 for each night, an opportunity to buy raffles for an Apple AirPod Pods/Stanley Tumbler and more to help support the 8th Grade Dinner Dance. Water and chips will also be sold. 

Chicken Finger Day: Just a reminder that next Tuesday, December 19th is Chicken Finger day for Grades 1-4 and Wednesday, December 20th is Chicken Finger day for Grades 5-8.  If you signed your child up for this special lunch, a packed lunch is not needed on this day. 

Christmas Parties: We are so excited to have a small classroom party to celebrate the upcoming holiday.  Students in 1st-7th grade will be having a breakfast party on Friday, December 22nd from 9:30 am-10:45 am before they attend our annual Christmas Liturgy. We asked each family in those grade levels to send in $5 a child for bagels, juice, paper goods, and a small treat. All money should have been handed to the class captain already. 

Just a reminder that all families are asked not to send in any goody bag or presents to be handed out to their children's classmates. They will not be handed out and sent back home. 

Students in Nursery-Kindergarten are asked to follow the directions of their teacher about the date and attire for their Christmas gathering. Students in Grade 8 are scheduled to have their traditional Christmas Brunch in the Small Hall on December 22nd. 8th Grade students should follow their homeroom teachers’ directions in regards to attire. Students in Nursery and Pre-K have their special Christmas celebrations on Wednesday December 20th, while our Kindergarten classes will be going on the Polar Express on Thursday December 21st. Any other questions about these small gatherings should be directed to your child’s teacher via email or SeeSaw. 

Dress Down Day: Thursday, December 21st is a $1 dress down day. All students are encouraged to wear Red and or Green, or wear an ugly holiday sweater. All money raised is going to a family in need. 

Christmas Craft Day: Every year, students in 5th through 8th grade, prepare a craft activity to create, with students in Pre K-4th grades.  This year the entire school will be partaking in this activity on Thursday, December 21st in the afternoon.

Christmas Vacation: On Friday, December 22nd we have a ½ day 12 noon dismissal, this kicks off our Christmas Recess. Please note we do not reopen until Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024. 

Sibling Registration Intent Form: Our school year is rapidly moving along. We can hardly believe that Christmas is almost here. As we begin to prepare for the 2024-2025 school year, we want to ensure that our plans maximize the benefit to your child/children. We have just completed a period in which our current Nursery and Pre-Kindergarten families filled out a letter of intent for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes for next school year.

We ask that if you have any sibling (brother or sister) of a current student here at St. Francis who plans on attending St. Francis in 2024 as a new Nursery, Pre-K, Kindergarten or Grade 1-7 student please complete the form below by Monday, December 18th. After that, we will be opening registration to the public in the Winter of 2024 (If space allows)

https://forms.gle/gho3LJmgiSB5pavx6

Please note we anticipate having waiting lists in many grades for next year. This intent form is for planning purposes only and does not guarantee your registration for the 2024-2025 school year. 

Baya Bar/Panino Rustico Special Lunch: Our special lunch with Baya Bar/Panino Rustico in November was a success! We are happy to announce we will be offering a monthly special lunch starting in January 2024. 

Panino Rustico will be offering 2 different 1/2 Paninis with chips and Baya Bar will be offering 2 different 9oz  Acai Bowls.

Please fill out a separate order form for each child. You will be billed via FACTS.

The completed form(s) is due Thursday, 12/21. No late orders will be accepted.

No refunds will be issued if a child is absent.

*No substitutions or additions made to below options*

*Dates: 1/10, 2/7, 3/6, 4/10, 5/8*

https://forms.gle/fqa9mTLXoNWvTabW9

SAVE THE DATES

1/9/24: Class of 2024 Dinner Dance Meeting  at 7pm

1/10/24:  Catholic High Schools Mail Acceptance Notifications

1/11/24: ½ day with a 12 noon dismissal 

January PD Day: Just a reminder that when we return from Christmas Recess our students have a 4 day weekend that gets kicked off on Friday 1/12 as the faculty participates in a Diocesan-wide professional development day that is then followed by Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday 1/15.  

Have a great weekend! We will see all next week for our Christmas Show and Celebrations.