Dear Academy Families,

This Sunday, we celebrate Catechetical Sunday. This is the day that we recognize those who serve in the official role of catechist to children, youth, and adults. In our school, we have approximately 50 individuals who have said yes to the call to help young people encounter Christ and grow in their Catholic faith through religious education. There are many more who teach in Catholic schools, lead adult faith formation programs and preparation for marriage and baptism, and prepare adults for the Rite of Christian Initiation. We are grateful for their service and commitment to the people of God. We would love to see families at the 10am Mass at St. Francis de Sales Parish where all Catechists will have the opportunity to be blessed for the upcoming school year. 

As the weather changes next week let me say Happy Fall! We are pleased to report that our students have joyfully embraced the rhythms of a productive and engaging school day. A special thank you to all who came out the past few nights for our Back to School Nights. For those who were not able to join us please click here for all the information that was shared by the teachers.  

Digital Forms

In the FACTS Family Portal please make sure that you fill out (new families) or update (returning families) the Demographic, Medical, Custodial, Emergency Contact, and Transportation Forms ASAP. 

We have assembled some websites, information, and digital forms for starting a new school year.  These links, along with the Family-Student Handbook and our Acceptable Use Policy, keep everyone “in the loop.” 

Please note that some forms are optional, and others must be filled out. They are stated next to the name of the form. If you have any questions, please call the main office. We always encourage parent communication and involvement, so please feel free to contact us with any concerns or questions.

• Handbook Agreement Form (Mandatory Form)- Due 9/15/23- Please note this form will be sent home to each family on Thursday, 9/7/23. Please be sure to read through the handbook before signing. If you need another copy, please print from the link. 

• Height and Weight Form (Please fill out one for each child) (Mandatory Form)- Due 9/15/23

• Parish Affiliation Form (Mandatory Form to qualify for affiliated tuition rate) – Due 9/22/23

• Class Captain Sign-Up Form (Optional Form)- Due  9/15/23

• Absence Note Form (Please note that a written absent note still needs to be sent into your child’s homeroom teacher to record the absence correctly in FACTS and for our legal records). 

Special Lunch Forms

Bagel Monday Order Form (Grades K-8)- Due YESTERDAY

Pizza Day Form (Grades K-8)- Due YESTERDAY

Chicken Finger Day Form (Grades 1-8)-  Due 10/5/23

Please see below a few updates for the next few days and some reminders.

Morning Prayer Intentions: Every morning our entire school prays together. One of the prayers we pray everyday is our daily Hail Mary. Each morning we bring our prayers to our Blessed Mother and ask her through her intercession to bring our prayers to her son Jesus. If you would like to add someone in your family to our prayer list for a particular day or for a week please feel free to email us [email protected] with that request. We will be sure to add that person to our prayer list right away. 

i-Ready: We are excited to share that our Kindergarten through 8th grade students are continuing to use a Mathematics and Reading program called i-Ready. Below you will find information about the program and how we will be using it in the classroom.

What is i-Ready?

i-Ready is an online program that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction.

The i-Ready Diagnostic that students in Grades 1-8 will begin to take next week is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning.i-Ready: We are excited to share that our Kindergarten through 8th grade students are continuing to use a Mathematics and Reading program called i-Ready. Below you will find information about the program and how we will be using it in the classroom.

What is i-Ready?

i-Ready is an online program that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction.

The i-Ready Diagnostic that students in Grades 1-8 will begin to take next week is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning.

Enrichment Programs: We are delighted to once again partner with our friends at, Abrakadoodle, and Paul Effman Band to offer various enrichment programs this upcoming school year. We are also very much looking forward to starting some new programs this year as well. Over the last week we have sent out information about some great STEM programs from i-Camp and a Chess program from Chess Nuts. Just a reminder that the 2nd-5th Grade STEM program and the 6th-8th Grade STEM program start this week on Thursday 9/21 from 2:30pm-3:45pm. 

For more information about any of our enrichment programs please click here. If you have any questions, please send an email to Mrs. Endall at [email protected]

After School Program: We are happy to announce that starting September 18th 2023, the After School Program will begin. For more information about our after school program please click here. If you have any questions, please send an email to Mrs. Kenny at [email protected]

VIRTUS Training: St. Francis de Sales will be hosting two VIRTUS training sessions onsite on Monday, September 25th at 7pm (8 spots remain) and on Monday, November 6th at 7pm. Both sessions will take place in the Small Hall. You can sign up for these sessions or any session in the Diocese of Brooklyn by clicking here. 

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.

Lockdown Drill: This Wednesday we will be having our first Lockdown Drill of the year. Our teachers have been and will be reviewing procedures and the purpose of these important drills with your children. You might consider setting aside a few moments this weekend to discuss the serious nature of these drills. 

School Yard/Parking Lot: As discussed at a few different times last year, we are asking all parents to please watch your children in the school yard after they have been dismissed from school. In the past we have had several instances about children on scooters riding into other children. There should be no bike riding or scooter riding in the schoolyard until after all classes have been dismissed. In the past, we’ve also had issues with families parking their cars in the lot. Please understand that we use the school yard for recess and dismissal, so if you could please try to find street parking, that would be very much appreciated.

Safety Around the School: We are asking for your help during drop off and pickup. Safety is our number one priority at St. Francis and we do not want to see any of our students hurt. What can you do to help?

Please Do Not: 

• Double park

• Block driveways of our neighbors

• Park in no parking zones 

• Block crosswalks

• Block school entrances 

• Honk your horn repeatedly

• Drive aggressively 

• Drive fast

Thanks in advance for your cooperation with these safety guidelines. 

Bikes: Please remind your child that if he/she is riding their bike to and from school they need to lock it up on the bike racks near the small hall entrance of the school.  The school cannot be responsible for bikes that go missing especially if they are not locked up each day. Thanks in advance for helping us out with this very simple safety measure. 

Special Education Services: We do anticipate that the majority of students' special education services will start this week. Please note that if you are new to the school and your child has an IEP or IESP please make sure that is sent in to Mrs. Buckley as soon as possible. If any IESP’s were updated over the summer, we do ask that an updated copy be sent to Mrs. Buckley as well.

High School Meeting: There is a special 8th Grade Parent High School Meeting on Monday, September 18th via a Zoom Webinar. Please come to ask any last-minute questions on the high school admissions process (Catholic High Schools and Public High Schools). This meeting is scheduled to be recorded in case any family cannot attend. 

When: Sep 18, 2023 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Topic: 8th Grade High School Parent Meeting

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82952339610?pwd=S0FNZkxTT2t1V1hGYW1qMEpwTjVIUT09

Passcode: SFDS2024

Last Call for 8th Grade TACHS Registration: 8th Grade Parents please 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].

SAVE THE DATES

 Catholic High School Fair:

Go Gold for Childhood Cancer: As many people know September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. On Friday, September 29th  all students may dress down for $1 and Go Gold for Childhood Cancer. Students are asked to wear Gold or yellow shirts on this dress down day. All proceeds from the dress down day are going to the annual Catch a Cure 5K Race. Catch a Cure is a community non-profit charitable organization that benefits local families dealing with cancer. 

Have a great weekend. We hope to see you at mass this weekend!