Dear Academy Community, 

As we now enter the fourth week of Lent, we at school continue our Lenten journey of giving alms with our annual collection of mite boxes for the Propagation of Faith. We sent each student home with a mite box and asked that they be returned no later than Friday, March 22nd. It is not about how much is given in the box, it is about the children learning to give a little bit to those who are less fortunate than we are. Every penny is helpful. 

Also starting this past week all grade levels began to pray the Stations of the Cross in our church. Speaking of the Stations of the Cross, many of our 7th-grade students and faculty members have been working very hard to produce this year’s Passion Play.  It will take place on Tuesday, March 26th at 1:30pm. 

Finally, we want to wish good luck to many of our second-grade students who will be receiving their first Penance this Saturday at Blessed Trinity Parish. We ask that you keep all of them in your thoughts and prayers as they continue on their spiritual journey and prepare to receive the Eucharist for the first time. A special thank you to Mrs. Fahy and Mrs. O’Malley for preparing the students for this sacrament. 

Onto some updates for the days ahead….

Report Cards and Family Teacher Conferences: Please note that all 2nd trimester report cards will be digitally distributed on Wednesday, March 20th at about 3pm via the FACTS Parent Portal. All conferences are in person and will take place on Thursday, March 21st  from 12:45 pm-2:45 pm and 6 pm-7:30 pm. Thursday, March 21st is a 12 pm half-day for students and there is no after-school available on this day. 

On Monday, March 11th we will send out information on signing up for time slots for conferences in Grades Nursery-Grade 4. All families will have until Monday, March 18th to sign up for the conferences on Thursday, March 21st. 

Writing Benchmarks: As trimester two is coming to a close, just a reminder that you should see a grade for Writing Benchmark #2 in ELA on FACTS in the coming days for all students in Grades 1-8.   The purpose of these benchmarks is to help teachers and the school as a whole identify the strengths and weaknesses of our students as writers. Please note that there is limited support or assistance given during these benchmarks, as we are trying to get an accurate assessment of our students abilities. The writing benchmark is not averaged into your child’s average and is simply used to gather data to inform instruction.  If you have any questions, please reach out to Maureen Hayes at [email protected].

Class of 2024 Babysitting Night: The Graduating Class of 2024 will be organizing a fun night for our Kindergarten through 3rd-grade students. This SFDSCA 8th Grade Babysitting Night allows you to enjoy two and a half hours kid-free on Friday, April 12th 2024, from  6 pm-8:30 pm. Open to our studnete Kindergarten- 3rd grade. This opportunity is open to SFDSCA families ONLY.

Your children will be supervised by school staff,  8th-grade students, and 8th-grade parent volunteers (VIRTUS trained). Children will be treated to a movie, games, crafts, and organized sports and activities. We will provide the children with a snack (drinks and chips, etc.). Please be sure your child has dinner prior to coming.

The fee is $20 for the first child and for each additional child is $5. Please submit the form below and send in payment separately to the main office. in an envelope marked “8th Grade Babysitting Night”.

Babysitting Night Registration Form

Please RSVP BY April 8th. We cannot accept registration after the 8th for planning reasons. You will NOT be able to register the night of the event.

Calendar Changes and Additions: As we move into the final trimester of the 2023-2024 school year there are some calendar changes and additions that we wanted to make all families aware of so that they can prepare accordingly. 

1. Early Childhood Step-Ups: One of the events we always look forward to each June is our Early Childhood Stepups. This year our Step-ups are scheduled as follows:

   • Nursery A- Wednesday, June 12th at 11:30 am in the Small Hall

   • Pre-K Step Up- Wednesday, June 12th at 10 am in the School Gym

   • Nursery B- Wednesday, June 12th at 8:30 am in the Small Hall

   • Kindergarten- Thursday, June 13th at 10 am in the School Gym

2. Last Day of School: The last day of school is scheduled presently for Thursday, June 20th.  

Summer Rising Program in NYC DOE: Summer Rising 2024 is a partnership between New York City Public Schools and the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). Summer Rising is free and available to all NYC students in grades K-8, pending seat availability. Students in Summer Rising will have access to both academic and enrichment programming over the course of the day, including field trips, arts activities, and outdoor recreation.

A typical day for students in grades K–8 will include a mix of academic support, social emotional learning, and enrichment activities. Academics will be provided by licensed teachers in the morning. Enrichment activities (such as art, sports, and play) will be led by staff in the afternoons and on Fridays. Staff will also facilitate enrichment in the morning, alongside academics, for K-5 programs. 

The Summer Rising portal is open until March 25! Applications will be submitted using your a NYC MySchools account . You can find your NYC MySchools account information by contacting Dr. Scharbach ([email protected]) school or visiting a Family Welcome Center (Family Welcome Centers (nyc.gov). 

Monthly Rosary: All are welcome to join us each month in praying the rosary after school in SFDS Church right after school at 2:35 pm. For the month of March we will meet on Thursday, March 14th. Please come, students and families, and help us bring all of our prayers of thanksgiving and petition to our blessed Mother and her son.  

2024 St. Jude Math-A-Thon: 

The St. Jude Math-A-Thon is a school-based fundraiser that benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  St. Jude treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.  Parents of these children cannot afford to pay for treatments. With the donations raised from St. Jude Math-A-Thon, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food. 

In previous years St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy has been identified as one of the top 100 schools that have raised money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude has personally thanked our school for our commitment to the Math-A-Thon fundraiser to help save kids regardless of their financial situation.  This summer St. Jude’s hosted Mrs. Foti, our Math-a-thon Coordinator, in Tennessee so she could see first-hand the great work that St. Jude’s does.  

St. Francis de Sales raises thousands of dollars each year to help the children of St. Jude.We kicked off our fundraiser this week, by sending home permission slips and sponsor forms.  All students who return their permission slip by Friday, March 8th will receive their Math-A-Thon booklet starting on Monday, March 11th, which students will use to collect donations from family and friends.

The official last day of the fundraiser will be Friday, March 22nd 2024. 

Students and parents may utilize the following link on their social media sites (e.g., Instagram, Facebook), to help fundraise online.  Online donations can be made and linked directly to St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy using the link below:

https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Math/Math?pg=entry&fr_id=145897&copy_link_share

Please print out a copy of your team page after a donation is made and send it into your child’s homeroom teacher in Grades N-4, Mrs. Fountaine (Grades 5-6) , and Mrs. Foti (Grades 7-8) If you have any questions about the St. Jude’s Math-A-Thon, feel free to email Mrs. Foti at [email protected].  With the support of our students and school community we are hopeful that this will be a successful event.  We hope that we can count on you! Thank you.

Tuition Raffle: One of the most anticipated and biggest prizes every year at the Card Party is the Tuition Raffle for one student for the 2024-2025 school year. Please think about supporting this raffle and getting a chance to win free tuition for one child. (Winner need not be present). Tickets can be bought in the main office or by handing in tickets found on the order form by clicking below.

https://stfrancisacademybh.org/resources/card-party-tuition-raffle

Financial Aid for the 2024-2025 School Year: Futures in Education is proud to provide partial tuition assistance for families demonstrating financial need, and who meet eligibility requirements, to attend a Catholic Academy or school in Brooklyn or Queens.  We are also a proud partner with the Children's Scholarship Fund, which administers the Teddy J. Forstmann and Bishop’s Scholarship programs. Families requesting tuition assistance must complete a financial aid application with Futures in Education through our third-party vendor, FACTS AND submit supporting documentation, which will be used to verify all application responses.

When is the deadline?

March 31, 2024 – Returning Families who received an award in the previous academic year.

April 30, 2024 – New families (students who did not receive an award in the previous academic year).

https://futuresineducation.org/scholarships/?fbclid=IwAR2bz53-G4BmJirWc_yJW-pGEjPdwYX8QpfuptWgjAkQCLDezGEsOERK8_E

SAVE THE DATES

Easter Recess: This year St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy breaks for Easter Recess starting on Wednesday, March 27th and returns from break on Monday, April 8th. 

2024 Card Party: 

Sweetheart Dance: Please save the date for Friday, April 26th (6:30pm-8pm) for this year’s Sweetheart Dance. This will be an opportunity for the girls of our school to have their Sweetheart (Dad, Uncle, Grandfather, etc) join them for a special night out. 

Summer Uniform:  Starting on Monday, May 6th students can begin to wear their summer uniforms. This is just a reminder if anyone needs to purchase summer uniforms you should think of ordering them soon. 

Golf and Tennis Outing: Please save the date of Friday, May 31st for our annual Msgr. Geraghty golf and tennis outing.  This is a great day to get out on the course and courts to support our great Academy.  Additional details are forthcoming. 

Have a great weekend!