Dear Academy Families,

Although it is a short week, we were very busy over these last few days! We have a lot of updates this upcoming week:

Congratulations and God Bless!: On Thursday October 19th, many members of St. Francis de Sales 8th Grade will be blessed by the Holy Spirit. 

Due to the Confirmation Masses being at 1pm and 4pm, the 8th Grade class is off on Thursday the 19th. The rest of the school has an early dismissal at 12pm. 

There are mandatory practices next week, for those students receiving the sacrament of Confirmation at St. Francis on October 19th. For those students receiving at the 1pm mass their Confirmation practice is on Monday, October 16th at 6:30pm. For those students receiving at the 4pm mass their Confirmation practice is on Tuesday, October 17th at 6:30pm. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Greene. 

 May the gifts of the Holy Spirit be with our 8th grade and lead them to be the future leaders of the church. Please also keep in your prayers some of our 8th graders who later this school year will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation at Blessed Trinity Parish. A special thank you to Mr Diffendale, Mrs.McMahon, Mrs. Foti, Mrs. Gigliello, and Ms. McManus who have prepared the Confirmandi from our Academy over the past 14 months. 

Rosary Rally: Bishop Brennan has again asked that we join with other dioceses throughout the country by hosting a Rosary Rally.  Our school-wide Rosary Rally will be on Wednesday, October 18th at 1pm.  Students in grades one through eight will be participating in this very special service. Students are asked to bring their rosary beads to school the day of the Rosary Rally. 

Franny Fun Run: We are now a week away until race day, and we have raised $37,000 of our $65,000 goal and that is only with 56% participation. Looking forward to a great event next week. 

Any family that meets their Family Goal ($60 for one child, $120 for two children, $150 for three or more children) by next Friday, 10/20, at 12:00 PM gets entered into a drawing for a $500 Tuition Credit for the 2023-2024 School Year for their family. So get those pledges in before Friday the 20th. The winner will be drawn at the Franny Fun Run After Run Celebration on 10/21.

Our families received an email providing a link to your family's web-based donation page. If you did not receive your link via email, please search your family's page here:

https://independent.pledgebrite.org/fund/frannyrun23

All families that meet their family fundraising goal will also get a complimentary fun-run t-shirt for each child in their family.

Just a reminder that any family that meets a goal of $60, regardless of the number of children they have in the Academy, will get a free dress-down day (to be used in November/December) for every student in their family.

Panino Rustico/Baya Bar Special Lunch: On Tuesday November 7th (Grades 1-4) and on Wednesday November 8th (Grades 5-8), we are going to have a trial lunch day sponsored by Panino Rustico and Baya Bar. A Google form can be accessed by clicking the link below with all of the pertinent information. Panino Rustico will be offering 3 different 1/2 Paninis with chips ($8 each) and Baya Bar will be offering 3 different 9oz  Acai Bowls priced at $10 each

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

The completed form(s) is due by Monday, October 23rd if you are interested in taking part in this trial day. 

Panino Rustico/Baya Bar Special Lunch Order Form

Chicken Finger Days: Speaking of special lunches just a reminder that this week our Chicken Finger special lunch begins. Once a month On Tuesdays students in Grades 1-4 who ordered chicken fingers and fries will receive that and once a month on Wednesdays students in Grades 5-8 who ordered chicken fingers and fries will receive that. If there are any questions, please contact Lisa Hayden at [email protected]. 

Abrakadoodle Art: This Monday 10/16, we begin our Abrakadoolde Art Enrichment Program for Grades K-5 from 2:45pm-3:45pm.

Socktober: On Friday, October 20th, don't forget to bring in $1 and wear CRAZY socks as we celebrate the last day of summer uniform. All money raised will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. 

Just a reminder that Friday, October 20th 2023 is the last day that students are allowed to wear their summer uniforms. Starting on Monday, October 23rd students need to be in complete winter uniform. For the full uniform policy please click here. Please email Mrs. Hayes at [email protected] with any questions. 

Trunk or Treat: The Academy Family Association will be hosting a “Trunk-or-Treat” event, scheduled for Sunday, October 29th from 4:00 – 6:00 PM in the SFDS schoolyard.  The event will be geared towards Academy students in nursery through fifth Grade, with volunteer opportunities for the sixth through eighth grade students.  All children will be required to attend with a parent/guardian. The cost for a family to participate in Trunk or Treat is $20 .  This fee will include a pumpkin for each registered child, crafts and activities, as well as trunk-or-treating. There will also be pizza and drinks available for a nominal fee. Registration forms can be found by clicking here. 

Grade 8 Public High School Application: The general NYC High School application opened up on Tuesday October 3rd. This application is due by Friday, December 1st. If your child is interested in applying to the NYC Public High School we ask that you please let us know at [email protected] no later than Monday, November 20th. This will give us enough time to make sure that the choices (up to 12) are correct. 

The SHSAT Registration is now open. The deadline to register for the SHSAT is Friday 10/27. .  If your child is interested in taking the SHSAT or applying for LaGuardia High School please let us know at [email protected] no later than Monday, October 23rd. Test tickets will be available in My Schools after the registration deadline, and we'll notify families at that time. 

Yearbook Order Form: Last week marked the start of our 2023-2024 Yearbook Sale! The yearbook is a great way to remember special events throughout the year! All students will be featured in the yearbook on their class page!

If you would like to order a school yearbook, (delivery in June) please fill out the following form.

After you submit your order you will be charged on your FACTS account during the month of January.  

Payment is expected within 20 days of posting.

The completed form(s) is due by Thursday, December 7th. Since we have to send in our yearly order soon after there will be no orders accepted after this date.

**Class of 2024 Families, any graduate that has $130 (cost of a full page ad) worth of ads in the yearbook will receive a free yearbook, up to two free yearbooks. Please keep this in mind when placing your order.**

CLICK HERE FOR THE YEARBOOK ORDER FORM

Winter Uniform: October 23rd is our first day of winter uniform.  Students are expected to be in complete dress uniform.  The only sweatshirt that will be permitted to be worn in school is the approved St. Francis de Sales ¼ zip or the navy SFDS sweater or sweater vest.  Gym crewneck sweatshirts are only permitted on gym days. There are no hooded sweatshirts permitted to be worn in school. 

Most of the quarter zip sweatshirts that have been ordered have been sent home. The only exception is those students who have ordered an Youth Small. We anticipate those coming in over the next two weeks. 

Please be sure to write your child’s name in their new sweatshirt. Our Lost and Found added multiple new sweatshirts to its collection over the last two weeks. 

Uniform Shoes: 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. 

Black Oxford

Black Leather Mary Janes (Girls Only)

Black Leather Loafers (Boys)

SAVE THE DATES

Fall Book Fair: Did you know? Reading just 20 minutes a day exposes your child to about 1.8 million words per year. Reading helps students develop a stronger vocabulary, and in addition, students who read for pleasure average higher grades in English, mathematics, science, and history! Encourage your child to read books for fun by attending our upcoming Scholastic Book Fair. Allow your child to choose the books they want to read! It’s a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level. Mark your calendar! Book Fair dates: Tuesday, October 24th and Wednesday, October 25th. In next week’s update a more detailed scheduled will be sent home. 

Orange and Black Dress Down Day: On Tuesday, 10/31 all students will be able to dress down in Orange and Black or their favorite Halloween shirt. Just a reminder that students cannot wear costumes to school. 

VIRTUS Training: St. Francis de Sales will be hosting another VIRTUS training session onsite on Monday, November 6th at 7pm. You can sign up for this session 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.

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