October 19, 2023
SFDS Update #7 2023 (Week of October 22nd 2023)
Dear Academy Families,
Many of our 8th graders from St. Francis de Sales Parish will be blessed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit during their Confirmation today. I am sure that both masses will be prayerful and beautiful, and we are so proud of all of our 8th graders during this very special time in their lives. We also look forward to seeing our students from Blessed Trinity Parish become Confirmed in the Spirit later this school year. A special thank you to all their teachers who have prepared the confirmandi from our academy over the years. Thank you to our Parish Religious Education Director, Mrs. AnneMarie Greene, for organizing the masses as well.
We have a very busy next few days here at the Academy. Please take a moment to see what is happening over the next few weeks.
Franny Fun Run: We are now less than 2 days away from race day, and we have raised over $51000 of our $65,000 goal and that is only with 76% participation.
Any family that meets their Family Goal ($60 for one child, $120 for two children, $150 for three or more children) by this 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.
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.
Finally, 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.
While we all hope the weather holds out for Saturday, we have a planned rain date and will keep you informed of any changes. We hope to make a final decision no later than Friday Morning. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support!!!
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! Please encourage your child to read books for fun by having them shop at 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.
Please see below the schedule for our book fair next Tuesday, 10/25 and Wednesday, 10/26
Book Fairies: During next week’s Book Fair the NJHS will be running a service project that involves the whole school, called “Book Fairies.” It sources and redistributes books to under-resourced communities on Long Island, NYC and internationally to provide equitable opportunities for children to learn, grow, and thrive. During the week of the Scholastic Book Fair, Oct. 23 - 25th, (Mon - Wed) we are asking students to “Donate a book, buy a book.” Please feel free to send in any gently used books with your children next Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.
Picture Day: Individual picture day will take place on Thursday, 11/2 for Nursery-Grade 2 and on Tuesday, 11/7 for our 3rd through 7th graders. All those students who are getting pictures taken may remain in their school uniform or dress up for their picture. Please remind your child that dressing up for pictures is very different than dressing down. All those students who are not getting pictures taken must be in their full school uniform. If your child has gym on picture day (KA, 1B, and Grade 5) please have them wear sneakers if they are dressing up or bring a change of shoes, so they can participate in gym.
Families with students in Grades N-7 please use the following order form to purchase photos: https://fs24.formsite.com/orderforms/w7qgyoijeb/index
The deadline for them to order is Friday, November 10th, 2023.
Just a reminder that class photos for all students will take place on Wednesday, November 29th.
Please note that individual photos for the 8th grade will take place after Christmas on Tuesday, January 9th. A separate order form will be sent home closer to their picture day
Panini 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 Panini Rustico and Baya Bar. A Google form can be accessed by clicking the link below with all of the pertinent information. Panini 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.
Fire Safety: Many of our Early Childhood classes have been spending time the past few weeks reviewing simple fire safety procedures. October is the perfect time to educate and talk with your whole family about fire safety: including testing alarms, changing the batteries or upgrading to 10- year sealed battery alarms, knowing how to use a fire extinguisher and escape route planning. Please take some time this weekend to review some simple fire safety tips with your family. A short conversation this weekend can be a life saving one.
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. If your child is interested in volunteering, please email your class captain. All children in nursery through grade 5 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 crafts, games and activities, as well as trunk-or-treating. Registration forms are due tomorrow (Friday, October 20th) and can be found by clicking here.
SFDS Mobile App: As you know we have recently updated our school website. Due to the website being updated our Mobile App has also been updated as well. If you have already downloaded our school App to your phone you may need to update that app the next time you use the app. For those members of our community that have yet to add the App to their mobile device please search for ST. FRANCIS DE SALES ACADEMY in the App Store or Google Play. This is a great way to stay current with school events, your child’s HW, tuition account, and child’s grades.
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 27th. 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 October 27th. 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 Leather Mary Janes (Girls Only)
SAVE THE DATES
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.
All Saints Day: All Saints Day is on Wednesday, November 1st. Our 2nd Grade Saints will be leading us in our All Saints Day mass on Wednesday, 11/1 at 10am.
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.
School Closed for Professional Development on November 9th: Just a reminder that Thursday, November 9th is a scheduled day off for students. This is then followed with the school being closed on Friday, November 10th for Veterans Day. Enjoy the 4-day Fall weekend!
Have a great weekend.