October 26, 2023
SFDS Update #8 2023 (Week of October 29th 2023)
Dear Academy Families,
Next Wednesday, we will celebrate All Saints’ Day. Our 2nd Grade Saints will be leading us in our All Saints’ Day Mass on Wednesday, November 1st at 10am.
Each one of us has a favorite Saint, one who we pray to, we model our life after, and one we look to for support and guidance.
Saints’ lives show us how to live out our faith. They show us what God can accomplish through frail humanity. They provide tangible lessons on being a Catholic, and inspire us to live our faith more fully.
We possess the attributes of Saints in so many ways. What can we learn from the lives of the saints? ... Saints are simply ordinary people who lived in the midst of difficulties, uncertainty, and suffering. Despite these circumstances they made extraordinary choices to put their faith into action. Their lives can teach us to do the same.
Important life lessons that we can learn from the Saints:
How true joy comes not from earthly status, but from following Christ, like St. Francis of Assisi;
How God answers our prayers, but often in a way demanding our patience;
Like Mary Magdalene, how no one is beyond the power of the grace of God;
How we can worship God and grow in holiness through both work and prayer, sometimes combined;
How, through charity and prayer, impossible situations can be transformed and family members converted;
How we may be called upon to endure great sufferings – but if so, God will always sustain us.
May the Saints in heaven inspire us this week! Please see below some reminders of the upcoming weeks ahead at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy. This weekend is sure to be an eventful one.
Congratulations to Ms. Farragher: Congratulations and God Bless Ms. Farragher and her fiance Matt. This Saturday, October 28th at 3 p.m. here at St. Francis de Sales Parish, Ms. Farragher walks down the aisle as she and her fiance receive the Sacrament of Marriage. We wish them a lifetime of happiness together.
1/2 Day Dismissal: Friday, November 3rd is a half-day. Please remember that dismissal is at 12pm and that there is no after-school program on half days.
Picture Day: Individual picture day will take place, on Thursday, November 2nd for Nursery-Grade 2 and on Tuesday, November 7th 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 are to 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 to order is Friday, November 10, 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
School Store: Come and see our brand new online school store. We have some great items with our school name and Franny, our Mascot. Right now we are having a Grand Opening Offer: 25% Off Everything. Please use the Code: SPIRIT
This offer is for a Limited Time Only!
Choose your own designs! These are great items to wear on dress-down days, weekends, Blue and Gold Day, or just around the house.
Great brands (Nike, North Face, Under Armor, Puma, and more) and great quality. All orders are shipped directly to your home.
New York State Test Results: We have received word from the State of New York that in the next few days, the results of the Spring 2023 New York State Test ELA and Math will be released. Once they are released, we will send home parent reports to our current 5th, 7th, and 8th graders who took the test at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy last spring. If your child was in another school last year and took the state tests, please reach out to them directly to receive your child’s score. To see how our school achieved compared to the other schools in District 27 please click the link below for a comparison chart.
2023 New York State Test Results
Fall Book Fair Thanks: Another wonderful Book Fair has come to a close here at St. Francis de Sales. A very special thank you to Rita Martin, Jennifer Sullivan, Rosie Conlon, Megan Geary, Maureen Johnson, Chris O’Sullivan, Jennifer Friedman, Lisa Hayden, Anna Murray, Dena Calemine, Katie Daly, Denise Rodman, Katheleen Charles, Lisa Geary, Jennifer McCormack, Jamie Petrone, Kelly D’Antonio, Kristen Prior, Lauren McCallion, Caitlin Knott, Christina Healy, Kathleen Charles, Mary McGoorty, Maureen Johnson, Katie Campos, Jacyln Gentile, Katie Daly, Tami Romano, Elise Heeran, Chrystie Rasmussen, Mariya Korobkova, Graziello Ciocia, Alicia Johnson, Catherine McQuaid, Denise Rodman, Jackie Cozza, Margaret Murphy, Lori Tellone, Carmella Nocco and all of the fantastic volunteers for their hard work in setting up and running the event for the last few days.
Happy Halloween: We hope you have a fun and safe time Trick or Treating with your children. Please remind your older children about the importance of respecting everyone’s property and making safe decisions on Halloween. Please keep in mind to always check the Halloween candy you give your kids to make sure it is okay for them to eat. There has been a nationwide surge in products that are candy-like and contain cannabis. Please be on the lookout to help keep all our children safe.
Allergies: This week, Halloween celebrations and candy will no doubt be abundant. With this fun and exciting time comes a significant safety concern for many students in our school building. We are asking for your help in providing a safe school environment for all students.
For some of our students any exposure to peanuts/nuts may cause a life-threatening allergic reaction that requires emergency medical treatment. To reduce the chance of this occurring, we ask that you do not send any peanut or nut containing products to school with your child. If your child has eaten peanuts/nuts before coming to school, please be sure your child’s hands and face have been thoroughly washed before entering the school. It is very helpful to leave the candy at home and send the children in with a traditional snack. We appreciate your support with these procedures.
7th Grade Open Gym Night: The St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy Family Association is excited to host an Open Gym Night for our 7th-grade students.
This will take place on Friday, November 3rd from 7-9 pm in the Gym. The AFA will provide games, crafts, music, basketballs/volleyballs, snacks & pizza.
Pre-registration is required and forms are due by Wednesday, November 1st.
https://forms.gle/eidmpGFJnshfRhZTA
The cost is $10 per child and can be paid in advance via cash sent to the office in a labeled envelope. Please remember to include your child's name and class.
We are looking forward to a great night and hope everyone can make it.
*Please note, that Open Gym night is for students of St.Francis de Sales Catholic Academy only.*
*If your child is absent from school on the day of the Open Gym, they are not permitted to attend that night. Thank you for your understanding.*
Yearbook Order Form: A few weeks ago 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
SAVE THE DATES
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 a copy of your certificate to the office for us to enter 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.
8th Grade Graduation Dinner Dance Meeting: All parents who are interested in helping to fundraise and plan for the Class of 2024 are invited to join the administration on Tuesday, November 7th at 7:30pm to begin the process of creating committees for this special event. This meeting will be via Zoom. An invite will be in next week’s email update.
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!
Value Up Parent Assembly: On Tuesday, November 14th at 7 pm we invite all parents to join us for a special presentation by Mike Donahue, a motivational speaker who helps students, parents, and schools create a positive school climate by building self-esteem and mutual respect for all. There will be several age-appropriate presentations for students throughout the day for students in grades K-8. We hope you can join us!
Have a great weekend.