Dear Academy Families,

This Sunday at mass we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, when the season of Christmas officially ends. Then we move on to the next phase in the liturgical year, which is called “Ordinary Time.” Ordinary Time is in fact the ordered life of the Church—the period in which we live our lives neither in feasting (as in the Christmas and Easter seasons) or in more severe penance (as in Advent and Lent), but in watchfulness and expectation of the Second Coming of Christ.  In this season of endings as well as of new beginnings, we are assured of God’s ever-abiding presence. He remains to guide and protect us.  

Let us today pray for a wonderful new year and a great 2nd half of our school year. 

Prayer for the Baptism of Our Lord

Open the heavens almighty Father and pour out Your spirit upon Your people.  Renew the power of our baptismal cleansing and fill us with zeal for good deeds. Let us hear Your voice once again, that we may recognize in Your beloved Son our hope in inheriting eternal life. Grant this through Jesus Christ, Your Word made flesh, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, in the splendor of eternal light, God forever and ever. Amen.

Onto a few items for next week…….

½ day and Faculty Professional Day: Just a reminder that next week  our students have a four day weekend that gets kicked off on Friday, January 13th as the faculty participates in a Diocesan-wide professional development day that is then followed by Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 16th.  Also just a reminder that Thursday, January 12th  is a ½ day with a 12 noon dismissal. 

Chocolate Bar Sale: Our school is  conducting a fund-raising candy sale during the month of January. We will be selling World's Finest Chocolate Products - truly delicious chocolates that have been sold for years by schools and organizations.

This year we are hoping for All Families to assist with this sale in order to make it as successful as possible. If all 380 Families sell 1 box of chocolate, we will earn a profit of over $11,000.00. 

This week,  your oldest child was given a box of chocolate to take home. If you would like to request more than one box please also use the google form that can be found by clicking here.  All Students of families selling a box of Chocolate will receive a dress down ticket to use on a day of their choice in February or March. 

8th Grade High School Acceptances: Congratulations to our 8th grade on beginning to receive your high school decision letters! All Catholic schools in NYC and Long Island will send out their decision letters over the next few weeks. We are very proud of all of the accomplishments of our Class of 2023. If parents have any questions, feel free to get in touch with your child’s homeroom teacher, or Mr. Scharbach at [email protected]

Art Project: Students in Pre-K through Grade 2 will be starting an art project on Dale Chilhuy in the new year. For this project we will focus on the importance of recycling and reusing plastics. We are asking that every child in Grades PK-Grade 2 bring in 5 empty, washed and label removed 16 oz water bottles with cap and a pack of solid or rainbow tissue paper. Thank you in advance for your participation in making our project a success. 

Yearbook Ads: We are now selling ads for this year's yearbook. On Wednesday (1/25) all yearbook ads/dedications are due. For more information including instructions and an order form please click here. Please note there is a $10 late fee charged for any order handed in on January 26th or January 27th. No orders can be taken after January 27, 2023.    

Parent/Student Traffic Safety: Saint Francis de Sales Catholic Academy urges you to support our priority of student and traffic safety around our school. Safe driving around the school improves the safety for all children, including yours. Please consider the following tips:  

1. Please drive slowly around Saint Francis de Sales Catholic Academy while children are present.  

2. U-turns and K-turns increase the likelihood a child may get struck and significantly disrupt the orderly flow of traffic. They should be avoided, especially when children are present. 

3. Drivers must STOP for pedestrians crossing at a marked crosswalk.

4. Pedestrians must use marked crosswalks to cross the street. Never leave your car unattended.   

5. Do not block crosswalks, driveways, or fire hydrants.   

6. Be courteous to fellow parents and neighbors.  

7. Remain alert and encourage others to follow these safe driving tips. 

Thank you in advance for your help with improving the safety of your children.

Re-Registration 2023-2024: In about two weeks we will be sending out instructions to re-register for the 2023-2024 school year. All re-registration forms  will be done via the FACTS Family Portal. Please note that all re-registration fees ($200 re-registration fee per student) will be added to your FACTS account. At that time you will have the option of paying through your checking account or being invoiced. Please note that all re-registration fees are non-refundable. 

Please note for your re-registration to be complete you must fill out the form when sent out and pay the registration fee no later than February 26, 2023 and be up to date on all tuition payments for the 2022-2023 school year. We do expect to have a waiting list in many grade levels once we open registration and cannot hold a seat unless your re-registration is complete. If there are any financial issues, please let the school administration know as soon as possible. 

Please note that all families that have a sibling (brother/sister) and filled out the intent form (see below) to register for the next school year will be receiving an email prior to February 6, 2023 with a link to the registration portal for the 2023-2024 school year which officially opens on February 10, 2023. 

8th Grade Dinner Dance Meeting: We are excited to be hosting our dinner dance for Grade 8 in our school gym once again on Friday, June 9th 2023. Eighth-grade families are invited to join us at the second Dinner Dance meeting on Monday, January 9th at 7 pm. Please use the main entrance. 

Christmas Card Collection: We are collecting old Christmas Cards for Saint Judes Children’s Hospital. There is a box outside the main office for children to drop off any front of the cards which are then sent to Saint Judes Children’s Hospital  and they use them for their own arts and crafts projects.  (No Picture Cards).  Please note it is not only for Christmas cards but for all occasion cards.  We will be taking cards until Tuesday, January 10th 2023.

Last Call for Sibling Registration Intent Form: As we begin to prepare for the 2023-2024 school year, we want to ensure that our plans maximize the benefit to your child/children. We have just completed a period in which our current Nursery and Pre-Kindergarten families filled out a letter of intent for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes for next school year.

We ask that if you have any sibling (brother or sister) of a current student here at St. Francis who plans on attending St. Francis in 2023 as a new Nursery, Pre-K, Kindergarten or Grade 1-7 student, please complete the form below by Friday, January 6th. After that, we will be opening registration to the public in the Winter of 2023 (If space allows)

https://forms.gle/PZ5k5NZZRz1JtuCZA

Please note we anticipate having waiting lists in some grades for next year. (Grades PK, K, 1, 4, 6, and 7 especially) This intent form is for planning purposes only and does not guarantee your registration for the 2023-2024 school year.  

 SAVE THE DATE 

1/16/23: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (School Closed)

Week of 1/23/23: I Ready Mid Year Diagnostic Test (Grades K-8)

1/25/23: St. Francis de Sales Parish First Reconciliation at 6:30pm

Have a great weekend! We look forward to sharing all the information about Catholic Schools Week 2023 over the next two weeks.