Dear Academy Families,

It’s hard to believe that we are officially in Trimester 3 next week. The year continues to fly by! On Wednesday, March 22nd, report cards will be sent via email at about 3 pm. Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, March 23rd in person from 12:45-2:45 for our afternoon session and from 6:00-7:30 for our evening session. To sign up for conferences please click below.

Report Card Conferences Sign Up

We will assume that families who did not sign up by the 3/20/23 deadline (4 pm) are not coming to either session. You will not be able to confer with your child’s teacher that afternoon or evening. 

Just a reminder that Thursday 3/23 is a ½ day with a 12-noon dismissal. 

The AFA will be selling tuition and class prize raffles for the Card Party in the main lobby during report card conferences on Thursday, March 23rd. Cash or check will be accepted.

Speaking of the Card Party We are grateful to our families that purchased an item off of our Amazon wish list for the Card Party. We kindly ask that if you did purchase an item, please email [email protected] with the item description and how you would like your family name to appear in the booklet. Unfortunately, many of the amazon boxes arrived without notes indicating who purchased the item. 

Onto another busy week at the Academy…..

ELA and Math State Exams: When we return from Easter Recess, the New York State English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics Tests will be administered to students. We will continue Computer-Based Testing for grades 6 and 7 this year, while 4th grade will continue to take paper-based tests. The computer-based test will have the same questions as the paper version but students will take the test on their Chromebooks. Below you will find a summary of the changes that were made to the English Language Arts and Mathematics Tests over the past few years.

• Fewer testing sessions. Four years ago, the ELA and Math Tests were reduced from three test sessions per subject to only two sessions per subject, meaning each subject will have two days of testing instead of three. With fewer test sessions, each test will have fewer questions than in past years, lessening test fatigue for students and better enabling them to demonstrate what they know and are able to do.

• The tests continue to be untimed so students who are still working on their exams will be allowed to continue to work, within the confines of the regular school day. 

• Test questions reviewed and written by New York State Teachers. Hundreds of New York State educators were involved in creating and reviewing questions for the 2023 ELA and Math Tests and selecting the questions for the test forms.

Financial Aid for the 2023-2024 School Year: Futures in Education is proud to administer several scholarship programs, providing partial tuition assistance for families demonstrating financial need, and who meet eligibility requirements, to attend a Catholic academy or school in Brooklyn or Queens. To apply or get more information please click below. 

Financial Aid Information

Just a reminder that the deadline for returning families who received an award in the previous academic year is March 31st, 2023. The deadline for new families (students who did not receive an award in the previous academic year) is April 30th, 2023. Applications will only be considered completed when all required supporting documents have been submitted.  Awards will begin with applications that were completed by the deadline and will continue on a rolling basis as available funding allows.

Family Survey: In an effort to improve system practices, Saint Francis de Sales Catholic Academy will be conducting two surveys over the next five weeks.  We value your opinion and ask that you take the time to complete these surveys. 

The first survey we are opening up is the Catholic Identity Defining Characteristics Parent and Community Survey. This survey measures Catholic school effectiveness in relation to the (nine) Defining Characteristics of Effective Catholic Schools that define the Catholic character schools. We appreciate your time and your responses. Please note that the responses from these surveys are helpful for the academy to make decisions for the future. Thanks again.

In order to complete the survey, please go to:

Catholic Identity Survey

This survey will be open for three weeks from 3/9 until 3/30. Please be assured that your responses to this survey will be anonymous.  Your honest opinion is appreciated. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Chicken Finger Day: Please note that the Chicken Finger day for Grades 7 and 8 which was planned for Wednesday 3/29 will now be moved to Thursday 3/30 due to their retreat day on 3/29. Any questions please reach out to us at [email protected]

Babysitting Night: The Graduating Class of 2023 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, March 31, 2023, from  6 pm-8:30 pm. Open to kids 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 and send in payment separately to the main office. in an envelope marked “8th Grade Babysitting Night”.

Babysitting Night Registration Form

Please RSVP BY March 24th. We cannot accept registration after the 24th for planning reasons. You will NOT be able to register the night of the event.

Lenten Service Project: We are partnering with the Life Center in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and the Women’s Center at St. Rose of Lima.  The mission of both organizations is to help women in crisis choose life by providing aid to mothers and their newborn babies.  The Life Center currently is in need of assistance for a woman who is expecting twins at the beginning of April. In order to gather supplies, each grade will be asked to donate a specific baby product or a monetary donation to be used to purchase a designated item. The collection began on Monday, March 6th, and will run till Friday, March 24th. Please email Mrs. Hayes [email protected] with any questions. Below are the items each grade is asked to donate. Thank you in advance for your support.

Nursery and Pre-K  - Baby Soap

Kindergarten -  Baby Wipes

1st Grade - Baby Lotion

2nd grade  - Baby Formula 

3rd Grade - Diapers (Newborn or Size 1, 2 & 3) 

4th Grade - Onesies (Newborn or 3-6 month Gender Neutral)

5th Grade - $5.00 for each student to purchase 2 Pack n Plays

6th Grade -$5.00 for each student to purchase an Infant Car Seat

7th Grade - $5.00 for each student to purchase a double stroller

8th grade - $5.00 for each student to purchase an Infant Car Seat

Quarter Zip Sweatshirt Sale: We have received a new and final shipment of SFDSCA Quarter Zip Sweatshirts. If you would like to purchase one, please fill out this form

1/4 Zip Sweatshirt Order Form

 with your name and preferred size and we will be happy to accommodate you.  The sweatshirts are $40 each.  Sizes will be distributed first come – first served.  Thank you in advance for your understanding.

SAVE THE DATE 

Easter Recess: This year St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy breaks for Easter Recess starting on Wednesday, April 5th and returns from break on Monday, April 17th. 

Sweetheart Dance: Please save the date for Friday, April 21st (6:30pm-8:30pm) 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.  We will be in touch in early April looking for volunteers for this event.  Thank you in advance for your support.

Summer Uniform:  Starting on Monday, May 8th 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 19th for our annual 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!