Dear Academy Families,

Although it is a short week, we were very busy with field trips, Terranova testing, and our regular instructional time over these last few days! We were so impressed with our 3rd through 8th graders' hard work throughout a tough first few days of TerraNova testing.This testing will continue next Monday and Tuesday as well.  Our 1st and 2nd graders had a great day trip to the pumpkin patch, while our early childhood grades began to learn a great deal about Fire Safety. We have a lot to update this upcoming week:

Congratulations and God Bless!: On Thursday, October 20th, many members of St. Francis de Sales Grade 8 will be blessed by the Holy Spirit. Due to the ceremonies being at 1 pm and 4 pm, the 8th Grade class is off on Thursday the 20th. The rest of the school has early dismissal at 12pm. 

For those students receiving the sacrament of Confirmation at St. Francis on 10/20, there are mandatory practices next week. For those students receiving at the 1pm ceremony, their Confirmation practice is on Monday 10/17 at 6:30 pm. For those students receiving at the 4 pm ceremony, their Confirmation practice is on Tuesday 10/18 at 6:30 pm. 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 Mrs. Hayes, Mrs.McMahon, Mrs. Foti, Mrs. Gigliello, Mrs. Attanasio,  and Mr. Diffendale who have prepared the conframndi from our academy over the past 14 months. 

Congratulations Ms. Farragher: We also want to take this opportunity to congratulate Ms. Danielle Farragher on her recent engagement. We wish all of God's blessings on Ms. Farragher and her fiance Matt as they begin to plan for their wedding. 

Winter Uniform: October 17th is our first day of winter uniform.  Students are expected to be in complete dress uniform. For more information about our uniform policy please click here.  

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 Tuesday, 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. 

Pink Dress Down Date: We invite students to dress in pink on Friday 10/21 to show support to those in our SFDSCA Community who are battling breast cancer.

Trunk or Treat: The Academy Family Association will be spearheading a “Trunk-or-Treat” event, scheduled for Sunday, October 30th 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 attending 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. We will have a Halloween Costume Parade for all participants.  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 Wednesday, October 12th. This application is due by Thursday, 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 28th. 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 November 4, 2022. The test date will be on Saturday, November 19th, 2022. The test will take place at Hillcrest High School.  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 31st. Test tickets will be available in My Schools after the registration deadline, and we'll notify families at that time. 

Spirtwear: We are excited to announce the launch of our first SFDSCA school spirit wear shop! CLICK BELOW  to see the amazing products included in our first collection!

https://bsnteamsports.com/shop/FFFSAINT

This is a great way for adults and students to show their support for our school both after school and on the weekend. Our first shipments will be going out after 10/20/22.

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! Please see below the schedule of when classes will be shopping on 10/26 and 10/27. 

Yearbook Order Form: 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 November. Payment is expected within 20 days of posting.

 The completed form(s) is due by Tuesday, November 1st. We have to send in our yearly order soon so there will be no orders accepted after this date.

The yearbook is a nice way to remember the school year since each class has an individual page.

Fundraising Corner

Franny Fun Run: We ask you to join us in supporting our 3rd Annual Franny Fun Run/Walk Fundraiser to help us achieve our goal of school-wide air conditioning (We are now more than ½ way there!) We hope you can help, volunteer, and enjoy this wonderful school event!  Our challenge of $60,000 in donations is attainable if everyone can do their part. All students who meet their $60 goal by Thursday 10/27 will be able to participate and receive a T-Shirt to wear during the Run/Walk on 10/29 and will receive a Dress Down ticket to be used during the months of November or December.

• Step 1 - on Monday October 3rd our families received an email providing a link to your family’s web-based donation page. This year we will be doing family-based pages which is a change to the past when we did individual student pages. This will hopefully make it easier for families to share their pages on social media.  

• Step 2 - Share your donation page via Facebook, Twitter, and Social Media. Also, use the email and text link on the invite and reach out to as many family and St. Francis De Sales Catholic Academy friends requesting their support.   Donations are made via a secure credit card site. We will continue to accept cash or checks, send them to school in an envelope, Attn: Franny Fun Run.  Please include the family's name along with the donor’s name and if available email.

• Step 3 - check-in often and follow SFDS and your child’s progress as we strive to reach and surpass our goal of $60,000!

• Reach out again as a reminder to family and friends

Football Frenzy: Football Frenzy is a fundraiser sponsored by St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy. All proceeds directly support the activities of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy. The fundraiser is based on the 2022-2023 NFL football season with a donation of $20 per ticket. Each ticket includes a different set of three NFL teams each week of the regular season, with a chance of winning cash prizes each week. 

To order tickets for this raffle please click below

https://www.footballsweeps.com/purchase/checkout/org/StFranci_6_2022?fbclid=IwAR3h7Cb8i4IbP86h0Hyr3otZrAC5ri6Ybxp1Ph6fHg-54gK_cxRuu_L9oW4

SAVE THE DATE

Orange and Black Dress Down Day: On Monday 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. 

Picture Day: In three weeks, on Tuesday 11/1 for Nursery-Kindergarten and on Thursday 11/3 for our 1st through 7th graders it is individual picture day.All those students who are getting pictures 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 please have them wear sneakers if they are dressing up or bring a change of shoes so they can participate in gym.  

Kindergarten and Grade 1 Family Mass: St. Francis de Sales Parish would like to welcome EVERYONE to their first monthly Family Mass of the  2022/2023 Academic Year at 10:00AM on Sunday, November 6th.  Each month they will have specific grades participate in the liturgy. For November, we extend an extra warm welcome to the children of the parish in Kindergarten and First Grade. 

AFA Meeting: The Academy Family Association Executive Board is having its first general meeting on Tuesday 11/8 at 7pm in the gym. More information to follow in the coming weeks. 

Have a great weekend.