Dear Academy Families,

We hope everyone is having a great last week of summer. Happy Labor Day Weekend!

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." - Matthew 16:18

In this past Sunday’s Gospel, the words of Jesus resonate profoundly with the journey we embark upon together. Just as Peter was recognized as the rock upon which Christ would build His Church, so too is our school a foundation upon which we build a community of education, growth, and faith.

In the spirit of these words, I warmly welcome all of you – students, parents, and dedicated teachers – to a new chapter in our collective journey of learning and spiritual discovery. Our school is not merely a physical institution; it is a place where minds are nurtured, hearts are shaped, and souls are inspired.

In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus acknowledges Peter's significance as a foundation, a cornerstone upon which His Church would be established. Similarly, our school is a cornerstone of knowledge and faith, where young minds are nurtured, curiosity is kindled, and the foundations of wisdom are laid.

Just as Peter's role was pivotal in the establishment of Christ's Church, so too is the role of each individual in our school community pivotal in shaping the character and future of our institution. Each student brings unique talents, perspectives, and potential. Each teacher brings dedication, expertise, and a passion for imparting knowledge. Each parent brings support, encouragement, and a shared commitment to nurturing their child's growth.

As we journey through this academic year, remember that our school is a living, breathing community where learning and faith intertwine. Our mission is to build not only a strong foundation of academic excellence but also a firm foundation of values, ethics, and spirituality that will guide our students throughout their lives.

Welcome to a new school year, a year of growth, discovery, and building strong foundations. May this journey be one of inspiration, collaboration, and profound impact on the lives of our students. 

If this is your first year at St. Francis de Sales, welcome to our school.  To our returning families, welcome home.  The St. Francis community believes that establishing and maintaining open lines of communication between school and family strengthens the feeling of support all children need to be successful in school.   We encourage parent communication and involvement; please feel free to contact us with any concerns or questions. We are excited to welcome our students to a school year that promises to be both challenging and rewarding. 

Please look below for a few updates and reminders, as we are now just a few days away from the 2023-2024 school year. 

Faculty Update: Please join me in welcoming Mrs. Rosanna Connors to our Pre-Kindergarten team. Before coming to St. Francis de Sales, Mrs. Connors previously taught at Our Lady of Hope in Middle Village and also, more recently, has been a leave replacement teacher in the NYC Department of Education.  Please join me in welcoming Mrs. Connors to our already dedicated staff. 

You also may notice some new faces around the building when your children arrive at school next week. We are happy to announce that our school has qualified for a city grant to increase security here at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy. This increased security presence will be in addition to our trusted security from AKB Security (Jeff and Neil) and at no cost to the academy. We are happy to have even more eyes on our school building entrances, exits, hallways, and surrounding areas for the upcoming school year. 

FACTS Student Information System: We’re excited to continue to use our school management system – FACTS SIS (Student Information System). We are putting the finishing touches on this year's FACTS Family Portal – a private and secure online platform that will allow you to see academic information specific to your children while protecting their information from others. All you need is an internet-capable device to view information such as Attendance, Daily Grades, Transcripts, Discipline Issues, School calendar, and Tuition Accounts. You will find the Family Portal link on the school website in the top right-hand corner. 

FACTS Family Portal Login Instructions

• Please go to the website https://www.factsmgt.com/ 

• Click on “Parent Log In” at the top, then “FACTS Family Portal.”

• Enter the district code, username, and password and click Login. Returning families please use the same username and password that you used last school year. New families please use the username and password that you used when registering your child. 

• Just a reminder that our District Code is SFDS-NY

Starting on Friday, September 1st, around 3 pm, you can find your child's teacher assignment for the 2023-24 school year on the FACTS parent portal. If for any reason you have trouble logging in please email [email protected] The FACTS Parent Portal will continue to provide you access to your child’s classes, progress report cards, and attendance throughout the school year. 

Since it is our goal to minimize and balance class size on all grade levels, class change requests will not be honored under any circumstances. The administration and faculty worked hard to ensure that all students were equitably placed into classes that were academically heterogeneous to ensure all levels of intellectual ability were represented in each class. Thank you in advance for your continued understanding and cooperation. 

First Week of School Schedule: 

Wednesday, September 6th 2023 7:55am – 12:00noon 

• This is the first official day of school for all students in grades one through eight. Beginning at 7:40am until 7:55 am, Students in grades 1 through 4 are to report to the schoolyard (gym if there is inclement weather) and grades 5 through 8 are to line up on 129th street (gym if there is inclement weather). Students are to come to the School in full school uniform, with their supplies.

• No NYC Yellow Bus Service 

• Faculty Professional Development 12:30pm-2:45pm 

Thursday, September 7th 2023 7:55am – 2:30pm 

• Full day instruction begins today for students in 1st Grade through Grade 8. St. Francis’s day begins promptly at 7:55am. Students will be marked late if they arrive in the building after 8:00am. Students are to come to school in complete school uniform. 

• No NYC Yellow Bus Service

• Early Childhood Meet the Teacher for Nursery, Pre-K and Kindergarten Parents at 6pm 

Friday, September 8th 2023 7:55am – 2:30pm 

• This is the first official school day for students entering Kindergarten. Kindergarten students should report to the school yard by 9:00 am (gym if there is inclement weather) and will be dismissed at 12:00pm. Students are to come to the School in full school uniform. 

• Families are welcome to join the St Francis community at our Opening of School liturgy (Grades 1-8) at 10:00 am, in Saint Francis de Sales Church. There will be limited seated for families in the rear of the church. 

• No NYC Yellow Bus Service 

2023-2024 School Year, Summer Assignments, and Supply Lists: On our website, there is a landing page for all information about the next school year (Calendar, tuition,  yellow bus, uniform, etc.) 

All supply lists and summer assignments are available and can be found by clicking here. Please note we also have created supply lists on Amazon for your convenience. Here you will find almost everything on your child’s supply list with some exceptions (ie. Bookbags) that you can order all or some of the supplies needed for next school year. Please note that all summer assignments and school supplies are expected to be brought to school on the first day unless otherwise noted. 

NYC Yellow Bus Service: The New York City Department of Education provides transportation to all eligible New York City students in public, charter, and non-public schools. This includes the students of Saint Francis de Sales Catholic Academy. This year NYC Yellow bus service is scheduled to start on Monday, September 11th. On the first few days of school, information about routes will be sent home with those students who have signed up for bussing in the past and for those students who have signed up and qualified for bussing for the first time this school year. 

Please note that there has been a lot of talk both internally within schools and on the news of a possible NYC Yellow Bus strike. If there is a bus strike, our students may be affected. It is recommended that plans for alternate transportation be made for our students who take the NYC Yellow Buses in case a strike occurs. 

For the most up to date information in regards to a possible NYC Yellow Bus Strike please click here. 

Dismissal: All students in Grades K-8 are dismissed on Beach 129th Street. Students in Grades K-4 will be dismissed each day on the South side of our School Yard.  Students in Grades 5-8 are able to walk home or are responsible to meet their guardians outside at a designated area. Our Kindergarten students will be dismissed at 2:25pm each day and Grades 1-8 will be dismissed at 2:30pm each day. Our Nursery and Pre-K students will get more information about entrance and dismissal at their Back to School Night on Thursday, September 8th. 

Quarter Zip Pullover Order Form: If you want to order a 1/4 Zip Pullover for your child, please complete the form below.

https://forms.gle/6M5uExaXzYFw93K6A

Please note that the only sweatshirts that can be worn in school are these 1/4 Zip pullovers with the Saint Francis Logo. No CYO sweatshirts or hoody sweatshirts are allowed to be worn during the day as part of the uniform. Sweatshirts are $40 each and will be billed to your FACTS account. The order form will close on September 9th.

Attendance: The Academy has developed our attendance policy in accordance with New York State Education Law. It will help us uphold the philosophy and mission statement of our Academy. Should a child be absent from school on a given day, it is imperative that a parent/guardian either use the absence form on our website or call the school (718-634-2775) and notify us of the absence by 8:30 am on the absence date. Please note that a written absence note still needs to be sent in to your child’s homeroom teacher to record the absence correctly in FACTS and for our legal records. 

Main Office Open on Tuesday: The main office of the school will be open Tuesday, September 5th  from 10:30am-2:00pm. As always if there are any questions before the school year begins please give us a call or send us an email. 

Back to School Nights (Meet the Teacher): 

All parents are invited to meet their child's teacher(s) on the following dates:

• Thursday, September 7th at 6pm (Nursery-Kindergarten)

• Wednesday, September 13th at 6pm (Grades 1-4) 

• Thursday, September 14th at 6pm (Grades 5-8)

On both Wednesday 9/13 and Thursday 9/14 from 6pm-6:30pm there will be a plenary session where the administration and the Academy Family Association Executive Board will present to families. At 6:30pm families will be able to go to classrooms and “Meet the Teacher.”. We hope to have 100% attendance at these important nights of the school year. 

We ask that parents of Nursery-Kindergarten students bring all supplies for their children to Back to School Night in a labeled bag. 

Students in Grades 1-8 should bring their supplies on the 1st day of school. If there are too many supplies to bring in one day, please feel free to have your child bring the supplies on the first few days of school. 

Birthdays: There are a variety of ways in which we celebrate birthdays at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy.  Celebrations are at the discretion of the teacher but may include handmade cards, storytelling, the sharing of a book, etc. 

Please communicate with the homeroom teacher beforehand.  Families/guardians may drop off party goods (cookies, cupcakes, munchkins.) with Security at the beginning of the school day.  

The Diocesan policy is that all food items shared be store-bought. The reason for this rule is strictly to serve as a safety precaution, allowing the school to know the ingredients of any item.  We ask that no toys, lollipops, goody bags, frozen treats, or drinks be brought into school. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. 

High School Meeting: There is a special 8th Grade Parent High School Meeting on Monday, September 18th via a Zoom Webinar. Please come to ask any last-minute questions on the high school admissions process (Catholic High Schools and Public High Schools). This meeting will be recorded in case any family cannot attend. 

When: September 18, 2023 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Topic: 8th Grade High School Parent Meeting

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82952339610?pwd=S0FNZkxTT2t1V1hGYW1qMEpwTjVIUT09

Passcode: SFDS2024

Special Lunches: The Academy Family Association is happy to announce that  our special lunches (Weekly Bagel and Pizza Day and Monthly Chicken Finger Day) will be available once again this school year. Order forms will be sent out digitally on the first day of school. Please take a moment to look at our school calendar for the dates of operation. 

After School Program: We are happy to announce that starting September 18, 2023 the After School Program will begin. The goal of the After School Program is to provide a safe, nurturing, fun environment for children who need care after the regular school day. On most days the program will include time for play, snack, homework help, and an activity for the day (arts & crafts, board games, etc.).

The program will run Monday through Thursday on most days when school is in session and will be staffed by members of the faculty assisted by 7th & 8th Grade students and 6th graders (starting in January 2024). Children in Grades PreK-5 may attend. After school is not in session on 1/2 day dismissal days. For more information on our After School Program and our registration form for those that are interested in using the service please click the links below. 

After School Handbook

After-School Registration Form

Early Morning Drop Off Program: We are happy to announce that continuing on Monday, September 11th we will be offering an Early Morning Drop off program from 7:00 am-7:40 am each day. For more information about this program please click here. 

8th Grade TACHS Registration: 8th Grade Parents starting on Monday, August 21st you can begin to register your child for the TACHS exam. If your child will take the TACHS exam (entrance exam for Catholic High Schools) please register as soon as possible. For more information including how to register please click here. Any questions please contact Mr. Scharbach at [email protected].

Immunization: We wanted to inform you of important vaccination requirements from the New York State and New York City Departments of Health that must be completed before your child(ren) return to school this September 2023. Please use the reference sheet as a guide for the immunizations required for returning to school this coming September. 

2023-2024 School Year Volunteering: For the safety and well being of each and every child in our school, all volunteers must go through the following process:

1) Read and sign a code of conduct

2) Have a background check

3) Take part in the VIRTUS program. (Register at virtusonline.org. Download the registration guide.)

Please note that St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy will be offering two sessions of the VIRTUS program on 9/25 and 11/6.

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.

Also a reminder that VIRTUS now requires anyone working with children to complete “re-certification” training every seven years.  

If your VIRTUS certification was more than seven years ago (before December 2016), please log on to www.virtusonline.org and complete the self-paced module, Protecting God’s Children On-Line Awareness Session 4.0_Brooklyn and also complete an updated background check if indicated for your account.  

If you need assistance with your account, such as user name and/or password, please contact the VIRTUS Help Desk at 1-888-847-8870.  For further information or assistance, or if you are unsure if you were trained before 2016, please email Lisa Hayden at [email protected].   

REMINDER:  You must complete the update by this coming September to be able to volunteer at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy.

SAVE THE DATES

Catechetical Sunday: Catechetical Sunday is when those designated to serve as catechists are called forth to be commissioned for their ministry. Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of Baptism, in passing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. All are welcome to join the Saint Francis faculty and Saint Francis Religious Education faculty at this very special liturgy at 10:00am on Sunday, September 17th.

 Catholic High School Fair:

Have, a great week. We will see everyone for the first day of school in the coming days.