Dear Blessed Sacrament Families,

Greetings from Bulldog Country! I hope you and your family have been able to enjoy the first weeks of summer and are enjoying quality time with one another. The School Office is in the midst of closing out the school year and opening our 2025/2026 school year.

Throughout the summer, I will be updating this page with the following information listed below. This information will assist our families in preparing for our new school year.

Our Tentative 2025/2026 Instructional Calendar is now available for review and planning. School holidays and early dismissal dates are concrete, but I wanted to provide you with the year's overview so that families could plan. A final calendar will be sent home on the First Day of School with all students.

Finally, I hope your summer season is filled with prayer, excitement, and activities. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the School Office at (210) 824-3381. The School Office will remain open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We will be closed on Thursday, July 3, 2025 and Friday, July 4, 2025. in observance of Independence Day. We will resume regular hours beginning Friday, August 1, 2025.

I pray the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph continue to watch your family.

In service to the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament,

Michael Fierro

Principal

Summer is always an interesting time for a school principal. The sounds of learning in the classroom, making memories on the playground, and parents laughing at carline are replaced with moments of silence allowing one to pause and reflect on the successes and challenges of the year. The slower pace also allows one to take a step back and recommit to the mission that defines us as a Catholic School.

In the Letter to the Hebrews, St. Paul shares his thoughts on the faith of the ancients. He wrote, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Two thousand years later, one would think St. Paul is writing this scripture for Catholic education. I imagine St. Paul would be teaching us that seeds we plant today will shape the leaders and disciples of tomorrow. All that we do in our school community – praying, learning, athletics, building community, acts of service – are the investments in a future that only God fully knows.

One doesn’t need to be a priest or religious leader, journalist or public policy expert, or an elected leader to know we are living in a world full of uncertainty. This uncertainty transcends political parties, socio-economic brackets, age generations, and education levels. As Catholics, however, we are called to understand that faith grounds us. It keeps us hopeful, courageous, and focused on what matters most. “Tomorrow Begins with Faith Today” is more than a slogan—it’s a mindset. It is our call to action to teach, lead, and serve with intentionality, knowing that our influence reaches far beyond this school year.

Acknowledging the moment that we find ourselves in our school’s history coupled with the unpredictability of our secular society, I have selected Tomorrow Begins with Faith Today as our theme for the 2025/2026 school year.

Our spiritual theme will also guide our faith community as we begin finalizing our school’s strategic plan, preparing for our TCCBED Accreditation Visit, and looking ahead to a new chapter in Catholic Education with School Choice in Texas.

This year marks the beginning of a comprehensive strategic plan that will guide Blessed Sacrament Catholic School for the next five years. Our goal is to align every aspect of our school’s growth—academic, spiritual, operational, and communal—with our Catholic identity and mission.

In the spring, we will undergo our TCCBED Accreditation Visit, a key milestone for our school. This process calls us to reflect on what we do well and identify how we can grow. We will evaluate our school through the lens of Catholic identity, governance, instruction, and continuous improvement. The accreditation process is not just a requirement—it is a meaningful opportunity to celebrate our strengths and recommit to excellence.

As our state prepares to enact School Choice legislation, we are prayerfully preparing to welcome more families who seek the gift of a Catholic education. This shift presents both challenges and opportunities—especially in how we preserve our mission while remaining accessible and sustainable.

Ultimately, everything we do at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School stems from a simple yet profound truth: our students are the future of the Church and the world. The choices we make today—how we teach, what we model, what we celebrate—will shape who they become tomorrow. We are not just preparing our children for high school or college. We are preparing them for vocations, for citizenship, for sainthood. Every spelling test, science lab, group project, and prayer circle plays a part in that sacred journey.

“Tomorrow Begins with Faith Today” is a challenge and a promise. It is a call to lay the foundational building blocks of courage, compassion, and conviction—even when the results are unseen. As a school community, let us step into this new year with the trust that God is guiding us, with the humility to grow together, and with the conviction that our work is holy. Let us be educators, leaders, and disciples who boldly shape the future—one faithful step at a time.

It is my prayer that Blessed Carlo Acutis be the inspiration for our students and that our Blessed Mother continue to protect us as we make God known, loved, and served this school year.

In service to the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament,

Michael Fierro

Principal

Earlier this year, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 2 which will create an Education Savings Account (ESA) for Texas' children, including those attending Catholic Schools! Principals have been learning about ESAs and working to prepare our individual campuses for their use beginning with the 2026/2027 school year. Once the Texas State Comptroller releases the rules this fall, our Blessed Sacrament ESA Team will begin providing information to our families.

I invite you to learn a little more about ESAs with this ESA Overview for Parents created by the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops (TCCB). TCCB is the official public policy voice for Catholics in Texas.

The Blessed Sacrament Catholic School Council is an advisory committee from which the Pastor and Principal seek advice and expertise in school matters including, but not limited to, finance school policy, and long-range planning.

The School Council will host a Membership Discernment Night on Monday, July 21, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. This event is for any parent or guardian interested in serving on the School Council. Council members serve a three-year term, beginning in August 2025 and ending in June 2028. The School Council meets the first Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m.

We anticipate two openings on the School Council and invite anyone interested in submitting their School Council Membership Application. Applications must be submitted by Sunday, July 13, 2025, so that we can provide applicants with details that must be prepared for our Membership Discernment Night.

Students can lose as much as one to two months of learning during the downtime of summer. All young people experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities year-round. Research spanning 100 years shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer (White, 1906; Heyns, 1978; Entwisle & Alexander 1992; Cooper, 1996; Downey et al, 2004). Though summer vacation should be a time for leisure and fun that only summer can bring, we require our students to read and engage in math practice to counter potential academic regression.

Students entering Pre-Kindergarten 3 through Eighth Grade are strongly encouraged to complete their Summer Reading Practice and Summer Math Practice building on the successes of the past school year and planting the seeds for positive performance during the Fall Semester.

Academic Program Resources for Parents

• IXL
• Reflex Math for Incoming 4th - 8th Grade Students
• Frax Math for Incoming 4th Grade - 8th Grade Students

Please accept our invitation to our Back-to-School Open House and Social on Monday, August 11, 2025. The Open House will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and will provide parents and students the opportunity to meet their teacher(s) and drop off any school supplies alleviating heavy backpacks on the first day of school. Once you have dropped off supplies, you are invited to the Parish Hall for a social and fellowship. This will be a great opportunity to celebrate our Catholic Christian faith, gather and build community, and celebrate the beginning of another great school year while enjoying an end-of-summer treats and sweets.

As in previous years, Faculty and Staff members have provided a list of school supplies needed for classrooms. If you have questions regarding a certain school supply list or are having difficulty finding an item, please contact the School Office at (210) 824-3381.

• Elementary School Supply Lists
• Intermediate School Supply Lists
• Middle School School Supply Lists

The School Office also receives donations during the summer months, so if you are in need of supplies, please contact Mrs. Martinez.

SchoolYard Uniforms - New Uniform Vendor

Since the 1980s, Dennis Uniforms has been the trusted uniform provider for Blessed Sacrament Catholic School. However, in November 2024, Dennis Uniforms unexpectedly closed and filed for bankruptcy, leaving many schools, including ours, facing challenges with unfulfilled orders and the urgent need to secure a new uniform vendor.

After careful review and evaluation of three different vendors, the School Council has recommended a new partnership with SchoolYard Uniforms beginning in the 2025/2026 school year. Additionally, the Council has recommended discontinuing our in-house uniform cooperative. This change will allow families to shop directly at SchoolYard Uniforms' San Antonio location, providing expanded shopping hours and year-round availability.

Uniform Policy Updates

As part of this transition, a few adjustments are being made to the Blessed Sacrament uniform policy:

Standardized Skirt for Female Students

Previously, Dennis Uniforms offered multiple skirt and dress styles based on grade levels. Moving forward, all female students will wear a standardized skirt style. This change simplifies the uniform requirements and helps reduce costs for families, as there will be no need to purchase a different style when students advance to a new grade level.

Mass Uniform for Girls

We are introducing a formal Mass uniform for girls to align with the boys' Mass uniform. The new Mass uniform will include a white Oxford shirt and a tie.

• Girls in Pre-K3 through 5th Grade will wear a red tie
• Girls in Middle School will wear a blue tie

Transition Year

We understand that many families may not have planned to purchase new uniforms for the upcoming school year. To ease this transition, students may continue to wear their Dennis Uniforms throughout the 2025/2026 school year without penalty. The only exception is the new Mass Uniform for girls, which will be required beginning this school year.

We thank our families for their flexibility and support as we transition to this new partnership with SchoolYard Uniforms. We are also grateful to our School Council for their thoughtful work in selecting the best option for our community.

Ordering and Purchasing Information

SchoolYard Uniform will provide us with a link near June 15, 2025, so families can begin ordering their school uniforms.

As outlined in our Summer Bulldog Headquarters Newsletter, Blessed Sacrament will be transitioning to a partnership with School Yard Uniforms in San Antonio, Texas. This will provide parents with an opportunity to shop locally, year-round, and with flexible hours.

Our school will host a Uniform Swap Event and a Blowout Sale on Saturday, July 19, 2025.

Between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., we invite families to swap gently used uniforms with other families in the School Cafeteria.

Between 10:00 a.m. and 12 Noon, we will open up the uniform store to purchase discounted items. Items will be sold on a first come first basis, with no refunds or exchanges provided. Gently used uniforms will also be available for a suggested donation.

To assist our families in shopping for uniforms, clothing, and accessories, we have provided a General Uniform Information Page to assist you. Please contact the School Office if you have any questions or would like additional information to be included.

Mondays will remain Blessed Sacrament Spirit Days, where students may wear a Spirit Shirt with their uniform bottoms.

We will continue using an online vendor for our Spirit Store this school year. All orders placed by Thursday, July 24, 2025, will be available for pick-up at our Back To School Social on Monday, August 11, 2025.

We will re-open The Spirit Store on August 1st for a second round of ordering.

Crave-It Nutrition will continue as our school lunch provider. Moving forward, all ordering and billing will go through Crave-It Nutrition's platform with the exception of those Early Childhood students enrolled in the Angels & Saints Program. I invite you to learn more about Crave-It Nutrition and how to create your family's account for online ordering by visiting our School Cafeteria Informational Page.

On Wednesday, August 13, 2025, the first day of the new school year, students will receive a packet of information that should be reviewed by every parent/guardian and student. Items will include the 2025/2026 Parent-Student Policy Handbook Acknowledgement Form, Photography/Video Permission Form, Internet Usage Policy, Family Survey, Medication Permission Form, Family Emergency Card, Student Emergency Card, Student Insurance Application, and other important forms for the new year. In addition, please take note that we dismiss at 12:30 p.m. on the first day of school. Both lunch and after school care will be provided on the First Day of School.

Our Middle School School Back-to-School Night will be held on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. followed by the Elementary Back-to-School Night on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. These evenings are a great way to learn more about your child’s school, teacher, curriculum, and classroom routines. Both evenings will begin with an information session in the Parish Banquet Hall.

I invite our faith community to review The 2025/2026 Bulldog Way (Parent-Student Policy Handbook) throughout the summer months. Additionally, I welcome any clarification requests that will help our families understand a particular policy outlined in the handbook or assess whether our school community would benefit from additional information about a specific policy. Families may submit their Handbook Revision Request through Friday, July 11, 2025.

Volunteers at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, including field trip chaperones, must be in compliance with the Archdiocese of San Antonio with respect to Safe Environment Training. All trainings are completed through the Virtus Platform.

This compliance includes:

• Code of Conduct
• Criminal Background Check
• Protecting God's Children Training
• Sexual Harassment Training

The Criminal Background Check, Protecting God's Children Training, and the Sexual Harassment Training must be renewed every three years.

Please contact the School Office at (210) 824-3381 if you have questions regarding the Safe Environment Training or need copies of your certificates.