Weekly Update to Families

Dear St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy Families,

As we reach the halfway point of our Lenten journey, I want to take a moment to reflect on the spirit of this sacred season and share some exciting updates from our school community.

Lent is a time for prayer, sacrifice, and renewal. It invites us to slow down, look inward, and grow closer to Christ through acts of kindness, generosity, and reflection. At the Academy, we’ve witnessed beautiful expressions of faith from our students—whether it’s in their participation in our daily prayer Stations of the Cross, or classroom conversations about the meaning of sacrifice and hope. We’re proud of how our children are embracing the season with open hearts.

As we continue on this journey toward Easter, I encourage you to make time as a family to pause and reflect together. Whether it’s attending Mass, saying a simple prayer at home using the Hallow App, or engaging in small acts of service, these moments help deepen the Lenten experience and strengthen our connection as a Catholic community.

In the spirit of community and celebration, we are also looking ahead to one of our most beloved traditions—the Annual Card Party! The excitement is building as we prepare for a fun and festive evening filled with laughter, raffles, and camaraderie. This event is not only a wonderful way to come together as a school family, but it also helps support so many important initiatives here at the Academy. We are grateful to our dedicated volunteers and generous donors who are working hard to make this year’s Card Party a success. A special thank you to our incredible event chairs, Kelly Henning, Lisa Hayden, and Lori Grace, for their dedication, countless hours of preparation, and commitment to making this event such a wonderful success. Your efforts help bring our community together and support the mission of our school in so many ways.

To all who have donated, volunteered, or will be attending, thank you for being a part of this special evening. We are looking forward to a fantastic event filled with fun, fellowship, and support for our Academy.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and partnership. As we journey through the second half of Lent and prepare for the joy of Easter, let us do so with grateful hearts and a shared commitment to our mission of faith, learning, and service.

Have a great week,

Dr. Scharbach

Principal

We were made aware last week from the Diocesan leadership that there are new VIRTUS trainings that must be completed each year (see below for more information) for anyone volunteering in our school and in the parishes. If you plan to volunteer in any capacity, please ensure you have completed this mandatory training. Thank you for your attention to this important requirement.

When we return from Easter Recess, the New York State English Language Arts (ELA) (Grades 4,6, and 7) on April 30th and May 1st, Science (Grades 5 and 8) on May 12, and Mathematics (Grades 4,6, and 7) on May 7th and 8th Tests will be administered to students .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 2025 ELA and Math Tests and selecting the questions for the test forms.

Our school has partnered with Hallow, the #1 Catholic prayer platform to provide Hallow as a resource to strengthen both the mental and spiritual health of the school community.

Hallow contains over 10,000 audio-guided prayers spanning from quick minute meditations to entire holy hours, dozens of music albums and ‘praylists,’ and everything in between. The app is specifically designed to offer something for everyone, and in the classroom we’ll use Hallow to help our religion classes.

Through the school's partnership, you have the option to create an account on behalf of your student to access everything on the platform, including hundreds of prayers specifically designed for Kids, Teens, and Families. Pray along on evenings and weekends!

1. Go to https://access.hallow.com/redeem/code

2. Enter the following promo code: StFrancisdeSalesNYstudents2425

Any issues please let us know.

Every year, in several regions across the country school band directors select their top band students from each of the schools that Paul Effman Music service serves to come together for a unique and very enriching musical experience. Honor Band is a chance for enthusiastic, motivated, and talented band students to come together with other top performers from the region to practice and perform together.

Congrats on the great honor to four of our students who will perform on March 30th at St. Francis Prep.

Antonio Doti

Matthew Johnson

Saoirse Kash

Nathaniel Mondello

As we journey through Lent and Easter, our 3rd-8th grade students will participate in a special retreat centered on the theme "Opening the Door with Kindness." This retreat will offer students a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the power of kindness in their daily lives and how small acts of love can bring us closer to Christ. Through prayer, discussion, and interactive activities, they will explore ways to open their hearts to others, just as Jesus calls us to do. We look forward to this time of spiritual growth as we prepare for Easter. Our next retreat will be for our 5th grade on Wednesday 4/9, and on Friday 5/2 for our 7th graders.

Our Card Party Tuition Raffle is always one of the most exciting prizes of the night.

Tuition Raffle tickets went home a few weeks ago.

Tickets are 1 for $10, 2 for $20 and 3 for $25.

Winner does not need to be present at the Card Party to win.

Estimated tuition value for the 2025-26 school year is $6,200!

Good luck to all those who enter and thank you for your support!

Futures in Education is proud to provide partial tuition assistance for families demonstrating financial need, and who meet eligibility requirements, to attend a Catholic academy or school in Brooklyn or Queens. We are also a proud partner with Children’s Scholarship Fund, which administers the Teddy J. Forstmann and Bishop’s Scholarship programs.

Families requesting tuition assistance must complete a financial aid application with Futures in Education through our third-party vendor, FACTS AND submit supporting documentation, which will be used to verify all application responses.

Families can visit the Futures’ website at: https://futuresineducation.org/scholarships/ to apply.

Priority awarding and other important information:

• March 31, 2025 – Priority awarding for returning families who have completed applications by this date.
• April 30, 2025 – Priority awarding for all applications completed by this date.
• Awarding will begin May 1st and will continue on a rolling basis for eligible families until funding is exhausted.
• Returning parents should log into their existing Facts account to reapply using the email they used in the previous year.
• New families (and anyone not previously awarded) should apply with the link above.

Important: Teddy Forstmann Applications Open in February! (This is for returning Teddy Forstmann students only).

• Students who received a Teddy Forstmann award in previous years must only apply with Childrens Scholarship Fund (CSF).
• CSF will send emails directly to returning TF families in February with a link inviting them to re-apply.
• Teddy Forstmann families should NOT apply through Futures/FACTS and must not have two applications.

The NYC Department of Education (DOE) has released the Parent Letter of Intent (Found below) for the 2025–2026 school year. You may have already received this letter via email from the DOE. This document is critical to ensure that your child receives the necessary services without delay. We are urging all parents to submit this letter as soon as possible to avoid any interruptions in services.

This year PNIs will only be accepted from parents or attorneys with a signed confidentiality release. PNIs submitted by schools or other entities will not be accepted.

What You Need to Do:

• Submit the signed PNI before June 1, 2025.

• Parents are asked to CC the school at mbuckley@stfrancisschoolbh.net for help in tracking to make sure all families are in compliance. If you have already submitted the PNI please the school at mbuckley@stfrancisschoolbh.net.

How to Submit:

• Email the signed PNI to your CSE Office at CSE4PNI@schools.nyc.gov

or

• Mail/Drop Off the signed PNI to your CSE Office at 82‐01 Rockaway Boulevard. 2nd Floor Ozone Park, New York 11416

CSE Confirmation:

You will receive written confirmation once your PNI is received.

Important Deadlines:

• The DOE has established a strict deadline of June 1, 2025. Letters submitted after this date will result in your child being ineligible for services until the following school year.

• Eighth-grade families: Please ensure you indicate the high school your child will attend. Even if your child is considering public school, submitting the Letter of Intent will preserve options for private or Catholic high schools.

• Pre-K families: If your child is entering kindergarten, you must also submit this letter.

We have seen the significant impact of delayed submissions this past year, and it is imperative that we meet this deadline to ensure there is no disruption in services for our students.

Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions or require assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at mbuckley@stfrancisschoolbh.net

Come and see our brand new online school store. We have some great items with our school name and Franny, our Mascot.

Choose your own designs! These are great items to wear on dress-down days, weekends, Blue and Gold Day, or just around the house.

Great brands (Nike, North Face, Under Armor, Puma, and more) and great quality. All orders are shipped directly to your home.

WE HAVE CONFIRMED THE HOLY COMMUNION RETREAT FOR THE CHILDREN ONLY TO BE HELD IN CHURCH ON:

Sunday, March 30th, 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

St. Francis de Sales Academy Class 2B

WE HOPE YOU WILL MAKE EVERY EFFORT FOR YOUR CHILD TO ATTEND THIS SPECIAL PRAYER SERVICE. PLEASE DROP OFF OFF AND PICK UP YOUR CHILD ON TIME.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO PREPARING FOR AND CELEBRATING THIS BEAUTIFUL SACRAMENT WITH YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT OUR OFFICE.

PEACE,

THE OFFICE OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

PDHP is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83080641921

Meeting ID: 830 8064 1921

This year St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy breaks for Easter Recess starting on Wednesday, April 16th and returns from break on Monday, April 28th

Starting on Monday, May 12th 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.

Please save the date for Friday, May 16th 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.

Please save the date of Friday, May 30th for our annual Msgr. Geraghty Golf and Tennis outing. This is a great day to get out on the course and courts to support our great Academy. Tickets and Sponsorships will be on sale soon.

St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy

Principal: Dr. Christopher Scharbach

Asst. Principal: Mrs. Maureen Hayes

Email: admin@stfrancisschoolbh.net
Website: https://stfrancisacademybh.org/
Location: 219 Beach 129 Street Belle Harbor, NY 11694
Phone: (718) 634-2775
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SFDSCA