Weekly Update to Families

Dear Academy Families,

It is amazing how quickly the school year is progressing. Before we know it, it will be Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, please save the date for Monday, 12/16 and Tuesday, 12/17 for our annual Christmas Show. To see when you child(ren) are preforming please see our school calendar.

Friday 10/4 is a professional day for all schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Our teachers will be hard at work learning about Tier 2 Strategies for Inclusive Excellence and learning about implementing the new Diocesan Catholic Identity Assessment for Grades 3-8. Our students will have their first three day weekend of the school year, Enjoy!

In recent updates we have also asked all of our families to please be mindful when parking around the school. We do ask that all families avoid parking their car in the driveways of our neighbors. The reality is that just one car parked in a driveway is reason enough for the traffic division to be called and ticket all cars that are parked in a Do Not Park Zone. The local precinct wants to work with the school and church yet will not be able to if neighbors driveways continue to be blocked. Thank you in advance for your consideration with this matter.

Have a great 3 day weekend. We hope to see you at mass this weekend! Don't forget that on Friday 10/4 both St. Francis and Blessed Trinity Parish have times for Blessing of the Animals (see below)

Dr. Scharbach

How can I access my student’s results?

1. ­­­Log in to your student’s i-Ready Dashboard using their portal credentials by visiting i-ReadyConnect.com and log in using the credentials they were given this year.

2. Click on the For Fami­lies dropdown and select the For Families report.

3. Enter the following code: V49818

For more information and support, visit the i-Ready Family Center: Understanding Diagnostic Results.

Thank you again for your continued partnership and support of your student’s learning. Of course, if you have any questions please be in touch with your child’s teacher and/or the administration. Our Kindergarten students will take their diagnostic test during the week of October 7th.

On Tuesday October 8th all parents are invited to join us for an I-Ready Parent Webinar. You will find the Zoom registration link below.

During the webinar, we will review the key components of iReady, provide an easy to understand explanation of the iReady Diagnostic results and the For Families Report, and a tour of students online instruction so parents are aware of what students are seeing in their instruction either in school or at home. We will also provide all families with helpful resources for engagement and additional information to keep that at home school connection going.

Zoom registration link:

https://cainc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6e5hD07lRwWNCMS-xfnoIw

We are excited to announce details for our Franny Walk-a-Thon (formerly known as the Franny Fun Run) scheduled for Friday, October 18, 2024.

We have already raised over $43000 dollars with just 69% of our families are participating. So we are well on our way to reach out goal.

All families that meet their family fundraising goal will get a Franny Walk-a-Thon t-shirt for each child in their family. In addition to the Walk-a-Thon t-shirt, all students who meet their family goal will enjoy a fun post walk celebration featuring a special lunch, cotton candy/or Italian ices and the chance to win one of 10 great raffle prizes! We really hope to have 100% participation in this fundraiser.

This year we have set the family goals as follows:

Families with one child in the Academy: $60 per family

Families with two children in the Academy: $120 per family

Families with three or more children in the Academy: $150 per family

To start your family pledge page

Step 1: Last, our families received an email providing a link to your family's web-based donation page. If you did not receive your link via email, please search your family's page here: https://independent.pledgebrite.org/fund/frannyrun24

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, and send them to school in an envelope, Attn: Franny Walk-a-thon Please include the

family's name with the donor’s name and if available email.

Step 3, check-in often and follow SFDS and your family's progress as we strive to reach and surpass our goal of $65,000!

WEEKLY CONTEST #2 (Weeks of 9/20-10/4)

The family with the highest # of pledges will receive a $50 CardSmart gift card

WEEKLY CONTEST #3 (Weeks of 9/20-10/11) ALL families who have made their family goal as of 12 noon on Friday, 10/11 will be entered into a drawing to win $250 tuition credit to be applied towards the 2024/25 academic year

For sponsorship opportunities please click here.

This Monday the Class of 2025 will be on a retreat. Please keep in your prayers this weekend all of our 8th graders, those who received the Sacrament of Confirmation, those who will receive the Sacrament at the end of the month, and all of them as get ready to choose a Catholic High School and take their entrance exam.

On Monday the 8th grade is asked to dress as as they going to church, they do not need to wear their uniform. The 8th graders who order bagels will have their bagel lunch on Tuesday 10/8/24.

Any questions please be in touch with your child's homeroom teacher.

As we begin the month of October, we are reminded that this is a special time in our Church dedicated to Our Lady and the Holy Rosary. October is the Month of the Rosary, a time when we are called to reflect on the life of Jesus and Mary through this powerful prayer.

At St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy, we are excited to continue this beautiful tradition, and we invite you all to our annual Rosary Rally on Thursday, October 24th, at 1:15 PM. As a parish and school community, we will gather in prayer, asking for the intercession of Our Blessed Mother.

We encourage everyone—students, families, and parishioners alike—to participate in this meaningful event. Let us come together to pray for peace, for our families, and the world, entrusting our intentions to Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary.

Today marks the start of our 2024-2025 Yearbook Sale! The yearbook is a great way to remember special events throughout the year! All students will be featured in the yearbook on their class page!

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 January.

Payment is expected within 20 days of posting.

The completed form(s) is due by Thursday, December 5th. Since we have to send in our yearly order soon after there will be no orders accepted after this date.

**Class of 2025 Families, any graduate that has $130 (cost of a full page age) worth of ads in the yearbook will receive a free yearbook, up to two free yearbooks. Please keep this in mind when placing your order.

Students in grades 1-8 had their writing benchmark diagnostic posted in FACTS this week. These scores are for diagnostic purposes only. They will not be counted towards your child’s weighted average. Over the last few weeks teachers met in teams to work together to assess the children’s writing pieces. The purpose of the benchmarks is to gather information about students' strengths and weaknesses, to help inform our instructional practices. In April we will administer our next set of benchmarks and are looking forward to sharing the growth we have made. Many parents question what they can do at home to help their child strengthen their literacy skills. As always, reading each night is a great way to expose children to quality writing, and encouraging your child to write for a variety of purposes will help them practice important writing skills.

As we finish the 1st month of the school year please if you haven't already, log on to the parent portal of FACTS to check on how your child is progressing this year. This is a great way to see if your child is missing any assignments. You should have already received usernames and passwords. Please contact the main office via email at ckenny@stfrancisschoolbh.net if you have any questions.

October 21st is our first day of winter uniform. Students are expected to be in complete dress uniform. The only sweatshirt that will be permitted to be worn in school is the approved St. Francis de Sales ¼ zip or the navy SFDS sweater or sweater vest. Gym crewneck sweatshirts are only permitted on gym days. There are no hooded sweatshirts permitted to be worn in school.

If you need to order a 1/4 zip please do so though the Flynn and O'Hara webstore.

Please be sure to write your child’s name in their new sweatshirt. Our Lost and Found added a few sweatshirts to its collection this week.

Shoes for the winter uniform must be black leather dress shoes with black rubber soles. They can be tie or slip ons. Please see the following suggested shoe styles for boys and girls in grades 1-8. The links are only to serve as samples of approved styles. If you have questions regarding shoe styles, please email Mrs.Hayes at mhayes@stfrancisschoolbh.net. As always, the uniform is up to the discretion of the staff and administration of St. Francis de Sales. Black sneakers and/or black moccasins are not part of the school uniform. Families may be asked to purchase new uniforms and shoes, if they do not follow the uniform policy.

In Nursery, Pre-K and Kindergarten students wear sneakers all year long. We thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Black Oxford

Black Leather Mary Janes (Girls Only)

Black Leather Loafers (Boys)

We are kindly requesting each family assist us with our upcoming school year initiatives.

Volunteering comes in many forms – from helping on the day of an event/initiative to leading an event/initiative. On the form is a listing of the various planned activities that will be taking place this fall. We have also listed examples as to how you can help.

All levels of commitment are needed and we are appreciative of any time your family can give.

We encourage all families to fill out this form and commit to at least one event/fundraiser this school year.

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)

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 lhayden@stfrancisschoolbh.net.

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, small plates, napkins, etc.) with Security at the beginning of the school day. 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.

Our second day off this school year is Monday, October 14th, 2024, for Columbus Day. The school will be open again on Tuesday, October 15th, 2024.

As mentioned at Back to School Night and many times this year our school will be going through Cognia Accreditation this year. (similar to Middle States Accreditation) The Accreditation Process helps institutions make the most of their talents and resources. On November 12th and 13th, a team of evaluators will be visiting our school to work through the Accreditation process. They will be interviewing various students, teachers, Board members, administrators, etc. as well as visiting classrooms for observations. We will be preparing extensively for their visit and look forward to a successful few days.

On Thursday, October 17th, don't forget to bring in $1 and wear CRAZY socks as we celebrate the last day of summer uniform.

Just a reminder that Thursday October 17th is the last day that students are allowed to wear their summer uniforms. Starting on Monday, October 21st students need to be in complete winter uniform. For the full uniform policy please click here. Please email Mrs. Hayes at mhayes@stfrancisschoolbh.net with any questions.

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! Book Fair dates: Tuesday October 22nd and Wednesday October 23rd.

On Friday October 25th 2024, many members of St. Francis de Sales 8th Grade will be blessed by the Holy Spirit. Due to the ceremony on 10/25 being at 1pm and 4pm, the 8th Grade class is off on Friday 10/25. The rest of the school has an early dismissal at 12pm.

For those students receiving the sacrament of Confirmation at St. Francis on October 19th there are mandatory practices later this month. For those students receiving at the 1pm ceremony their Confirmation practice is on Monday, October 21st at 6:30pm. For those students receiving at the 4pm ceremony their Confirmation practice is on Tuesday, October 22nd at 6:30pm. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Greene.

Save the date for Sunday 10/27 for our annual Trunk-or-Treat event, scheduled for 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. Registration forms will go home next week.

St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy

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