Weekly Update to Families

Dear Academy Families,

It’s hard to believe that we are officially in Trimester 3 next week. The year continues to fly by!

Our 2025 Card Party is Sold Out. We will be selling Tickets for the Tuition Raffle and Class Prizes as for the Card Party in the main lobby during report card conferences on Thursday, March 20th. Cash or check will be accepted.

Speaking of the 2nd trimester report card conferences please note that all report cards (Nursery-Grade 8) are digitally distributed on Wednesday, March 19th at 3 pm via the FACTS Parent Portal. All conferences will take place on Thursday, March 20th from 12:45 pm-2:45 pm and from 6 pm-7:30 pm. Just a reminder that Thursday, March 20th is a 12 pm half-day for students and there is no after-school available on this day.

Please click here for Nursery-Grade 4 Appointments until Monday March 17th.

Please visit the website listed above for your child’s class to sign up for a time for your conference. You will need to enter your name and email address. Please sign up by Monday March 17th. We will assume that families not signed up by March 17th are not attending parent-teacher conferences. You will not be able to confer with your child’s teacher that afternoon or evening.

Grades 5-8

Please note in Grades 5-8 your child has 4 to 5 teachers. The 5th-6th grade teachers have 129 students while some 7th and 8th-grade teachers have 111 students.

In Grades 5-8 please feel free to go to your child’s individual teacher(s) at the assigned times (Thursday, March 20th from 12:45 pm-2:45 pm and from 6pm-7:30pm.) You will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis. Historically, the afternoon session has shorter wait times. We will do our best to accommodate all those families that need to meet with their child’s teacher(s). As always all teachers are always available to answer any questions you may have via email.

When we return from Easter Recess, the New York State English Language Arts (ELA) (Grades 4,6, and 7) Science (Grades 5 and 8) and Mathematics (Grades 4,6, and 7) 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 2024 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.

We will be having our annual 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Math Bee on Thursday March 20th at 10:30am.

Congrats to our classroom winners.

6th Grade: Charlotte Daly, Jenna O'Brien, Susanne Gallagher, Cole Carney, Nathaniel Mondello, Honora Sullivan, Emma Keenan, Lily Donohue, and Mia Naccaratto

7th Grade: Steven Forrester, Timmy McDonagh, James Riley, Elizabeth Johnson, Noah Lourde, and Brendan McMahon

8th Grade: Brianne Layden, Maddie Forrester, Luke Hernandez, Parker Long, Amelia O'Sullivan, and Liam McCormick

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

It is that time of year that St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy participates in St. Jude’s Math-A-Thon program.

The St. Jude Math-A-Thon is a school-based fundraiser that benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. St. Jude treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Parents of these children cannot afford to pay for treatments. With the donations raised from St. Jude Math-A-Thon, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food.

In previous years St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy has been identified as one of the top 100 schools that have raised money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude has personally thanked our school for our commitment to the Math-A-Thon fundraiser to help save kids regardless of their financial situation.

This year you can do your donations online and order your prizes online and have them delivered to your door or you can send in your donations to Mrs. Foti and she will take care of the paperwork and get the prizes sent to the school.

All money is due by Friday, March 28th
All students who participate will receive a dress-down ticket to be used in April/May

You can also easily register online by clicking below. This is a great way to raise money via Social Media.
https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Math/Math?pg=entry&fr_id=158090

Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity to children in need.

Any questions, please contact Mrs. Foti at sfoti@stfrancisschoolbh.net.

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 6th grade on Wednesday 3/26.

This Monday our school will be having a $1 dress down day to help support St. Camillus Special Olympics. All students are encouraged to wear green!

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

Tuition Raffle tickets are going home with students today.

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!

As we move into the final trimester of the 2024-2025 school year there are some calendar additions that we wanted to make all families aware of so that they can prepare accordingly.

1. Early Childhood Step-Ups: One of the events we always look forward to each June is our Early Childhood Stepups. This year our Step-ups are scheduled as follows:

• Nursery A- Monday June 16th at 8:30am in the School Gym

• Pre-K Step Up-Monday June 16th at 10:30am in the School Gym

• Nursery B-Monday June 16th at 12:30pm in the School Gym

• Kindergarten-Tuesday June 17th at 10am in the School Gym

2. Last Day of School: The last day of school is scheduled presently for Monday June 23rd. .

Dear 8th Grade Families,

Thank you for submitting ads for the Class of 2025 yearbook. The yearbook committee is requesting your assistance in helping us complete our through the years pages. These pages contain pictures of the graduates throughout their younger years at St. Francis.

There are very specific directions for sending your photos. Please make sure to follow them exactly as written below to ensure we can use your photos.

Please DO NOT send in more than three or four photos for each grade level. We will try to use as many photos as possible, but not every photo you submit will be used.

We are asking for photos from Nursery-Grade 7. You do not need to submit photos from each year, but please do not send more than 3-4 photos for any particular grade level. Group pictures are encouraged. We do not need pictures from 8th grade.

All images should be sent via email to yearbook@stfrancisschoolbh.net using the directions below.

Please follow them exactly to ensure your pictures can be used!

1. In the subject area of the email, please write your child's name and the grade level the photos were taken.

Ex: If you are submitting pictures for grade 1, send 2-3 photos and in the subject write your child's name and then grade 1.

2. Please send a separate email for each year you wish to submit pictures of your child/classmates.

Ex: If you would like to submit pictures from 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 6th grade you would send 3 separate emails.

All pictures are due by Monday, March 17, 2025. NO LATE PICTURES WILL BE ACCEPTED!

If you have any questions, please email Ms. Danielle Farragher at YEARBOOK@STFRANCISSCHOOLBH.NET

The FACTS Payment Summary shows the total paid for each account, such as tuition, daycare, etc. The payer selects a year or a date range for the summary (this will default to Calendar year and NOT School year). It will also include the school's address and Federal Tax ID.

• The Printable Payment Summary is what families will need to record their Institution Payments on their taxes.
• We have a PDF that can be used to walk a family through accessing their payment summary through their online FACTS account, please see below.

Any questions please be in touch with our Bookeeper, Marguerite Kazalski at mkazalski@stfrancisschoolbh.net

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 23rd, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

St. Francis de Sales Academy Class 2A

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 WILL HAVE A FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PROXIMATE PREP ON TUESDAY, MARCH 18TH AT 6:30 PM IN CHURCH FOR ONE PARENT AND THEIR CANDIDATE FOR COMMUNION. WE WILL DISTRIBUTE YOUR CHILD'S BANNER AND GIVE DIRECTIVES FOR THE DAY.

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

We are excited to host an Open Gym Night for our 8th grade students.

This will take place on Friday, March 28th from 7-9 pm in the Gym. The Academy will provide games, crafts, music, basketballs/volleyballs, snacks & pizza.

Pre-registration is required, and forms are due by Wednesday, March 26th. The cost is $10 per child and should be pre-paid. Please send to the office in an envelope with your child's name and "Open Gym" on it.

We are looking forward to a great night and hope everyone can make it.

*Please note, Open Gym night is for students of St.Francis de Sales Catholic Academy only.*

**If your child is out sick on the day of Open Gym they will not be permitted to attend that night**

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. Additional details are forthcoming.

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