Dear Academy Families,

Happy Catholic Schools Week 2025!

This week, we joyfully celebrate the vital role that Catholic education plays in shaping young minds and nurturing hearts. Catholic Schools Week is a time to reflect on the profound impact of faith-based education and to honor the dedication of our teachers, the achievements of our students, and the unwavering support of our families and parish community.

At St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy, we take pride in fostering an environment where academic excellence, spiritual formation, and service to others go hand in hand. Rooted in our Catholic values, our school provides students with a strong moral compass, a rigorous curriculum, and opportunities to grow in their faith while becoming compassionate leaders of tomorrow.

Throughout this special week, we will highlight the many ways our school embodies the theme of "United in Faith and Community." From engaging lessons and acts of service to moments of prayer and reflection, we are reminded of the incredible gift of Catholic education. We extend our gratitude to our dedicated faculty and staff, whose unwavering commitment to our mission ensures that each child is nurtured intellectually, spiritually, and socially.

Join us as we celebrate our shared faith, our sense of belonging, and the transformative power of Catholic education. Let’s make Catholic Schools Week 2025 a time of joy, gratitude, and renewed commitment to the values that make our school a beacon of light in the community!

Dr. Scharbach
Principal

Please click the link below for the full schedule of events and dress down days for the next week.

Some highlights of Catholic Schools Week are as follows:

• Sunday 2/9: On Sunday, 2/9, all are invited to the Opening of Catholic Schools Week Mass at 10:30am at Blessed Trinity Parish (St. Edmund’s) and at 10 am at St. Francis de Sales Parish. This is a great way to kick off Catholic Schools Week. There will be a small reception with light refreshments after each mass. All students that attend in their school uniform will receive a dress down ticket to be used during the month of March. We hope to see you there!

• Monday 2/10: All students in Nursery-Grade 8 are asked to dress in Country Western Swag.

• Tuesday 2/11: Mismatch Day: For this dress-down day, we’re going all out with a Mismatch theme! The goal is to have fun and get creative by mixing and matching items that wouldn’t normally go together.

• Wednesday 2/12: All students in Grades 1-8 are asked to be in their Full School Uniform as all students in grades 1-8 will be attending a 10am Catholic Schools Week Mass. Nursery, Pre-K and Kindergarten can wear Pajamas to School

• Thursday 2/13 (Blue and Gold Day Grades PK-4): Parents are invited to cheer their children on at the times listed below. All are asked to use the CYO entrance when entering the gym. The gym will open up on Thursday 2/13 at 8:35am.

Just a reminder that on Thursday 2/13 students in Grades 5-8 can wear flannel pajama pants, while Nursery students are asked to wear Blue and Gold

• Friday 2/14 (Blue and Gold Day Grades 5-8): Parents are invited to cheer their children on at the times listed below. All are asked to use the CYO entrance when entering the gym. The gym will open up on Friday 2/14 at 9:50am.

On Friday 2/14 students in Grades Nursery-Grade 4 can dress up for the 100th day of school.

The sacrament of Reconciliation for our 2nd graders from Blessed Trinity will be celebrated this Saturday 2/8 at 11am. We will keep you all in our thoughts and prayers as you continue on your spiritual journey and prepare for receiving the Eucharist for the first time.

Next week, students in Grades 3 through 8 will participate in the Catholic Identity Benchmark Assessment, provided by Sadlier. This informative assessment is a valuable tool that allows us to understand how our students are growing in their faith knowledge and to identify areas where we can further support their spiritual education.

All students have been given study guides that reflect the questions on the assessment.

The Catholic Identity Benchmark Assessment will be administered one more time this year, helping us to track progress over time and tailor our curriculum to reinforce key elements of Catholic identity and faith formation. By doing so, we can better ensure that each child’s experience at St. Francis de Sales supports their spiritual growth alongside their academic journey.

If you have any questions about the assessment, please feel free to reach out. Thank you for your continued partnership in nurturing the faith and development of your children.

Just a reminder that from February 17th-February 21st St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy will be closed for Mid-Winter Recess.

A random act of kindness, no matter how big or small, can make a HUGE difference in the lives of others. The National Junior Honor Society of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy will be running a program called “Carnation Kindness.”

They will be visiting the Residents of the Beacon Rehabilitation Center, right here in Rockaway Park, on 2/13 to deliver carnations to the residents and staff as a surprise, a random act of kindness. Their goal is to deliver 200 carnations so that ALL the residents and staff receive a little bit of love that day.

If you would like to participate, the donated cost is $5.00 Please submit your donation to your child’s teacher in an envelope with the EXACT amount and your name on it by Friday February 7. Orders for the flowers need to be submitted by then to ensure we get the correct amount for the Residents and Staff at the Beacon.

We appreciate all your support.

Please note that all families that have a sibling (brother/sister) and filled out the intent form to register for the next school year have received an email with a link to the registration portal for the 2025-2026 school year. Please complete this application as soon as possible, yet no later then March 3rd as the general public will be able to apply starting on 2/7/25.

In the next few months, we will be celebrating the graduation of the Class of 2025. As we celebrate that occasion, we also would like to kick off the Class of 2026 with a tradition that we have here at the St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy, a Class Ring/Pin ceremony. The class ring is a symbol of school-wide pride and a reminder of their academic achievement.

The time of year has come to submit your yearbook ads! All ads are due by Wednesday, February 12th. Ads may only be submitted as a JPEG file or a hard copy (paper submission). The yearbook platform does not support PDFs and Word Documents, therefore they cannot be accepted. We recommend using Canva to create your JPEG ad if you do not know how to do so, as this platform allows you to save your ad directly as a JPEG. Directions for using Canva are provided.

Please read the directions carefully (please see the document below), as there are specific dimensions for each ad size and specific information that needs to be included in the email submissions. Ads may be paid for using a check or Venmo. If choosing to pay via Venmo, please follow all directions carefully.

Please see the attached PDF with any family and friends who wish to submit a yearbook ad. If you have any questions please email yearbook@stfrancisschoolbh.net.

Thank you,

Danielle Farragher

Yearbook Moderator

A collection box will be in our front lobby from Monday 2/3-2/28. Help support Ronald McDonald House Charities. Ronald McDonald House New York provides families of children with cancer and other serious illnesses a strong, caring and seamless circle of 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.

Just a reminder that our academy has a Mobile APP. To download search for ST. FRANCIS DE SALES ACADEMY in the App Store or Google Play. This is a great way to stay current with school events, your child’s HW, tuition account, and child’s grades.

We are happy to announce a brand new update to our app which we hope makes getting news, reporting absences, logging into FACTS for student information and tuition even easier.

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 would like to invite all Grade 7 parents to a short yet we feel important meeting about the high school process for next Fall. We have learned many different aspects of the ever changing process these past few months and we think it is important for all parents to hear before the spring when families begin to finalize their three choices. This meeting will take place virtually Monday, March 10th at 7pm. We hope you can make it.

ALL APPLICATIONS AND FEES OF $150.00 ARE DUE ON OR BEFORE FEBRUARY 14TH. THEY CAN BE DROPPED OFF AT:

OFFICE OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION MAILBOX

216 BEACH 130TH STREET OR GIVEN TO YOUR TEACHER

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

Saved the Date- Friday May 16th as we invite the girls of our school to have their Sweetheart (Dad, Uncle, Grandfather, etc) join them for a special night out. More information to follow in April.

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