Parent Connection

Order your favorite Easter treats from Fowlers Chocolates and support the DeSales HSA!

1.Open your browser to shop.fowlersfundraising.com

2.Sign up for your account using the SCHOOL ID shown at the top of this letter

3.You will be sent an email with your child’s unique SELLER ID # and a LINK.

Share your child’s SELLER ID LINK through emails, texts, and social media with family and friends!

Be sure to enter DeSales School ID: FC1004.

Easter Candy Pick Up will be at DeSales on Thursday, March 26th!

We will celebrate our Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd grade Generation Celebration Mass on Wednesday, March 18, at 9:40 a.m. Invitations were mailed last week. We kindly ask families to remind grandparents and special senior friends that they are warmly invited to attend Mass and stay for light refreshments afterward.

This morning, Principal Rahill recognized 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students who demonstrated the character trait of Optimism. Congratulations to Landon Clough, Timmy O'Brien, Eli Bancroft, Hannah Davis, Sebastian Reid, Eli Rohring, Stella Terreberry, Londyn Brown, Jack Stockton and Anthony Cozzolino!

Students in Kingergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 6th through 8th will be recognized at the next school mass.

Financial Aid Opportunity!

Pre-applications for new scholarships is officially open! Applications will be accepted through March 31st.

For more information or to apply, please visit our website at www.bisonfund.org

New Bison Applicants: This application should only be filled out by NEW applicants only. A lottery drawing will take place on April 1st. Families will be notified of the results via email. Those selected to receive funding will receive a link to complete the full application online, which must be submitted by April 30th.

Families Receiving Bison: As a reminder, current BISON families received an email on February 24th containing the link to initiate the renewal process. The deadline for families to renew their scholarships for the 2026-27 school year is April 15th. If you want to add younger siblings of current BISON Scholars, you will apply for them on your Re-Qualification paperwork.

Congratulations to the DeSales Robotics Teams!
We are so proud to share that all six DeSales Robotics teams have qualified for the VEX Robotics State Competition! They head to Syracuse to compete today! What an incredible accomplishment!
The teams heading to States are:
Mr. Pickle
Robotix67
TekDek
Fixit
Team Catastrophe
Skittles
(Yes, the students created all of their awesome team names! )
Pictured:
Left Side: Mr. Manning, Max Manning, Margaret Manning, Leah Bald, Silvia Hay, Alaina Rupp, Avari Timkey, Marcus Drum, Arya Michel, Harrison Hathaway, Mr. Hay, Reiner Rupp, Jojo Finn
Right Side (from the bottom): Jude Genewick, Ben Harper, Zane Lakes, Vinny Fick, Noah Scheffer, Arianna Biamonte, Nina Dawes, Mrs. Manning, Sawyer Molloy
Mr. Rupp Missing: Maggie Masters, Graham Thomas, Evelyn Schuster

Best of luck at States Knight! We are all cheering you on!

DeSales Yearbooks are available for $18 each. To order your yearbook, please visit ybpay.lifetouch.com and use yearbook code 1673226. The order deadline is Aprtil 17th.

Reminder: There will be no school for students on Friday, March 13, 2026, due to a Faculty & Staff Conference Day.

Volunteers Needed – Sister Helen’s Food Pantry

Sister Helen’s Food Pantry at St. John's provides food and hygiene products each month to low-income households throughout Eastern Niagara County.

The Food Pantry is currently looking for a few extra helping hands!

Volunteer Hours:

• Mondays & Wednesdays: 11:30 AM – 3:30 PM

• Saturdays: 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Students and parents are invited to volunteer. It’s a wonderful opportunity to serve our local community and support families in need.

If you are interested in helping, please reach out to Kevin Pothier at kevinpothier5@gmail.com.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a difference!

We are excited to announce our STREAM academies for Spring 2026! STREAM academies foster holistic development of each child by enhancing twenty-first century learning skills using STREAM-based (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics) activities.

Each course will be six sessions long and begin the week of Monday, March 9th. Courses begin at the end of the school day. Students will be dismissed promptly at 3:50 pm, at the main entrance. The cost is $40 per academy. If you are interested in having your child participate in STREAM Academies, please return the form linked below with payment no later than Wednesday, March 4th.

Spring STREAM Academies

The Diocese of Buffalo's X-STREAM Games will be held at St. Joseph's Collegiate on March 28th. For more information on thsi year's events, please follow this link.

It's time for our Annual Spring Raffle! We have sent home 3 books of tickets with the youngest child in each family. Tickets are $1.00 each or $10.00 per book (10 tickets). Families are invited to support this fundraiser by selling or purchasing tickets.

Prizes: 1st - $500, 2nd- YETI Hopper, 3rd – JBL PartyBox

• Students who return all distributed tickets (sold or unsold) will receive a Mini Animal Blind Bag and recognition during school announcements.

• The homeroom with the highest participation rate (tickets returned) will receive a pizza party.

Please return completed ticket stubs and payment in an envelope labeled “Auction Raffle,” including your child’s name, homeroom teacher, and grade to the Main Office. Each ticket stub must be fully completed to be eligible. Additional ticket books are available in the Main Office upon request.

All ticket stubs and payments must be received in the Main Office by Tuesday, April 14.

The raffle drawing will be held on Friday, April 17, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at DeSales Catholic School, 6914 Chestnut Ridge Road, Lockport, NY. Winners need not be present to win.

Our next HSA Meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 10th at 6:30 PM in the DeSales Cafeteria. We have many exciting year-end events coming up, and we need your help to make them a success. Let’s fill the room!

To make it even more exciting, Principal Rahill has announced:

🏆 The grade with the highest representation at the meeting will WIN a pizza party!
That’s right, a pizza party! Your kids will definitely thank you!

Plus:

👕 Your child will earn a Dress Down Day just for your attendance.
🎟️ You’ll be entered into a gift card raffle.

We hope you’ll join us for an informative and fun evening. Let’s make this our biggest meeting yet!

Friends of DeSales Alumni, Briana Hansen, DCS ' 11, "Brian'a Buddies". have gotten together to plan a ConnectLife Blood Drive in support of her. The selfless donations of other have saved Briana's life over 20 times which has given her more time to do what she loves with thoseshe loves. If you are looking to give, consider donating to this blood drive at Simply Em Productions on Saturday, March 28th. Follow this link to register to donate.

March Breakfast Menu

March Lunch Menu

Lunch extras are available daily. To review the prices of these extras, please review this page.

In July 2023, DeSales Catholic School was granted the status of Candidate for Accreditation by the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA).

The MSA accreditation process helps schools, and essentially students, continuously grow and improve.

What is MSA?

The Middle States Association is a worldwide leader in accreditation and school improvement. For over 125 years, the Middle States accreditation process has been helping school leaders establish and reach their goals, develop strategic plans, promote staff development and advance student achievement.

The Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association accredited early-childhood through post-secondary, non-degree granting public, private, faith-based educational institutions including special purpose schools, and learning services providers.

What is accreditation?

Accreditation is a self-evaluation process that schools and school systems voluntarily use to demonstrate they are meeting a defined set of research-based performance standards. The standards examine schools in a holistic way, supplementing student-testing data to provide a more complete measure of a school’s performance and chart a strategic and realistic course for continuous school improvement.

The MSA Standards for Accreditation

When it comes to evaluating schools and school systems, the Middle States Association looks at the whole school- not just test scores. We realize that improving outcomes requires a comprehensive approach. When we assess whether a school should be accredited we look at how the school performs in MSA’s accreditation process and evaluate your institution holistically, focusing on five core areas that ensure excellence and continuous growth. These are:

● Foundations: Align your mission, core values, and goals with the needs of your school community to create a clear vision for success.

● Governance and Organization: Establish effective leadership, governance structures, and policies to guide decision-making and promote ethical practices.

● Student Well-Being: Create a safe, inclusive environment that prioritizes the physical, emotional, and social development of all students.

● Resources: Optimize financial, human, and physical resources to ensure sustainability and support for educational goals.

● Teaching and Learning: Deliver a rigorous, mission-aligned curriculum that promotes student achievement and prepares learners for future success.

To learn more about The Middle States Association, visit: https://www.msa-cess.org

Vision Statement

• DeSales students will be well-equipped to successfully meet the challenges of modern day society with faith, dignity and integrity.

Mission Statement

• Is a center of excellence that inspires individual students to reach their greatest potential inside and outside the classroom.

• Is a nurturing community dedicated to advancing the highest academic standards and an exceptional faith-based education rooted in the values of love, compassion, mercy, sacrifice and justice as taught by St. Francis DeSales.

• Provides students with the fundamental building blocks to be innovative, critical-thinkers, and responsible future leaders.

The Start of Something Great!

Email: Knuutilak@desalescatholicschool.org
Website: http://www.desalescatholicschool.org/
Location: 6914 Chestnut Ridge Road, Lockport, NY, USA
Phone: (716)433-6422
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeSalesCatholicSchool