Dear Academy Community, 

Happy Rockaway St. Patrick’s Day! All are invited on Saturday 3/2 to march with Bishop Brennan and St. Francis de Sales Parish in the parade. All are asked to meet at the corner of Beach 131st and Newport Ave. at about 12:30 pm. 

Each day during morning prayers we hear the song of Hosea. In this Lenten hymn, we hear the call to, “Come back to me with all your heart.” Here at St. Francis, we are on this journey of Lent through prayer, sacrifice, and almsgiving. 

This year we will continue our Lenten journey of giving alms with our annual collection of mite boxes for the Propagation of Faith.  A mite box will be sent home with each child, and we ask that students return them no later than Friday, March 22nd. It is not about how much is given in the box, it is about the children learning to give a little bit to those who are less fortunate than we are. Every penny is helpful. 

Starting next week all grade levels will be praying the Stations of the Cross in church as well.  Speaking of the Stations of the Cross, many of our 7th-grade students and faculty members have been working hard to produce this year’s Passion Play.  This year’s performance will be held for the entire school community on Tuesday, March 26th. 

Finally, we wish good luck to many of our Saint Francis second graders who will be receiving their first Penance on Saturday, March 9th at Blessed Trinity Parish. We will keep you all in our thoughts and prayers as you continue on your spiritual journey and prepare to receive the Eucharist for the first time.

Onto some important updates for the days and weeks ahead….

Staffing Update: We want to congratulate Mrs. Fahy and her husband Anthony who will be awaiting the birth of a little bundle of joy in the coming weeks. Mrs. Fahy will be going out on maternity leave in the coming weeks until the end of the school year.  Starting on Monday, March 11th Mrs. Aileen Warnock will be taking over the teaching responsibilities for Class 2B, due to this the Creative Writing position will be taken over by Mrs. Nocco (SFDS Substitute Teacher) for Grades 2-6, Mrs. Buckley for Grade 7, and Mrs. Hayes for Grade 8. 

$1 Dress Down Day for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society: This Thursday 3/7 our school will be having a $1 dress-down day to help support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Siobhan O’Sullivan (Class of 2023) is helping to run a fundraiser for LLS Student Visionaries.  The competition runs from now until March 14th.  

If you are interesting in donating to this cause please click the link below. https://events.lls.org/nyc/svoynyc24/BeenThereBeatThat 

All are encouraged to wear Red on Thursday!

2024-2025 School Year Re-Registration Fee: Thanks to all who have re-registered and guaranteed their child’s seat for the next school year. We anticipate a wait list in many grade levels due to our re-registration numbers. Just a reminder that the $200 re-registration fee per student was due on Sunday, February 25th. 

Middle School Math Bee: Congratulations to Nathaniel Rodman and Mikey Vitale, who were the Middle School Winner and runner-up,  respectively, in our school-wide Math Bee. Nathaniel will be representing our school at the Diocesan Math Bee on 3/5. Congratulations to all the classroom champions and great job!

Health Updates: Spring is coming, but while winter is still here we wanted to share some health and safety reminders with everyone!

We know that school is very important and we want everyone to be healthy and attend school every day. However, if your child is sick or not feeling well there are times that the best decision you can make is to keep your child home! 

Here are some guidelines to help you decide whether to keep your child at home/cancel educational or therapy sessions:

 The New York City Department of Health requests that children stay home from school if they show any of the following symptoms;

• Fever over 100◦ F. Your child should be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school

• Severe coughing or trouble breathing

• Thick nasal drainage

• Conjunctivitis

• Spots or rashes

• Infected skin patches

• Diarrhea or vomiting. Your child should be well for 24 hours before returning to school

• Headache and/or stiff neck

• Loss of appetite

• Sore throat or trouble swallowing

• Change in behavior

We advise you to consult with your doctor should your child experience any of these symptoms. Please inform us if your doctor makes a specific diagnosis and/or places your child on medication. We may ask you to provide a doctor’s note before your child returns to school. If your child is with us in school and develops any of these symptoms, we will notify you and ask you to pick your child up from school. We thank you for helping us keep our school germs free!  If you have any questions or concerns feel free to respond to this email, contact your child's teacher or reach out to anyone in the administration. Thank you for your cooperation!

Class of 2025 Ring Order Form: In the next few months, we will be celebrating the graduation of the Class of 2024. As we celebrate that occasion, we also would like to kick off the Class of 2025 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. 

All students in the 7th grade will receive a class pin and have the option of purchasing a class ring made out of Sterling Silver for $80.00-$90.00. The price explanation is below.   Ring orders must be placed by Monday, March 4, 2024. A bill (charge) will be added to your FACTS account soon after. 

A special Class Ring/Pin ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 29th 2024 (Please note the date change) in Saint Francis Church. Details of this very special event will go out in a separate correspondence.

Please complete the form below and return it by Monday, March 4th. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.

Class of 2025 Ring Order Form

Financial Aid for the 2024-2025 School Year: 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 the 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.

When is the deadline?

March 31, 2024 – Returning Families who received an award in the previous academic year.

April 30, 2024 – New families (students who did not receive an award in the previous academic year).

https://futuresineducation.org/scholarships/?fbclid=IwAR2bz53-G4BmJirWc_yJW-pGEjPdwYX8QpfuptWgjAkQCLDezGEsOERK8_E

SAVE THE DATES

Monthly Rosary: All are welcome to join us each month in praying the rosary after school in SFDS Church right after school at 2:35 pm. For the month of March, we will meet on Thursday, March 14th. Please come, students and families, and help us bring all of our prayers of thanksgiving and petition to our blessed Mother and her son.  

2nd Trimester Report Cards: Please note that all 2nd-trimester report cards will be digitally distributed on Wednesday, March 20th at about 3 pm via the FACTS Parent Portal. All conferences will be done in person and will take place on Thursday, March 21st. More information about signing up for these conferences will be forthcoming.  

Easter Recess: This year St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy breaks for Easter Recess starting on Wednesday, March 28th and returns from break on Monday, April 8th. 

Sweetheart Dance: Please save the date for Friday, April 26th (6:30pm-8pm) 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. 

Summer Uniform:  Starting on Monday, May 6th 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. 

Have a great weekend and Enjoy the Parade!