Dear Academy Families, 

This week the church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We remember when Mary was taken (“assumed”) into heaven, body and soul. Why would God take Mary’s body and soul into heaven? In part because Mary is special to God: she said, “Yes” to becoming the mother of Jesus. But God also wanted to show us that one day, all of us will share in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Mary is the first person in the Church to experience the resurrection in its fullness. As we celebrate this important feast day in the liturgical year, it is also a reminder that the school year is about to begin. 

Research shows that family involvement and open lines of communication promote student success. Positive interactions between teachers and parents will strengthen the support all children need for success in school. Our goal at St. Francis is to foster and promote an atmosphere of open communication regarding your child's progress and behavior both at home and at school.

It is our hope that our weekly email blasts, our Mobile App, our robust school website, and our Facebook and Instagram pages will assist families in finding out what is happening in our school.  With this wealth of information, it is our goal to ensure all families have the opportunity to be an integral part of their child’s learning experience. We are confident that by working together, we will be able to best meet the needs of all our students at St. Francis. 

Please look below for a few updates and reminders as we are now just a few weeks away from the 2024-2025 school year. 

FACTS Student Information System: As we have over the last few years we will be using the school management system – FACTS SIS (Student Information System). We’re in the process of setting up the FACTS Family Portal for the 2024-2025 school year. FACTS is  a private and secure online platform that will allow you to see academic information specific to your child while protecting their information from others. All you need is an internet-capable device to view information such as attendance, daily grades, transcripts, discipline issues, school calendar, and tuition accounts. For returning families your username and password are the same as they were last year. For new families your username and password are the same that you used to fill out the application in the Spring. Just a reminder to both returning and new families that our District Code is SFDS-NY. Just a reminder that the FACTS Family Portal will not be able to be accessed until around Labor Day weekend.

FACTS has created a five-minute Family Portal Overview video to introduce you to the system. Please watch it at your convenience by clicking here. The password to access the video is Portal (case sensitive).

Substitute Teachers Needed: St. Francis has been blessed to have a wonderful team of substitute teachers who we rely on throughout the year.  We are currently looking to expand our pool of substitute teachers. If anyone is interested in discussing becoming a Substitute Teacher or Substitute Aide for the 2024-2025 school year please send a letter of interest, resume (dates of prior employment and schooling) and list of three references with relationship and current phone numbers.

Send to: [email protected]

Special Lunches: The Academy Family Association is happy to announce that  our special lunches (Weekly Bagel and Pizza Day and Monthly Baya Bar and Chicken Finger Day) will be available once again this school year. Order forms will be sent out digitally on the first day of school. Please take a moment to look at our school calendar for the dates of operation. 

Academy Family Association Executive Board Members Needed: Speaking about the Academy Family Association, over the past few years our Academy has been blessed with three individuals (Mr. Henning-President, Mrs. Burke- Secretary, and Mrs. Anderson- Vice President) who have given their time and talents to our school as being a part of the Academy Family Association Executive Board. As this school year officially comes to an end, so do their terms on the executive board. 

This is an opportunity for other families to get involved in our Academy Family Association Executive Board. If you are interested in possibly being a member of the Academy Family Association Executive Board (President, Vice President, or Secretary) you are asked to reach out to Dr. Scharbach at [email protected] no later than Thursday 8/22. All candidates should be a parent/guardian in the school for at least a year and be VIRTUS trained. For more information please read below and please visit the AFA section on our website by clicking here. 

The mission of the Academy Family Association (AFA) at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy is to support and enrich our students' academic, spiritual, and community experiences. Acting as a vital link between the academy and our students' families, the AFA organizes after-school social events that foster family involvement and reflect the traditions and teachings of the Catholic faith. These events aim to both "Fun Raise" and "Fund Raise," ensuring that families and the school work in partnership to provide the very best education and holistic development for our students.

Moving forward we see the role of the AFA Executive Board to focus on helping coordinate events that help "Fun Raise" such as: Trunk or Treat, Mother/Son Bowling, Sweetheart Dance, Catholic Schools Week Activities, Veterans Day Prayer Service, Pancake Breakfast, Advent Service Project, Mr. Softee Day, other events that the AFA proposes, etc. 

The more traditional "Fund Raise" events such as the Card Party, Golf Outing, $15,000 Raffle, and Franny Fun Run will be coordinated by the school administration and the Advancement and Marketing team led by our Advancement and Marketing Coordinator Mrs. Lisa Hayden. 

Tuition: Just a reminder that Thursday, August 15th the first tuition payment is due for the 2024-2025 school year. All families should have a FACTS account. (https://factsmgt.com/) Here you can see how much is owed, dates when tuition or other fees are due, past payments, etc. Any questions regarding your account please reach out to our Bookkeeper Mrs. Marguerite Kazalski at [email protected]

Now more than ever planning is so important and we will need to know as close as possible an exact number of students in each grade level. By not paying tuition we may not be able to hold a seat for your child. If there are any issues paying on 8/15 please let us know in advance so we can plan for your child(ren) to be joining us.

2024-2025 School Year, Summer Assignments, and Supply Lists: We have shared information about the upcoming 2024-2025 school year on our website.  There is a landing page for all information about the next school year that includes the Supply Lists and Summer Assignments. To access the landing page please click the link below.

Summer Assignments and Supply Lists

Please note that all returning students going into Grades 1-8 need to finish the I-Ready Math lessons assigned to them no later than August 15th. The i-Ready program closes on August 20th summer maintenance  For more information please click on your child’s grade level summer assignment. If your child has forgotten their password please reach out to the administration at [email protected]. 

Please note that all summer assignments and school supplies are expected to be brought to school on the first day unless otherwise noted. 

Main Office Hours: The summer office hours along with the final calendar for next year are already posted on our website. As always, dates are subject to change. Although the school office may be closed at times, we are always available with any question or concern through email at [email protected]. Although the school office may be closed at times, we are always available with any question or concern through email at [email protected].

Early Morning Drop Off Program: We are happy to announce that continuing on Monday, September 9th we will be offering an Early Morning Drop off program from 7:00 am-7:40 am each day. For more information about this program please click here. 

First Week of School: The first week of school is now just a few weeks away. As we know early on there are many dates, such as ½ days, and meetings that all families should know about. Please click the link below to stay current with the schedule for all grade levels for the first days of school. 

https://stfrancisacademybh.org/announcements/what-to-expect-during-the-first-week-at-st-francis-de-sales-catholic-academy

Back to School Nights (Meet the Teacher): On Thursday, September 5th at 6pm all parents (Grades Nursery- Kindergarten), on Tuesday, September 10th at 6pm (Grades 1-4) and on Thursday, September 12th at 6pm (Grades 5-8 all parents are invited to meet their child's teacher(s). More information to follow on this special event in the coming weeks. We hope to have 100% attendance to this all-important night of the school year. We ask that parents of Nursery-Kindergarten students bring all supplies for their children to Back to School Night in a labeled bag.  Students in Grades 1-8 should bring their supplies on the 1st day of school. If there are too many supplies to bring in one day, please feel free to have your child bring the supplies on the first few days of school. 

Also a reminder that VIRTUS now requires any volunteer working with children to complete “re-certification” training every seven years.  

If your VIRTUS certification was more than seven years ago (before December 2017), 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 2017, please email Lisa Hayden at [email protected].   

REMINDER:  You must complete the update by this coming September to be able to volunteer at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy.

SAVE THE DATES

Catechetical Sunday: Catechetical Sunday is when those designated to serve as catechists are called forth to be commissioned for their ministry. Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of Baptism, in passing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. All are welcome to join the Saint Francis faculty and Saint Francis Religious Education faculty at this very special liturgy at 10:00am on Sunday, September 15th.

Blessed Trinity Confirmation: On Wednesday September 18th many members of St. Francis de Sales Grade 8 will be blessed by the Holy Spirit at Blessed Trinity Parish for the Sacrament of Confirmation. May the gifts of the Holy Spirit be with our 8th grade and lead them to be the future leaders of the church. God Bless! Those students receiving the sacrament at Blessed Trinity please refer to the BT Parish instructions in regard to your Retreat and practices. 

 Catholic High School Fair:

Have a great week. Our last summer update will be during the week of August 26th.