Liam M.
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1A |
| Emilia E. |
1A |
| Mikaela U. |
3B |
| Vince S. |
4B |
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November
21 - 25
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Thanksgiving Break |
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December 21 - January 3
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Christmas Break |
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January 18
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MLK Holiday |
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February 20
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President's Day |
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April 13 - 21
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Easter Break |
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May 29
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Memorial Day |
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June 16
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Last Day of School |
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Dear St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School Families,
Unlike any election in my memory, I was looking forward to November 8 as the end of a presidential campaign unprecedented in its divisiveness and partisanship. Despite the finality of election day, I had a feeling things would not return to normal after votes were counted. I was left wondering, where do we go after the election?
On Wednesday, I visited classrooms to see if the elections had an impact on our students. I shared my pride for the democratic process and the peaceful transfer of power that has continued uninterrupted in the United States since Thomas Jefferson's election in 1801. I was proud to hear our students pray for our nation and it's newly elected leaders. It was clear that the students were aware of the election results and I felt their excitement to vote in future elections.
I did not discuss the contentious nature of the campaign when I met with students and I hoped that the post election reaction would lead to talk about working together as a nation to build a strong future. Unfortunately, some of the volatile rhetoric of the campaign appeared on our campus. Junior high students were reported using intolerant language. I was disappointed, but not totally surprised, considering the intense coverage of the tumultuous election campaign.
The incident led to a teachable moment. Mrs. Watanabe immediately addressed the classes involved and I followed up along with their teachers. Uncomfortable though it may be, it is best to address these issues directly. We talked about bigotry, intolerance, and racism. We let students know that these offensive words and actions are never acceptable behaviors for a St. Francis student, on or off our campus. I recommend that parents have age appropriate conversations about the election with your kids. The election process provides parents and educators opportunities to teach our kids how to talk about controversial topics in ways that lead to constructive dialogue.
The incident provides an example of how your kids benefit by attending St. Francis, a strong faith-based school. I have seen examples of very inappropriate reactions to the election, many of them at schools. It may be tempting for adults to downplay controversial topics in order to shield students from the harsh truths about the world, but I believe it will benefit them if we teach them to face these harsh truths through the lens of a faith based education centered in Gospel values. Before everything else, we are followers of Christ, children of God, made in his image, called to be saints, and to work for his kingdom. Despite my disappointment that we had to deal with an incident of this nature, I am optimistic by the opportunity to correct a wrong and teach a life-long lesson. So where do we go from here? We keep our eyes on Christ and we keep following him. We remember who we are, where we came from, and who God calls us to be.
Tom Waszak
Principal
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Now is the time to purchase your child's yearbook! You DO NOT want your child to be left without a yearbook at the end of the school year.
Last year, yearbooks ran out, so don't delay!
Current price:
$40.00
After
November 18, 2016:
$45.00
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Make your student's yearbook one-of-a-kind by personalizing the cover with a name and icons.
Deadline for Personalized books: January 31, 2017.
All orders must be completed
online (no orders accepted through the front office).
Share your photos with the Yearbook Committee! Upload your class and event photos from the first day of school, sports, field trips, etc. to our Josten's school website at www.replayit.com. Be sure to choose St. Francis of Assisi (Yorba Linda) to upload to the correct school.
*Fees apply to personalized books.
Visit the Josten's
website for more details.
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| Family Advent Event - December 1 |
"Our Family Roots"
A Family Advent Evening
Thursday, December 1
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Seamus Glynn Center
The St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School Catholic Identity Ministry will be hosting an evening of fellowship, family, food, and fun to celebrate Advent. All St. Francis families are encouraged to attend.
At the event, families will participate in an activity that explores the 23 stories of the Old Testament leading up to the birth of our Savior and the 24th story of Christmas Eve, by creating Christmas decor that reflects the Jesse Tree.
Cost:
$20 donation per family
(covers the cost of all supplies and main course)
Plan for the Evening:
| 6:00 pm |
Gathering and Food Prep |
| 6:15 pm |
Opening Prayer, Reflection,
and Dinner |
| 7:00 pm |
Advent Ornament Family
Interactive Activity
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The ornaments are not available for purchase - you must attend the event to receive the ornament set.
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Parent Conferences are this Thursday, November 17 and Friday, November 18.
Mrs. Carpio's parent's will meet in the office for parent conferences because extended care will be in her room.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break and enjoy your family!
School re-opens on Monday, November 28.
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DC Dining - November 30
Costco Pizza |
As part of the fundraising efforts for our Annual 8th Grade East Coast Study Trip, SFA offers lunch from a variety of local food vendors each Wednesday. Next week our vendor is Costco Pizza.
Orders are due
8:00 am on Monday, November 28 in order to accurately tally the number of meals needed.
Thank you for your support!
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Conference Babysitting Fundraiser
November 17 and 18 |
Need Babysitting for Parent - Teacher Conferences?
As part of the fundraising efforts for their annual East Coast Study Trip, the 8th grade class and parents will be providing babysitting for all your wonderful children while you are attending your parent teacher conference.
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Friday,
November 18 |
| 7:00 am - 4:00 pm |
7:00 am - 12:00 pm |
PLEASE NOTE:
- Babysitting is provided for St. Francis students only.
- Babysitting is provided for times that parents are at conferences only.
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Santa's Secret Shop
November 29 - December 1 |
Calling all Elves!
Volunteers are needed at our Christmas Shop!
St. Francis students will be participating in Santa's Secret Shop the week after Thanksgiving with set-up on
Monday (11/28) and shopping days
Tuesday (11/29) - Thursday (12/1).
Santa's Secret Shop is wonderful opportunity for students to experience the joy of choosing their own Christmas presents for family and friends. All proceeds go directly back to our Pre-K program at St. Francis. Last year the new sandbox and ball toss were added to the playground from profits received from Santa's Secret Shop.
If you are able to donate your time, please access the link below to sign up for one or more shifts that would fit your schedule.
If you have any questions, please let me know and thank you in advance for volunteering your time.
Thank you,
Amanda Douglas
Santa's Secret Shop Chair
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Moonlight Masquerade Auction Gala
February 25, 2017 |
Please save the date for the
2017 Auction Gala!
Midnight Masquerade
A Mardi Gras Celebration
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Waterfront Hilton
Huntington Beach, CA
Our Annual Auction Gala is the largest fundraising event of the year. This exciting affair is open to all school and parish families and has tremendous exposure for your business. In addition to raising money to support our school, the Annual Auction Gala is a great evening of fun and friends. Please consider attending. If you cannot attend, please consider supporting St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School in another way through volunteering or by donating to and sponsoring the event.
For more information please visit the Auction Gala page on our website.
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Thank you to the
parents
and staff who
volunteered to assemble our Mixed Bags items and helped with the In-N-Out Family Lunch!
 Check out a full list of school opportunities available on our
SignUp.com
page or visit our website for more details about volunteering.
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