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Important Dates
2017 - 2018 
School Year
Oct. 6 Fall Fest
Oct. 13
No School
Nov. 16 - 17
Parent - Teacher Conference
Days
Nov.
20 - 24


Thanks-giving Break
Dec.  25
- Jan. 5
Christma
Break
Jan. 15 MLK Holiday
Feb. 19
Presidents 
Day 
March 10 Auction Gala
March 29 - April 6
Easter Break
May 28 Memorial Day
June 15 Last Day of School
Caught Being Good!

Cole B. 2B
Jake H. 1B
Vanessa H. KA
Nico C. 1B
October 6, 2017

Dear St. Francis of Assisi Parents and Guardians,

Four years ago, we began a journey together as a community to bring cutting edge technology to our students to deepen their learning, extend the walls of the classroom, and build on life skills they will need for high school and beyond.  

We rebuilt our technology infrastructure four years ago in preparation for what we imagined our school would need five years and beyond.   We upgraded access points, projectors and Apple TV's in every classroom and increased our bandwidth to support the increased amount of device usage at every grade level.  Our staff has been equipped with excellent technology and professional development to support our move to blended learning at all grade levels.  Thanks to the generosity of our families, we have exceeded our goals for technology integration and have increased the number of devices at each grade level every year.  This year, our 5th grade students started a 1:1 program which completes our upper grade 1:1 rollout.

Over the past year and a half, we began planning for renovation of the computer lab and library.  Space in the computer lab was not being used efficiently with large, outdated tables that encompassed the entire room.  In the library, we recognized that the average age of titles in the library were 19 years old.  Only 28% of our titles were being circulated, primarily by Kindergarten through 5 th grade.  Our junior high students were not visiting the library and the majority of the space was unused.

Through the support of students, parents, faculty and administration, a year long planning and development process took place.  St. Francis partnered with Tangram Interiors to design a flexible learning space that would join the two rooms without tearing down a wall.  Our vision for the Innovation Center was to help students build and strengthen their 21 st century skills through multimedia communication of information done collaboratively, creatively, critically with analysis, and through perseverance in problem solving.  Through the excellent work of Mrs. Steins, Innovation Center Media Specialist, she is not only supporting the technology integration in lesson planning with faculty but also supporting the students with lesson delivery and execution.  The walls of the classroom are extended as groups come into the recording studio to collaborate and film on a green screen and produce multimedia projects. This innovative space fosters student growth through project based learning in all subject areas.

Additionally, the library has been refreshed and updated with removal of 3,500 outdated and damaged titles.  An additional 1,000 physical titles were purchased to bring our collection to 4,000 physical titles.  For our upper grade students, a digital library has been rolled out for their use on and off-site.  The Diocese of Orange has provided an excellent start to our digital resources through the support of Orange Catholic Foundation.  We are in the process of building our own SFA digital collection of titles for students to enjoy.

The most exciting part of this journey is seeing the excitement on student faces from Pre-K through 8 th grade when they come to the Innovation Center to work on a project.  Students are utilizing every part of these rooms for their learning.  We are looking forward to what these changes offer for our students and the impact they will have on student learning.  We would like to share the exciting renovations with you at our upcoming Innovation Center Open House on October 20 from 8:30 am. - 12:00 pm.  Come see how we are preparing your children for 21st century learning!

Tom Waszak
Principal 
SCHOOL NEWS
Parent / Teacher Conferences
Parents, 

Please use the Sycamore system to schedule your Parent - Teacher Conference (November 16-17).  The system will remain open to schedule your appointment through this Friday, October 6 at 3:00 pm.  If you do not schedule your appointment time by Friday, a conference time will be assigned to your family to meet with your teachers.  

Thank you!
Order Your Yearbook Today!
Online ordering of 2017 - 2018 Yearbooks is now open!  The cost if ordered today is $40.00

The price goes up to $45.00 on November 19

The final date to personalize yearbooks is January 31, 2018. The final date to order yearbooks online is May 15, 2018.

Click here to place your order!
Thank you for your support!
Thank you to the entire SFA Community for your support of our "Relaxed Dress" days benefitting Hurricane Harvey relief for St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School in Houston, Texas and Catholic Relief Services working in Mexico following the recent earthquake there!  

You truly shared the #SpiritofStFrancis! Your prayers, loving concern, and monetary donations were much appreciated. Thank you to the Pena Family for also donating a special lollipop treat for every student to enjoy!  

Keep living the #SpiritofStFrancis at every opportunity!
LITTLE LAMBS NEWS
Pre-K A and B had a great time on Monday at their first technology and innovation center classes.
 
Friday, October 6 is early dismissal:  11:30 am-11:50 am. 

Click here to sign up to volunteer for 9:00 am - 10:00 am Pre-K Recess and Snack.
FUNDRAISING NEWS
Fall Fest!
Friday, October 6

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School Courtyard 
Friday, October 6 from 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Tonight St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School will once again host a Brew Fest style event to raise spirits (literally and figuratively) and funds for our school.  "Fall Fest" will bring our community together for a fabulous evening of the best brews, delicious hors d'oeuvres, entertainment, raffle prizes, and fun!
 
Your ticket buys you:
  • A sample pour from each of our 3 sponsoring breweries as well as 2 wine tastings.  Once you have found a sample you like, you can purchase a full glass!
  • A tapas style appetizer from each of our 3 restaurant sponsors.
  • A night of music and fun with the SFA community.





Tricks, Treats, and Tacos
October 25
Wednesday, October 25
5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
St. Francis of Assisi Courtyard

Tricks, Treats, and Tacos is the largest St. Francis community event of the school year. Children are encouraged to come in their Halloween costumes and bring a bucket/bag for trick-or-treating across campus. 
 
Families will enjoy games and dancing under the stars in our courtyard!
 
Taco dinners must be ordered no later than Monday, October 23.  
Pre-order by 10/17 = $8.00
Regular order after 10/17 = $10.00
 
Order forms can be downloaded here or picked up in the front office.
 
Tasty treats and glow sticks will be available for cash purchase.
 
All proceeds support the 8th grade class.
Fall Spirit Wear
This year we are offering spirit wear once a trimester to pre-order for students and adults.  Certain styles are only available for either students and/or adults so be sure to read carefully!  

The window for pre-ordering is Wednesday, September 27 - Monday, October 16.  All orders will be delivered before conferences/Thanksgiving break.  

Students may wear spirit wear with uniform bottoms every Friday during the school year.  Please send any questions to:  spiritwear@sfayl.org.

DC Dining
Trimester 1
As part of our fundraising efforts for the Annual 8th Grade East Coast Study Trip, a variety of food vendors offer fun lunch options for only $5.00 each Wednesday.  Parent volunteers collect and tally orders at the start of each week, arrange for pick-up or delivery of meals, and handle distribution from the kitchen during lunch period.

Below is an order form for DC Dining for Trimester 1 at St. Francis.  You may fill out the entire form at once, or print and order on a weekly basis.  If you are ordering weekly, please be sure to turn the form and payment in to the office by Monday of the week you are ordering a meal.  

VOLUNTEER NEWS
We Love our Volunteer!
Thank you for all the time, energy, and expertise you generously give to our school and our programs!


 

Please click to see a full list of upcoming volunteer opportunities at St. Francis.

Please contact Admissions Director, Tammy Clarida with any questions regarding volunteer opportunities.
COMMUNITY NEWS
St. Martin de Porres Trunk-or-Treat 2017
October 27
St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church's Ministry of Moms (MOM) is only a month away from it's 6th Annual Trunk - or - Treat event on Friday, October 27. The group is looking forward to this wonderful event and hopes to see your family there to join in the fun. 
 
As planning is underway the following volunteer opportunities are available:
 
  1. Donation of trunks (Cars to be parked in the lot and candy provided by you to be handed out to Trunk-or-Treaters)
  2. Help with set-up anytime between 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm (The event starts  at 5:30 pm)
  3. Help with clean up 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm  (The event ends at 7:30 pm)
  4. Pumpkin donations for decor
  5. Balloon donations for decor
  6. Gift card donations (Costco, Trader Joe's, Party City, Stater Bros., Vons, Ralphs, etc.)
  7. Candy bag donations 
Please contact Jeannette Scheppler of MOM to let her know how you can contribute.
 
Again, we hope to see you there. The kids have an absolute blast playing with their buddies and making new friends. We are planning on having a costume parade, music, a photo spot and dinner for purchase. 

Servite High School - Credo 5K
October 28
Mater Dei High School Visit Day
Tuesday, November 7
Mater Dei Admissions Information
Admissions Applications
Available now at  www.materdei.org/admissions
 
Athletic Information Night - September 26
Meruelo Athletic Center - Mater Dei High School
Presentation begins at  7:00 pm
 
Future Monarch Information Night #1 - October 26
Meruelo Athletic Center
Campus tours begin at 6:00 pm
Presentation begins at  7:00 pm
 
7th and 8th Grade Visit Day - November 7
Come as an individual attendee or with your school
*Students who come as an individual attendee must have an adult chaperone with them
 
Family Campus Tours - Year-Round

Shadow Program - September - May
Visit  www.materdei.org/shadowprogram
JSerra High School Upcoming Events

10/17 - 7th & 8th Grade Visitation Day
10/26 - Open House
11/12 - Athletic Open House
Shadow Days- ongoing

Also, John Rodrigues, ADHD and Dyslexia advocate and author, is coming to speak at JSerra on October 18.  He will discuss his book, "From High School Dropout to Harvard," and also give an ice sculpting demonstration.  Rodrigues is the found of ThinkLexic, a non-profit that works to rethink and reframe education for the 8 million K-12 students with dyslexia. 

For more information please click 




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5330 Eastside Circle
Yorba Linda, CA 92887