MESSAGE
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
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When St. Francis began his ministry, he never intended, nor imagined, that his message and teachings would begin a worldwide movement. Now some 800 years later, the Franciscan spirit and tradition still live on and are needed more than ever. And so here we are, St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School. What started as a simple vision between the Friars and the Sisters of Mercy in 1895, has lasted and become a cornerstone of Sacramento, 125 years later. This is not only a testament to our Franciscan heritage, but more importantly, the testament to the love, community, education, and care that has been provided to the countless number of students and parishioners that have been a part of our school.
Starting the 2020-2021 school year is nothing like we have experienced in the past. All the traditions we cherish and are used to were either put on hold or we found a creative way to make it happen. Not seeing our students for six months was something no one in our building could have ever predicted. Our choice to become educators was so we could impact the minds and hearts of children, face-to-face. Although returning to the building is a daily question, our commitment to our vocation is unwavering.
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St. Francis was a man of few words. His beliefs about living the Gospel were not steeped in preaching, but rather manifesting those ideals in our actions and lives in service to God, our brothers and sisters, and to our planet. Let us continue to live these virtues that St. Francis so simply placed in front of us. Through our actions, we place our beloved school on the path of another 125 years of vibrant ministry on our little corner of 25th & K in Sacramento. In the spirit of St. Francis and St. Clare, “All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.”
Sincerely
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Read up on everything that happened during the 2019-2020 school year in our SFE Annual Report coming in mid-September. |
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The front office gets a make-over! The old cabinets, desks and computers have been pulled out to make way for more space, a medical area and a modern look to the front office. |
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NEW WEBSITE HAS LAUNCHED! |
We finally launched our new website that we have been designing for the last 9 months. It has a cleaner look, colorful photos and testimonials from parents. There is even a 360 degree and virtual reality tour of the school. Check it out through the link. |
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT - THE BENNETT FAMILY LEGACY
Written by Pat Bennett Granucci
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St. Francis has been a part of our family since before 1922. My mom (Mary Alice Kenny) and dad (Harold Bennett) were in 2nd through 8th grade there. They married at St. Francis in 1939. They sent all five of their children to St. Francis Elementary. The oldest, Marilyn, graduated in 1956. She went on to Bishop Armstrong and eventually got her Masters at University of Santa Clara. She is working as a psychology counselor in Mountain View, CA. Bernie graduated in 1959. He went to Sac City College, the Army, then became a Sacramento City Police Officer. I came next (Pat). I graduated in 1961. I went to City College, became a Dental Assistant, bank employee and eventually a teacher’s aide. I married at St. Francis and moved to Vacaville. All three of our children were baptized at St. Francis.
My sister Nancy graduated in 1965. She went to City College. She worked as a stylist and later for the Sacramento Capitol Area Development Authority. Kenny was the last graduating in 1970. He attended City College and CSUS. He retired from the State of California in 2019.
Now, in the present day, two of my grandchildren, Michaela and Olivia go to St. Francis. I enjoy going back for basketball games, Jog-a-Thons, and picking the girls up from the after school program...which used to be Mrs. Dean’s sewing class when I went to high school. St. Francis will always be a HUGE part of our family’s history.
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1930 Mom and dad’s eighth grade graduation. My mom is first girl on the right. My dad is standing next to her. His twin brother, Adrian is behind him. |
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1956 Sister Mary Claire on the playground. |
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1961 My class with Father Harold, Pastor. |
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1964. My brother Kenny and Sister Thomas |
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Upcoming Events & Volunteer Corner |
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Events may be virtual, rescheduled or cancelled due to the safety of our community during Covid-19. Please refer to our website, schoolspeak, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn for up to date details.
August 17 Onwards - Reconnecting safely as a community
August 31 - First Day of School for 2020-21 Year - In distance learning mode
Week of August 31 - Virtual Back to School Night (TK-5th)
Week of August 31 - Virtual Back to School Night (6th-8th)
October 4 - Blessing of the Animals
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October 30 - Drive through Halloween Trunk or Treat
November 5 - Our 125th Birthday
November - See's Candies Fundraiser
Dec 18 - Christmas Pageant in St. Francis Parish
February 3 - Cultural Day
March 27 - Auction & Gala at Golden 1 Center
May - Jog-A-Thon
May - Golf Tournament
June 5 - Last Day of School for 2020-21
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Ways to help and stay connected during the pandemic!
Follow us on:
You can provide support through nominating us as your chosen charity at AmazonSmile, so every time you shop the school gets money from Amazon. It doesn't cost you anything.
Sign up for eScrip at eScrip. St. Francis of Assisi Elementary will receive money, when you use registered cards at participating shops and restaurants.
Scan your receipts for BoxTops or send your clipped boxtops into the school. We organize the BoxTops, send them back to BoxTops for education and get a check through the post.
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Consider a donation to our 125 year campaign, that will run throughout our 2020-21 school year. Donations can be made in the amounts of $125, $100, $25 or $5 towards our 125 birthday and sowing the seeds to the next 125yrs. Money donated will go towards building an endowment, which will help educate St. Francis of Assisi students for years to come. If you would like to make a donation, click on the button and designate endowment in the drop down menu. |
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We want to reconnect with Alumni from our 125 year history. In the future (when safe) we plan to celebrate our schools' birthday and hold future alumni events. Please click on the link at the top of the newsletter to update your details, visit our website or scan the QR code. Please pass the word to other alumni about reconnecting and updating their details. |
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