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2020 - 2021
School Year
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Oct 16
| No School Preschool/PreK
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Nov
19-20
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Parent - Teacher
Conferences
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Nov
23-27
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Thanksgiving
Break
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Dec 21 - Jan 3
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Christmas Break
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Jan 18
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No School -
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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Feb 15
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No School -
Presidents' Day
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Mar 15
| Spring Conferences | |
Apr
2-9
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Easter Break
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May 31
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No School - Memorial Day
| | Jun 11 |
Last Day of School Preschool/PreK
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Jun 18
| Last Day of School K-7 |
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| Liam V. | 1B | Jamison H.
| 1B | Charlotte M.
| 1B | Luke A.
| 1B | Aden P.
| 1B | Keira O.
| 1B | Abigail H.
| 3A | Jonah B.
| 3B |
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September 30, 2020
Dear St. Francis of Assisi Parents and Guardians,
This week's newsletter message is focusing on our goal of bringing all of our students back on campus five days a week if so desired! We have determined that the most feasible way to make this happen is to create additional classroom spaces using large tents throughout campus. This year is all about reimagining learning. We are applying that philosophy not only to how, but also to where we provide instruction. Several weeks ago we took the first step by evaluating our campus map and it was decided that the safest location for tent classrooms would be out at the lunch tables and close to the junior high buildings. We cannot block any fire lanes and these locations allowed us to keep all lanes clear. Next, we evaluated the number of students on hybrid for the first trimester at each grade level. A small crew of staff and volunteers came on a Saturday morning to move desks, barriers, and chairs to bring our tent classrooms to life.
The next step in the process is the fire inspection. I submitted the extensive paperwork required for the inspection last week. During an unplanned general fire inspection of our entire facility on Monday, the inspector let us know that a separate individual would come out for the sole purpose of reviewing the permit for the tents. We are currently responding to several follow-up questions from the initial application and hope that the inspector will be out within the next week. Good news, other than a notice that we need to construct an extension of our preschool fence for an early childhood fire escape, our school did very well on this general inspection. Much gratitude to Mr. Rodriguez for slope abatement that occurred early on the back hills of our school.
While we continue to press forward with the permitting process, we also face the challenge of hiring temporary instructional aides to supervise students in the tent classrooms. Right now, the Diocese has zero applications for us to review for this paraprofessional position. I am asking for your help - please share this job description with someone you would recommend to work with our students. Ideal candidates are college students, retired educators, and individuals passionate about education and working with elementary students. All candidates will be screened through fingerprinting and background check to ensure they are safe to work with our students.
The theme for getting these unusual tasks accomplished is, as always, teamwork. Thank you for your support and understanding as we take steps to reach our goals this year.
Be safe and be hopeful,
Jeannette Lambert Principal
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We are excited to inform you that our school has purchased a new emergency notification and rapid alert system to help improve and facilitate communication with our families. FACTS Parent Alert will allow us to send out communications via Text, Email, and Voice Messages for all types of events. These alerts can be used for many reasons but also it will provide us a fast efficient way to communicate with our families in case of an emergency. To ensure you are able to receive our alerts please text the keyword "START" to 22-383 from your mobile device. Any text alerts from our school will begin with "SFA:" and calls will show from "714-695-3700". If you did not receive a test text message this evening, please check FACTS and update your cell phones in the system.
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Don't miss out on the opportunity to purchase spirit wear for the 2020-2021 school year! Fridays are Spirit Fridays at SFA. Whether you are online or in person we want you to be a part of the fun.
Spirit wear can be purchased online only. All orders are due by Friday, October 2 with a projected delivery date of October 15. |
Our first liturgy will be this Friday, October 2, in honor of the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi at 10 am. Due to the excessive heat, we are allowing students to wear spirit wear tops and their uniform bottoms for Mass (green cohort).
All Masses will be live streamed via Facebook for our virtual friends at home. Since parents are not allowed on campus at this time, we invite our parents to join in the livestream and pray with our school community.
Due to a conflict within the Diocese, the blue cohort Mass that was scheduled for next Friday, October 9, will now be held on Monday, October 12. |
Come to the Table - Parent Zoom
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Last year St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School, in collaboration with Faith and Family Collective, started a tradition of gifting each family a way to strengthen their faith at home. This year we will be gifting a prayer plate box to each family. Please join Pam and Jyllian next Tuesday, October 6 for a parent zoom as they share their vision for how this prayer plate can be used to infuse faith into your daily life at home. We will be supplying the zoom information via email on Monday, October 5.
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SEED Series - Looking on the Bright Side
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Looking on the Bright Side
Although the start of school looks a little different this year, there are still plenty of things to be grateful for. Children are resilient, however sometimes they may need a little nudge to help them focus on the positives. One way to move our children from a negative mindset to a more positive one, is to have him or her name three things that they are grateful for each day. Another great exercise is to have your child really focus on one positive thing that happened to them that day for 20 seconds (you can do this by asking, "what did it feel like?" or "what was happening around you?" "what did you see or hear?") A final idea is to use this handout, "Looking on the Bright Side" to help us remember that although the school year is a bit abnormal and may not be exactly what our children hoped for, there are still some amazing things happening. This simple step of refocusing their mind on gratitude can help rewire your child's brain for positivity! |
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School Picture Make Up Day
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 Lifetouch Photography will be at SFA from 8:00am - 2:00pm on Friday, October 23. We have intentionally scheduled make-up pictures on an early release Friday to accommodate those students who may be learning from home. Early Childhood students will be on campus and taking their photos in the morning. Since the Blue Cohort will also be on campus that day, any Blue K-8 students who were unable to take school pictures on Teacher Meet and Greet days in September and those who would like to retake their pictures will take photos during recess. Those K-8 students in the Green Cohort and our 100% Virtual students are encouraged to come to campus for photos after the instructional day is over. Photo proofs from our original picture days should be available for review by the week of October 5. At that time, we will be able to provide access codes for reordering photos online.
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Extended Care Registration
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Families that plan to utilize our after school Extended Care Program must complete their registration prior to the first day they attend Extended Care. The 2020-2021 Registration Form can be downloaded here or from the Extended Care page at sfayl.org.
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Friday Morning Prayer via Facebook live - 8:10 am
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| Joining together in prayer as a community is an important part of the "Spirit of St. Francis" here at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School. As we approach the start of a new school year, we would like to create social and spiritual bonds by connecting in prayer on a weekly basis. We invite you to join us online via Facebook Live for Friday Morning Prayer services at 8:10 am. |
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This year will be like nothing before. The same can be said for the 2021 yearbook. Saint Francis Of Assisi School is putting together a book that will capture this remarkable year in a real and relatable way. All the memories. All the unique moments that could only happen this year. All preserved forever.
Buy your yearbook today TODAY for $40! Price goes up in November!
The cost for a 2020-2021 yearbook was included in class fees for 8th Grade students. It is not necessary to purchase a yearbook for students in the class of 2021!
Click here to place your order! |
Fall Fundraiser Starts this Week!
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Our Annual Fall Fundraiser starts this Friday, October 2! We will be selling Mrs. Fields Cookies. A detailed fundraising packet went home with your student/s on Wednesday September 30th or Thursday October 1st. Information on dates and prizes can be found here. If you have any questions contact the Fall Fundraiser Chair Danielle Hill at 714-322-6979 or dhill@sfayl.org.Fall Fundraiser Dates: October 2nd - October 19thProduct Delivery Days: Tuesday November 17th (Green Cohort) and Wednesday November 18th (Blue Cohort)
Virtual Only students will receive their Fall Fundraiser packets with their materials on Friday during supply drop off and pick-up.
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The St. Francis of Assisi Scrip Program is a major fundraiser used to reduce tuition costs for families at SFA. The scrip program provides families the ability to purchase retailer gift cards through various providers. Those retailers then rebate a percentage back to the school to pass on to each buyer.
The SFA Scrip Program will run on a yearly basis from April 1 through March 31 and will operate weekly throughout the school year with minor deadline and delivery changes due to holidays and vacations. Participants must check the school newsletter for updated order and pick up schedules.
Please download and return the attached Scrip delivery form.
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For up to date information on order schedule and delivery for plastics cards from SWS (Shop with Scrip) please refer to the "Announcements" section on the desktop version of their website. If you have any questions regarding the scrip program please contact Michelle at scrip@sfayl.org.
Thank you for supporting our school by using the scrip program.
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AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support our school every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School. Simply click here to begin shopping through AmazonSmile.
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| Knights of Columbus Golf Tournament |
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