The Seelos Star
Back to School 2022
Dear Seelos Academy Families,
I am pleased to welcome you back to the 2022-23 school year! I would like to extend a special welcome to the new families joining Seelos Academy this year and welcome back all of our returning families as well! I am honored to be your principal and look forward to seeing everyone on the first day of school! Our goal at Seelos Academy is to work together to provide our students with a learning environment enriched with our Catholic values and inspired by the ultimate teacher, Jesus. Catholic education is a partnership and we greatly appreciate the support you provide for your child at home and at school to help them meet their learning goals. The faculty and staff hope that all children will love each school day as they participate in a learning environment that is faith-filled, positive, safe, caring, as well as a fun place to learn and grow. We have worked over the summer to improve our campuses and can’t wait to share everything with our students. All of us at Blessed Francis Seelos Academy are excited to begin a positive and productive school year together!

God Bless, 

Mr. Reese
WELCOME NEW FAMILIES
We would like to welcome the many new families to our school community! We are thrilled to have over 350 students enrolled in our PreK to 8th grade program. As our school community grows, so does our continued commitment to academic excellence and to serving our community at large.
WELCOME NEW FACULTY
Please welcome Mrs. Gina Studebaker to our K-8 faculty as the art teacher. We are honored and excited to have her join our community.
#FirstDayatBFSA
We are so excited to welcome our students, new and returning to a new school year at Seelos Academy. Help us share our excitement by tagging posting your photo on social media using #FirstDayatBFSA!
NEW AROUND THE CAMPUSES
It has been a busy summer at Seelos Academy! New signage at each building will welcome all to a new school year. In addition, we are pleased to announce these building and technology upgrades that are made possible by recently received grants.

K-8
  • The computer lab, chrome books, and faculty computers have all been upgraded.
  • IPADs for primary grades are on the way
  • Cafeteria upgrades are in the works (late fall)

ECC
  • Coming soon: Planned updates to Wi-Fi, new drinking fountain/filler station, and new IPADS
Back to School: What you Need to Know
school_bus.jpg
BUS TRANSPORTATION
Your school district will send you bus information in mid-August. If you haven't received information regarding your student's bus schedule please call your district bus transportation provider for further details.
DROP-OFF/PICK-UP PROCEDURES
For the safety of our students, please adhere to the pick-up/drop-off procedures at each campus that are found on our webpage.
MORNING CARE AND EXTENDED DAY
Morning Care and Extended Day are offered at the K-8 campus for children in K-8.

Morning Care drop-off begins at 7:00 AM the first full week of school and continues every day school is in session, excluding snow or other delay days. DROP OFF IS AT THE SIDE DOOR NEAR THE PLAYGROUND.

The Extended Day Program begins the second full day of school and runs from the end of the school day until 6:00 PM and continues every day school is in session, excluding early dismissal days.

These services can be utilized on an as-needed basis, however, students planning to use the after-school extended day program need to be pre-enrolled and pay the yearly enrollment fee. There is an hourly fee for both programs.
UNIFORMS
Every day uniforms are required for children in K-8. Use the button below for links to the uniform policy and our vendors' websites.
GYM DAYS & GYM UNIFORMS
Gym uniforms are required for all students in grades K-8. All K-8 students are required to wear their gym uniform to school. In the winter months, students will be permitted to wear their gym shorts under their sweatpants and remove the sweatpants before gym class. Gym uniforms can be ordered from our uniform providers, Lands End or Schoolbelles.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
The school supply list for grades K-8 can be found on the school webpage under Parents/Quick Links
WATER BOTTLES
Students on both campuses will be permitted to use the water fountains this year. However, water bottles will still be allowed to be brought from home. If you choose to send a water bottle, please send a filled water bottle (disposable or reusable) with your child to school. They will be permitted water breaks throughout the day. Note that the water bottles may only be filled with water. Please do not send water bottles larger than 32 oz. If using a reusable bottle, the students will be required to bring their water bottle home each day for cleaning.
LUNCH
Hot lunch service includes four options each day: a main entrée, chicken nuggets, buttered pasta, and an entrée salad. Please note that on Wednesday, Sept. 7, and Friday, Sept. 9, all children MUST PACK their lunch due to preparations for the annual Harvest Home dinner that takes place in the cafeteria on those days.

The lunch menu is found on the school webpage under Quick Links and also on the Parent page.
MASS DAYS
Mass days for the K-8 campus are Wednesdays. Parents are welcome to attend.
VOLUNTEERING
Volunteering is a key aspect of our community, and is a great way to meet other parents!

Volunteers will need to obtain certain clearances.  This process is easy, but, will take some lead time for certain steps, so prepare now for future volunteer opportunities. A link to the Diocesan Volunteer Clearance Requirements can be found under the Parent/Get Involved section of the BFSA website.

Questions about clearances can be sent to Mr. Reese or to Mrs. Chris Schlieper.
COMMUNICATION
Expect to receive one email a week from the school secretary, Patty Anfang.  These emails will contain information about upcoming school activities. Generally, these emails are sent on Thursday. Additional emails may occur throughout the week at the discretion of the principal.

Our PTG distributes a monthly newsletter of their upcoming events and activities in which families can become involved.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Visit Seelos Academy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube!

There is also a private Facebook group for current school families. Search “Blessed Francis Seelos Academy Private Parents Group” or access it from the school Facebook Page. This site is a good resource for parents to ask questions of other parents and to share information about the happenings of the school. We do ask that you limit communication on the site to school related events and school related subjects only.
Events
SAINT ALPHONSUS TWILIGHT FUN RUN & 5K
It’s back by popular demand! The annual St. Alphonsus Twilight Fun Run & 5K (and kids 1 mile run) will be held on September 9, 2022 in North Park near Pie Trainer Field. This is a fun, family and community-oriented way to spend your Friday evening. Don't worry if you're not a runner; this event if for all ages and abilities. You can run, walk or watch! Sign up by August 15 for guaranteed shirt size.

We need a race director, course monitors and after-race party planners. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Lindsay Ries. 
HARVEST HOME DINNER & FESTIVAL
The 2022 Saint Alphonsus Harvest Home Dinner will take place on Sunday, September 11th from 12:30-6:30PM and we are pleased to offer both dine-in and take-out options this year. Join us for games, entertainment, auction baskets, raffles, a beer garden, pop-up country produce store and a fresh, homemade dinner including side dishes made from produce from local farms. 

The Harvest Home Dinner provides fellowship while also raising critical funds for our school. The dinner would not occur without our school community of volunteers working to make it happen and supporting the event. Here’s how you can help:

  1. Volunteer. Please considering volunteering. If you have a student in need of service hours, this is a perfect way to knock them out at the beginning of the school year. We are in desperate need of a chairperson for the Dessert committee. If you are interested in helping, please contact Lindsay Ries.
  2. Purchase Raffle tickets. This is a simple, but critical, way to support our school and parish by helping to underwrite the cost of the events, rain or shine. You will receive your ticket in the mail next week and they can be mailed or dropped off to the parish office using the enclosed return envelope.     
  3. Sponsor. Consider an individual sponsorship or asking your employer for a corporate sponsorship. We have sponsorships opportunities to accommodate a range of budgets. All of our sponsors will be acknowledged through signage, placemats and via social media. 
  4. Donate. We need prizes for our games and raffle baskets. Appropriate items include tickets to sporting events, gift cards, time shares usages, electronics like smart tablets and video game consoles (new, not used please). Please drop off donations for these at the parish office or contact the committee with the link below.
Fundraising
HOW CAN I AFFORD CATHOLIC EDUCATION?
Click the button below for information on reducing your tuition bill through financial aid, grants, and tax credits.
GIFT CARD PROGRAM
Families earn tuition credit by purchasing gift cards through the school. The program generates additional revenues used for the operational costs of Seelos Academy. Order online at bfsafundraising.com, at the K-8 office, or Sign up with RaiseRight and make gift card purchases from your phone on demand. For more information, contact giftcards@seelosacademy.org.
AMAZON SMILE!
Blessed Francis Seelos Academy receives cash back from Amazon Smile! Simply log in to your Amazon account and type "Amazon Smile" into the Amazon search engine. Select Blessed Francis Seelos Academy as your designated charity that will receive 0.5% of each of your eligible Amazon purchases. 
BOX TOPS
Clipping and submitting Box Tops, or scanning your receipt using the Box Top app is an easy way to help earn money for Seelos Academy. This fundraiser has netted thousands of dollars over the years.
CHICK-FIL-A & MOE'S
Save your Chick-Fil-A receipts from the Wexford and Cranberry locations MOE'S receipts from any location and return to school. Through credit earned for reimbursed receipts we are able to provide food items for the school community, including our annual 8th grade picnic and teacher luncheons.
MABEL'S LABELS
Mabel’s Labels are a great way to ensure your items don’t end up in the lost & found or mixed up! These personalized, dishwasher and laundry-safe labels are great for everything from shoes, clothing tags, water bottles, and backpacks.

Visit campaigns.mabelslabels.com and select Blessed Francis Seelos Academy. Orders ship direct to your home. Seelos Academy receives 20% cash back on each order.
MARKET DAY
Market Day is a direct order program with food products delivered directly to your door. Market Day will return 10% of funds spent back to our school. Of this 10%, 5% will be able to be directed to your tuition accounts. The other 5% will go to our school's overall fundraising goal. Instructions for registering can be found here.
GARBAGE BAGS
Did you know that Seelos Academy sells garbage bags and receives a percentage of the profit? The bags are Made in the USA by Frontier bag (also known as the Yellow Bag People). Currently we stock the 15 gallon white bags. There are 65 bags per roll for $10 per roll. Stop by the K-8 office and pick yours up today!
LEARNING ENRICHMENT FUND
The Seelos Academy Learning Enrichment Fund provides financial support to the faculty and school for professional development, classroom materials, and school-wide programming. If you would like to donate to the fund or sponsor the annual golf outing, the fundraiser for the Fund, please contact the office. You can also contact the office if you would like to be part of the Learning Enrichment Committee or volunteer at the golf outing.