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2020 - 2021
School Year
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Apr
2-9
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Easter Break
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May 3-7
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May the Course Be With You
Golf Tournament
and Auction
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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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March 8 - 12, 2021
Allesandra D.
Claire M.
Emmie G.
Ryder K.
Claire M.
Cayden S.
Charlotte M.
Brooke F.
Blake S.
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3B
1A
1A
4B
1A
1A
1B
1B
1B
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March 17, 2021
Dear St. Francis of Assisi School Parents and Guardians,
It has now been a year since St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School was notified that we needed to shut down in-person education and in three days, had to reimagine our business and education model. Last year, we cancelled our Spring Conferences so that our faculty could come together to plan for virtual education in Trimester 3. All special events were quickly cancelled or reformatted to keep everyone safe, as we began to learn more about Covid-19. While we hoped to return shortly, we soon realized that life as we knew it was swiftly changing and it became clear that we were enmeshed in a worldwide pandemic.
From last March to now, many families have experienced loss of work and income, loss of family members, and loss of the comfort of routines. We extend our prayers and condolences for any of our families who have lost a loved one during this past year. A beacon of hope in this unprecedented time was our faith in Christ. Even when the churches were closed, we continued to attend Mass virtually, focusing on the source and summit of our faith in the Eucharist. Our community here at St. Francis came together and rallied support for one another spiritually, emotionally, and even financially. Those who were financially able, contributed to our Covid Tuition Assistance Fund so families who were struggling could continue their children's journey here at SFA. Families participated in a virtual auction when we couldn't gather together that allowed us to transform a classroom and balance our budget, even in a pandemic!
As we enter the third trimester, most of our families have now returned to campus for their children's education. Our teachers have exemplified perseverance through their commitment and dedication to educating students in the classroom, in the tents, and those attending remotely at home. Our priests have been so flexible in offering Mass in all of our school classrooms, while we livestream on and off campus so we can continue to pray together. Our parents have continued to support us in new carline procedures, generous donations, monthly lunches, prayers, notes of encouragement, and partnering with teachers for the success of our students. We find peace in seeing everything begin to open back up slowly and look forward to planning for the 2021-2022 school year, where we anticipate returning with everyone back in the classrooms together and parents, once again returning to volunteer on and off-campus. We remain strong, prepared, and ready to support the needs of our students now and in the years to come.
Always hopeful,
Jeannette Lambert Principal
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Registration Balance Payment - March 19
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This is a courtesy notice that FACTS will pull your remaining balance for the 2021-2022 Registration Fee of $350 per student on March 19. Thank you for your continued support of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School.
Tuition Assistance Notification Letters will be sent starting March 22, 2021.
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Auction Donations Needed!
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 Do you like pizza? How about ice cream? WHAT ABOUT ELECTRIC BIKES?!
Would you like a pizza or ice cream party for your class? Do you want a chance to win a Jetson Bolt Pro Folding Electric Bike?!
If you answered yes to all of these questions, then the Auction Committee has a contest for you!
We need your help obtaining donated items that will bring on the bidding at our "May the Course Be With You" Silent Auction...Yes, we are doing an auction in addition to our Golf Tournament! We can bundle your items with other items to create baskets, or they can stand alone as a special prize. The class that donates the most items to our silent auction will win a pizza party or ice cream party - your choice! In addition to the party, every student in the winning class will be entered in a raffle to win an electric bike!
Here are a few ideas to get you started. We are in need of gift cards, activities, games, and more.
We will be setting a table up each Friday during carline for convenient drop off of auction donations. Please be sure to fill out our Donation Form and attach it to your donated item(s). |
Thank you to those families and companies who have already generously supported of our "May The Course Be With You" Online Auction! Your donation makes our event a success.
| Zarate Family | | White House Restaurant | | Cardenas Family | | CM Athletics | | Servite High School | Solorzano Family
| Laurie Schoenke
| Foxx Family
| Flores-Zarate Family
| | Sweet Deal Ent., Inc. |
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Thank you very much for sponsoring St. Francis of Assisi's "May the Course Be With You" Golf Tournament and Online Auction. The success of the event is dependent on generous supporters like you!
- The Sentinel Agency Insurance Solutions - "Droid" Hole Sponsor
- Don's Drapery Service, Inc. - "Droid" Hole Sponsor
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Golf Tournament Tickets - Just 5 Left!!
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Tickets for "May the Course Be With You" Golf Tournament are almost sold out!
We will also be selling tickets to our post-tournament, "Jedi Master Winners Reception," for any non-golfers. Click the link above to purchase tickets!
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May The Course Be With You Pennant - Orders Due March 24
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 Purchase a personalized pennant for your child, family, or business and join in the "May the Force Be With You" fun!
Pennants are $15 / each. Order due by March 24, 2021.
Our Golf and Auction Committee will have individual pennants made and post them in front of the school as part of our Star Wars / Golf themed celebration.
Submit your order form to the front office or send to fundraisers@sfayl.org.
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"May The Course Be With You" - Volunteers Needed!
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 We're looking forward to our upcoming Golf Tournament and Online Auction!
In order to make this event a success, we are relying on our parents to help with pre-event preparations and day of tasks.
There are many fun volunteer opportunities available for those who have decided not to golf, but still want to be involved with the tournament. There are also wonderful ways to get involved in Auction prep and day of activities.
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S.E.E.Ds - More than the Grades
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While we just received grades for Trimester 2, it can be easy to judge our child's overall success based on the letters and marks on their report card. And while grades certainly matter, how do we also show our children (and remind ourselves) that grades are only part of the achievements we want to see from them.
This is a good opportunity to examine what success means to you as the parent - is it just about your child getting good grades, or is it also about raising your child to be a kind friend? A creative individual? A resilient and courageous student? A faith-filled Catholic? All of these traits matter, but sometimes we get hyper-focused on the grades instead of the whole picture. And while most parents and caregivers will agree that they love their child no matter what, unfortunately many children believe their parent's love is tied to their academic performance (i.e. my parents love me more when I get good grades). However, we know children who feel unconditional love are more likely to have improved mental health. So, focusing on the learning that has occurred, rather than the letter grade received, valuing other traits such as empathy, kindness, and resilience, and recognizing our child's other strengths and talents, all help our children know that our love for them is unconditional!
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S.E.E.Ds - Parent Workshop!
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Please consider joining us for the educational training, "Anxiety, Depression, and the Impact of COVID-19", hosted by our School Counselor, Kelli McCarty, MA, LMFT and presented by CHOC Pediatric Psychologist, Dr. Sarah Ruiz.
Anxiety, Depression, and the Impact of COVID-19
Parent Presentation
Tuesday, March 23, 2021 | 6:00 - 7:00 PM
A Child and Adolescent Mental Health expert from Children's Hospital of Orange County will give a presentation about mental health awareness, signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression in children/adolescents in the context of COVID-19, as well as provide strategies parents/teachers can use to support their children at home/in the classroom. In addition, we will focus on signs and symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in the context of COVID-19.
Parents of children in Kindergarten through 8th Grade are encouraged to attend this 50 minute Educational Presentation + 10 Minutes Q & A.
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Third Grade Service Project - Save Your Recyclables!
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In the true spirit of St. Francis, our Third Grade students have selected United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County as the beneficiary of their grade level service project. This cause is near and dear to all of our hearts at St. Francis, most especially our Third Grade community, as they wish to support their friend, Jacoby.
March is Cerebral Palsy awareness month. Please see the details below to help our students make a difference.
Collection Dates:
March 15 - 31
Collection Criteria:
Bagged EMPTY plastic bottles and EMPTY aluminum cans. Please separate by plastic/aluminum.
Collection Locations:
Place in the recycled blue painted coral by the dumpster in our SFA parking lot.
All proceeds will be donated on behalf of Jacoby Gonchar to United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County.
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Kids Heart Challenge - March 30 - 31
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Mark you calendars for our Kids Heart Challenge on March 30 and 31! The Kids Heart Challenge is a fun and exciting event where our students learn about their heart while helping others by raising money for the American Heart Association.
- Top earning class/cohort will win a pizza lunch
- Top earning student will win a special lunch and dessert
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In N Out Fundraiser - Wednesday, March 31
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 Our Annual In-N-Out fundraiser is coming up! This year's event will be held as a drive thru family dinner from 5pm - 6pm on Wednesday March 31. Orders due by Friday, March 26.
Order Form |
| Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week - May 10 - 14 |
 SFA Productions Presents:
Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week 2021 May 10th - 14th - YOU are the Stars of the Show
It's that time again to be thinking about our favorite week of the year! This year, more than ever, our teachers, staff and administration have shown themselves to be the true Stars of the Show. Let's roll out the red-carpet and show our VIPs just how much we appreciate them.
Going home this week is a Donations Request letter. You can find the link to it here. We kindly request a voluntary donation of $10 per child to help cover the costs for the week. 100% of the donations are spent on the week's activities. Please return the form with your donation in an envelope to your teacher or the school office no later than April 16th. Checks may be made out to: St. Francis of Assisi School or SFA. One check per family is requested.
We are also offering an additional opportunity to donate items or volunteer to decorate, cater, or help out during the week. Please see the Sign Up link if you are interested in helping out in this way.
As with all of our donations requests this year, for every $15 spent or for every hour volunteered you can include that as 1 service hour toward your 20-hour requirement. You may accumulate hours until May 10 for this school year. Hours are entered into FACTS by each family and are based on an honor system.
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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!
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| Camp Wolfpack is Back in 2021! |
Are you looking for a way to bridge your child's learning from one school year to the next? Do you want to ensure that academic progress continues during the summer months? SFA has the answer...Camp Wolfpack is ON for the Summer of 2021!
The program will offer five weeks of learning and fun. Families can sign up for one week or all five!
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SFA Vignette Interview Series
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With over twenty years of education and character building, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School has influenced countless journeys. Every Monday, we will be highlighting community members whose personal and professional trajectories have been impacted by their experiences at SFA. This vignette interview series captures their unique perspectives and demonstrates how a foundation of faith empowers our students and inspires us all as we Dare to Dream!
SFA alumnus and seminarian, Dcn. Michael Fitzpatrick, emphasizes that faith is first taught in the family and then reinforced and supported at the school. He shares his thoughts on parents and family members as role models and how the daily focus on prayer, peace, and perseverance during his time at St. Francis had a long term impact on him. "The fact that the motto of the school is Prayer, Peace, and Perseverance, and talking about prayer, talking about virtues having that taught to us students every day, day in and day out...that's the kind of stuff that stays with you."
Know someone you would like to highlight or have a personal story of prayer, peace, and perseverance? Contact us.
Thanks to @abidecreative for the amazing work capturing these stories and sharing the Spirit of St. Francis with our community!
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Shared Responsibility Reminder
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As a reminder, St. Francis requests that families screen their students for symptoms of COVID-19 at home before arriving at school each and every day. Anyone with a fever of 100.4° F or greater within the past 24 hours must stay home as well as fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, new loss of taste or smell, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, fatigue, diarrhea, congestion or runny nose, nausea and vomiting. In addition, anyone with recent close contacts within the past 14 days with known or suspected COVID-19 positive cases must stay at home. Personal illness, quarantine, COVID-19 illness, and symptom-related absences will be excused.
This shared responsibility is critical to our ability to keep our school open for hybrid learning. In support of this partnership, the school will send out regular reminders to families periodically. Please report your student's illness with details of all symptoms to their school Covid Coordinator. A school staff member will follow up on all students that are at home with COVID-19 symptoms.
Lastly, it is important to note that a student who is sent home, stays home, or has been exposed to COVID-19 and is at home in quarantine, will be able to access live classroom instruction from home if they are healthy enough to participate. Thank you in advance for your commitment to this shared responsibility. |
| 6th Grade Families - Immunization Requirement |
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TDap immunization is needed before your child enters 7th grade. Once this requirement has been met, please be sure to forward documentation to the SFA office. We will need this information prior to the start of the 2021 - 2022 school year.
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Support our school for FREE! Use AmazonSmile when you shop!
What you need to do:
2. Select "Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Elementary School" as your charitable organization [or simply click this link:
3. Shop Your Heart Out
Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to assist SFA. Let's make our dollars really count. Every little bit helps!
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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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