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2020 - 2021
School Year
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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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November 9 - 13
Nate C.
Jacob H.
Jeffery J.
Luke Z.
Presley B.
Grant J.
Blake S.
Aden P.
Keira O.
Olivia D.
Mikayla C.
Triston C.
Luke A.
Brooke F.
Ella W.
Mikayla C.
Jamieson H.
Cayden S.
Owen M.
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1A
1A
1B
1B
1B
1B
1B
1B
1A
1B
1B
1B
1B
1B
1B
1B
1B
1B |
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November 18, 2020
Dear St. Francis of Assisi School Parents and Guardians,
This week marked the end of our First Trimester. We are so grateful for the many successes we have experienced as we travelled unchartered territory together. With the start of Trimester 2, there are some changes that we feel are timely and important. Please take a moment to read through the information below.
Changes to Mask Protocol On Thursday, November 12, the CDC updated their guidelines with a document entitled, "Considerations for Wearing Masks." In this notice, they stated that "People age 2 and older should wear masks in public settings and when around people who don't live in their household," This was a recommendation. Then, on Monday, November 16, Governor Newsom held a press conference and announced that he was issuing some updated orders to, in his words, "put on the emergency brakes." Later that day, Governor Newsom and the California Department of Public Health issued a joint document entitled, "Guidance for the Use of Face Coverings" in which they stated that "people in California must wear face coverings when they are outside of the home", including persons older than two years old. So what does that mean for all schools in California? We are now required to have all of our students from Preschool through Eighth Grade wear masks while they are on campus both inside and outside. This goes into effect when we return to campus on Monday, November 30, 2020.
Changes to Classroom Logistics for Trimester 2 Since we are beginning our Second Trimester and some students are returning to campus from virtual to hybrid, we have restructured all classroom configurations from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. What will look different? -
Kindergarten students will attend school beginning Monday, November 30 in-class on their originally assigned colored cohort day and will attend class in the Seamus Glynn Center with their Kindergarten Aide on their non-colored cohort day, e.g. Blue Cohort - Classrooms on Monday/Wednesday and Green Cohort - Classrooms on Tuesday/Thursday.
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First Grade hybrid students will continue to be in the Seamus Glynn Center on their off-cohort days.
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Second through Eighth Grade hybrid students will be able to attend class on campus in the outdoor tent classrooms on their off-cohort days, with classroom aides supervising and supporting instruction.
Outdoor Classroom Environment -
We have purchased six outdoor heaters for the tent classrooms. Students are welcome to bring gloves, scarves, beanies, and blankets on cold days in the tents. Please send your student in appropriate uniform for the weather.
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When the forecast shows a high percentage of rain in the forecast, the school will send a text the night before notifying that outdoor classrooms will be closed. We are currently reviewing the parent survey results and will follow up with any family that noted they need their student on campus for rainy days. We will do our best to accommodate our families with essential workers.
Shared Responsibility Reminders -
Flu season will be upon us when we return. Since we are in the purple tier, we, as a staff, will be abundantly cautious with any staff or student exhibiting symptoms. We ask for your partnership in keeping your student home to learn virtually if they are feeling under the weather.
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Should you or your family choose to travel over Thanksgiving break, please monitor your children for symptoms of illness before sending them back to school on November 30. We have established a robust virtual learning program that will support students when they need to remain home. Please contact the school on any day you are choosing to keep a hybrid student home.
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We have already increased use of our electrostatic sprayer campus wide as well as frequent reminders for students to wash their hands thoroughly throughout the day. These practices will continue throughout Trimester 2.
I have asked the teachers to enjoy their week off at Thanksgiving with their loved ones. In an effort to respect their need for time away, I have also instructed them to put an out-of-office message on their email next week. I want our teachers to use this time to do things that feed their souls and fill their cups, so that when we return, everyone has renewed energy and enthusiasm for the work that lies ahead. It is my hope that Thanksgiving week will also provide you as parents, a chance to do the same. I know I will appreciate the opportunity to pause and reflect on the blessings that God has provided for our community!
With gratitude,
Jeannette Lambert
Principal
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Please read this letter from Erin C.O. Barisano, Ed. D., Diocese of Orange Superintendent of Schools.
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Faith In Action Today - September and October
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St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School's FIAT, Faith In Action Today, focus for September was Respect and for October was Peacemaker.
St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the Gospel always, when necessary use words." We observed our students showing love through their words and actions, forgiving the transgressions of others, and sharing hope and joy even when facing challenges. We recognized the following students for their witness of the Gospel through their example of Respect and Peacemaker:
SEPTEMBER - RESPECT:
PKA - William M.
PKB - Elen A.
PKC - Jayden J.
VPK - Joleene L.
KA - Kennedy J.
KB - Myles J.
1A - Jeffrey J.
1B - Harrison G.
2A - Kalem A.
2B - Allison J.
3A - Elijah S.
3B - Francis T.
4A - James D.
4B - Andrew K.
5A - Ashton S.
5B - Ian P.
6A - Troy C.
6B - Mariano O..
7A - Shawn T.
7B - Margaret B.
8A - Alex R.
8B - Jacob L.
| OCTOBER - PEACEMAKER:
PKA - Serena S.
PKB - Landon R.
PKC - Jack H.
VPK - Ethan Y.
KA - Aubrey Z.
KB - Cambria J.
1A - Olivia D.
1B - Grant J.
2A - Amanda S.
2B - Iyla H.
3A - Abigail H.
3B - Lily G.
4A - Reagan J.
4B - Hayden B.
5A - Sawyer H.
5B - Kellen G.
6A - Diana H.
6B - Allison J.
7A - Hailey K.
7B - Tungsten D.
8A - Benjamin D.
8B - Camryn M.
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Teacher & Staff Monthly Recognition
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 On behalf of our SFA Community, in an effort to support our hard working SFA teachers and staff during this challenging year, we are launching a "Recognition of the Month" program. Classes are coupled together for a designated month to do something special for all of our teachers and staff who have gone above and beyond the call of duty this year. Room Parents have been given the details and will be reaching out to you to either solicit participation or inform you of what is being done. If you are interested in helping, please contact your Room Parent.
Thank you to the 6th and 7th grades parents who lovingly expressed their gratitude and shared Thanksgiving treats with all the staff and faculty. 4th and 5th grades are up next in December.
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SEEDs Parent Workshop in Partnership with CHOC
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St. Francis Counselor, Kelli McCarty, will be co-hosting a workshop for St. Francis parents in partnership with Children's Hospital of Orange County. The topic will be "Building Resiliency in Youth" and the presentation will be broken into two (Zoom) talks; one for Pre-K through 3rd Grade and another for 4th Grade through 8th Grade.
Building Resiliency in Youth will focus on good mood hygiene, building strong relationships, and improving communications skills for youth and families. Parents will be provided actionable steps to help children take on challenges, bounce back from difficulties, feel confident, and promote wellness.
The date is still to be determined. Please stay tuned for more information!
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Spirit Wear Sales - November 20th - December 4th
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 We will be opening the link for SFA Spirit Wear Orders this Friday! Take advantage of this opportunity to purchase those SFA sweatshirts or a SFA hydro flask to fill with a warm drink for cold mornings in our Outdoor Classrooms. SFA branded items also make great Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers. The link will remain open until December 4th so we can deliver orders before Christmas Break.
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Just in case you lose your phone or the cloud vanishes, you will be glad you order printed pics of this school year bound together in the yearbook! Order TODAY for $45!
Click here to place your order!
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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Turn Off Heaters in Morning Carline
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As the temperature has dropped, we have noticed an increase in students registering high in temperature during morning drop off. This increase is primarily due to the toasty interiors of your cars. Please be sure to turn off your car heaters as you wait on Eastside Circle to avoid having to park and have your child's temperature retaken. Thank you!
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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.
Please also keep this shared responsibility in mind as you gather with extended family and make travel arrangements over the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
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. |
Air Filtration System - Final Call!
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While we continue to finalize the installation of all components of our air filtration system, we would love to ask all families to participate in any way that they are able.This endeavor cost the school an additional $66,000. The remaining balance will come from fundraising savings. The air scrubber removes or destroys up to 99% of all surface and airborne contaminants. Please fill out this hyperlinked form to indicate what your family would like to contribute.
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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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| 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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| Outdoor Classrooms - Bring Your Sweatshirts & Water Bottles |
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As the weather begins to cool down in the mornings it would be beneficial to have students wear sweatshirts to school, especially those students learning in our Outdoor Classrooms. Please make sure your child's sweatshirt is clearly labeled with his or her name on the tag. When temperatures are very low, students are also allowed to bring a blanket to stay warm in our outdoor classrooms!
We have also noticed many students coming to the front office to request water after lunch. Please be sure to pack a refillable water bottle for your student as we are running low on disposable water bottles. Thank you!
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| $5 Candy Cane Leis - Theater Fundraiser |
We will be spreading holiday cheer and raising funds for our fledgling Theater Department at SFA by selling candy cane leis! Leis will be available for $5.00 each during the week of December 14th - 18th. Students that wish to purchase a lei can bring $5.00 to the front office. Thank you for your support!
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| Santa's Secret Shop Goes Virtual! |
| SFA Face Mask Buddies for Sale! |
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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Great news! Shop With Scrip has a new feature and families can have orders shipped directly to their home.
Watch this brief video to learn more about the Shop With Scrip.
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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| Mater Dei High School - Early Admissions |
| Santa Margarita Catholic High School |
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