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2020 - 2021
School Year

Dec 21 - Jan 3
Christmas Break
Jan 18
No School -
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb 15
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Mar 15
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Apr
2-9
Easter Break
May 31
No School - Memorial Day
Jun 11
Last Day of School Preschool/PreK
Jun 18
Last Day of School K-7

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December 7 - 11
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Ava R.
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Caden B.
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Havana B.
Olivia D.
Ava R.
Jeffery J.
Isabella O. 
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December 16, 2020

Dear St. Francis of Assisi School Parents and Guardians,

"And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."  Luke 2:7

Nine days until Christmas and the spirit is alive here on campus.  Our giving tree is full of tags filled with love and acts of service for Jesus.  Santa Claus arrived in Cali style for our early childhood students.  Children squealed with delight as Santa heard each student share their wishes and dreams.  The Polar Express Crew delivered hot chocolate and candy canes to students not only in the tents but also in the classrooms, with a surprise guest (The Grinch) following close behind.  My heart was filled with joy to see our children smiling and hopeful with these simple acts of kindness.

We are blessed to have a crew of committed faculty who came together to bring the spirit of Christmas alive through a virtual Christmas event.  It was heartbreaking to not have an all-school Christmas program this year, after we started such a beautiful tradition last year.  But not to worry, I have already contacted Servite to book a date for next year!  In the meantime, our amazing Class of 2021 brought the "Joy of Jesus" to life.  They created this video gift for all of our families.  We invite you this Friday night, to gather in your family rooms and enjoy a heartwarming retelling of the Christmas story.  While we cannot be physically together, we can be united in spirit.  

Much gratitude for this work of love goes out to Mrs. Lodin, Music Director, Mr. Walswick, Theater Department Chair, and Mrs. Steins, Technology Extraordinaire.  We thank our Class of 2021 for their willingness to learn handbells, get in character as angels, Mary, and Joseph, and proclaim the Gospel with reverence and warmth.  Thank you to all of our families for your outpouring of love to our Administration, Faculty, and Staff.  Your kindness and words of affirmation mean the world to us!  2020 has been challenging for us all but as a community, together we truly have been stronger, more faithful, and committed to our children and their future.  Let us pray for 2021 and continue to ask for the intercession of St. Francis, who reminds us to be channels of peace!

Let me sow love,

Jeannette Lambert
Principal    
SCHOOL NEWS
Holiday Fun This Week!
To make our spirits bright this week we have planned fun activities for our community to participate in each day!  We hope you are filled with holiday cheer and inspired to spread the joy.

THURSDAY
Ugly Christmas Sweaters - Students may wear an ugly Christmas sweater with uniform bottoms.

FRIDAY
Holiday Free Dress - Students may wear their sparkliest, most Christmassy clothing and accessories from head to toe!

Minimum Day - Students will be dismissed at 12:00pm.  No after school Extended Care!
SFA Golf Tournament and Online Auction - May 3, 2021

We are excited to announce that St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School will host a Golf Tournament and Online Auction: May the Course Be With You from May 3-7, 2021.  The week long "fun" raising event will be the largest fundraiser of our school year.  

In the past four years, our annual auction galas have raised over half a million dollars!  The monies raised have directly translated into our STEM Lab, Innovation Center, school security system, MacBook computers for the teachers, and school-wide iPad program's expansion.  With the addition of a Golf Tournament as a kick-off to the online auction, we anticipate that this year's event will surpass the fundraising achievements of prior years and allow us to continue to make an impactful difference on students' education.

Golf Tournament - May 3, 2021
Online Auction - May 3-7, 2021

Stay tuned for more details on purchasing tickets to the golf event and additional ways you can participate in the online auction.

SEEDs Parent Workshop - "Building Resiliency In Youth"
Thank you to the nearly 50 St. Francis families who attended our SEEDs/CHOC parent workshop on building resiliency in youth!  For those of you who missed the presentation, you can find the presentation slides here.  

During the workshop, we discussed redefining what success is (is it only about getting certain grades or is it about something more?), embracing imperfection (emphasizing mistakes are part of being human and a part of the learning process), and increasing flexibility (our children's journey may look different and may take more time than what we had imagined).  Finally we discussed finding times for "emotional check-ins" with our child.  Perhaps you can find some time over these last few weeks of the year to really be present with your child and just enjoy them - free of distraction and any sort of judgement or critiquing!

Through our SEEDs program, we hope to offer future presentations such as these to ensure both our students and parents have the tools for social and emotional success!
Teacher & Staff Monthly Recognition
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 4th and 5th grades parents who lovingly expressed their gratitude and shared Christmas lunches from Nikki's Kitchen, gift bags, and ornaments with all the staff and faculty. 

If you have any questions, please contact tracyfoye@gmail.com.
Yearbook - Photos Needed!
We are proud to announce that this year the St. Francis yearbook will be designed by students!  We would love your support with this project.

Given the unusual structure of learning in 2020 (in-person, hybrid, and virtual) we do not have the opportunity to capture as many images during regular school hours.  In addition, with many events and activities moving to an online format, we are at a disadvantage when it comes to visual representations of those programs.  From time to time we will announce a specific photo theme and ask for submissions from the community.  

Please send all yearbook photo submissions to photos@sfayl.org.
Buy Your Yearbook Today!

Did you know that students who purchase yearbooks are 800% happier than their non-yearbook-toting counterparts? Unverified...but true! The 2020-2021 SFA yearbook will contain pages of memories that will make you smile. Order your yearbook and become 800% happier today!
 
Click here tplace 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!
Shared Responsibility Reminder
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.
Extended Care Registration
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.

Extended Care questions or concerns can be sent to our Extended Care Directors Eric Walswick (ewalswick@sfayl.org) and Ben Jansen (bjansen@sfayl.org).
6th Grade Families - Immunization Requirement
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.
FUNDRAISING NEWS
$5 Candy Cane Leis - Theater Fundraiser - FINAL DAYS!
Spread some holiday cheer by purchasing a Candy Cane Lei for a friend this month.  

Your purchase supports our fledgling Theater Department at SFA!  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.  Limited quantities available.  Thank you for your support!
Shop with Amazon Smile this Christmas!


Don't forget about SFA as you make those last few Christmas purchases! You can support our school for FREE using AmazonSmile when you shop! Christmas is one of the biggest shopping seasons of the year, we encourage all of our supporters to shop at smile.amazon.com.

What you need to do����
�� Go to smile.amazon.com and log in using your Amazon credentials
�� Select "Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Elementary School" as your charitable organization [or simply click this link:
�� 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!
SFA Face Mask Buddies for Sale - Great Stocking Stuffers!
Thank You!
Thank you for supporting our 8th grade class by purchasing poinsettias this month. In total we sold 443 plants and raised $1,913.77.  Way to go SFA!
Scrip Program
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.
Shop with Scrip
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.

 
COMMUNITY NEWS
Servite High School

Girl Scouts

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School | 714-695-3700 | webmaster@sfayl.org | http://www.sfayl.org
5330 Eastside Circle
Yorba Linda, CA 92887