December 3, 2020
A Word From Our Principal

Dear St. Francis Borgia Families,

I hope that you all had a blessed, restful, and joyful Thanksgiving! It most certainly was a different holiday than what we are accustomed to. THANK YOU for remembering to stay home when you can, wear masks, wash hands and surfaces, and stay home when you are sick. It is these habits which are enabling us to remain in school. I am very proud of everyone working together to help us keep our doors open.

Our unplugged Wellness Wednesdays have shifted to Advent activities led by our 7th and 8th grade students. Such a great opportunity for them to step into leadership roles and to include so many of our students in prayer and acts of kindness as we await the birth of Christ. Fr. Patrick visits classrooms in the afternoon with half of the school, while the other half prays before the Blessed Sacrament. Please refer to the schedule below if you would like to pray with us. Times may vary, due to unforeseen circumstances.
The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas. The final days of Advent, from December 17 to December 24, focus particularly on our preparation for the celebrations of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas).
Our students in Gr. 3 – 8 will be celebrating the sacrament of Reconciliation. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will go on December 9th. The 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will go on December 16th. We are fortunate to have four priests join Fr. Patrick in hearing confessions. Students will prepare for Reconciliation by reflecting on the Examination of Conscience in the classrooms.

Please see the ADVENT CALENDAR from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). USCCB is an assembly of the hierarchy of bishops who jointly exercise pastoral functions on behalf of the Christian faithful of the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They hope their Advent calendar will bring you inspiration and reflection this season.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions or concerns. I welcome discussions and the chance for conversation.

Many blessings,
Mrs. Amy Royes
School News
School Wide Advent Service Project
To help celebrate the Advent season, our school will be participating in a service project that helps support St. Michael and St. Rose of Lima Parishes in Milwaukee, our twinning parishes. These parishes have a long tradition of welcoming displaced people, refugees, immigrant families, and individuals from across the world.

St. Rose organizes a food pantry twice a month to help those in need. We will be collecting food at SFB School to help with their food pantry. Items most needed are: peanut butter, baked beans, canned pasta, canned chicken or tomato soup, canned tuna, and spaghetti sauce. No giant jars please. Please drop off food at school by December 18th. The food will be taken to Milwaukee in time for their open pantry in January.
Important Dates
Please visit the calendar on the school website for additional information.

Dec 8 - Feast of the Immaculate Conception; 9am Mass K-4, 2pm Mass 5-8
Dec 9 - Confessions for 3rd-5th grades
Dec 12-13 - Cookbook Pick-up
Dec 16 - Confessions for 6th-8th
Dec 21 - Jan 1 - Christmas Break
Jan 4 - Classes Resume
TEACHERS NEED YOUR HELP ON THE PLAYGROUND!

We are in need of volunteers to help with lunch recess for November and December. Help give our teachers a break in the day!

The deadline for ordering physical gift cards from scrip to ensure delivery before Christmas break is Monday, December 14th by 8 AM. There will be no orders for physical cards placed during break. Normal online ordering will resume on Monday, January 4th, 2021. Thanks!

If you have any questions on scrip, please reach out to Ann Martinek or Maggie Pickart. You can also check out the Scrip information in the File Library under the Communication tab in Option C.

 
School Committee
2020 – 2021 Board Members:
Pastor: Fr. Patrick Burns
Principal: Amy Royes
Chairperson: Joe Dailey
Committee Member: Jennifer Wells
Committee Member: Eric Schmidt
Committee Member: Ceci Bassindale Committee Member: Jason Stenz Committee Member: John Tokarz
Parish Liaison: Tim Schilter
Secretary: Becca Lauria
School Committee meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the large conference room at St. Francis Borgia Catholic School. All meetings are open meetings unless otherwise designated as being Executive.
If you wish to address the School Committee please submit a written petition to the Chairperson one week in advance of the meeting date for approval for the agenda.
Home & School News
Please look at our updated Sign Up Genius for Teacher and Staff Wednesday lunches. The teachers said this is the highlight to their week! Thank you to those that have helped out with these lunches.

Also, we have our next Subway Order Form for lunches from 12/14 to 1/7.  
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Friday Teacher Treats

Let's treat our teachers and staff! We have quite a few spots open on our Friday Teacher Treat sign up. Sign up here to bring in a special treat!
Meeting Information:
12/9 - Cancelled
1/12 9am @ TBD
2/9 9am @ TBD
3/9 7pm @ TBD
4/13 9am @ TBD
5/12 9am @ TBD
2020-21 Board Members:
President: Cathy Heinz
Co-President: Beth Anderson
Vice-President: Susie Stanley
Treasurer: Lauren Chance
Secretary: Megan Torres
Past President: Angela Foy
From The Parish
YEAR END FINANCIAL INFORMATION FROM THE PARISH
 As the end of 2020 approaches, here are a few things you should be aware of regarding your St. Francis Borgia charitable donations. These guidelines correspond to IRS regulations which stipulate that there is no donor “election” as to which calendar year the donation applies.
  • Any donations physically received at the parish office before noon on Thursday December 31, 2020 will be credited to your 2020 contributions.
  • All donations received by US Mail after Thursday December 31, but postmarked December 31 or earlier, will also be credited to your 2020 contributions. The ONLY exception to this would be if the check is dated for 2021.
  • In the case of stock transfers, the donation date is the date you (the donor) relinquish control of the stock, not the date that St. Francis (the organization) receives it.
  If you are planning a donation that you wish to be credited for 2020, the sooner you can accomplish this, the less stress you’ll have those last few days of the year. Please note, the parish office will be closing at noon on Thursday December 24th and will be closed Friday December 25th, and Friday, January 1st.
 Year-end contribution statements reflecting your 2020 donation will be sent no later than January 31st, 2020. Should you have any questions about your donations, please contact Jennifer at the parish office at 262-377-1070.
Commemorative SFB Parish History Book
St. Francis Borgia's 175th-anniversary book is an 88-page, full-color, soft-cover, coffee table-style book that celebrates our parish, both from historical and contemporary perspectives. Ambitious readers will be able to read the full text cover to cover. Others may choose to jump casually from section to section and enjoy the many photos or glance at the short, accessible bits of information scattered throughout. Purchase books here
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