SFA Weekly News

2008 - 9

Dear St. Francis of Assisi School Family,

School News for the weekend of January 10^th and 11^th:

Our Pre-K classes will be hosting a Cake Sale for the children at lunchtime this coming Tuesday.

Breakfast with the Principal for grades 3, 4, and 5 will be on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m.

Our World’s Finest Chocolate fundraiser begins this week.  Should you wish to purchase some delicious chocolate bars, please come to the school between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.  The cost is $1.00/bar.

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School News for the weekend of January 3^rd and 4^th:

We welcome back our students, faculty, and staff on Monday, January 5^th and extend our sincere wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy 2009.

On Wednesday of this week, our Kindergarten children will be off to LaGuardia Community College to see the Paper Bag Players in “Make A Little Room For Me!”   

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School News for December 20^th and 21^st:

Congratulations to the following students on their academic achievement:

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School News for December 13^th and 14^th:

Our teachers and students have been quite busy rehearsing for our Annual Christmas Presentation taking place this week.  Thank you to our teachers and students for all your hard work and dedication.  The presentation is sure to be a great success!

On Saturday, December 20^th, our SFA Carolers, along with their moderators, Mrs. Annunziata, Miss Mullaney, and Mrs. Nealis, family members, and staff will be entertaining the local community along Ditmars and 31^st Street with their beautiful rendition of Christmas songs.  They will also be singing for the Parish Tree Lighting ceremony which takes place following the 5:00 p.m. Mass and then again, on Sunday at the Rosarian’s Christmas party.   We want to thank the moms who are taking time out of their busy day to serve hot chocolate and cookies to our carolers.

We have been collecting new toys and clothes for Christmas for Hour Children located in Long Island City.  Thank you to everyone for your donations.

Please try to attend the beautiful Christmas Pageant at the 4:00 p.m. Mass on Christmas Eve with your family.  We extend our wishes for a blessed and peace-filled Christmas and a happy and healthy 2009 to our students and their families.  Enjoy the Christmas vacation with your loved ones.  School reopens on Monday, January 5, 2009.

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School News for December 6^th and 7^th:

Our 4^th grade will host our Cake Sale for December on Tuesday. 

On Thursday we celebrate our volunteers with a luncheon held in their honor at 1:00 p.m. in Msgr. Campbell Hall.  We have many fundraisers throughout the school year to help keep our tuition affordable.  We never could do all of them without the help of our volunteers who always come through for us time, after time, after time.  Thank you so much!

Congratulations to David V from Grade 6 who became 1 of 8 finalists in the Regional Math Bee.  Now David will represent SFA in the Diocesan Math Bee.

Thank You to Mr. Joe Lavelli for Pictures with Santa Day.

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School News for November 29^th and 30:

Santa will be paying a special visit to SFA on Monday, December 1^st so that our children can take their picture with him.

We will have our annual Christmas Boutique on December 2^nd.  The children look forward to this day, having fun shopping for Christmas presents for their families.

On Friday, December 5^th please join us at the 9:00 a.m. Mass hosted by our third grade.  Our 8^th graders will take their graduation pictures on this day.

Monday, December 8^th is a Holyday of Obligation in honor of the Immaculate Conception.  Please try to attend Mass as a family.  School will be closed.

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School News for the weekend of November 22^nd and 23^rd:

Congratulations to all of the students who participated in the Intermediate Math Bee held on November 13^th.   The Winner was David V from Grade 6 and the First Runner Up was Nicholas M from Grade 5.  You all did a fine job!  David will represent SFA at the Regional Math Bee on Tuesday, November 25^th.  Good Luck, David!

Special thanks to everyone who helped with our Grocery Bingo fundraiser.  It turned out to be a great evening of fun and prizes for everyone who attended, thanks to all your efforts.  We also want to thank our parents and local business owners for all the generous donations that helped to make this fundraiser such a big success.  Last, but not least, we want to thank Mrs. Donna McLaughlin for being our caller for the evening.

On Saturday we held our 2^nd annual Flea Market and had a great turnout.  There were many vendors to choose from along with a variety of foods and desserts to taste.  Thank you to our parents for your dessert contributions, helping out during the day, and coming out to attend this event to support our school.

Parishioners and school parents are encouraged to regularly visit the diocesan website www.csptv.org.  This website is dedicated to informing the public of the latest developments regarding Preserving the Vision.

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School News for the weekend of November 15th and 16th:

Please try to join us for our Grade 2 Assembly on Friday, November 21st at 1:00 p.m. in Msgr. Campbell Hall.  Our 4th and 5th graders will be out of school in the morning on a class trip into Manhattan to see the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Exhibit.

Please mark your calendar so you don’t miss our indoor Flea Market on Saturday, November 22nd from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Msgr. Campbell Hall (lower church).  Come enjoy a Saturday with hundreds of new and used items to choose from, great food, and plenty of raffles.  Door prize donation of $1.00 is due when entering the hall.

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School News for the weekend of November 8th and 9th:

School will be closed on Tuesday, November 11th in honor of Veterans Day.

Please join us for our Intermediate Math Bee at 1:00 p.m. in Msgr. Campbell Hall on Thursday, November 13th.

Grocery Bingo is Friday evening, November 14th in Msgr. Campbell Hall.  Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $5.00 and no one under 18 years of age will be admitted.  Don’t miss this opportunity for a fun-filled evening!

Congratulations to our November Students of the Month.

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School News for the weekend of November 1^st and 2^nd:

Our children had a wonderful time at the Halloween Party on October 30^th.  Thank you to the coordinators and everyone who volunteered their time to chaperone this event.

On Tuesday Kindergarten will host a Cake Sale, and on Wednesday grades K, 1, and 2 will have Breakfast with the Principal in the Lower School at 9:00 a.m.

Mrs. McArdle will give a tour of the school on Thursday, November 6, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. for new families who are interested in SFA School for the 2009-2010 school year.

Our Ring Day Ceremony for our eighth grade students will take place after the 9:00 a.m. Mass on Friday, November 7^th.  Immediately following the ceremony, parents and their children are invited to a breakfast in Msgr. Campbell Hall.  Congratulations to our students on this happy occasion.

Good Luck to our eighth grade students on the TACHS exam on Saturday.

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School News for the weekend of October 25^th and 26^th:

The Sacrament of Confirmation was bestowed upon our eighth grade students by Bishop Gerald Walsh this Saturday, October 25^th.  We congratulate our students and their families on this very special occasion.

School will be closed on Friday, October 31^st for Faculty Professional Day.

Enjoy the day off Trick-or-Treating!

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School News for the weekend of October 18th and 19th:

Congratulations to our October Students of the Month

Italian Heritage Day Friday will be enjoyed by all at SFA.  Thank You to Forno Italia for their food donations, Astoria Bakery, LaGuli, and Friendly Bakery for the desserts, and to all the volunteers who will give their time to help us with this event.

On Wednesday, October 22^nd we will have a Rosary Rally in church at 10:30 a.m.  We invite you to come and pray the rosary with us.

Our David’s Cookie Sale begins on Friday, October 24th.  If you would like to place an order, please come to the school office between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.  On Friday at 1:35 p.m. we invite you to join us for our Grade 8 Assembly in Msgr. Campbell Hall.

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School News for the weekend of October 11^th and 12^th:

Thank You to everyone who volunteered their time to work at our festival last Saturday and to all the families who attended and supported this wonderful event. 

School is closed on Monday, October 13^th in honor of Columbus Day.  On Tuesday parents from 2^nd grade will be hosting a Cake Sale for the children at lunchtime, and on Wednesday, we have Breakfast with the Principal at 9:00 a.m. for parents of Toddler Time, Pre-School and Pre-K children.

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School News for the weekend of October 4^th and 5^th:

Thank You to our families for all the items donated for our wonderful baskets, cash donations, and gift certificates for the Parish Festival.

Our Scholastic Book Fair will take place this Wednesday & Thursday, Oct. 8th & 9th.  Parents have the opportunity to shop for books with their children at their scheduled time.

Our 7th and 8th graders will be receiving visitors from St. Agnes and Cathedral High Schools on Wednesday, the 8th.

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School news for the weekend of Sept. 27^th and 28^th:

Many thanks to Mr. Terrence Sweeney and Mr. Patrick Smith for power washing the cement apron around the school building; Mr. and Mrs. Richard Brooks and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Rojas for donating their sofas, and Mr. Ralph Spampinato and Mr. Joseph Rojas for picking up and delivering the sofas to the school.  

Our students are looking forward to Spirit Day which will take place this Tuesday.  We thank Mrs. Cathy Grogan and all the volunteers who help to make this day possible for us.

Save the date, Saturday, October 4^th, for a family day of fun, food, and prizes at our Parish Festival from 12 noon to 9:00 p.m.  If you can, please try to attend Mass at 11:00 a.m. in honor of our patron saint.  This will be a wonderful way to begin this special day with your family.  The Blessing of the Animals will be on Sunday, October 5^th at 1:30 p.m. in the schoolyard.

Our eighth graders will participate in their Confirmation Retreat Day on Wednesday, October 1^st.  We wish them a prayer-filled day.

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School News for the weekend of Sept. 20^th and 21^st:

We want to thank Mr. Dominick Grimaldi for building a closet in our lower school to enclose our servers, the heart of our network and web presence.

We are reaching out to the parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi.  If you have some free time on your hands and would like to volunteer in our school, please call the school office at 718-726-9405.  We need help with distributing ice cream to the children at lunchtime and door security.

Help us earn cash for our school every time you shop for groceries:
Clip Box Tops from hundreds of your favorite products and drop them off at school.  Each Box Top is worth ten cents to our school and that adds up fast.

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School News for the weekend of Sept. 6th and 7th:

Our first full day schedule begins on Monday.  Students will have the opportunity to have their pictures taken this week.  On Friday, please join us at the 9:00 a.m. Mass hosted by Grade 8.  We congratulate our new Student Council members who will be installed at this Mass:

6th Grade – Lillian M, Thomas O, Amanda S

7th Grade – Christopher R, Elena SRachel S

8th Grade – Christopher E, DinaAnn M, Daniel M

If you have a clean, gently used sofa that you would like to donate to the school, please call the office at 718-726-9405.  We would love to have one for our Early Morning Drop-Off/Extended School Day room. 

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School News for the weekend of Aug 30/Sep 1:

School opens on Wednesday, September 3^rd.  We welcome back our students, teachers, and staff and wish everyone a happy and successful school year.

We want to thank our Alumni Association classes of 1956 to 1969 for the beautiful wood sign for our school.  Your generosity is very much appreciated.