Latest Flocknotes

30 October 2010

Battle of the Books Bake Sale
The Battle of the Books team would like to thank everyone for supporting our bake sale. We raised $237.25 in sales plus $45.00 in donations for a grand total of $282.25! The money will be used to purchase books for our competition in April.
A special thanks to all of the parents that donated baked goods!

26 October 2010

The GREAT TURKEY CAPER begins Wed., Oct. 27. Classrooms will be collecting Box Tops for Education and Campbells UPCs until Nov. 17. The room collecting the most will receive a treat on Nov. 23. Ask your family, friends and coworkers to help us out! Did you know we get $.10 for each Box Top we redeem? Send those UPCs and Box Tops in today!!

NEWS FROM THE CAFETERIA: Beginning Nov. 1st, the SNACK BAR will be CASH ONLY! Students will NOT be permitted to charge Snack Bar items.
The following items are available at the snack bar for purchase:
Drinks:
100% Apple Juice Slushie $ .75
V8 Fusion Vegetable/Fruit Juice: $1.00
Strawberry/Banana
Blueberry/Pomegranate
Water – 16 oz. bottle $ .50
Crystal Light Water Flavor Packet $ .25
Ice Cream Cup – Vanilla or chocolate $ .50
Popsicle – assorted flavors $ .50

Coming soon!
Fresh popped popcorn…

REMINDER: Please be sure that your child’s name is on any envelopes sent to school, so as to ensure that proper credit is given to your lunch account.

22 October 2010

We are going to be on the radio!!
Our local Catholic Radio station 1580AM is a self-sustaining nonprofit station and needs your help. Join us in supporting this worthwhile cause by making an Advance Gift to St. Gabriel Radio's Fall Spirit Drive. Representatives from our parish will be on the radio on Wednesday Oct. 27th from 11:00-noon. Don't wait! Advance gifts will be attributed to our hour as long as you designate our parish when making your contribution. Advance Gift envelopes are available at St. Gabriel Radio (4673 Winterset Drive) or donations can be made at http://stgabrielradio.com/donation1.htm.



Vatican Splendors Bus Trip
Join us on Saturday, November 6th for a once in a life time opportunity to see relics, art, artifacs and other pieces from the Vatican at the Vatican Splendors Exhibit in Pittsbugh, PA. We'll also be going to St. Anthony's Chapel which is home to the largest collection of relics in the world. See the attached flier for more information and registration. Limited to the first 30 registrations! So book today!

Bus Trip Flyer

Registration Forms
PROGRESS REPORTS will be sent home on Novmeber 1st. Please keep in mind that if there are any outstanding charges such as tuition, lunch money, or library fees, as well as volunteer hours from last year, report cards will not be released.

Reminder: PICTURE RETAKES are on Wed, 10/27. You must return the original package if you would like your child's picture retaken.

Also on Wed, 10/27, our 'Battle of the Books' Jr. High students will be having a BAKE SALE. Any money raised will be used to purchase required books for this competition.

Bishop Campbell will be in Johnson Hall in the Lamy Center on Wednesday, 10/27, to present "Information on the New Translation of the Roman Missal." Please consider joining us at 7:00pm.
Dear Parents,

Cafeteria reports for families who owe for charges will be coming home with students today. If you have any questions regarding the charge process or the amount that is due, please contact Amber in the accounting office at 345-9874 ext. 235 or via email to amccracken@stfrancisparish.net.

Thank you.
--
Amber McCracken
Accountant
St. Francis de Sales Parish/School

20 October 2010

THURSDAY, 10/21, is a DELAYED OPENING and a CASUAL DAY for those who returned their surveys. Students should bring the coupon they received.

October is the month of the Rosary. On FRIDAY, 10/22, families are invited to join us for the LIVING ROSARY at 1:45pm in the gym. If you know of a family that has been considering our school, please invite them along as well! We are our own best advertisement!!

Our BAZAAR is getting closer by the minute!!! Many thanks to the parents who came in to help our students with their class projects for the ART AUCTION. We are still in need of donations to fill our BASKETS OF JOY, which will be on display during Parent Teacher Conferences.

Only 65 shopping days left till Christmas!!! Why not give the gift of a good book and shop at our annual BOOK FAIR during the week of November 1st?!

Please remember to schedule your Parent/Teacher Conferences for 11/4 or 11/10.

Monday, 10/25 - NO SCHOOL!

18 October 2010

Pepsi Refresh Project

VOTING CONTINUES! Have you been voting for the Pepsi Refresh Project submitted by St. Francis de Sales? St. Francis de Sales has an opportunity to secure a $50,000.00 Grant from the Pepsi Corporation to help with the restoration of the beautiful pipe organ. The cost of refurbishing the pipe organ is estimated to be between $175,000.00-$200,000.00. With your help, we can secure the grant offered by Pepsi Corp. by voting daily using the methods outlined below. We met our first goal of getting into the Top 100 by the end of September. Our next goal is to get into the Top 10 by the end of October. This is where you can help. Spread the word to family, friends, neighbors, etc. Thank you for your support.

3 ways to vote (vote once daily using each method):
Go to www.stfrancisparish.net.
1) Vote with your Pepsi Refresh Account
2) Vote with your Facebook Account (Click on Login with Facebook on the Pepsi Refresh Site)
3) Text* 102446 to Pepsi (73774) *Standard text rates apply
If you have any questions, please contact Eric Wright(wrightericv@roadrunner.com or 814-2045).

15 October 2010

Minutes from Bazaar Booster Meeting held on Oct 13, 2010
Start saving those Box Tops For Education and Campbells Soup Labels. We will begin a classroom contest on Oct. 27! Ask your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to help out, too.
Parents of Confirmation students - Please note that monitoring students during Confirmation class time DOES NOT count toward volunteer hours.
Scholastic Book Fair

Our annual book fair will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, November 1st and close at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 5th! The book fair will be open daily 8:30-3:30 with extended hours on Thursday until 7:00 p.m. during parent-teacher conferences. Please visit the link below for a preview of the book selection for this year.

See you at the book fair!

http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/stfrancisdesaleselementary
IMPORTANT REMINDER! Terra Nova Testing begins on Monday, 10/18, and continues throughout next week. Please be sure your child gets plenty of rest and eats a nutritious breakfast before coming to school. On time attendance each day is important as well.

Our Advanced Strings students did a super job performing at Chapel Grove last night!

Good luck to our Jr. High Volleyball Teams as they gear up for tournament games. Also, best of luck to our Cross Country runners in their League Meet this weekend.

14 October 2010

Need volunteer hours? Want to get involved? PTA is looking for a parent (or a group of parents!) to be the FAMILY FUN NIGHTS CHAIR.We currently have two events scheduled – one in December and one in March. There is still time to plan the theme and make these events your own! Past themes have included Family Game Night and Family Movie Night. The planning for these events can be done in the evening or on the weekends. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact either Christy Charvat (charvatc@yahoo.com) or Bernadette Bloom (cbloom@ee.net)

The PTA ALUMNI DRIVE continues throughout the school year. In the August/September drawing, Mrs. Lynn Crum won free lunch for one child for the school year. The drawing for the one month tuition payment took place on October 1st. The winning family chose to pass on the opportunity to a family in need, and has asked to remain anonymous. We thank them for their generosity! The following families were recipients of a $15.00 item of their choosing from our Spirit Wear collection: August/September drawing - Mr. Jeffrey Crumrine, Mrs. Audra Brothers, and Mrs. Lori Mazzone; October drawing - Mrs. Lillian Roche, Mrs. Christy Annarino, and Mrs. Kathy Erhard.

Last call for SURVEYS! Many thanks to the 232 families who returned surveys! Your input will be tabulated by an outside company [as per diocesan policy] and will be used to help us determine our continually evolving School Improvement Plan for Accreditation. A Casual Day is planned for Thursday, 10/21, for those students of families who returned their surveys! This day is also a DELAYED OPENING, as listed on the school calendar. [If you still have a survey you may send it in by Monday, 10/18.]

PICTURE RETAKES have been scheduled for Wed, 10/27. If you would like your child's picture retaken, please send the original package back to school on or before 10/27.

Our Jr. High students who are participating in 'The Battle of the Books' are hosting a BAKE SALE during lunch periods on Wed, 10/27. Proceeds will be used to purchase books that are required reading for this competition.

An order form for the 2010 BAZAAR T-SHIRT was sent home today. Congratulations to Anne Lanfranc in 7A for the winning design!

Yearbook order forms came home today! Check your child's backpack.

Parent Teacher conferences can be scheduled starting TODAY. Conferences are on Thursday, 11/4 and Wed, 11/10. Please be sure to go online and choose a time to meet with your child's HOMEROOM teacher. If you would like to see a teacher other than homeroom, please schedule an appointment at another time. The 'Specials' teachers, as well as the remedial teachers, will be available as well.

Tomorrow, 10/15, is PROSPECTIVE PARENT DAY! Guests are invited to join us between the hours of 9am and 2pm for tours and information about our school. We welcome current families to join us for an hour or so to act as a 'host' or 'hostess' at the refreshment table in the library.

I had the opportunity to attend a Jr. High football game on Monday evening at a public school. I was so impressed with our coaches when I saw them all kneel down with the team members in the middle of the field and say a prayer before the game began. This is one of the reasons we send our children to Catholic school. Thank you, coaches, for the excellent example!
2010 Christmas Bazaar T‐Shirt

It’s time once again to order your 2010 limited edition Christmas Bazaar T‐Shirt!!! This is a one of a kind t‐shirt and you won’t be able to get it after this year!! Special thanks to Anne Lanfranc from 7thgrade for making this shirt possible.

DEADLINE: Please have orders and money to school no later than Nov. 1st. Shirts will be delivered to students between November 11th and November 16th. Circle youth or adult and the size (XL & XXL is adult sizes only)

Bazaar T‐Shirt Order Form
PickATime Parent/Teacher Conference Scheduling

The first Parent/Teacher Conferences for the year will be held on Thursday, Novemember 4th and Wednesday, November 10th.

PickAtime is a web-based application to schedule conferences with teachers during the November and February parent/teacher conferences. By using pickAtime, you can schedule appointments that meet your busy schedule, print your scheduled appointments, and even receive an email reminder. To access this program, please click on the scheduling link on our school’s website here:
http://www.cdeducation.org/schools/dse/resources/ptconferences.htm
You will be able to schedule or cancel appointments beginning on Thursday, October 14th. It will remain open through 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, November 3rd for the November 4th conference dates, and 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, November 9th for the November 10th conference dates. If you are unable to schedule on the website, please call the office at 345-4049 x 2 from 8:30am-3pm.

Parent Directions for PickATime (also available on the scheduling link)

13 October 2010

Battle of the Books

The Battle of the Books program is available to all 7th and 8th grade students. Our team will be reading 85 books to prepare for a competition with 21 other Catholic schools in our diocese in the spring of 2011. We are trying to collect all 85 books for the team. Please see the attached list. If you have any of the books on our list and would like to donate them to our school library it would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
Mrs. Merry
Battle of the Books Advisor

Battle of the Books List

12 October 2010

Bazaar Information Update

BAZAAR BOOSTER Meeting — Wed. Oct. 13 6:30 – 7:30 in Cafeteria. Come get updated on what we have planned, also come with questions and ideas.

HELP NEEDED!!!! We will be working on Art Auction Projects next Monday October 18 from 12:45-2:45. If you have some free time, PLEASE consider helping!!!! Please contact Joni O’Neill 928-7296 or 323-5865 or e-mail kevafmom@roadrunner.com

ITEMS ARE STILL NEEDED FOR BASKETS OF JOY!!!! Please consider donating to this part of the bazaar. We don’t have many items or much cash for any of the baskets!!!
Kindergarten—Family Fun
1st & 2nd Grade- Art Basket
3rd & 4th Grade—Movie Night
5th & 6th Grade—NC & St. Francis Spirit Wear Basket
7th & 8th Grade—Gift Card Basket
Donations are DUE October 22. Remember for every $10 in cash or gift cards you donate you get 1 Volunteer hour!!!!

Watch for Christmas Bazaar T-Shirt order forms in a book bag near you!!!

Items needed for the White Elephant Sale, please let your family and friends know. We will pick up!!! Just call Joni 323-5965 or 928-7296 or Mike 345-5625 to arrange a time.
St. Francis Spiritwear Update

The new SFDS license plates are here and will be available at the Spirit store this wednesday from 11:00 to 1:00 in the school cafeteria. They are selling for $3.00. You can view this and other available items HERE.

07 October 2010

Terra Nova Preparation Letter

06 October 2010

Nutrikids.com News

The MyNutrikids.com® website, is implementing a regular system maintenance window each Saturday between 1am and 8am starting this weekend, Saturday October 9, 2010 at 1am Eastern Time, with service resuming at 8am.

During the maintenance window, there may be periods when the website is unavailable. During those periods, visitors to the MyNutrikids.com® website will see a maintenance page that informs them that the website is unavailable. On rare occasions, extended-length maintenance windows may be required, and Nutrikids will issue a special notification for those occasions.

04 October 2010

Christmas Bazaar Update

We have gotten a donation of all the bubble wrap that we will need for this year's bazaar, so we will no longer need donations of bubble wrap. Thank you for saving your bubble wrap for us!!!:)

There will be a Bazaar Booster Meeting, OCTOBER 13 AT 6:30 IN THE CAFETERIA. All interested in helping with the bazaar are invited to come for more information. Please bring any ideas/suggestions that you have. Each chairperson will be giving an update of their particular area of the bazaar.

We are still in need of items or cash donations for Baskets of Joy. We need your donations in order to make this a sucessful raffle!! We thank you in advance for your generous donations.

Have old items you just don't know what to do with? Call us and we will haul them away and turn them into CASH for St. Francis. We are looking for donations (just no clothes please) for the White Elephant table. Pass the word on to everyone you know. Call either Mike 345-5625 or Joni 323-5865 for pick up or with any questions.


Construction of Classroom Art Auction projects will be taking place the week of October 18th. If you have an hour or more that week and you are willing to come in the afternoon and help in a classroom, please let us know. The projects this year are really cute and useful, but we need lots of hands to make this a success! If you would like to volunteer please call Joni O'Neill 740-323-5865.
Prospective Parent Visit Day Flyer
We have been rolled over into the October voting for the Pepsi Refresh Project. The link for the project is:

www.refresheverything.com/austinorgan

All projects start the vote count over at zero (0). Please vote and also send out the information to all your friends, family, neighbors, etc. With the word spreading through the community and beyond we should be able to secure the grant this month.

3 ways to VOTE (Vote with each method below everyday)

1)Go to www.refresheverything.com/austinorgan then sign in and vote.

2)Vote through Facebook

3)Text 102446 to Pepsi (73774) *standard text message rates apply

Here are some materials that you can distribute to help get the word out:

Pepsi Refresh Organ Flyer

Pepsi Refresh Organ Voting Information Cards

Thank you for all of your support!