St. Francis School News

St. Francis School News D R. T R I C I A B A R B E R, P R I N C I P A L Principal s Corner A P R I L 1 5, 2 0 1 3 Catholic Virtue of the Month Stewardship/Service Congratulations to Jeffrey Ackiss, Matthew Ackiss, Michael Ackiss, Timothy Ackiss, Jordan Hatfield, Roan McLean, Tate McLean, Connor McLean, and Carys McLean who received the Sacrament of Holy Communion last Friday. The school community was delighted to celebrate the event with the Ackiss, McLean, and Hatfield families! Last evening, I had the pleasure to attend the Eighteenth Annual Catholic Schools/ Business Partnerships event. Bishop Loverde conveyed his commitment to the value of the educational mission of the Church, especially as it is realized through our Catholic Schools. Terra Nova testing begins April 22-26. Be sure your children are well rested and try not to schedule any appointments during this time. The faculty and I would like to thank all of our parents who continue to support the mission and vision of St. Francis School! Many of our families and students appear to have instagram accounts. Instagram is a fast way to share photos on a site. Parents are encouraged to monitor their child's instagram account and determine if you prefer the child to have a private vs. public setting. A recent news report has brought to our attention two stunts that young people are viewing on YouTube or through the media. Cinnamon Challenge and Eraser Challenge are considered potential safety hazards and health risks. Again, social media provides so many opportunities for students to be exposed to pranks. Apr. 16 Apr. 16 Apr. 19 Apr. 19 Apr. 20 Apr. 22-26 Apr. 23 Apr. 23 Apr. 26 Apr. 26 Apr. 27 Apr. 27 May 01 May 03 May 07 May 12 Dates to Remember Mass 8:45am Cupcake Day Diocesan Science Fair Terra Nova Testing Grades 2-7 Mass 8:45am First Communion rehearsal 6:00pm First Communion 10:00am All Pro Dad meeting 7:10am 2nd grade Field Trip to Bull Run Park McSpirit Night at McDonald s 5-8pm May Crowning Drama Performance Mothers Day Catholic High School Information Night Visit with admissions directors from Bishop Ireton, Bishop O Connell, Oakcrest, PaulVI and Pope John Paul the Great. Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013 St. Timothy School 13809 Poplar Tree Road Chantilly, VA 20151 and Thursday, April 25, 2013 St. Bernadette School 7602 Old Keene Mill Road Springfield, VA 22152 ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI SCHOOL 18825 FULLER HEIGHTS RD. TRIANGLE, VA. 22172 WWW.STFAS.ORG 703-221-3868

Finance News Book Fee - $150.00 per student, is due June 1 st. If you have a current FACTS tuition agreement, we can charge this fee to your account during the month of May 2013 (on the date your tuition agreement payment is scheduled). Please email Mrs. Kathy Greene at greenek.sfas@gmail.com to request this charge by April 15. If you do not have a FACTS agreement, or prefer to wait until June 1 st,, please submit $150.00 per student, cash or check (made payable to St. Francis School) and note Book Fee in the memo section. If you have more than one child please combine the fees and submit one payment. PTO Family Fundraising Fee Each family is required to raise a minimum $150 (fundraiser profit) per school year. You will be receiving an email today indicating if you have paid the fee or if a balance is due. If you have a balance due consider donating to the upcoming PTO Casino Night and Silent Auction that will take place on Saturday, May 18, 2013. 100% of Casino Night advertisements and donations will be credited towards your family fundraising fee. A family may opt out of fundraising by issuing a check for $150 to the PTO in lieu of fundraising. Make check payable to St. Francis of Assisi School. Thank you for your support! Quote of the Week! Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Be curious. Cupcake Day April 19th Stephen Hawking Each cupcake is $.50 A delicious treat to enjoy! Library News: P A G E 2 NATIONAL POETRY MONTH Each year the month of April is set aside as National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate poets and their craft. Various events are held throughout the month by the Academy of American Poets and other poetry organizations. In honor of National Poetry Month, the students will be introduced to a variety of poetic forms during library classes. Students will be provided with several models for creating different forms of poetry. We'll be using Theme Poems, Acrostic Poems, Diamante Poems, and Instant Poetry Forms to do this. Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets throughout the United States band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events. Celebrate National Library Week April 14-20, 2013 Theme: Communities matter @ your library Robotics Meeting - Mandatory There will be mandatory meeting for those who are interested in applying for next school year's St. Francis First Lego League Robotics Team. All those interested in applying for the team must attend this meeting. Anyone not attending the meeting or who does not make arrangements for missing the meeting before the start of the meeting will not be able to apply. All students attending the meeting will be given the application. Limited spaces on the team are available. The meeting will be held Thursday, April 18th in the fourth grade classroom immediately following school and will last approximately thirty minutes. Any questions should be directed to Mrs. Oder in the fourth grade classroom.

Technology Que Grade 8 Student Websites Students have completed their websites on their Confirmation project and they are now published. Sites are private and can only be viewed when using the site password which is limited to school personnel and those students who created the sites. All work must first be evaluated and graded before going public. We hope to feature a few of these sites publicly, with links on our school website in the near future. In the Computer Lab During upcoming weeks, our eighth grade class will work on assignments dealing with plagiarism, copyright, and proper citation styles of MLA and APA to cite the source of content used when preparing reports. Grades 6 and 7 have started creating individual web pages using both HTML-Hyper Text Markup Language codes and tags, and the text editor Notepad. This introduction to simple webpage design covers various computer skills and critical thinking to deliver a multimedia product. The Growing with Technology web site at www.growing.course.com is being utilized in our Primary and Intermediate classes with activities, and lessons that are geared to each grade level. This website is comprehensive in content of Computer Information Technology, and is designed to make it enjoyable for students. Please visit this class website frequently at www.sfasit.org for more information about the IT Program. You can also access it through the school website, www.stfas.org, by selecting the Academic tab, to the IT Program page, and then click the link on the top right side: IT Program/Technology Que www.sfasit.org. This website also provides a convenient form for easy correspondence under its contact tab above. I welcome any questions or concern you may have about your child s education and progress in our computer classes. If you have any questions, please contact me. Thank you. Mrs. Veronica Newger SFAS IT Program Expressing Catholicism P A G E 3 Expressing Catholicism can be done in many ways; Catholicism is giving praise throughout my days. Catholic means unity; We are all part of a special Church community. We believe in one, holy, catholic, apostolic Church; There is no other search. To fulfill the sacraments is our goal, They make us feel whole. The Crucifixion is the greatest gift, And that will never shift. Jesus rose from the dead, And put visions of heaven in our heads. Catholicism is great, And something no one should hate. Catherine Hanafin Computer 8 Expressing Catholicism I express Catholicism in several ways, It is my way to give praise. I can spread the Good News of God, And share it to all, home and abroad. We believe in the Trinity, And in Mary s virginity. We receive the body and blood of Christ, Which simply cannot be priced. Jesus is our Savior, We try to follow His behavior. For our sins, Jesus died, This should be thanked worldwide. God gave up His only Son, Who was His loved one. From the dead, Jesus rose, And in our hearts, Jesus grows. Every day, I pray, In my heart, He will stay. My faith is very important to me, I hope that all agree. Claire Kotwicki Computer 8

P A G E 4 PTO NEWS AND NOTES Keep on Clipping: Don t forget to clip those Box Tops and send them in. Please put them in a plastic bag with your child s grade to ensure the right class gets credit. There will be one more classroom winner before the end of the school year. McSpirit Night - Mark your calendars - Wednesday, May 1, 5-8pm for St. Francis Spirit Night at McDonald s, 178 Dumfries Road, Rt. 234, Dumfries. Order a McFlurry from Dr. Barber or delicious french fries from Fr. Kevin! The St. Francis Faculty and Staff will be joining the McDonald s crew to make your visit extra special. Labels for Education (LFE) is having a promotion to receive 1000 extra points if we submit 1000 labels by 4-30-13! Please continue to submit as many labels as you can! WE NEED YOUR HELP! The invitations for SFA s Second Annual Casino Night, Saturday, May 18 th will be sent out this week. Tickets can be bought online through the PTO Casino night website-visit www.stfas.org, tab PTO. Ticket order forms can be found on the school web site home page www.stfas.org, Ticket prices will be $35 in advance or $40 at the door. This promises to be an exciting event that you won t want to miss. In conjunction with Casino Night there will be a silent auction. If you have a business and want to donate a service, be a sponsor or buy an advertisement, please contact Sandra Kaus, Event Coordinator, at Sandra.kaus@kausfamily.net. See the school PTO bulletin board or go to the above website for a list of special Auction items we have received. Our goal is to raise $40,000 this year and with good luck (and hard work) we CAN do it! We need a full house of volunteers to help us achieve this goal!!! P l e a s e c o n t a c t S a n d r a K a u s a t Sandra.kaus@kausfamily.net if you are interested in assisting in any area. Mandatory Training for Volunteers at St. Francis School The VIRTUS Protecting God s Children is the adult safe-environment program being offered by the Diocese of Arlington. The Diocese requires all adult employees and also volunteers who have substantial contact with children to attend the seminar. This includes : _Vacation Bible School volunteers _Nursery volunteers _Confirmation retreat parent volunteers _School parent volunteers, who chaperone field trips, volunteer in the classroom, etc. _Mommy & Me volunteers _Coaches for all sports _Boy Scout/Girl Scout leaders and assistants (regardless of whether they are parishioners) _Catechists and Assistant Catechists _CYM and MSYM volunteers _All church and school employees St. Francis of Assisi Parish will host a seminar on: Saturday, May 11th from 10 am 2 pm in the Parish Center Dining Facility (begins promptly at 10am). To attend this workshop you must pre-register with your full legal name. The seminar is limited to 50 people, but there are a number of seminars offered throughout the Diocese. Please check availability on the VIRTUS website. To register: Visit to www.virtus.org and click on the yellow link labeled "Registration (you may either view a list of sessions or begin the registration process). To register for a specific session, select Begin the Registration Process. Then, from the pull-down menu, select "Diocese of Arlington, VA". Then follow the online prompts. Every St. Francis of Assisi school volunteer and adult member of the parish is invited to register and attend the workshop - it is our duty as members of this community of faith to be aware of how we can support and protect our children.

P A G E 5 What Happens with PTO Money? Christmas Bazaar Supplies Books Science (Just a few Examples) Support St. Francis of Assisi Students at the 2nd Annual Casino Night & Auction Saturday, May 18, 2013 6:30 pm $35 per person / $40 at the door Name of Attendee (s) Address City, State & Zip Code Email Address Please return order form to the school office along with payment. Checks made payable to St. Francis of Assisi School.