Volume 2, Issue 11 – November 12, 2014
IMPORTANT DATES
THANKSGIVING BASKETS DRIVE 2014
Dear SFA Families,
As the Thanksgiving holiday
approaches, we are reminded
of how fortunate and blessed we are. At this time, the
Saint Francis of Assisi School community would like to
reach out to those in need within SFA parish and town
of Braintree (Braintree Holidays). Each year, we collect
non-perishables, money, and supermarket gift cards to
provide holiday food items for families in need.
Your child’s teacher will explain the Thanksgiving
Basket Drive to the class. Each classroom teacher will
ask for donations of non-perishable items, supermarket
gift cards, and money. We also welcome any additional
donations that could be used for the holiday meals.
Canned vegetables, packages of stuffing, gravy mix,
rice, crackers, canned cranberry sauce, mixes of quick
breads, tea bags, and coffee are always needed. Any
other type of nonperishables you may have will be
appreciated, as well. Your money donations, cards, and
non-perishables may be sent to school through Thurs.,
Nov. 20. Distribution time is needed.
Thank you for any help you can give us in making this
holiday food drive a success.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Phyllis Horsman (Gr.1H) phorsman@sfab.org
Mrs. Maureen Lord (Gr.2 L) mlord@sfab.org
Thurs, Nov. 13
- The Chateau Fundraiser; 11:15 am –
close
Nov 13 – 15
- Enchanted Gift Basket Fundraiser;
10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Fri, Nov. 14
- Grade 5 Field Trip to Museum of
Science
- 1st Term Report Cards distributed
(grades 6-8)
Sat, Nov. 15
- High School Placement Exam; 8:30
am
Sun, Nov. 16
- Open House for Early Childhood
Programs; 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Tue, Nov. 18
- Parent-Teacher Conferences (grades
6 – 8)
- Early Dismissal; 11:30 am for grades
6 – 8 only
- Uniform Swap; 6:00 – 7:00 pm in
Lower Foyer
Wed, Nov. 19
- Uniform Swap; 8:30 am – 10:00 am
Sun, Nov. 23
- Bling Shop and Sip; 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Wed, Nov 26
- Early Dismissal Day; 11:30 am
CONGRATULATIONS FROM JAN BRETT
Jan Brett is a beloved children's author/ illustrator who resides in Norwell, Massachusetts with
over 39 million books in print.
In a recent note from her, she wrote “I’m overjoyed to write to you with the
news that St. Francis of Assisi was entered by Kathy Carpenter and is one
of the winning entries in the Jan Brett Win One of Five Hundred Free
Books contest. It is my pleasure to send you the enclosed copy of The
Animals’ Santa. Again congratulations and thanks.” – Jan Brett.
Thank you to Mrs. Carpenter for submitting our school into the contest.
A word of special thanks to all who join us at The Yogurt Bar last week for our
special fundraising event. Your participation and support is greatly appreciated!
Our school received a check in the amount of $175.
UPCOMING SFA FUNDRAISERS
We have several upcoming SFA Fundraisers and Events to take advantage of in the coming
weeks. Join us at one or all of these events in support of SFA. They include:
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Nov. 13th – The Chateau from 11:15 am – Close; SFA will receive 20% of food and
beverages (eat-in or take-out included);
Nov. 13th – 15th – The Enchanting Gift Basket from 10:00 am – 7:00 pm; SFA will receive
20% of total sales; and
Nov. 23rd – bling boutique “Shop & Sip” from 1:00 – 4:00 pm; SFA will receive 15% –
25% of sales
GRADE 5 FIELD TRIP
On Friday, November 14th, our grade five students will visit the Museum of Science. As part of
their visit, they will take a breathtaking trip through Maya culture and history with a modern-day
archaeologist and a young Maya descendant as they view the IMAX film “Mystery of the
Maya.”
FIRST TERM REPORT CARDS
First Term Report Card for the middle school (grades 6 – 8) will be distributed
on Friday, November 14th.
HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT EXAM
Please note that the High School Placement Exam will take place on Saturday, November 15 th.
The examination will begin sharply at 8:30 a.m.
Saint Francis of Assisi School will be hosting a Fall Open House for
prospective new families with students enrolling in our early childhood
grades – starting at 2.9 years through kindergarten on Sunday,
November 16th from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm. Come and learn more about
our school; meet key people and tour our school. Please help us spread the news to your family
and friends … post it on your Facebook and Twitter. Thanks!
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
Optional parent-teacher conferences for the Middle School (grades 6 – 8) will be held on
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 from 12:15 – 8:00 p.m. Students in grades 6 – 8 only, will be
dismissed at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 18th. Buses will comply with our schedule.
Extended Day Program will be available.
Following your child’s progress on TeacherEase should assist you in determining whether or not
to schedule a conference. We will be using the on-line system to make appointments for these
conferences again this year. If you would like to schedule a conference, log onto
https://pickatime.com/client?ven=11604701. The site will be open on Friday, November 14th
and closed on Monday, November 17th at 12:00 noon. You will be brought to a home page and
need to use your email address and create a password to enter the site
Please note to make an appointment for Mrs. Shea and Mrs. Dobrev, please sign up under
Mrs. Dobrev. These conferences will be with the two teachers together, held in the Grade
8 classroom.
UNIFORM SWAP DAY
Saint Francis of Assisi School will hold a Uniform Swap Day on Tuesday, November 18 th from
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., and on Wednesday, November 19 th from 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. in the
Lower Foyer. Attached to this email are: Uniform Swap Instructions and Uniform Swap Request
Form
Our school is in need of finding a parent or group of parents to assist us in running our SFA
Uniform Swap next year. Mrs. Johnston has been coordinating this event for the past 10 years.
Unfortunately, her child will be graduating in June and will no longer be at SFA. This event takes
place three times a year and has a great support committee. If interested or learning more about
this event, please contact Mr. Cote or Mrs. Johnston at 781-858-5847.
FALL MIDDLE SCHOOL DANCE
A middle school dance had been scheduled for Friday, November 21 st for grades 6 – 8. The
dance is from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart School in Weymouth. Tickets must be
purchased by Tuesday, November 18th (late ticket orders will not be accepted or sold at the
door).
Only students from Sacred Heart School, Quincy Catholic Academy, St. Francis of Assisi
School, St. Jerome School and St. Paul School will be admitted. Permission slips were sent
home with your child today.
BASKETBALL COACH NEEDED
We are in need for a basketball coach for our SFA 5th/6th Grade Boys’ Basketball Team. The
commitment is for 2 nights per week from Thanksgiving to early February with liberal time off
during the Christmas and New Year’s break. If interested, please contact Mr. Cote or Mrs.
Cunningham.
Also, our school will be participating in the 20th Annual Coats for Kids,
sponsored by Anton’s Cleaners from October 13th – January 10th. Donate any
gently used warm, winter coats and they will be distributed by social service
agencies to those in need within our local community. You may drop them off
at SFA, any Anton’s Cleaners and Jordan’s Furniture
FACEBOOK
SFA has a Facebook page! Please visit the page, LIKE and
SHARE it! If you are already using Facebook, you can search
for the page by using name/address:
www.facebook.com/sfabraintree. If you are not currently a user of Facebook and would like to
view the page, the SFA website has a link on its homepage (at the top left corner).
SAVE-THE-DATE(S)
 Breakfast with Santa will be held on Sunday, December 14 from 8:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Have your picture taken with Santa, enjoy a nice breakfast, and have fun and friends and
family at this beloved Saint Francis of Assisi School tradition. Santa will arrive at 9:00 a.m
… do not miss this special arrive. Tickets are $5 per person or $15 per family. We hope
to see you there.
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Christmas Concert(s) will be held on Wednesday, December 17th at 8:30 a.m. and
10:15 a.m.
CATHOLIC IDENTITY LINKS
This past week our student learned about the virtue of Stewardship. They learned that …
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That stewardship is receiving the gifts God has given us, tending them responsibly, and
sharing them with others so we can give them back in increased measure to the Lord.
How each one of us is called to share our time, talent, and treasure with others.
What it means to be a Christian steward, one who is given both the authority over what
he or she cared for and the responsibility for seeing that it lives and grows.
Attached to this email, you will please find a copy of the Family Links – Stewardship.