Weekly Howl

Happy Monday and welcome back after a gorgeous weekend!

We are grateful for the smooth MAP testing over these last few weeks which was coordinated by Mrs. Celena Chandler, and facilitated by the classroom teachers. Students who were absent during their testing window will finish makeup MAP testing this week.

Mark your calendar for a very special St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day Mass on Tuesday, October 4 at 10:00 a.m. We are starting a new tradition at the Feast Day Mass of our patron saint, which is the blessing of eighth grade students' crosses. More on the 8th grade crosses below.

We have officially kicked off our 2022-2023 Annual Fund Appeal! Letters were sent out to our school community to participate in our annual fund giving. 100% of your contribution will go directly toward helping a child receive a Catholic education at St. Francis. Your support at any level impacts the students who walk our halls and is a critical component in meeting our goal and the needs of our future students. Let's commit to praying for our annual fund reaching this year's goal of $100,000!

Thank you for the opportunity to be of service to your children and your family!

Yours in Christ,

Andrea Smith, M.Ed., LPC, NCC

Principal

Generosity: Giving of yourself. Focus on one act of kindness each day.

Our prayer:

Dear Jesus,

Let me share myself with others as You share Your life with me. Amen

Tickets will go on sale tomorrow, Tuesday, September 20. Families will receive a form via email tomorrow morning to order tickets. There will be a limited number of tickets available, so complete your order form and bring your check made out to SFCS to the School Office. You will then receive a confirmation email. Remember that due to limited space availability, this is a SFCS parent only event.

SFCS Beta Club will hold the first meeting of the academic year during lunchtime on Wednesday, September 21. Current 7th and 8th grade members and those 7th and 8th grade students interested in joining, should plan to bring their lunch to the library at 12:44 p.m. to attend the meeting. Please contact Mrs. Amanda Keefer (amanda.keefer@sfcshhi.com) for more information.

Join principal, Andrea Smith, on Tuesday, September 27 at 8:15 a.m. in the SFCS cafeteria, for coffee, pastries, and conversation! We look forward to seeing you!

St. Francis by the Sea Catholic Church will host their annual picnic on October 2 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. at Honey Horn Plantation. Tickets are available for pre-sale at all masses on September 24 & 25. During the week, tickets will be available in the parish and school offices.

Pre-sale ticket prices are $5.00 individual or $15.00 family.

The ticket prices the day of the picnic will be $10.00 individual or $20.00 family.

Ticket prices include ALL food, drink, games, and entertainment.

Invite your family and friends to join the fun and fellowship of the St. Francis community!

School Mass - 10:00 a.m. - Blessing of the 8th grade crosses - students wear Mass uniform

Pet Blessing - 3:15 p.m. - The Blessing of the Pets will be a beautiful celebration honoring St. Francis of Assisi on his Feast Day. This event will take place following school dismissal, in the first row of the Church parking lot. Families are welcome to bring their pet, or photo of their pet to the blessing. All animals must be accompanied by an adult, leashed, or securely caged. We ask that school families with pets go through the carline to pick up their child, park in the Church parking, and walk up to the area sectioned off where the pet blessing will take place.

Join the St. Francis Catholic School community at St. Francis by the Sea Catholic Church for School Family Sunday Mass on the following Sundays:

October 16, 2022

November 20, 2022

December 18, 2022

January 15, 2023

February 19, 2023

March 19, 2023

April 16, 2023

May 21, 2023

In an effort to consolidate communication, and have one central Facebook page for SFCS families to find announcements and learn about upcoming school events, the "St. Francis Families (St. Francis Catholic School, Hilton Head Island)" Facebook page will become inactive on October 1, 2022. Our official Facebook page is "St. Francis Catholic School". As a reminder, the use of St. Francis Catholic School, or St. Francis by the Sea names, logos, etc., must be approved before associating any group with either name or SFCS. We appreciate your cooperation and partnership with this important policy and ask you to contact Mrs. Smith for school related requests, and the SFBTS Parish office for church related requests. Please join our school Facebook page! (scroll down to the bottom of the newsletter and click on link)

The week of October 3, our weekly school Mass will be moved to Tuesday, October 4 to celebrate our feast day honoring St. Francis of Assisi. Please be sure your child wears their Mass uniform on Tuesday, October 4, and regular uniform on Wednesday, October 5. Also at our Feast Day Mass, we will begin a new tradition of the blessing of the 8th grade crosses. We invite parents, guardians, family, and friends to attend our school masses, and ask that you sit on the left side of the church as you walk in.

Our lost and found bin is growing! We have an assortment of water bottles, lunch boxes, uniform clothing, sweaters, and jackets. Please have your student check the lost and found bin which is in the office and also brought to each lunch period daily. We will start cleaning out the bin on the last day of every month, so please come and get reunited with your belongings! Any item not picked up by the last day of the month will get donated or discarded. As a reminder, please label your student's water bottle, lunch box, clothing, etc., to make it easier to claim since we have many look-alike items. Thank you!

Click below to view the 2022.23 school calendar.

This is Mrs. Wolfkiel’s first year at SFCS, serving as the 3rd Grade Teacher. She graduated with a BSM degree from Tulane University – spent 10 years in sales & marketing. She earned her M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University in 2000 and has been an educator ever since. Mrs. Wolfkiel has served in both public and Catholic schools in TN, GA, and RI and is trained in Orton-Gillingham. When not working, she enjoys reading, listening to live music, gardening, walks on the beach and playing tennis. She and her husband, Bob adopted twin daughters from Russia, Daria and Gabriella, now in their early twenties. They have 3 hound dogs – Lucy, Chloe and Freddie. We are delighted to have Mrs. Wolfkiel as our 3rd Grade Teacher!

First graders are getting ready for fall! They made some scarecrows and worked on community helpers poetry books.

Recipe for a relaxing afternoon: Take 1 group of students. Add a sprinkle of favorite books. Mix in equal parts sunshine and soft grass. Let chill and enjoy!

How many drops of water can a penny hold? If you don't know, ask a 4th grader in Mrs. Watson's class!

This past Friday, Mrs. Brewster's 5th grade class welcomed Mrs. Meadows, Demand Manager Director, as their "Career Day Guest Speaker". The students learned about data gathering and how businesses use information to drive their performance. Perhaps there are some future computer engineers in the 5th grade class! Thank you Mrs. Meadows for the candy watches and banana pens!

The sixth grade was introduced to the cultural heritage of the Hawaiian Islands through scenes in the life of their last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani. The cloth that was used for their clothes and ceremonies came from the inner bark of trees. Students were also taught about Father Damien who devoted his life to the lepers of Molokai. Using oil pastel and heavy weight paper, the students created a radial design of their own. Wadding the paper over and over created a soft cloth like feel!

You may view their artwork in the halls of the academic building, and the lobby of the Fine Arts building.

Congratulations to all the SFCS students who broke physical fitness records last week! Way to go!

The eighth grade class participated in a half day retreat, led by Fr. Christopher, and Miss Jennifer McGlynn, Director of Faith Formation. Small group discussions and team building were the focus. The class will participate in a full day retreat at the end of September, led by the Diocesan Youth Ministry Team!

Members of the graduating class of 2023, in collaboration with their Religion and Art classes, will make their own individual crosses. These crosses will be blessed during our Feast Day Mass on October 4, and put on display for the year. Each eighth grade student will receive their blessed cross and diploma during their graduation ceremony in May 2023!

Our Annual Fund is underway! The annual fund is one of the most important gifts we ask of our St. Francis community. Gifts to the St. Francis Catholic School Annual Fund provide students access to opportunities that distinguish the SFCS educational, spiritual, and social experiences.

*****Volleyball*****

Senior Team:

Monday 19th - Home game against Cross 4 pm

Tuesday 20th - Bryan County away at 5 pm...900 Payne Rd Pembroke, GA 31321 ***The girls will have an early dismissal of 2:15pm and will need to be picked up at the back door of the gym in the Faculty Parking Lot NO LATER THAN 2:30PM. IT MAY TAKE CLOSE TO 90 MINUTES TO GET TO THE SCHOOL. PLEASE HAVE YOUR PLAYER THERE BY 4:15PM.***

Wednesday 21st - Practice until 5 pm

Thursday 22nd - HHCA away 4pm Before the away games please allow the girls to come to the gym first and leave together as a team.

Friday - OFF

Junior Team:

Monday - home game against Cross @ 5:00 p.m. Uniform: Blue

Tuesday- away game against Bryan County @ 6:00 p.m. Uniform: Gold The school address is...900 Payne Rd Pembroke, GA 31321. Please allow up to 90 minutes to get to Bryan County Middle School and have your player at the gym by 5pm.

Wednesday: off

Thursday - away game against Hilton Head Christian Academy @ 5:00 p.m. Uniform: Blue

Friday: OFF

*****Cross Country*****

Girls:

Monday 3:15-4:15 Jarvis Creek Park

Tuesday 5PM Meet at HHP - 8 Fox Grape Road Hilton Head SC 29928...please have your runner on the HHP school campus by 4:15pm.

Wednesday – Off

Thursday- ***Coach Kerry has a work conflict and cannot be at practice*** 3:15-4:15 Practice will be led by coach Harrison at Jarvis creek park

Friday – 3:15-4:15 Practice at Spring Lake

Boys:

Monday - Wednesday - Thursday - practice at Jarvis Creek. 3:15 to 4:15

Tuesday - meet at Hilton Head Prep at 8 Fox Grape Rd. Hilton Head 29928....Please arrive by 4:15.

If you would like to be a part of the FSA community, please contact fsa.sfcs@gmail.com to learn how you may get involved!

https://www.facebook.com/sfcshhi

Email: school@sfcshhi.com
Website: sfcshhi.com
Location: 45 Beach City Rd, HHI, SC 29926
Phone: 843-681-6501
Facebook: facebook.com/sfcshhi