Crusader Chronicle
August 2021
Get Excited Crusaders!
I hope everyone is enjoying the remainder of their summer vacation.
The staff is hard at work making sure the students will have the best year ever!
I look forward to meeting everyone at the Back to School Picnic and Meet-the-Teacher event.
Gratefully,
Sarah Bitzer
Principal
The Crusader family welcomes Mrs. Janet McHugh!
Mrs. McHugh will be teaching 4th grade.
I am excited about the opportunity to join the St. Francis de Sales team and to help students grow and flourish in academics as well as faith during their elementary years. I have 24 years of experience in Catholic schools. I have a Bachelor of Science in Education from The Ohio State University and a Masters of Education from Xavier University. While attending Xavier University I participated in the Initiative for Catholic Schools. This program was developed to enhance and enrich the Math and Science curriculum in the Catholic Schools.
My husband Tom and I have been married for 24 years. We have two daughters, Madison (16) and Megan (14). Madison will be a senior at Roger Bacon HIgh School. Megan will be a freshman at Badin High School. We have been a part of St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in Liberty Township for 22 years.
The Crusader family welcomes Mrs. Tisha Jackson!
The Crusader family welcomes Mrs. Andrea Ferraro!
With nearly 16 years at St. Francis de Sales parish, my family and I consider my teaching here somewhat like a homecoming. My husband and I have 7 children and just celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. Besides time spent raising kiddos, I have taught English in both public and private schools at the junior high and high school levels. Most recently, I taught religion in a Catholic school in Dayton. My favorite part of teaching is developing relationships with my students and witnessing them grow in confidence and maturity in all areas of their development as students and children of God. When not teaching, I enjoy time with my family, long walks with my husband, and quiet time for prayer. I look forward to working with the staff at St. Francis, meeting more families, and getting to know my future students.
New Tennis League!
Amerileagues is pleased to announce a new youth tennis program- It is called American Team Tennis.
Join us this fall for tennis in a fun, team-based way. The league will have different skill levels based on the teams’ experience. Players can sign up to play for their school team and can indicate teammate preferences if multiple teams are fielded.
Each player will receive a team shirt. Racquets will be provided for the 3rd and 4th grade teams.
League Information
WHO: 3rd-8th grade teams (5-10 players required per team)
WHEN: Sundays, Sept 12 - Oct 17
WHERE: Cincinnati Tennis and Education Center at Withrow High School and other locations such as Sycamore High School or CHCA, depending on number of teams.
Play with your friends from school or join a team as an individual.
All 3rd and 4th grade teams will require a parent supervisor (coach) to help with logistics on the court.
The Sunday match format is designed to allow players to compete in tennis while they are playing in another season, such as soccer or volleyball.
Matches will be played Sunday afternoons.
$95 per player (includes a red ball racquet and instruction for 3rd-4th grades).
Registration deadline is August 30th.
If you have any questions, please email me at ben.goodyear@amerileagues.com
Thanks!
Mask Policy
Many thanks to all of our families, teachers, and staff for going above and beyond in the 2020-2021 school year to comply with all of the COVID policies and regulations that were in place. Due to everyone's commitment, St. Francis de Sales School was able to have a full academic year with in-person instruction.
On June 2, the Ohio Department of Health rescinded Pandemic Health Orders. Several pandemic health orders were rescinded or lifted. This action removes several statewide requirements enacted to protect the health and safety of Ohioans during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the statewide mask mandate.
For the 2021-2022 school year, St. Francis de Sales will be moving to an optional mask policy. Families should determine if they would like their child to wear a mask during the school day. We will continue to ask staff and students to monitor their health daily and to stay home when they are ill.
We will continue to monitor the health changes in our community, the guidelines given and adjust as needed to this policy.
If there are any additional questions, please call the school office.
Thank you for all you are doing to keep our students and staff safe!
Picnic Information
Dinner will be a potluck style dinner, so please bring your favorite side dish.
Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m.
Kona Ice will arrive at 7:00 p.m. The students will all receive a free Kona Ice treat. Family members may purchase additional Kona Ice items.
There will be a raffle going on for various prizes. Raffle tickets are free.
If you would like to donate to the raffle, it would be greatly appreciated.
Please contact Beth Schrameck (937-232-3398) if you have any donations and/or questions.
Current Raffle Prizes
Meet-the-Teacher Information
12:00-1:00 p.m.- Families with last names beginning with A-M should attend to meet with the teachers and staff.
1:00-2:00 p.m.- Families with last names beginning with N-Z should attend to meet with the teachers and staff.
The teachers will be reviewing expectations regarding homework, classwork, grading, and communication.
Parents should try to attend alone so they can hear all of the pertinent information from the classroom teacher.
Please feel free to bring your child's school supplies to drop off in the classroom.
We look forward to seeing you on August 15!
Lebanon City Bus Route Information
Please visit our website at www.lebanonschools.org click on Departments, Transportation, Bus Routes and you will see:
How to access your student's transportation information
You will be asked to provide the following information when you login to the Bus Route website:
· User Name = Student ID Birthdate followed by first initial of first and last name example 08052020LS
· Password = Student Date of Birth (no slashes, dashes or spaces), example: 08052020
· Select Work With Students
· Select View My Students
Before & After School Care
Employment Opportunity
The positions are part time- 3:30 – 6:00 PM. Candidates will be required to obtain fingerprints, a background check, and be current with VIRTUS (Safe Parish) prior to starting the position.
Candidate will assist with crafts, games, etc. as well as supervision and general care of students.
Hourly rate is $10.
Any school parent/family who works for Crusader Care will be eligible for FREE childcare for their child(ren).
If you are interested in working for Crusader Care, please contact me at Principal@stfrancisdesales-lebanon.org
2021-2022 Lunch Menu
Lunchroom Volunteers Needed
Please contact Mallory Grau (mallory.lamb@yahoo.com or 513-850-3758) for more information.
Must be SafeParish trained. Please click on the link below to register for Safe Parish if needed. Registration Code: protectcincy
Children's Choir- Joyful Noise!
All students in grades 3-8 are invited to join the children's choir, Joyful Noise!
We will sing together roughly once a month at either the 5:30 p.m. or 11 a.m. weekend Mass.
Practices will be held 45 minutes before Mass.
We will have a lot of fun together and this is a great way to become better acquainted with the music ministry and help lead our parish in celebration. You do not need to read music to participate.
If you have any questions, contact Elizabeth Vessell at elizabeth.vessell@gmail.com
Deck the Halls- Saturday, November 13- 10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Resources for Parents
St. Francis de Sales School
Email: schooloffice@stfrancisdesales-lebanon.org
Website: www.stfrancisdesales-lebanon.org
Location: 20 Desales Avenue, Lebanon, OH, USA
Phone: 513-932-6501
Facebook: facebook.com/sfdslebanon