The Jaguar Journal
Volume 3 | Issue 32
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Dear SFX Family,
Thank you to the HSA for hosting Food Truck Night and Mother Daughter Tea last week! We hope everyone enjoyed the events.
CONGRATULATIONS to our baseball team who defeated St. Clement of Rome 12-1 yesterday to earn the title of Metro Middle School League DIVISION CHAMPS! We are proud of you!
Testing has been going well so far this week. We have one more day to go! PLEASE NOTE THAT SCHOOL MASS WILL BE AT 1:20 P.M. TOMORROW DUE TO TESTING. All are invited to our Band Concert this Thursday at 1:30 P.M. in the church. Grades 3-7 will be performing under the direction of Mr. Mark.
Field Days are this Friday and next Friday. More information is below. Please sign up to volunteer if you are able. Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week, the final HSA Meeting on Tuesday, 5/2, and 1:15/1:30 P.M. dismissal on Thursday, 5/4.
As we near the end of the year, please be sure to check the calendar, Jaguar Journal, and emails for important information. Have a great rest of the week!
May God bless you and keep you,
Jessica
Jessica A. Dwyer, M.Ed.
Principal
P.S. To ensure you are able to receive our Parent Alert texts, please text START to 31706 from your mobile device. Any text alerts from our school will begin with SFX-LA.
DISTINGUISHED ALUM
Congratulations to Mr. Andre Coudrain '72 who was honored today by the Archdiocese of New Orleans Department of Catholic Education and Faith Formation as this year's Distinguished Alum for St. Francis Xavier!
Mr. Coudrain, son of Deacon Ed Coudrain, is a well-respected attorney in Hammond and has served on the School Board for all of the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Baton Rouge from 1999-2005 and currently serves on the Advisory Board of St. Thomas Aquinas Regional High School. Mr. Coudrain has been recognized for his service, achievement, and humanitarian efforts by Southeastern Louisiana University, the City of Hammond, the Junior Auxiliary, and the Hammond Kiwanis Club. He has also given many years of service to Louisiana Special Olympics, after serving as Chairman. Mr. Coudrain currently serves as a trustee of Holy Ghost Catholic Church Parish where he is also a member of the Parish Finance Council and lector.
We are proud of Mr. Andre Coudrain and his commitment to faith and service to others!
FR. JOE'S MESSAGE
Below is the Tuesday Email Update for April 25, 2023 - Boys' Baseball Wins Championship, Confirmation Tonight, Thank-Yous.
Have a blessed week,
Father Joe
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
- April 24-27 - Standardized Testing, Grs. 3-7
- April 26 - School Mass, 1:20 P.M.
- April 27 - 3rd-7th Grades Band Concert, 1:30 P.M.
- April 28 - EC Field Day
- May 1-5 - Teacher Appreciation Week
- May 1 - 7th Grade NET Retreat
- May 2 - Final HSA Meeting of the Year, 6:30 P.M.
- May 4 - 1:30 P.M. Dismissal & No ASC
- May 5 - 1st-7th Field Day
- May 6 - Middle School Dance sponsored by Student
Council - May 7 - EC sponsoring Parish Mass, 10:00 A.M.
NOTE: The most up-to-date information is on the school Google calendar.
FIELD DAY
Early Childhood Field Day is Friday, April 28 in the Lodrigues Yard
- All students will receive a Field Day t-shirt to wear.
- Don't forget your sunscreen!
- Here is the SignUp Genius if you would like to volunteer.
- PLEASE NOTE: All volunteers must be up-to-date with Safe Environment. Please contact Cindy Bird if you have any questions about your status.
- The Grandparents' Club will be providing First Aid.
1st-7th Field Day is Friday, May 5 at Pontiff Playground
- All students will receive a Field Day t-shirt to wear.
- Don't forget your sunscreen!
- Here is the SignUp Genius if you would like to volunteer.
- PLEASE NOTE: All volunteers must be up-to-date with Safe Environment. Please contact Cindy Bird if you have any questions about your status.
- The Grandparents' Club will be providing First Aid and selling water and Gatorade/Powerade for $1.00.
NEWS AROUND SFX
- Final HSA meeting of the year will be on Tuesday, May 2nd in the Mansfield Auditorium. We hope to see everyone there!
- Refreshments @ 6:30 P.M.
- Meeting @ 7:00 P.M.
- Free Babysitting
Questions? Email Home & School at homeandschool.sfx@gmail.com.
- Spring Raffle - $5 a ticket
- 1st place is a 58 inch Smart TV
- 2nd place is a 256gb iPad Air
- 3rd place is a Solo Stove
- Drawing at the last Men’s Club meeting on May 18th.
Questions? Email the Men's Club at sfxmensclub@gmail.com.
ATTENDANCE REMINDERS
- Notification - Please be sure to notify your child's teacher and/or Mrs. Denise Secrest of an absence, a late arrival, or an early check-out.
- Tardies - The school day begins at 8:00 A.M. sharp. Students who arrive after will receive a tardy. Please be reminded that per our handbook, "Students will be marked as absent from one day of school for every 5 tardies that they receive during the school year."
- Absences -
- Regular school attendance is essential for a student to make the most of his or her education – to benefit from teacher-led and school activities, to build on the previous day’s learning, and to grow as an individual. Absences from class may result in serious disruption of a student’s mastery of the instructional materials; therefore, families should make every effort to avoid unnecessary absences.
- A doctor's note must be provided when a student is absent for three or more days.
ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL REMINDERS
- Please be respectful of our neighbors, driveways, and thru traffic!
- Do not line up more than 10 minutes prior to dismissal time.
- There is no direct turn onto Avenue B from Metairie Road.
- Cars must only enter Betz via Avenue B.
- We also ask that you share them with anyone who may drop off or pick up for your family.
GENERAL REMINDERS
- All volunteers must be up-to-date with Safe Environment training and background check. You can take the class or renew online at www.virtus.org.
- Early check-outs are not allowed past 2:30 PM on a regular day or 1:00 PM on an early dismissal day. Please only use early check-outs when absolutely necessary.
- If anyone in your immediate family tests positive for COVID-19, please notify Ms. Dwyer immediately. You can call the school, 833-1471, or email if after hours.
- Students should be kept home if they have any symptoms and their doctor should be consulted. Please do not assume it is allergies or a cold or send them to school after giving medication.
COVID-19 GUIDELINES & PROTOCOLS UPDATE
We received the following from Dr. RaeNell Houston and will be following this update:
In accordance with the most recent guidance published by the CDC, as of August 17, 2022, at minimum the following updated COVID protocols shall be observed in our schools and parish schools of religion. In addition, please keep in mind that we must follow any future mandates, especially those that are more restrictive, that may be set forth by state and/or local civil authorities. Each school and/or parish community may impose more restrictive policies based on the conditions present in their community.