Weekly Howl-2.6.23

Thank you for all of the prayers, love, and support for our fabulous school, as we celebrated Catholic Schools Week! The photos below tell a wonderful story about our love for our school, students, families, and community. Thank you, for entrusting your child(ren) to us. It is an honor to be a part of their educational journey.

Have a fantastic week!

Blessings,

Andrea

Andrea Smith, M.Ed., LPC, NCC

Principal

Moderation: Set limits for yourself. Pay attention to the balance in your life.

Our Prayer :

Dear Jesus,

Help me set limits in my life, and create balance by using things properly.

Amen

The re-registration period for the 2023-2024 school year will open on February 1, for families currently attending St. Francis Catholic School and for any siblings that may wish to enroll. This enrollment period specifically for current SFCS families, will go through Friday, March 3. A completed application for admission is required as soon as possible for any siblings who do not currently attend our school but wish to enroll for the '23-'24 academic year. Re-registration will be considered incomplete if your completed form and fees are not turned in by March 3, as open enrollment for new families begin on Monday, March 6, 2023. Many of our classes are currently at capacity which may result in a waitlist once open enrollment begins. Re-registration forms were sent home with students on Wednesday, February 1. Please contact the School Office if additional registration forms are needed.

To show our love for the many animals at the Hilton Head Humane Society, we are collecting donations beginning today through February 14. A table and bins will be set up in the foyer outside the School Office for drop off beginning today. All donations will be delivered to the HH Humane Society. Please see wish list below for the HH Humane Society's greatest needs. Thank you for the love!

On Tuesday, February 14, students may wear their favorite Valentine top with jeans or uniform bottoms. Jeans may not have any holes, rips, or tears. Tops may have a Valentine motif or a solid Valentine color (red, pink, lavender, etc.)!

"The Reverend Monsignor Martin T. Laughlin Scholarship Application" sponsored by the Women of St. Francis is now available to all currently enrolled SFCS students in grades PreK through 7th. This is a need-based scholarship. Please contact the School Office for an application if interested in applying. The application deadline is March 24, 2023.

Beginning January 9, the School Office will close every Monday at 3:00 p.m. for a staff meeting. Please make note of this change.

SFCS will be closed on February 20, in honor of the Presidents' Day holiday.

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

February 19, 2023

March 19, 2023

April 16, 2023

May 21, 2023

We hope to see our families at each monthly Family Sunday Mass! Students should wear their Mass uniforms and dress code shoes. If your student would like to sing in the choir, please meet Mrs. Sweeney by the piano no later than 8:40 a.m. We'd love to have your student participate!

Tickets will go on sale after all weekend Masses, beginning February 11 through February 19.

Middle school students are invited to the annual Middle School Dance. The theme, selected by the 8th grade class is "Black Tie". We look forward to hosting this fun event on campus for grades 6, 7, and 8! Tickets are $10.00 per person. Check in begins at 6:45 p.m. Lock-in will be 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Stay tuned for more information.

On February 1 students were recognized for essay submissions, character awards, academic awards, and square dancing! Thank you to the Knights of Columbus and the Ancient Order of the Hibernians for attending as our special guests and presenting awards. All the dancers in each grade did an amazing job do-si-do-ing, bowing to their partners, and promenading. In the end, the judges chose the 8th grade class as the Square Dancing Champions for 2023! Congratulations to the 8th grade and all the dancers for working so hard and putting on a marvelous show!!

The students, faculty, and staff, enjoyed a fun-filled week during Catholic Schools Week, celebrating our faith, excellence, and service. The week began at our School Family Mass on Sunday. Beginning on Monday, students honored St. Francis by the Sea Priests, first responders, and parents by making cards with thoughtful messages. Students, faculty, and staff enjoyed a beautiful School Mass, dress up days throughout the week, a fantastic book fair, and an ice cream treat during lunch on Thursday. The week ended with Monsignor Laughlin and Fr. Chris coming to each classroom for the Blessing of Throats. The faculty and staff enjoyed snacks throughout the week donated by the Congroves, and a scrumptious lunch from Giuseppe's, donated by The Taylors. After the students were dismissed at 11:30 a.m, the faculty and staff had a meeting followed by an afternoon of fellowship and fun painting pottery. A wonderful evening of painting pottery, pizza, and bingo at the Pottery Jam 2023 kick off on Friday night closed out our weeklong celebration!

Mrs. Sweeney hosted a terrific Pottery Jam this past weekend! Kids' Night Out was held on Friday with painting, pizza, snacks, bingo, and prizes. The room was jam-packed with students, laughter, and fun! Thank you to the Taylor's for donating Giuseppe's pizza, which everyone enjoyed. Thank you to Sam's Club for donating the snacks. A huge thanks to all the parent volunteers who assisted Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday. It was an awesome fundraiser for the SFCS Fine Arts program.

Our official Facebook page is "St. Francis Catholic School". 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 is now inactive. 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 first graders enjoyed Catholic schools week! They also had fun learning about the groundhog and doing groundhog activities for Groundhog’s Day.

The Second Grade class welcomed a special guest to assist the students on their Sacramental

journey: Father Christopher!

Father Christopher visited the 2nd grade classroom a couple of weeks ago. He was so gracious and kind and answered MANY questions about Reconciliation,

the difference between venial and mortal sins, and the importance of the guidance of the Holy Spirit

in our lives.

As Father was leaving, the class offered their own blessing upon him which is the same one that they say at the end of each and every day:

"May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord's face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

May the Lord look upon you with kindness and give you His peace. Amen."

How grateful we are for His presence in our lives!

The 4th grade read I Survived books for their January Accelerated Reading requirement. Each student completed a diorama depicting the most exciting part of the plot. Students also included a written summary of the book. They put a tremendous amount of effort and hard work on this project! Well done 4th grade!

Come join the spring St. Francis Equestrian Show Team! Practices will take place at Moss Creek Stables. Registration day is February 14!

2/7 – HOME vs Beaufort Academy – 4:30G / 5:30B – Senior Night

2/9 – AWAY vs HHP – 4G / 5B

2/10 – AWAY vs Lowcountry Montessori (LMS) – 4G / 5B – Suzane Gonzalez

2/15-17 – Middle School Championships – HHP

2/24-26 - Diocesan Tournament – Charleston

*Please check the schedule often as games are subject to change.

SFCS is a small school that relies heavily on faculty and volunteers to help with most of the school’s different activities and enrichment offerings. The Athletic Department is no different as most SFCS teams are coached by either faculty or parents.

For the school to offer a sport, we need four things….enough kids that are interested in playing, facilities to practice/play, a competitive game schedule, AND A COACH.

Currently we are in need of a soccer coach. If anyone is interested, or maybe knows of someone that might be willing to coach a solid core of middle school girls, please let Coach Weaver know as soon as possible at mweaver@sfcshhi.com.

The season is short….only during March and April, and includes a two-week hiatus during the school’s Easter/Spring Break. The team practices at Chaplin Park roughly 1-2 times per week from 3:15-5pm and shares field space with the boys’ team. The schedule includes 1-2 games per week with no weekend team activities. The season will conclude during the last week of April with the Lowcountry Championships at Cross Schools in Bluffton.

Thanks for your consideration and please pray that a qualified soccer coach is found in the next couple of weeks. GO WOLVES!!

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