Hello SVDP Community,

Let us thank all those who teach in Catholic schools. Educating is an act of love; it is like giving life.

- Pope Francis

Next week we celebrate our Catholic Schools Week. Please see below for information about activities and events.

We have opened ChoiceLunch volunteer sign ups through the remainder of the year. Please see "Parent Volunteers" below for more information.

Pick-up reminder: Please remember to display your name placard from your visor. This speeds the pick-up line when names are visible.

Please remember that we will most likely ask all students to take a Covid test on our President's Day Holiday, February 21st, for return to school on Tuesday. We believe that test kits are more readily available, but we have also received a new shipment. If you need a kit, please email administration@svdpsf.com. The first test kit per student is free, after that we will have to charge a nominal fee (currently $10).

Please click the link below for all the activities happening at SVDP.

Use the link below to view the 2022-2023 calendar.

*The calendar is subject to change and must be approved by the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

We are now at 62% participation. Thanks to those that have committed. If you have not made a pledge or donation, please do so today.

Families committing $1,000 or more before January 31st will receive an entry into our free tuition raffle, which will happen at Blazers & Baubles on March 19th (one entry per $1,000 / matching gifts count). Also, families committing $3,000 or more before January 31st will receive two complimentary tickets to Blazers & Baubles.

Every family's participation in Annual Giving is important because every student benefits. If you have misplaced your packet, it is available on SchoolSpeak or by clicking the button below. First class to reach 100% - the students will receive a COVID-friendly lunch in the SVDP garden. Kindergarten is leading the chase at 93% --- followed closely by 3rd at 91%.

We have a date and a venue! We are ready for a party!

We are looking for a few key auction items.

Can you donate a house, an experience, an event?

Please contact Brenda Barkley bbarkley@svdpsf.com.

January 27, 2022

Dear Parents and Students,

Thank you to the following students for participating in the spelling bee this week: third grade – Annie Coles, Eden Duarte, Savannah Farrelly, Connor Fitzgerald, Christopher Ford, Emme Gazzano, Lina Gibson, Liam Hollub, Anna Kaiser, Kazim Karandikar, Cooper Koenig, Matthew Kummer, Charlotte Longyear, Sophia MacDonald, Zoie Mangini, Sean McMonigle, Paloma Molina, Gabby Slosson, Jack Towle, Teddy Vieira-Ducey, and Jackson Whiskeman: fourth grade – Amandine Baudet, Francesca Bavaro, Maria Binstadt, Emma Chiu, Caylie Gonzalez, Kathryn Gunning, Hannah Hornik, Ashley Infante, Teddy Jenks, Ellie Larson, Riley Lee, Noelle Lundgren, Briley Miller, Sophia Morelli, Grace Myers, Enzo Quintela, Beckett Rahn, Sofia Rosdahl, Sofia Rosenberg, Savvy Scala and William Wraga; fifth grade – Matteo Avila, Miles Canapary, Gianna Cardinale, Dominic Carmignani, Tyler Clauss, Efua Essien, Deceil Fournouzian, Grant Gazzano, Gemma Gibson, Brooke Gorman, Tyler Heaton, Jake Macauley, Natalya Maley, Indy Molina, Georgia Straley, Katherine Van, Michael Vieira-Ducey and Rocket Wetzel; sixth grade – Stella Brilliant, Timmy Farrelly, Claire Gunning, Ella Kummer, Ava Lindner, Nick Lundgren, Harry McLintic and Bronwyn Rahn; seventh grade – Jason Dummel, Lewis Fannon, Aidan Kramer, Luke Porter, Nicholas Rosenberg, Paige Ryan, Harrison Van and Charlotte Williams; eighth grade – McCann O’Brien, Luke Van de Braak and Carter Wraga. Everyone did a fantastic job! The third – fifth grade spelling bee was very competitive. Finally, fourth grader, Briley Miller, was declared the winner. The middle school students were equally successful spelling very difficult words. In the end, seventh grader, Jason Dummel, outlasted all participants to take first place. Jason will represent St. Vincent de Paul School in the regional contest next month. Good luck to you, Jason.

Thank you to the fifth-grade students for participating in both spelling bees and taking the chance to compete against the older students – Tyler Clauss, Deceil Fournouzian, Indy Molina and Rocket Wetzel.

Thank you to our excellent judges – Rosanne Mattson and Brenda Barkley. The spelling bee ran smoothly because of you.

Thank you to the teachers who helped the students prepare for the test. Your help was appreciated.

Thank you to the parents and faculty for taking the time to watch the spelling bee. Your support adds to our program.

THANK YOU!

Sue Della Cella

Spelling Bee Coordinator

The church is currently looking for new and returning altar servers from grades 4 - 8. Please use the attached form to indicate your interest.

Click the link below for more information!

To Apply for Financial Aid:

TADS – mytads.com

FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENT FAMILIES

April 15, is the annual deadline for submitting all information to TADS, the third party needs evaluation company that we use to collect the financial data from our families. This is consistent with the process we used to award tuition assistance for this year.

After the Student Aid Form has been processed by TADS, the Department of Catholic Schools gathers the completed application materials. Applicants are ranked on the basis of financial need. Within the limit of available funds, the Archdiocese of San Francisco will then award financial aid. This is the same application process used for school or parish specific scholarships, IF a scholarship program exists at the particular elementary school.

Late applications will NOT be considered. Students must live in Marin, San Francisco, or San Mateo Counties to be considered for the Archdiocesan Scholarship. Please visit the other scholarship programs section for more opportunities. Grant notifications will be sent out to the elementary student’s families in late May/early June.

To use the TADS Financial Aid online application go to mytads.com. You will be guided through the application. If you have any questions, you can phone TADS at 800-477-8237.

The Archdiocese of San Francisco is unable to provide financial aid to all students who apply. If a family is notified that the Archdiocese cannot provide assistance, the family should try and reach out to the elementary school, or high school for more information about any additional assistance that may be available from them directly.

Please find the following updates to guidance:

COVID-19 infections, symptoms, and exposures Guidance for schools, childcares, and programs for children and youth
- Shortened required quarantine period for children with close contact who become symptomatic to be a minimum of 5 days with a negative test on or after day 5 or a negative test after symptoms develop, whichever is later.
- Additional information about group tracing approach including possible testing approaches.
- Updated reporting requirements for "Steps to take for positive COVID-19 case" and organized notification letters to be more easily identified by scenario.

Close Contact Advisory - Children Under 18
Updated to remove requirement to stay in quarantine for 14 day from close contact if child becomes symptomatic. Children may now return after 5 days from close contact with a negative test collected after 5 days OR after symptoms develop, whichever is later.

Modified Quarantine Advisory (TK-12 Schools Only)
Updated to reflect shortened quarantine duration of 5 days with 2 negative tests instead of 10 days.

It has been too long, and we are excited to welcome parents back onto campus to volunteer in limited roles and with the appropriate clearances.

To volunteer at any SVDP activity, you must have the following:

1. Submit Livescan Fingerprinting (see attached form below) - Find a local business that can submit your fingerprints through the Livescan screening process. If you have already done this for previous SVDP volunteer requirements, you do not need to do it again. We will receive your fingerprinting clearance through your Virtus account (see #2). Please note that if you have done Livescan fingerprinting for other volunteer or professional requirements, you must still complete specifically for SVDP.
2. Complete Protecting God's Children training module on Virtus - If you have never done this, create an account at www.virtusonline.org and take the course "Protecting God's Children." If you previously completed the training, make sure your three-year certification is still valid. Existing certification can be checked by logging in to your existing Virtus account at www.virtusonline.org.
3. Proof of COVID vaccination must be emailed to volunteer@svdpsf.com.
4. NEW beginning February 1st - proof of booster required.

Once you've completed all three of these requirements, your SchoolSpeak profile will be updated with a green check-mark (like the one above). When entering campus to volunteer, please use your phone to show your SchoolSpeak profile to the front office for admission. Sign-in as a visitor at the front desk and proceed to your volunteer assignment. Remember to sign out too.

All parents are encouraged to complete these requirements now, but they must be completed 24 hours prior to volunteering. Without your green-checked profile, we cannot welcome you to volunteer.

The Advisory Board and the Administration know that our amazing families are the best spokespeople for SVDP. To remain competitive in the San Francisco school marketplace, we must attract families that share our educational standards, values, and sense of community. For these reasons, the Advisory Board is pleased to announce a Family Referral Program.

Beginning July 1, 2021, if you recommend a family that accepts enrollment and pays all their fees, incidental charges, and tuition through October for the 2022-2023 school year, the Finance Committee will apply a $500 credit to your FACTS account in October 2022. You will get $500 for each successful referral, with a max of three referral credits. Only one SVDP family may claim a referral. The FACTS credit must be used towards tuition, not incidental charges. When a family applies, they should include the name of the referring family on their application. Online applications have been updated to include this information. The referring family does not need to write a letter of recommendation to receive the credit.

Email: administration@svdpsf.com
Website: svdpsf.com
Location: 2350 Green Street
Phone: (415) 346-5505
Twitter: @svdpsfschool