Hello SVDP Community,

We enjoyed our grade band TableTALKs this week and appreciate the opportunity to hear from and speak with our parents.

We are so excited to celebrate our community at Blazers & Baubles on March 19 at August Hall. It will be a long overdue opportunity to bring us together in the spirit of friendship and fundraising. Ticket information below.

On Friday, March 11th, our teachers will be participating in the professional development provided by the Archdiocese that focuses on teaching and learning. Our keynote speaker is Nancy Frey who will discuss literacy in the framework of Visible Learning.

"Visible Learning means an enhanced role for teachers as they become evaluators of their own teaching. According to John Hattie Visible Learning and Teaching occurs when teachers see learning through the eyes of students and help them become their own teachers."

On Monday, March 14, wearing masks will be optional. Please discuss as a family your preferences and remind children to be respectful of whatever choice is made by their classmates and their teachers.

Need volunteer hours? Contact bbarkley@svdpsf.com.

We are now at 80% participation. Last year, we closed the year at 88% and would love to meet or top that level of participation for this school year.

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.

This year, Annual Giving has funded or will fund the following:

- Fall and Spring VAPA performances

- Shakepearience

- Art supplies

- Field trips (Annual Giving has funded transportation and admission costs; we do recognize that not every class has had a field trip experience so far this year.)

- Replacement filters for the air purifier that are located throughout the campus

- Technology upgrades (iPads, computers, and other technology used by students and teachers are constantly being upgraded and replaced)

- School wifi enhancements with the installation of all new (and more) access points throughout the campus

We now have two classes that have reached 100% - first grade and kindergarten. Our first grade class will enjoy a garden lunch later this spring. Congratulation to both classes!

Check out student performances and artwork from Trimester 2 by clicking the link below.

We will be collecting books for the Children’s Book Project. This organization give the books to children at homeless shelters, childcare centers, schools, and other children’s facilities.

DATES: MARCH 14 – MARCH 31

Please follow the criteria listed below when donating your gently used books.

We always need high interest, new or gently used, recent books for children of all ages, from infants through teens.

In greatest demand are books in good condition that make children feel valued, especially:

• books featuring diverse characters (all ages)
• board books
• early readers
• elementary chapter books
• books in Spanish or Chinese (all ages)
• graphic novels
• popular series for 8-12 years old

Due to limited demand and storage space at our book site, we don’t accept:

• dirty, dusty, wet, chewed, ripped, bent, folded, written in, moldering, or mildewed books
• nonfiction over ten years old
• obsolete or vintage books
• library discards
• textbooks and curriculum materials
• encyclopedias
• audio cassettes and VHS tapes
• religious books

Thank you for your participation.

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.

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.

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