SFCS Weekly Howl - 1.8.24

This past week we welcomed back our students, faculty, and staff after a wonderful Christmas break! It was terrific seeing the students, faculty, and staff again. The faculty did not miss a beat as they transitioned the students back to their classroom and learning routines.

Our late morning drop offs in carline have improved greatly! Thank you for your efforts in making sure your student(s) arrives to school by 7:55 a.m. The Office Staff, teachers, and Mrs. Kessinger and I are grateful!

Last Friday there were several important pieces of communication sent to our community. Please be sure to check your email for results on the baseball interest survey (middle school boys), preliminary spring sport sign ups (middle school families) and a survey regarding Grandparents Day for the 24.25 academic year. Your feedback is important to us as we continue to strengthen and grow our community!

We are excited to showcase our school during this year's Open House, scheduled for Sunday, January 21. Please share the information with families and friends who may be looking for a wonderful school and very special community for students in PreK through 8th grade. (see Open House feature below)

Our Gala 2024 - "A Night in the Emerald City" is almost here! Thank you to the FSA Co-chairs and their committee of volunteers who are working hard to make this evening a success. The Gala is SFCS' largest fundraiser, and a fabulous event! Tickets are available by clicking on the link below. We hope you will join the fun and excitement of "A Night in the Emerald City". #THEREISNOPLACELIKESFCS

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Blessings,

Andrea

Andrea Smith, M.Ed., LPC, NCC

Principal

Thank you for making every effort to drop off your student(s) between 7:30 a.m. and 7:55 a.m. in morning carline. We have seen a significant drop in late arrivals! We appreciate your assistance in helping to minimize the morning disruptions by getting your student to school by 7:55 a.m. Thank you again!

The blessing of the chalk during Epiphany is a Catholic tradition of using chalk which has been blessed to write a pattern over the door to your home. The pattern consists of the year and initials of the three wise men, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, separated by crosses. (20 + C + M + B + 24). This tradition commemorates the visit of the wise men to Jesus. Each student has been given a piece of chalk which has been blessed and a note on the tradition to bring home. We hope you will join in honoring this special tradition for your home and family.

Last Friday evening, a survey was sent to our families regarding Grandparents Day for the 2024.25 academic year. Due to the spring season being a very busy one, we are considering changing Grandparents Day to be celebrated in the fall. Again, this is for the 2024.25 academic year. As we finish up our planning the 2024.25 Master Calendar, your feedback is important to us whether to make the change or keep the event in the spring. The celebration will be the same regardless of when it is. Please complete the survey by Tuesday, January 16. Thank you!

**FOR INFORMATION ON ATHLETICS, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE ATHLETICS SECTION. Due to changes impacting practice or competitions that may occur, please be sure you follow the email communication you receive from the coaches. That information will be the most current. **

January 9 - 26 - Winter MAP Testing - Grades K-8th

January 12 - 2Q Awards Presentation

January 13 - Winter Basketball Camp begins

January 15 - MLK Day - No School

January 16 - Bake Club begins

January 21 - Open House

January 22 - 100th Day of School

January 26 - SFCS Gala - Emerald City

January 28 - February 3 - Catholic Schools Week (See CSW feature below)

Our annual Open House is scheduled for January 21 from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Please invite families and friends who may be looking for a PreK - 8th grade school on Hilton Head Island.

We are busy preparing for the reveal of the Middle School houses, which is scheduled for February 1, during Catholic Schools Week. The students have been working hard during the first semester researching, planning, designing, learning, and making decisions on their house name, colors, motto, crest design, cheer, dance, etc. We are looking forward to a wonderful celebration! Middle School parents are invited to attend this afternoon assembly.

Re-enrollment for our current SFCS families will begin on February 1. Re-enrollment packets will go out next week. We are anticipating some classes to fill up so please get your re-enrollment forms and deposit in early to secure your student's place.

Thank you to all you have registered for the Washington, DC trip in April. As a reminder, the final payment is due January 27. Please log in to your account to ensure you have a zero balance on or before this date. There will be a meeting in February for all DC travelers.

We would love to have you serve as an usher/greeter at our Weekly School Mass,. We have two slots available each week. Please click on the link below to reserve your date/time for the remaining school year during January - May 2024. We are grateful for your gift of time.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084FA4AC2BA3FACE9-46679241-weekly

January 28, 2024 - Catholic Schools Week Begins

February 18, 2024

March 17, 2024

April 21, 2024

May 19, 2024

Are you new to SFCS or have free time and are searching for ways to get involved at SFCS? There are many opportunities for parents to get involved at our school. Opportunities to consider are:

• FSA (meetings, committees, events, Spirit Store)
• In individual classrooms (reading, tutoring, etc.)
• During lunch
• Athletics and athletic events (Coaching, concessions, gate admissions, etc.)
• Weekly School Mass Greeter
• School events (i.e. Middle School Dance planning and decorating, Advent Concert, field trips, International Day - Salute to America Show, 8th Grade graduation)
• Fundraising efforts (Pottery Jam, FSA sponsored Gala, Athletics)
• Uniform Closet
• Summer - distribution of classroom materials and supplies

Contact Mrs. Smith for more information (andrea.smith@sfcshhi.com). All parents must go through a background clearance through the Diocese of Charleston. Please contact the School Office for information on the background screening process. Together we can make a difference!

There will be two FSA meetings in January in preparation for the Gala:

January 9

January 16

Please plan to attend! The meetings begin at 8:15 a.m. in the lunchroom.

Come check out the merchandise in our SFCS Spirit Store! Hours for January are:

The SFCS Gala 2024 - "A Night in the Emerald City" at the Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort is weeks away! We are excited for an evening of dinner, music, dancing, and the silent and live auctions on January 26. Tickets are available until January 21 by clicking on the link below. We look forward to a celebrating this wonderful event with you! #THEREISNOPLACELIKESFCS

https://sfcshhi.hometownticketing.com/embed/event/8?access_code=247513385a9a57e499f38f81008df91d8d9d3fc5

Our 2024 Emerald City Gala sponsors list is growing! Thank you to all the families, companies, and organizations who are sponsors. We are grateful for your support! We continue to seek organizations, companies, and/or families that would like to sponsor this amazing event! All proceeds benefit SFCS. The Gala is January 26, 2024. If you know someone who is may be interested in a gala sponsorship, please contact fsa.sfcs@gmail.com. #THEREISNOPLACELIKESFCS

The Island Discount Card provides discounts at a variety of businesses on the Island. Each card is $25 or buy four get one free. Cards may be purchased from the School Office by check made out to SFCS or online through Hometown Ticketing. To purchase online, please click here SFCS ISLAND DISCOUNT CARDS. There is a small surcharge for processing when purchasing online. Thank you for supporting SFCS through the purchase of an Island Discount Card!

Kindergarten celebrated the New Year, 2024! The students used their writing skills to reflect on 2023, remembering their favorite food, song, and toy. Then the students looked ahead to 2024 and wrote one goal each hoped to accomplish this year. Many of them want to learn to read, ride a bike or swim in the deep end of the pool! This past Friday, the children put their art skills to work as they used paint and glitter to create a 2024 firework piece.

Last semester, the 6th grade students ended the quarter in math creating games utilizing statistics, calculations, and solving math problems. On Friday the students put their board games to the test!

A form was emailed out on Friday evening to our Middle School families for those students interested in participating in the SFCS spring sports season. This is a preliminary sign up. Registration packets will be sent out to those athletes interested in participating in the next few weeks. Spring sports will begin after basketball season ends. Please check your email for this important form which needs to be completed and turned in to the School Office no later than January 19. Go Wolves!

The results from the baseball interest survey have been communicated to the Middle School families. At this time, we have enough interest to look into forming a team to represent SFCS! The next step is to send out preliminary spring sport sign ups. We will also need to secure practice and playing fields, coaches, a schedule, and uniforms. Thank you to all you participated in the survey! We are excited for the possibility of expanding our Athletic program to include Middle School baseball this season! Thank you for participating in the interest survey. Go Wolves!

**Please be sure to check your email for the most up to date information on practices and competitions.**

Basketball practice and playing schedule for the week of 1/8:

Monday, January 8 - Girls' Varsity basketball practice, 3-4:30 p.m.

Boys' Varsity basketball practice, 4:30-6:00 p.m.

Junior Varsity boys' basketball practice, 6-7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, January 9 - Girls' and Boys' Varsity basketball games at home vs. Riverview, 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. respectively

Junior Varsity boys' basketball practice, 6-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, January 10 - Girls' Varsity basketball practice, 3-4:30 p.m.

Boys' Varsity basketball practice, 4:30-6:00 p.m.

Junior Varsity girls' basketball practice, 6-7:30 p.m.

Thursday, January 11 - Girls' and Boys' Varsity basketball games at home vs. John Paul II, 4:00 p.m. and 5 p.m. respectively

Junior Varsity boys' basketball practice, 6-7:30 p.m.

Friday, January 12- Junior Varsity girls’ basketball practice, 3-4:30 p.m.

Go Wolves!

Saturday, January 13 - Winter Basketball Camp begins - grades PreK - 4th. Pre-registration required.

Please follow email communication from the Cheer coaches for the most up-to-date information.

Cheer Game Schedule - 2024

January 9th (Tuesday) 4pm (K&1st) and 5pm (2nd- 4th)

January 16th (Tuesday) 4pm (K&1st) and 5pm (2nd- 4th)

January 23rd ( Tuesday) 4pm (K&1st) and 5pm (2nd- 4th)

February 1st (Thursday) 4pm (K&1st) and 5pm (2nd- 4th)

February 8th (Thursday) 4pm (K&1st) and 5pm (2nd- 4th)SENIOR NIGHT

Go Wolves!

Thank you to our Athletic Sponsors for the 2023.24 academic year. We are grateful for your support!

Do you have any news about alumni from SFCS? If so, please contact Andrea Smith (andrea.smith@sfcshhi.com) with information to share. Please include the year of SFCS graduation.

St. Francis Catholic School, a ministry of St. Francis By the Sea Catholic Church, partners with several of the Parish ministries. Please refer to this section of the Weekly Howl for information and events of those ministries who have a partnership with our school.

It's time to mark your calendar and plan to attend the Knights of Columbus Annual Spaghetti dinner on January 20! Tickets will be on sale after all Masses the weekend of January 13/14. Don't miss out on this wonderful event with excellent pasta sauce and meatballs donated by Mulberry Street Trattoria, fantastic bread by the French Bakery, delicious cookies baked by the SFCS Bake Club, and fabulous fellowship! You may dine in or take out. Mangia, Mangia!!

Make plans for the annual Women of St. Francis' Soup for Scholarships event on February 20! This is a well-attended and enjoyable event so get your tickets early. Tickets will go on sale after all Masses on February 10th and 11th, as well as February 17th and 18th.

The St. Francis Thrift Shop is looking for volunteers to work in the store. Any amount of time you can give the SF Thrift Shop will fit your availability into a schedule. Interested volunteers should contact Eleanor Bell, Embell31@outlook.com.

Email: school@sfcshhi.com
Website: sfcshhi.com
Location: 45 Beach City Rd, HHI, SC 29926
Phone: 843-681-6501
Facebook: facebook.com/sfcshhi