Dear Students, Alumni, Parents, & Friends of St. Francis,
Happy February as we move from Christmas to Chinese New Year along with the upcoming Ash Wednesday and then Lent. We also just celebrated a Hallmark card holiday, Valentine’s Day, with smart seniors bringing flowers, Starbucks, and chocolates for their partner.
Though many people in the secular world look to celebrate Mardi Gras, our Catholic school looks beyond these Hallmark holidays. It’s not that we don’t value the chocolate, flowers, diamonds, King Cake, and all-night revelry; it’s just that one of the most important holy days of the year is about to take place on March 6th: Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday takes place 46 days prior to Easter and kicks off our Lenten season. Lent is a season of fasting and prayer. The Catholic celebration actually comes from the Jewish tradition of penancing, fasting and wearing ashes on the head. The latter symbolizes the dust from which God made us and to that which we will return. All are invited to accept the ashes, and not just Christians or Catholics. We invite all alumni and parents to join us for our Ash Wednesday celebration.
As you’ve heard the staff and me say hundreds of times, we want to offer the best Catholic college-prep education, in the smallest classroom sizes, with the best teachers, who genuinely care about each and every student. To do that, we need your help.
We mailed the Annual Appeal just after Thanksgiving, but on January 31st we launched our second annual successful online day of giving. It is part of the Annual Appeal and helps us to meet and exceed or students needs and our school goals. Thank you to all who helped us surpass our 48 gifts in 24-hours goal.
For those who haven’t donated yet, please find it in your heart to donate. All of your donations are tax deductible and directly impact this year’s student programs and services. If your child is in leadership, campus ministry, sports, the arts, and/or clubs, then we need your help to bridge the cost of what we charge for tuition versus the actual cost to educate each student. The difference is almost $1,334 per student.
Every donation counts – from $20 to $20,000, all make a huge difference. $20 is just about $0.05 cents a day annually. We can all do at least this much for the great teachers and coaches we have supporting our sons and daughters. Even if you are on tuition assistance, our goal is 100% participation from our families. This year we will use our SFPA Grade Level Representatives to facilitate each grade level’s participation in the online and/or direct mail Annual Appeal. The class with the highest % of families participating will get a free lunch and free dress day on April 29, 2019.
I would like to acknowledge the hard work of Ms. Gutierrez, Ms. Lemus, and Ms. Eagleson in the area of personal and college/career counseling. This year’s graduating seniors have already received over 40 acceptances and scholarships. At the end of our liturgy this week we recognized each one who has turned in their letters to Ms. Gutierrez. To date, our Class of 2019 has over 60 college acceptances and over $2.8 million in college academic scholarships; this does not include the ones still coming in and the NLI signings to come. Please encourage your student(s) to turn in their acceptance letters, scholarship award letters, and encourage them to proudly wear their college sweatshirts. We are on track to set another record. Universities are also continuing to look at our athletes as future participants in college sports.
For returning families, the board has approved the tuition and fees for next year. Next step is to have the Corporate Members Board, including new Bishop Danny Garcia, approve it so we can publish it. We know that current pricing and some of next year’s costs are published for competing schools and I assure you we will remain right in the middle for the best value and the best Salesian education:
| 2018-19 tuition at Notre Dame Salinas | $13,275 |
| 2019-20 tuition at Palma Salinas | $14,760 |
| 2019-20 tuition at Monte Vista Christian | $13,575 |
As a preview, our Spring Open House is April 5, 2019. St. Francis will host a middle school dance for grades 6-8 and an a la carte menu of experiences for parents. We will add the 4 critical topics our parents and students suggested – safety, care through the preventive system, college acceptances, and testimonials from recent grads on college readiness. We will look to you for help marketing in your area and/or local school/parish. If you refer a family that registers and attends, you will get a $150 credit on your October 2019 tuition statement. So please share the good news of St. Francis and our Sharks family.
This week we welcomed back Class of 2010 alumnus Ty Sambrailo. Ty was invited back so we could retire his football jersey. He has been a continuous source of inspiration for all of us. We invited past coaches, past teachers, current, and future Sharks to come back and celebrate. The gym was packed. Parents Mark and Karan were beaming from ear to ear with pride along with Ty’s wife Alexis. It was a great community event.
Biomedical Science Capstone Project Presentation to SFPA Board & Community
April 1, 2019. SFHS’s year 4 senior PLTW students will present their innovative solutions for the most pressing 21st century health challenges. Experience their capstone projects and learn about this unique high school biomedical science pathway. Come learn about this amazing learning opportunity whether you are a current or future student. Event starts at 6 PM in E1 (Art Room) with light refreshments provided.
Finally, I want to reiterate the value of Friday Night Bingo and why we need all freshmen families and all families on merit-based or need-based tuition assistance to work their assigned days. Bingo is the only significant fundraiser held outside of school, where you are not expected to donate money to. We ask you to donate time and joy. It involves our entire community – including the parish and local towns – and it takes all of us working it to make it successful. Friday Night Bingo also helps keep tuition costs down, allows us to keep the school new and clean, and in the end assists with need-based and merit-based assistance. If you are not there on your assigned shift, then another parent has to do his/her work and your work; if you’re not there, we will not have enough people to service the bingo patrons, sell, and clean up – then, another parent has to do his/her work and yours. This work is not punishment; rather, it is a chance to build the SF community and help in the three above- mentioned areas that are critical for this school to thrive. Embrace our community; embrace the Friday Night Bingo experience; and, don’t leave your fellow parents covering for you. It takes all of us working together to make this enterprise a successful part of the SF High School experience.
This year the board has challenged us to create greater accountability. If you miss your nights/hours, you will have a few other chances that semester to make it up through alternate Bingo nights and/or Saturday Campus Clean Up Days. If you miss both of these opportunities you will be charged. We no longer have the option to “forgive” your hours. This is new for some families along with the change for some to do more than 5 or 10 Bingo nights. The board expects us to enforce the tuition contract and follow through because Bingo is that important; our students are that important.
And, just a reminder: We will have “snow week” February 18th-22nd. The office will be closed on February 18th for the holiday but will re-open up Tuesday, February 19th.
Yours in Christ,
Mr. Pat Lee
President and Principal