August newsletter

Dear St. Francis School Families,

Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year!  We are excited to welcome you all back to school! Thank you for giving your child(ren) the gift of attending school at St. Francis. It will be a blessed school year!

Open House will be held on Thursday, Aug. 26 from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity to meet all of the staff, drop off school supplies, have pictures taken, and enjoy a meal. 

During Open House please pay for your child’s agenda ($5), and if you have students in 3YK Preschool, 4K and/or K, make a deposit in St. Francis School Food Service to cover the cost of snacks and milk. Reminder breakfast and lunch is provided through the Seamless Summer Option this school year. 
 
According to Michael Chisholm, our Transportation Director, all bus routes will remain the same as last year. Your transportation updates can be made as part of the JMC verification process.  Please contact Michael at the bus garage with any questions you may have at 715-273-3917. 

Classes 4YK-5th grade begin Wednesday, Sept. 1. School begins at 8:05 a.m. Students may start arriving at 7:45; please do not drop off your student before 7:45 a.m.  If you need to drop off your child before 7:45 a.m., they will need to be enrolled and signed into our Eagles Nest Before School Care and you will be billed accordingly.  More Eagles Nest information will be emailed to you soon.

The Parish Hall door will remain locked until the 7:45 bell rings.  At this time we ask that parents refrain from coming into the building to drop off students. We will continue the drop-off loop that was created last year until further notice. Please ask your child’s teacher if you have questions about drop-off. 

• Students in grades 3YK-1 will enter the school through the parking lot doors. (Door 3)
• Students in grades 2-5 will enter through the Parish Hall door (Door 2). 
• 3YK Students will arrive at the parking lot door and be greeted and escorted to their classrooms by a staff member. 

3YK classes begin Tuesday, September 7, 2021.

Parent Pick Up will begin at 3:10 p.m. at parking lot doors (Door 3). We hope this helps to alleviate the congestion in the parking lot at the end of the day.  Parents will enter the parking lot on Piety street and curve left to make a loop (towards and following the fence line) proceeding to the pick up door.  Parents will remain in their cars and children will be escorted to the vehicle. Parents will then proceed to exit the playground on Piety St.(same gate they entered) Please be mindful of the flow of traffic, as to not block the entrance of Piety street. 

The Eagles Nest is our Before and After School Care Program at St. Francis School for students in 3YK-5th grade. Our Before School Care will be offered starting at 7:00 a.m.  Our After School Care will run from 3:25 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information on Eagles Nest, please visit our website or call the school office to request the information via email. Please register no later than August 26, 2021/Open House, so we can plan accordingly. We are excited to once again provide this service to our families! 

Wrap-Around Care is available for our preschool & 4YK students. Please see the Wrap-Around registration information contained in this packet. Please return Wrap-Around Care registration before Sept. 1, 2021. 

School Pictures: School Pictures will be taken on Thursday, Aug. 26 during Open House.  An email will be sent with the electronic link for your convenience.  If you prefer a paper copy, please let the office know. 

Food Service: The Seamless Summer Program is continuing which means all students will be provided with free breakfast and lunch again this school year. Even though these free meals will be provided, it is vital that we have all families who may be eligible for traditional free and reduced lunch programs to still apply as in the past. Your participation in this program not only reduces your family’s financial burden of providing nutritious meals for your children, but also provides a significant portion of the Food Service budget at St. Francis School.  We receive reimbursements from both the federal government and the State of Wisconsin for each free and reduced-price meal we serve.  If you feel your child(ren) may be eligible for this program, please take the time to fill out and submit the application.  We encourage you to apply online in JMC when you register your child, under the Meals Application tab. Paper applications were also included in your packet.   All applications are kept completely confidential. Also included in this packet is information about special dietary needs. If you have any questions or concerns about our Food Program, please contact our Food Services Director Ms. Mary Dougherty. Her email address is: mdougherty@stfrancisellsworth.org.

2021-2022 Food Service Prices 
Student Breakfast: $0.00
Student Lunch: $0.00
Adult Lunch: $3.50
 Extra Milk: $.50 
4YK and Kindergarten Snack: $.90 
 
Lunch and breakfast menus will be sent home monthly. Meal and snack charges will be deducted from your family food service account through the JMC software.  Breakfast this year will be available in the cafeteria upon arrival at school starting at 7:45.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or Mrs. Amy Matzek, Administrative Assistant,  at 273-4391.
 
Sincerely,
Mrs. Mary Cormican
Principal