MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of St. Francis de Sales School is to provide our students with a Catholic education which includes character development to be respectful, reverent and responsible citizens who will be successful in the changing world.

Dear Parent/Guardian,
Welcome back to DeSales for the new school year! We had an excellent opening. Hope everyone will have a terrific year. Parents/families are welcome to visit our school during the school year.

SCHOOL HOURS - Our school day begins at 8:30 AM and ends at 3:15 PM. Please do not drop students off before 7:45 AM as we do not have staff members available for supervision in the cafeteria. Students not picked up by 3:45 PM will be sent to Latchkey at a cost of $4.00 per hour.

ATTENDANCE - We have excellent daily attendance, over 96% last year. Please make sure your child is in school on or before 8:30 AM to avoid tardiness. If a student is picked up before 3:00 PM they will also be counted as tardy.

VISITORS – For security, all visitors must sign in at the office and secure a VISITOR PASS. Parents and visitors are not permitted to go to classrooms without a visitor pass.

PARKING - Parents may park in the new lot next to Purcell Marian High School in the white striped spaces. The yellow spaces are reserved for staff parking. Please enter parking lot on Woodburn Ave.

DISCIPLINE AND STUDENT BEHAVIOR - Our expectations are that students are well behaved during the school day. Respect for individuals is a Core Belief in which we pride ourselves.

- Students must be at school on time (8:30 AM)
- Students are expected to be in proper uniform (shirts tucked in and belts worn).
- Students should show respect for others
- Students are expected to be quiet in the hallways
- Students are expected to complete homework assignments daily.

BREAKFAST PROGRAM - All students will be given a free breakfast at 8:30 AM each day. Students must be here on time. The breakfast time ends at 8:45 AM in time for Art, Music and Physical Education classes.

LATCHKEY - We are fortunate to have a Latchkey Program. This is a service where parents can have their child stay after school under the supervision of Mrs. Debra McMullen, Ms. Greta Brandon and /or Ms. Kim Brock. The cost is $4.00 per hour which must be paid on Mondays for the entire week. The Latchkey Program runs from 3:30 to 5:45 PM. Latchkey will be held downstairs in the basement classroom.

OPEN HOUSE - Our Fall Open House and P.T.O. Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 23, 2008. Beginning at 6:30 PM the P.T.O. will once again provide Market Day food samples. Our Open House will begin at 6:45 PM and last until 8:00 PM. Please plan on attending and meeting your child/children’s teacher/s.

UNIFORMS - We expect all students to be wearing the proper uniform daily. If you have difficulty (financially) in providing for your child's uniforms, please contact the school office. We have some resources that may be able to help. Check our Rummage Sale under the church for a possible resource.

FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH - Please return your application to Mrs. Beckemeyer, as soon as possible, to be processed and considered for free or reduced meals. A new application must be completed each year.

MARKET DAY PRODUCTS - Many thanks to our parents for their support of Market Day. Our P.T.O. contributes to teacher/student supplies, field trips, high school scholarships, graduation and athletics. Market Day pick-ups are on Saturdays, please check our school calendar for pick-up dates. The first pick-up will be September 6 and the October pick-up date is October 4.

HATS OFF TO MR. HARPER AND MAINTENANCE - The school building looks great, thanks to Mr. Harper and his crew, Mr. Gregory Harper, Mr. Rufus McDowell, Todd Ciers, David Watkins and Javari Lewis, who painted, cleaned and polished. GREAT JOB!!!!!!

TEENS ACTING FOR PEACE – We will be working with students from Purcell Marian and Moeller this school year. The high school students will visit our classes through out the school year to work on the Peace Pledge. Our first program is September 12, 2008.

WELCOME NEW STAFF MEMBERS – The following people have joined our “DeSales Family” and we want to give them a big warm welcome:

Grade 1                                 Ms. Patty Murphy
Art Teacher                           Ms. Alison Burns
Music Teacher                       Mrs. Angeline Wheeler
Speech Therapist                   Ms. Genise Caldwell
Counselor                             Mrs. Monica Magliocco
Lunchroom Manager             Mrs. Brenda Beckemeyer
Kitchen Assistant                  Mr. JT Schablein

SAFETY AND SECURITY – We have a total of 32 cameras inside and outside of our school that work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our goal is to provide a safe and secure learning environment for our students.

FIRE SAFETY – All classes had their first fire drill on Tuesday, August 26, 2008. Fire drills will be done monthly for the safety of our children.

PEER MEDIATION – Mrs. Monica Magliocco and the Center for Peace Education will be training some sixth through eighth graders to be peer mediators and “Buddies”. The mediators will be “positive” role models for the students in grades K-5.