Dear Students, Alumni, Parents, & Friends of St. Francis,
The holiday season is in full swing. In the spirit of Thanksgiving and celebration, I want to acknowledge that on December 18th all Salesian works will be celebrating the 158th anniversary of the founding of the Salesian family. On this important date, Don Bosco gathered a group of 17 young men to start a congregation. After 158 years and in countries all over the world, this initial group has grown into a worldwide movement. This movement has a single purpose – to foster good Christians and honest citizens. This basic belief is part of our school’s vision: To ensure every student is prepared to attend a 4-year college and possesses the values of a good Christian and an honest global citizen.
We will get a chance to acknowledge this Salesian celebration during our all school liturgy for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12th. Our Lady of Guadalupe Day is a religious observance, not a public holiday in the US. The day is particularly special for Americans of Mexican heritage, as it honors the belief that Jesus' mother Mary, who is Mexico's patron saint, appeared to a man in Mexico City twice in 1531. All are welcome to come and celebrate this holiday liturgy with us in the BAC at 8 am.
In this newsletter I want to thank all of you who attended our 2017 Fall Open House, volunteered at our Open House, and/or shared your students with us on this day. Mrs. Marheineke and her team created an amazing and authentic experience for all. It was a gorgeous day with over 200+ people in attendance; students and parents beamed with pride to see their child’s name listed as an accepted Early Commitment (EC) student. Some attended tours, some came to speak with teachers and coaches in the gym, and some just came to drop off Presidential Scholar paperwork. With your help, this EC program has doubled since last year as we accepted 48 of the 56 students who went through the process. It is because of you that we have grown to be the private high school of choice for students and parents on the central coast.
Also in the spirit of Thanksgiving and celebration, I want to thank the students who have been accepting my monthly invitations to participate in Lunch with the Principal. This event brings in 2 students from each grade level to share their glows and grows for the school; it gives them a voice in the school and gives me a climate check on important ideas and issues for them.
On November 6th we hosted 15 parents and Supervisor Greg Caput for a Coffee with the Principal. This first time event brought parents and community leaders together to hear about campus life from 2 seniors. It also gave our Associate Principal, Ms. Eagleson, a chance to address the community on the strengths of our academic programs and as well as preview where we are going – adding the Biomedical Interventions (Year 4) project lead the way class, with a real partnership with Dr. Stephen Scherr and Hazel Hawkins Hospital; and, launching the AP Computer Science Principles class. Currently, Ms. Eagleson and the Modern Language Department are exploring a Spanish Native Speakers/Heritage program as well so that we can accelerate students through AP Spanish Language and add AP Spanish Literature in the next few years. She is also looking at creative improvements to our English and Theology Departments in collaboration with the Department Chairs. All of these are very exciting. We will host another Coffee with the Principal on January 22nd, 2018 at 8 AM. This meeting we will, again, have 2 student speakers, as well as focus on student life, athletics, and youth ministry.
We are mailing the Annual Appeal this week. 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 $2000 per student. Every donation counts – from $20 to $20,000 all makes 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 your 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. The class with the highest % of families participating will get a free lunch and free dress day on Holy Thursday before Easter.
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. Your support of that through the Annual Appeal is truly valued. Help St. Francis change lives...one student at a time!
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 to. 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 or 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.
Yours in Christ,
Mr. Patrick Lee
President/Principal