St. Francis Area Schools

Homecoming dance tickets will be pre-sold during lunches for $15. Only 9-12th grade students from St. Francis High School, Saints Academy and Saints Online are allowed. A picture ID is required to enter. No reentry into the dance once a student leaves.

Homecoming Week themes have been announced. Check https://www.isd15.org/article/1243374 for more information.

College Fair St. Francis High School Commons Wednesday, September 20, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. There will be more than 70 reps from colleges around the area. 2 year, 4 year, public, private, as well as specialty schools. Students and parents can pre register using the QR code in the attached image.

Check out the first edition of SFHS Today for the 2023-24 school year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdqMKuutLqg

Never forget. 9.11.01

CONGRATULATIONS to SFMS 8th grader Anniston Rolf who broke the St. Francis High School 5k record yesterday at a meet in Rockford. While competing for the varsity Cross Country team, Anniston ran a 19:41.6 for the 5k course. The previous record was 19:46 by Maria Laudenbach in 2017.

Students who park on school grounds must have a student school-authorized parking permit. Permits are $60 per trimester for full-time students and $12 per class for part-time students. A discounted price of $150 is available for purchasing all three trimesters NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 30, 2023. Free parking is available in the lower lot. Students must only park in the west lot and display the current trimester's student parking permit. Students parking without a student school-sanctioned permit or in an undesignated area may be directed to move their vehicle to the lower lot. The school may revoke parking permits and privileges from individuals who continue to violate the rules or whose driving habits present a threat to the safety of others. SFHS will not refund fees for revoked parking permits.

SFMS VOLLEYBALL REGISTRATION CLOSING SOON Registration will be closed the evening of Friday, September 8th. If you have not registered yet please do so as soon as possible. As a MSHSL requirement we will need an up to date physical form for participation. The registration website and physical form can be found here: https://stfrancis2054a.cf.affinetysolutions.com/?p=2890 If you have any questions, please contact our Activities Director: Colten LaChance

Welcome back students! We're excited to have you back in our buildings.

There is currently an issue with routing information on Infinite Campus for our Transportation Department. The issue revolves around either pick up/drop off times or the location of the bus stop. We are working on the issue and hope to have it resolved soon.

For SFHS Schedule Corrections, please visit https://sfhs.isd15.org/o/sfhs/page/schedule-corrections for more information on the process, who is eligible and what is needed.

St. Francis Middle School is still hosting 6th Grade Orientation sessions this week. If you have not attended one, and would like to, here is the link to sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjR8usNnDcZ1lfiq_-s44ePC_BKUFey1noj9mG-F8Kf65-fQ/viewform?usp=sf_link Please note, today, August 21, the front parking lot is being resurfaced. Please park along the south sidewalk near the Transportation Building. Use the sidewalk to enter Door #1 (front door).

Vote for our own Grady Brunn for the Prep Redzone Preseason 5A Player of the Year in Minnesota. https://prepredzone.com/2023/08/vote-minnesota-5a-preseason-player-of-the-year/

2023 Fall sports are back in action! #GoSaints

St. Francis Area Schools is committed to providing high-quality education that equips each student with the knowledge and skills they need to reach their full potential. We believe that every student has the potential to achieve great things, and we are committed to providing them with the classes, programming and tools they need to succeed. However, our district faces significant challenges in meeting these goals as funding for education has not kept pace with the educational needs of our students. As we prepare for the school year, our district is also looking ahead to the November special election, where district voters will be asked to consider a proposed plan that would provide additional funding for our schools. This funding would allow us to: • Enhance vocational education and trade programming to prepare students for high-demand careers. • Expand hands-on learning for STEAM programming. • Provide supplies and materials across all grade levels. • Ensure access to up-to-date technology. • Attract and retain quality staff. Over the past nine years, our district has reduced our budget by $11 million to deal with a budget shortfall due to inadequate state funding. St. Francis Area Schools receives $1,347 less funding per student than the state average, placing our school district among the region’s lowest for per pupil funding. Over 70% of school districts in Minnesota rely on voter-approved operating levies to provide additional funding to support the day-to-day operations of schools, including curriculum, materials and supplies, student programming and services, and staff compensation. St. Francis Area Schools does not have a voter-approved operating levy. This means we spend hundreds of dollars less per student than area school districts. On Tuesday, November 7, St. Francis Area School District voters will consider two ballot questions - a 10-year, $325 per student operating levy and a 10-year, $880,000 annual capital projects levy - to increase funding for our district and provide a strong future for our students, staff and schools. This is an important community decision. We want residents to have the information they need to learn about our challenges, the proposed plan to address them, and the tax impact on local property owners. We encourage you to explore our new website, www.sfStrongFuture.org, for detailed information about the referendum.

School supply lists are located at the following links: St. Francis High School: https://sfhs.isd15.org/o/sfhs/page/school-supply-list St. Francis Middle School: https://sfms.isd15.org/o/sfms/page/school-supply-list St. Francis Elementary: https://www.isd15.org/o/sfes/page/school-supply-lists-elementary East Bethel Elementary: https://ebes.isd15.org/o/ebes/page/school-supply-lists-elementary Cedar Creek Elementary: https://cces.isd15.org/o/cces/page/school-supply-lists-cces

JAZZ BAND REGISTRATION OPEN Jazz Band registration is now open for 7th and 8th graders. The first rehearsal will be on Monday, September 11th. The registration website can be found here: Jazz Band Registration (https://stfrancis2054a.cf.affinetysolutions.com/?p=2890) If you have any questions, please contact Band Director: Michael Werner or our Activities Director: Colten LaChance

Volleyball registration is now open for 7th and 8th graders. Please submit your registration forms by Friday, August 25th. The first practice will be on Tuesday, August 29th. The registration website and forms can be found here: Volleyball Registration (https://stfrancis2054a.cf.affinetysolutions.com/?p=2890) If you have any questions, please contact our Activities Director: Colten LaChance

Dear Parents and Guardians of 2023-24 6th Graders: At St. Francis Middle School, we are excited to welcome our new 6th graders into our learning community. Starting in August, we will be offering numerous 6th grade orientation sessions for students, parents, and/or guardians. At these meetings we will help you and your student understand what a middle school day looks like, how to be successful as a middle school student, give a tour of our school, and, most importantly, answer your questions. If you already registered for a session, please do not register again. For those of you who have not, please register for one session by using the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjR8usNnDcZ1lfiq_-s44ePC_BKUFey1noj9mG-F8Kf65-fQ/viewform?usp=sf_link We are limiting the number of people at each session to make sure we can spend time with each of our students and their parents/guardians. If you have any questions, please contact me at heidi.critchley@isd15.org or Kayla Buzzel at kayla.buzzell@isd15.org. We look forward to meeting you! Sincerely, Heidi Critchley SFMS Principal heidi.critchley@isd15.org

There is an informational meeting for those who are interested in joining the St. Francis High School Debate Team August 3 at 6:30 pm at the SFHS room D221.