From the desk of Mr. McLaughlin:

Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year! I hope your summer was filled with fun, relaxation, prayer and learning. Our entire faculty and staff look forward to seeing everyone back in the building this year.

Our teachers are energized and deeply committed to making a positive difference in the lives of our students after working through both a physically and mentally draining school year. I am grateful for the courage, hard work and dedication of our students and teachers throughout the 2020-21 school year. As we begin this school year. Let us all recommit to being our best selves and to live out the Franciscan values:

• To be Living Instruments of Peace
• To Proclaim Joy and Hope
• To Care for Creation
• To Live Lovingly

As we live through an incredibly challenging time for schools everywhere, St. Francis Prep will keep its focus on our Mission where students grow, learn and develop in religious and joyful school environment.

Together with our dedicated faculty and staff, supportive families and motivated students we continue to strive to create an environment filled with a commitment to faith and pursuit of academic excellence.

St. Francis Assisi pray for us!

Important Reminders

Please call the Attendance Office when your child is absent.

Only parents or guardians can call to notify the Attendance Office of an absence. Please either call 718-423-8810 Ext.221, email at [email protected], or fill out a google form. Below you will find a link for the google form. We hope that these options will make the process a little easier. We appreciate you keeping us informed in advance.

Attendance Form - FORM HERE

When a student returns to school from being absent they must go to E101 to obtain a pass and present a note.

Safety Reminder from SFP Security:

* Please avoid double parking in front of school at all times.

* Please avoid parking in the bus stop.

- Both this traffic issues creates a hazardous situation for other drivers and our students exiting the building at dismissal.

Student Responsibility:

• Please do not drop-off any items for your children. We expect them to bring the necessary items to school each day.
• All Students must arrive to school in full dress code daily; this includes Flynn O’Hara pants and polo with all black sneakers or shoes.

*All black footwear may not have any other color visible on the sneaker or shoe.

Teaching self-responsibility is as important for our SFP students as it is being successful academically.

From the SFP Medical Office

When SFP receives information of a COVID-positive person, please be assured any person associated with having close contact with that person is contacted directly by a member of the Medical Office or a member of the Administration. Depending on the details and status of vaccination of those in close contact, further directives are provided.

We send an email to all those who were in the classroom but not within close contact and to the parents or guardians to inform them. In these situations, no quarantine is required; we indicate to continue normal routine, monitor health, and report any concerns to the school nurse.

If a student is ill, we trust the parent or guardian will monitor symptoms and status of health while the student is home. If a student obtains a COVID test related to the illness, the student must remain home while awaiting the results. In such cases, the parent or guardian must notify the Attendance Office and Medical Office.

As stated in the directives, whenever the SFP Nurse requires a COVID test for a person who has had close contact with a confirmed COVID-positive person, that person will be placed on quarantine and require a PCR test. Again, this procedure will depend on the exposed student's vaccination status and other factors related to the contact.

Ms. Pappas continues to monitor D.O.H. guidelines and will keep the SFP community informed.

GRADE POINT AVERAGES (GPAs)

Student GPAs are displayed on a number of reports and screens. The information below will assist you in understanding what each one represents.

QUARTERLY GPA and QUARTERLY HONOR ROLL
At the end of each quarterly marking period, we calculate the average for that quarter and generate the Quarterly Honor Roll. If a student is on the Honor Roll for a particular quarter, a notation is made on the bottom of the emailed report card. We also post the most recent Quarterly Honor Roll in the school lobby.

The quarterly GPA is determined by adding the grade for all classes and dividing by the number of classes (not credits). The quarterly GPA is not weighted; every class carries the same weight and quality points for honors and A.P. classes are not included. The quarterly GPA is not listed on the transcript.

TRANSCRIPT GPA
At the end of each semester and the end of the school year, we calculate the Transcript (or cumulative) GPA. This is the student’s GPA for his or her entire career at Prep, and it is listed on the student’s transcript. The Transcript GPA changes every time a course is successfully completed. It is located at the bottom of the Grades and Attendance screen on the Parent Portal as “Current Transcript GPA.” This is the method by which we calculate the Transcript GPA:

• The grade for every class is included in the GPA.
• Each grade is weighted by the number of credits it carries. For example, English 9 is a 1-credit class, so the grade for that class carries its full weight: 90 x 1.0 = 90. Physical Education 9 is a half-credit class, so that grade is counted half: 90 x 0.5 = 45.
• Every honors class receives 4 quality points added to the final grade for that class; each A.P. class receives 6 quality points. These extra points are reflected in the Transcript GPA but do not appear in the final grade on the report card or transcript. For example, a student who earns 92% in English 9 honors will have 96% added into the calculation for his or her GPA; 92% will appear as the final grade for English 9 honors on the report card and transcript.
• We add all these numbers and divide by the number of credits (not courses) to compute the student’s Transcript (cumulative) GPA.

YEARLY HONOR ROLL (different from Quarterly Honor Roll)

Students who were on the Honor Roll based on their Final Yearly GPA for the 2020-2021 school year will receive certificates acknowledging this achievement in the Fall. The Yearly GPA is calculated the same way the Transcript GPA is calculated but includes only the courses for that year.

Tunnel 2 Towers Race in support of the Stephen Siller Foundation.

On Sunday, September 26th, SFP Science Faculty member, Casey Clark will be running in the Tunnel 2 Towers Race once again in support of the Stephen Siller Foundation.

The race follows the route that the Squad 1 member took from his firehouse in Brooklyn to the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11th. Siller wasn’t scheduled to work that day but went in to work, grabbed his gear, and ran through the Brooklyn Battery tunnel to the World Trade Center where he ultimately lost his life.

Casey will be running with several people from the Kings Park Fire Department where she serves as a volunteer. And, as she has done in the past, she will run in full turnout gear!!

Siller’s family started the Foundation in honor of his sacrifice. The money they raise goes to help build new smart homes for seriously injured service members as well as pay off mortgages and provide housing for family members of first responders and service members killed in the line of duty.

Thank you for your dedication to the families of our First Responders and for being among the many great teachers that comprise the faculty/staff at St. Francis Prep! Casey teaches Chemistry, AP Environmental Science and co-chairs the Science Research Program at Prep.

20^th Anniversary of the 9/11 Commemoration

On Friday, September 10th we commemorated the 20th anniversary of the 9/11attacks on our nation. We continue to pray for all the victims and their families. We are also honored and privileged to announce the establishment of The First Responders Memorial Scholarship Fund here at St. Francis Prep. This fund has been established thanks to the loyalty and generosity of Teresa Downing Greene, Class of 1981, and her wonderful husband Chris.

This award will be given each year to a deserving senior student in memory of one of our fallen hero first responders. This inaugural award will be made in memory of 9/11 FDNY hero Matthew Garvey who was a classmate of Teresa Downing Greene in the Prep's Class of ‘81.

At our special ceremony on September 10th, the inaugural First Responders Memorial Scholarship Award was presented in the name of Matthew Garvey to one of our remarkable senior students, Nadia Hardy.

Celebrating the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

On Thursday, September 30th, 2021 at 8:35 a.m. in the school Auditorium, the Prep will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi with a liturgy.

The Canticle Citation Awards for years of Service will be presented to:

40 Years of Service

Patrick McLaughlin

15 Years of Service

Michael Aguilo

Kristie Beck

Jeorge Espinal

Adrian Gonzalez

Diane Haussermann

Frances Jimenez

Murat Karaca

Abelardo Leston

James Lynch

Annmarie Pedalino

President’s Award

Ellen Arfanis- 15 years

National Merit Scholarship Commended Students

Emma Chin, Jonathan D Cina, Grace H Lee, Jonathan Lee, Juliana M Wicelinski, Ruth Zhang

Designated as College Board National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholars

Alani Brathwaite, Amanda Morris, Brandon Wong, Emma Pereira, Evan Quinn, Isabella St Juste, Jayden Melendez, Jordana Burstein, Julianna Gomez, Katerina Hanif, Matthew Solis, Milena Velez, Rafael Montan, Sophia Caporusso, Taylor Massias-Acosta, William Pico

Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Competition

Brendan R. Carrol, Valerie Franchitti

Extraordinary students that have been volunteering with the Friends of Francis Lewis Park

The Friends of Francis Lewis Park is a volunteer group that is dedicated to beautifying, restoring and caring for Francis Lewis Park in Whitestone. We work in conjunction with The NYC Parks Dept. And Partnerships for Parks to keep the park beautiful for all to enjoy. We also host free community events at the park with elected officials, the 109th Pct and local civic associations.

Our student volunteers initially started out volunteering to fulfill community service hours but have stayed on long after they completed their required hours. They have participated in assisting with our September 11th Memorial, Pink in the Park Breast Cancer Event, Mulchfest, Earth Day Celebration, The Community Egg Hunt, Arbor Day Tree Planting, The Daffodil Project-a Sept. 11th citywide planting project, "It's My Park" waterfront clean-up, bench painting, poetry reading, litter removal, gardening and our weekly Morning Motivation Cleanup on Sunday mornings at 7:30 AM.... yes, these teenagers were in the park on Sundays at 7:30 AM! They have gone above & beyond all expectations to keep Francis Lewis Park clean & beautiful during the most difficult days brought on by the Covid pandemic. And they have done it with enthusiasm, grace, determination, humor and strength....all while abiding by all Covid safety standards along the way. Now more than ever, NYC Parks have served as a place of solace, peace, comfort and exercise for so many New Yorkers. Our park is an oasis in the city during these trying times. Your students assisted in maintaining and enhancing Francis Lewis Park at a time when the community needed it most! Please know that St. Francis Prep has been well represented by these students.

In April at our Arbor Day celebration, Lauren Bastidas, Didi Diallo, Mary Ferrara, Stephanie Mecir and Mia Scagnelli were presented with NY City Council Citations by Councilmember Paul Vallone and Queens Parks Commissioner Michael Dockett for their outstanding, months of dedication to the community. The following week, they made the front page of The Queens Chronicle for their civic achievements. In addition, Rebecca D’Agnello and Roisin Garry volunteered at our Breast Cancer event. All of these amazing students certainly are living and fulfilling the principles of St. Francis and I am so proud to work alongside them for the betterment of our community! Their commitment to their community, NYC Parks, and the environment is an example for us all!

Below are some photo highlights of various events they participated in. New York City is lucky to have them! Keep up the great work at The Prep….your students are such wonderful assets to the world around them!

St. Francis Preparatory School and the World Language Department would like to congratulate the following recipients for their hard work, dedication, and excellence in language proficiency.

The National Examination in French, Italian, and Spanish is a web-based proficiency and performance assessment that measures written and aural interpretation skills in alignment with the ACTFL Performance Descriptors and the 2012 ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.

The National Exam provides an excellent opportunity to highlight our students' success as every year thousands of high school students of French, Italian, and Spanish take the exam nationwide.

St. Francis Preparatory school and the World Language Department would like to congratulate the following recipients for their hard work, dedication, and excellence in language proficiency. Students with a star received a monetary prize.

Moreover, On behalf of St. Francis Preparatory School, The World Language Department would like to congratulate Scholarship Winner, Bianca Suiu, for reaching the highest percentile in Level 2 Category A for the National Italian Examination 2021 Nationwide.

2021 National Italian Contest

Gold Katherine Civitano* Maria D’Amico* Brandon DiMaggio* Gabriella Ivanic* Sabrina Khanali* Luca Mercadante* Olivia Amalfitano* Bianca Suiu

Silver Maria Calisi Sofia Caridi* Giovanni Carlucci* Jessica Doherty Andrew Fiocca* Kaylee LoPiccolo* Sophia Ribarich* Anastasia Schreiner* Milena Velez

Bronze Isabella Avallone Julia Corradini Adrianna DeMarinis Alexa Giacomarra Gabriella Moraglia Sophia Quinn Giovanni Picone Giovanni Scarpa Krizia Yao

2021 National Spanish Contest

Gold Sofia Arias Alberto Avalos Ilu Suarez

Silver Isabel Caamaño Julianna Gomez Elsa Kolenovic Sebastian Madero Rafael Montán

Bronze Reynold Dundas Kara Garcia Katerina Hanif Kayla Harris Daraliz Melo Juan Merchan Emma Pereira Ivana Prado Steven Schreiber Alexa Siavichay Jalyn Tse Sean Vera

2021 National French Contest

Gold Mirabel Bok Jenny Chen

Silver Alexia Heath Brianna Camaj Sophia Dimont Karen Villamizar Ng Alexander Allel

Bronze Adrianna Docket Ashton Mahadeo Paris Drain

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦