The Seelos Star
Summer 2019
Dear School Families, 

Our faculty and staff are so excited to welcome all of our returning students and many new faces tour school community. The teachers have been working on their classrooms and lesson plans to jump off to a great start this school year. Even though it's hard to say goodbye to the summer months, there is so much to look forward to with new friends and a new school year! See all of very soon!

Mr. Reese
Principal
LOGOS
Have you noticed our new look? This past year, the marketing committee worked with PTG, Athletics, SAC, and Spiritwear to address some challenges that have been encountered with replicating the logos in print and on fabrics. The group worked to make sure changes were minor so that items currently in use with our logos did not have to be replaced. PLEASE NOTE: Your children’s crested pieces such as gym uniforms and fleeces with the old logo are FINE, and you do NOT need to repurchase them with the new logo. 
ENROLLMENT
There are many new families that we will be welcoming to our extended school family come fall. We are so happy to have just over 350 students enrolled in our PreK to 8 program. As our school community grows, so does our continued commitment to academic excellence and to serving our community at large.
RYAN CENTER MAKEOVER
The Ryan Center renovations are complete and the colors and the new bleachers that were installed make everything look very cohesive. The Father Murphy Court logo is larger than before and honors a man who was a Priest at St. Alphonsus Church for 17 years and has been in the Priesthood for 50.

We are looking forward to having a great year academically and with our athletics.
WI-FI
Over the summer months, our WI-FI update has taken place. New wiring and access points have been fitted throughout the building to ensure that coverage can occur uninterrupted. We will also be rolling out additional Chromebooks for students to use in classroom work and school projects. Thank you to the PTG for helping us to make this much needed improvement for our students!
FILL IT UP
Over the summer, all of the water fountains in the K-8 building were replaced and upgraded through funding from the PTG. The fountains in the cafeteria and Ryan Center Lobby now include water bottle refill stations.
Thank you to members of our 8th grade class and their siblings for mulching the K-8 campus playground on a recent hot summer day.
Back to School: What you Need to Know
BUS TRANSPORTATION
Your school district will send you bus information in mid-August.  If you don’t receive information regarding the bus schedule by August 20 th , you should call your district bus transportation provider for further details. 
DROP-OFF/PICK-UP PROCEDURES
For the safety of our students, please adhere to the pick-up/drop-off procedures at each campus. These procedures can be found on the school webpage under Parent Resources/Document Library.
MORNING CARE AND EXTENDED DAY
Morning Care and Extended Day is offered at both campuses. Morning Care begins at 7 AM and Extended Day runs after school until 6 PM. Instructions for Morning Care and Extended Day drop-off and pick-up are found in the links above or under the Parent Resources/Document Library section of the school webpage.

These services can be utilized on an as-needed basis, however students planning to use extended day need to be pre-enrolled and pay the yearly enrollment fee. Please click on the link below for the Enrollment Form.
UNIFORMS
Every day uniforms and gym uniforms are required for children in K-8. A copy of the uniform policy is found under the Parent Resource/Document Library section of the school webpage.

Gym uniforms are currently on sale in the K-8 office.
MASS DAYS
Parents and friends are always welcome to attend our school masses. Students in grades K-8 attend mass each Wednesday at 9 AM at St. Alphonsus Church. The even numbered grades sit on the "old side" of the church and the odd numbered grades and kindergarten sit on the "new side".
VOLUNTEERING
Volunteering is a key aspect of our community.  It is a great way to get to know other parents.  There are many opportunities throughout the school year to volunteer during the school day and to help out at fundraising events that are on the evening and weekends.  You will receive a volunteer sign-up form for the many events and committees at our school int he first day of school packet. You can also sign up for one of the many events that are held throughout the year that are offered through weekly emails from the school.  

Volunteers will need to obtain certain clearances.  This process is really easy, but, will take some lead time for certain steps. Volunteer Clearance Requirements can be found under the Parent Resource/Document Library section of the BFSA website
COMMUNICATION
Expect to receive two emails a week from the school secretary, Patty Anfang.  These emails will contain information about upcoming school activities. Generally, these emails are sent on Tuesdays and Fridays. Additional emails may occur throughout the week at the discretion of the principal or Early Childhood Center Director.

The school newsletter is emailed to each school family at least three times a year (fall, winter and spring).  If you would like to help with the newsletter, or have information to contribute, please contact Cathy Peoples at  [email protected] .  
SOCIAL MEDIA
Seelos Academy has a Facebook page and also an Instagram account. Both of these sites are used primarily for promoting events and promoting the school.  There is a private Facebook group page for current school families. You can find the group from the school Facebook Page.  It is named “Blessed Francis Seelos Academy Private Parents Group”. This site is a good resource for parents to ask questions of other parents and to share information about the happenings of the school.  We do ask that you limit communication on the site to school related events and school related subjects only.  It is not a site for promoting events that do not pertain to the school or to the Catholic Community of Wexford.    
Events
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT
Each year, the Diocese of Pittsburgh requires each catholic school to meet an assigned fundraising goal. Seelos Academy works to reach this six-figure goal through many fundraising efforts including gift cards, Designer Bag Bingo, and our fundraising partners.  We are also very fortunate to have support from The Catholic Community of Wexford.  One hundred percent of the profits from the Saint Alexis Festival go directly to Seelos Academy.  The Saint Alphonsus Harvest Home Dinner and Saint Alphonsus Fish Fry split their profits 50/50 with the school. It is very important that our families and friends help with these efforts by purchasing gift cards, donating to these events and volunteering at these events. Thank you, in advance for your support! 
STEELER SEASON TICKET RAFFLE
Raffle tickets for a chance to win 4 Steeler Season tickets were sold at the Saint Alexis Festival and continue until the drawing on September 4. All proceeds from this sale will benefit Blessed Francis Seelos Academy. You can purchase your tickets after each Mass at Saint Alexis and Saint Alphonsus.

We are looking for volunteers to sell tickets after Mass for the Pittsburgh Steelers season tickets raffle. Please consider volunteering through SignUp Genius.
SAINT ALPHONSUS HARVEST HOME RUN/WALK DINNER AND FESTIVAL
Planning for the Saint Alphonsus Harvest Home Run/Walk, Dinner, and Festival are well under way! This wonderful celebration has been a community tradition since 1889. The event provides financial support to our school, Blessed Francis Seelos Academy, and to Saint Alphonsus Parish. In 2017, the event raised nearly $63,000. Last year, despite the awful downpours that mother nature sent our way, we still raised over $55,000 and had a wonderful time. This is a testament to both the fabulous event and to the amazing people in our community. 

This year, the activities begin with a walk/run in North Park on Friday evening, September 6th. Our dinner and festival will be held on Sunday, September 8th, 2019.  The festival includes games of chance, some new and exciting games, a Chinese Auction, the Bonanza Raffle, the Country Store, and more. Sunday’s dinner features a choice of charcoal grilled half chicken, pulled pork or Harvest Home ham, served with hot vegetables and homemade applesauce, coleslaw, tomato and cucumber salads.  Dessert is also included to satisfy your sweet tooth!

You can be a part of the tradition and fun in a variety of ways: volunteer your time, make a donation, sell bonanza raffle tickets, register for the 5K, and/or enjoy the dinner and festival. No matter how you plan to participate, we greatly value your support. 

Questions/Comments may be directed to: Lee Anne Davison, Rose Lechmanick, and Sharon Winkler at  [email protected]
DESIGNER BAG BINGO: NOT YOUR GRANNY'S BINGO!
Come celebrate Blessed Francis Seelos Academy’s 3rd school year on October 11!

Play 12 rounds of Bingo to win over 32 designer bags from Tory Burch, Kate Spade, Coach, Michael Kors, Vera Bradley, Furla, and many more!
Bring extra cash to play other many other fun, purse-prized games, including a final Bingo round for a brand new LOUIS VUITTON! Doors open at 6:00 pm, bingo starts at 6:45 pm.

Light desserts and refreshments will be served. BYOB and snacks for your table! 

Shave $5 off the ticket price by buying a table of 8! 
Fundraising
HOW CAN I AFFORD CATHOLIC EDUCATION?
 Click the button below for information on reducing your tuition bill through financial aid, grants, and tax credits.
GIFT CARD PROGRAM
Families earn tuition credit by purchasing gift cards through the school. The program generates additional revenues used for the operational costs of Seelos Academy. Order online at bfsafundraising.com, at either campus office, or Sign up for ShopwithScrip and make gift card purchases from your phone on demand. For more information, contact [email protected] .
AMAZON SMILE!
Blessed Francis Seelos Academy receives cash back from Amazon Smile! Simply log in to your Amazon account and type "Amazon Smile" into the Amazon search engine. Select Blessed Francis Seelos Academy as your designated charity that will receive 0.5% of each of your eligible Amazon purchases. 
BOX TOPS
Clipping and submitting Box Tops, or scanning your receipt using the Box Top app is an easy way to help earn money for Seelos Academy. This fundraiser has netted thousands of dollars over the years.
CHICK-FIL-A
Save your Chick-Fil-A receipts from the Wexford and Cranberry locations and return to school. Through store credit earned for reimbursed receipts we are able to provide food items for the school community, including our annual 8th grade picnic and teacher luncheons.
SHOP N SAVE
Register Seelos Academy under your personal Shop 'n Save perks card and earn money for the school. When you shop at the four Miheloc Shop n' Save stores, Shop ‘n Save will gift 2% of qualified purchases back to Seelos Academy in gift cards.
GIANT EAGLE
Giant Eagle® supports local schools through the Apples for the Students™ program. Visit the  My School Programs  page, register your Giant Eagle Advantage card and select Blessed Francis Seelos Academy as the school that you would like to receive points.
LEARNING ENRICHMENT FUND
The Seelos Academy Learning Enrichment Fund provides financial support to the faculty and school for professional development, classroom materials, and school-wide programming. If you would like to donate to the fund or sponsor the annual golf outing, the fundraiser for the Fund, please contact the office. You can also contact the office if you would like to be part of the Learning Enrichment Committee or volunteer at the golf outing.