Week At A Glance, January 19th to 23rd

Monday, January 19th, 2026:

• Grade 5, 6 & 7 Girls Basketball Practice at St. Joseph’s School at 7:30 am, Students Will Be Bussed Back to School (Canceled)
• Grade 5 Boys Basketball Game at Our Lady of Sorrows at Noon (Postponed)

Tuesday, January 20th, 2026:

• Grade 6 Snowshoeing

Wednesday, January 21st, 2026:

• Hot Lunch

Thursday, January 22nd, 2026:

• Grade 7 Pizza Lunch Fundraiser
• Sacramental Parent Meetings at School – Grade 2 at 6:00 pm, Grade 7 at 6:30 pm 

Friday, January 23rd, 2026:

• Grade 5, 6 & 7 Boys Basketball Practice at St. Joseph’s School at 7:30 am, Students Will Be Bussed Back to School
• School Mass 9:15 am (Grade 4) ($2.00 Collection for our Foster Child Miguel)
• Early Dismissal 2:00 pm

Saturday, January 24th, 2026: Work Bee 8:30 am

Family Dance “Early Bird Tickets”:
SFA Family Dance Bowl – Last Day for Early Bird Tickets! 
Today, January 16th, is the last day to get your family dance tickets at early bird pricing at $20/ticket. Tomorrow the prices will increase to $25/ticket. Buy now and save! Tickets will not be available for purchase at the door. Last year we reached our max capacity at our venue and we expect the same, so get your tickets early! 
You can also pre-purchase pizza and concession tickets to avoid lines at the dance. (Note: Bar tickets will be available at the dance only) 
Come dressed in your favourite team colours, jersey, or sport-inspired outfit—football, hockey, basketball, soccer, baseball, or gymnastics… it’s all fair game! DJ Rock n’ Beau is back for another memorable year to get everyone on the dance floor! Get ready for a fun filled half time show with dance contests, prizes and more!

https://sfaschool.ca/sfa-2026-family-dance/

Grade 2 and Grade 7 Sacramental Meeting and Enrollment Mass 
For all families of  Grade 2 and Grade 7 students who will be receiving the Sacraments of Communion (Grade 2) and Confirmation (Grade 7) please note the following important dates:

• Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 6:00 pm – Grade 2 parents are required to attend a mandatory sacramental prep meeting with Father Lucca and Ms. Montcalm
• Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 6:30 pm – Grade 7 parents are required to attend a mandatory sacramental prep meeting with Father Lucca and Mr. Teodosio
• Sunday, February 1, 2026 – all students in Grades 2 and 7 who will receive the sacraments are required to attend the Enrollment Mass – 10:30 am. At this Mass we ask the students come dressed in their school uniform.

SAVE THE DATE – ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING FEBRUARY 19, 2026
“Reminder” our Annual General Meeting will be held on February 19, 2026 at 6:45 pm at St. Francis of Assisi Parish Hall – at least one parent must attend. Re-registration packages will be given out this night.

Parent Support Group (PSG):
The PSG are a group of two or three SFA parents tasked with apply for the government gaming grant and distributing the monies received to the school towards extra-curricular needs.  We have openings for our PSG for the upcoming school year.  If you are interested in potentially being on the PSG, please contact Ms. Welsh at:  d.welsh@sfaschool.ca Thank you.
 

Drop off Zone:
Reminder: The drop off zone is drop off only. Please do not park in the drop off zone and walk your child in. If you need to walk your child to the school please park in the neighbourhood and walk in. Thank you for your cooperation.

FREE – Parenting Workshop “Helping Our Children Thrive” – January 28, 2026
All parents are encouraged to attend a FREE parenting workshop with parenting expert, Julia Eckert!

The workshop will be held from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at the school.  Topics Julia will address will include:

• How stress and anxiety show up in every day behaviour
• How to support children when they are struggling with connection and trust
• Support mental health and wellness in children and youth

This workshop is the first in a series of two workshops by Julia (the second workshop will be held on April 22, 2026).  You can choose to attend just one or both!  Registration below is for the workshop this January.

To register:  Click on the link below:

JANUARY 28, 2026 – PARENTING WORKSHOP WITH JULIA ECKERT
 

Interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith?
Father Lucca continues to lead RCIA classes on Wednesday nights at the parish for any adult interested in learning more about the Catholic faith or who is interested in becoming a full member of the Catholic Church.  RCIA classes will be held from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm.  If you would like more information please contact the parish office at 604-255-8855.  Thank you.

Update Your Parent Participation Hours:

As the second term kicks off,  a reminder to everyone who hasn’t yet entered their Parent Participation hours for the fall of 2025 to do so by January 31^st.
 
Looking for hours? Here are some opportunities and current needs :
 
Supervision:
Lunchtime  Supervision:  Tuesday (X2), Wednesdays, Thursdays
Afterschool: Tuesdays, Wednesdays , Thursdays, Fridays (X3)
If you are available and interested please email:  parentparticipation@sfaschool.ca
 
Special Events: The special events team is always looking for extra hands. If you are interested in supporting any upcoming events please reach out to Heather hdmaciver@gmail.com for more details.
 
Logging your Parent Participation hours on the Volunteer Portal:
In order to properly coordinate and record volunteer tasks, we use the   SFA online volunteer portal .   Your default password is set to SFA1234 and your login is the email address you’ve provided to the school. If you haven’t received your login, please reach out to Jeremy Neese at onvolunteer@sfaschool.ca.  Once you have completed your volunteer task, log into the portal  SFA online volunteer portal and log your hours within your ad hoc tasks section (see instructions below).

Instructions on entering ad hoc hours in the portal:
From the main menu, select “Activities”, then “Ad hoc.”
On the right, click “New Ad Hoc Request”.
Ad Hoc Type = “Unscheduled”
For Activity = “<YOUR VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY>”
Description = free form note, not required but you can detail the work done here
Task Date = select or enter the date you performed the task
Total Hours = the number of hours you spent on that day performing the task
Click  “Submit Request”
*tip: if you’re having trouble, check your browser, chrome works best*
 
There are resources on the portal that detail step by step instructions on how to submit your hours. You will find “Start Guide” & “How To Guide” in the top right corner of the login page. A video tutorial can also be found here.
 

SFA Merchandise: 
Boost your school spirit and support our community by grabbing the latest SFA merchandise! The perfect holiday gift! Our accessory collection is designed for students, parents, and alumni who want to show their pride in style. Every purchase directly supports school programs, making it a meaningful way to give back. Shop now and help us continue building a vibrant and connected SFA school community. Order pick up will be coordinated offline with each family. 

SFA Staff Update:

Welcome to Ms. Mizobuchi, Ms. Belanger and Mr. Santos – they have joined SFA as Education Assistants.  We are happy to have them on board our SFA team.  And a big thank you to Ms. Chin who has now moved onto other endeavours.

Rain and Colder Weather:
Please remember to send your child to school with a jacket everyday. If it is raining lightly students will be staying outside before the morning bell and during recess and lunch. Please remember to label all items with your child’s name that you send to school.

School Calendar: Please click on the link for the school calendar.  https://sfaschool.ca/calendar/

SFA Instagram Page! Follow us on our new Instagram page @sfavancouver to keep up to date on all the news.

UPCOMING DATES:

Jan 26th – Grade 5, 6 & 7 Girls Basketball Practice at St. Joseph’s School at 7:30 am

Jan 27th – Grade 6 Immunizations (Consent forms will be sent home the first week of January)

Jan 28th – Parent Night with Julia Eckert 6:30 pm at the School

Jan 29th – Grade 5 Snowshoeing

Jan 30th – Grade 5, 6 & 7 Boys Basketball Practice at St. Joseph’s School at 7:30 am, Adoration & Benediction 1:00 pm

Feb 1st – Grade 2 & Grade 7 Enrolment Mass 10:30 am

Feb 2nd – Grade 4 Snowshoeing

Feb 5th  – Grade 2 Snowshoeing, Grade 7 Pizza Lunch Fundraiser, PEC Meeting 6:30 pm

Feb 6th  – School Mass 9:15 am (Grade 6)

Feb 7th  – Family Dance at Famee Furlane’s Hall 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Feb 12th & 13th – NO SCHOOL – CATHOLIC EDUCATIORS CONFERENCE

Feb 16th – NO SCHOOL – FAMILY DAY

Feb 17th  – Shrove Tuesday & Mad Hat Day

Feb 18th  – Ash Wednesday School Mass 9:15 am (Grade 3)

Feb 19th  – School AGM 6:45 pm at the Church Hall (Mandatory Meeting for all Families)

Feb 20th  – Grade 2 Reconciliation Re-Treat 9:00 am to Noon

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Office | St. Francis of Assisi School
870 Victoria Drive, Vancouver BC V5L 4E7

Tel: 604-253-7311
Website: sfaschool.ca
Twitter: @SFASchoolVan
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