Please see below for the information concerning the Futures in Education Relief Fund letter that was emailed to all families earlier this week.

Dear Families:

As we go through this crisis together, there are so many needs that continue to grow. We are continually praying for you and your loved ones so that we may heal and emerge from these difficult times. We recognize the financial burden many have experienced as the school endures its own financial struggles.

Our partner scholarship organization, Futures in Education, has established a Relief Fund to assist families affected by the COVID-19 health crisis in completing their 2019/20 tuition payments.

You are invited to complete this form ONLY if your family has been directly impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis, resulting in a reduction or loss of income, and you are seeking tuition relief for the 2019/2020 academic year. Funding is very limited, and it is critical that we are able to assist those most affected by this crisis. Please only apply if your family has been affected in a way that it will not be possible for you to complete this year’s tuition payments.

We will work with Futures in Education to assess the overall need and funding received to determine how we may best help our families. The application will be open from now through May 15, 2020 and may be found at www.futuresineducation.org/covid19app.

Please alert us directly if you need this assistance so we are aware of your situation. This is a requirement of the fund.

In addition, we encourage you to apply for the regular financial aid program administered by Futures in Education for the 2020-21 academic year now, by going to  www.futuresineducation.org/scholarships. 

Note: Returning Teddy J. Forstmann recipients should apply for regular tuition assistance for 20-21 through Children’s Scholarship Fund/Civicore. Instructions have been emailed to you.

Please contact Futures in Education at 718.965.7340 or by email: Scholarships@FuturesinEducation.org if you have any questions or need assistance.

Sincerely,

Sue Walsh

Families,

I hope all of you continue to remain healthy and safe. I am sure that four weeks ago many of us could never have imagined that our new normal would include closing our schools, sheltering in place, and distancing ourselves from friends and family. It has been an incredibly difficult few weeks with all of the adjustments we have had to make. We, as a school community, appreciate all that you have done to support your child while they continue the learning process at home. Although there is physical distance between us, we are here for you and we encourage everyone to support one another through these trying times.

Please know that I am on daily calls with instructional experts and administrative leaders from multiple private, public and independent schools from various districts in the tri-state area. We have been discussing plans and sharing ideas of next steps for schools when they do indeed reopen. Rest assured the faculty, staff and administration of SSCA will be prepared to meet the academic, social and emotional needs of each student when they return to school whether that be in May, June or September.

Please also know that all of you will be in my prayers during the remainder of Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Please hold in your thoughts and prayers the members of our school community who have had their lives impacted by the Covid19 virus.

Below is a link to the website of the Catholic Foundation of Brooklyn and Queens, where you can leave a special prayer intention at any time. I have also included a link to NET TV’s site where you can find daily live streams of Masses in multiple languages.

Lastly, please see the YouTube link of a video that the faculty, staff and administration of SSCA have proudly put together to remind our students that we are and will always be here for them.

The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) is hosting a webinar, “Transitioning to Distance Learning for Parents,”  taking place this evening at 6 p.m. Please register for the webinar, using the link below.

The teachers here at SSCA, from Nursery through the eighth grade, have spent countless hours collaborating with each other, their students and families to transition to a digital classroom platform.

Using Google Classroom, teachers have been able to upload lessons, videos and assignments.  In addition, students have been using Google’s other digital communication platforms to have face time with teachers and fellow classmates to discuss lessons or to just check in to maintain a sense of normalcy and community.

We here at SSCA understand that this is a trying time, with many of us having to balance ever changing demands both personally and professionally. We appreciate our school community and their willingness to adapt to this new way of learning and connection.

Below is a link to a news story from NET TV, featuring SSCA, about the ways in which our local Catholic schools have been adapting to online learning.

As you may have heard, the New York City public schools across the city will be closed until April 20th.  The Diocese of Brooklyn has not yet determined that we will follow the same directive. As new information becomes available, parents will be notified via email and updates posted to the SSCA website. 

On February 29th and March 1st, 2020, our 7th and 8th grade students competed in the First Lego League Robotics City Semifinals. The 7th grade team, the Unsweetened Lemon Limes won the Judge’s Award for Team Spirit. 

The Subwaves, the 8A team, secured a Golden Ticket for the City Championships and won First Place for Mechanical Robot Design. 

The Airmenders, the 8B team, also secured a Golden Ticket for the City Championships and took First Place overall at the Semifinals, finishing above 40 other teams! 

Congratulations to all our Middle School Robotics participants!

Over the past few weeks, our 2B classroom has been learning about other countries and cultures through interactive learning. Some of the highlights have included the students’ “trips” to Haiti and Poland. One of our 2B parents brought in Haitian currency as well as peas and rice, a traditional Haitian dish. Most recently, the students “visited” Poland and learned how to polka dance. 

View this post on Instagram

Through interactive learning about other cultures, Our World Explorers (2nd grade) learned about Poland. Among the various activities, they learned a traditional polka dance. Take a look! #catholicschooleducation#socialstudiesinaction#parkslopebrooklyn#ssca

A post shared by Saint Saviour Catholic Academy (@saintsaviourcatholicacademy) on Mar 15, 2020 at 2:19pm PDT

Beginning on Tuesday, November 19th, SSCA will be collecting items for the St. Thomas Aquinas Food Pantry on 4th Avenue and 9th Street.  Many non-perishable food items are needed. Some suggestions are oatmeal, dried red or black beans, coffee, soup, canned milk, juice and pasta.  The pantry is also in need of toiletries. Please consider donating during this season of Thanksgiving.

Update: Our 8th graders delivered the items to Reverend Willy Kingsley on Monday, November 25th. We received a letter of appreciation from Edith Newman, the Food Pantry Coordinator. Thank you to all who participated and contributed!

In observance of World Kindness Day 2019, our 2nd graders created a “Kindness Tree”. Each leaf represents an act of kindness performed throughout our school community.