Weekly October 22, 2025

October 27, 2025

Dear Parents,

It was so nice to have many of our families at the Harvest Dance on Friday evening. A huge shout out to all of our volunteers and those who donated fabulous desserts. It helped to make for a great evening.

 

Have a good week!

 

Sincerely,

Mary E. Larkin

Head of School

📆 Important Dates to Note 📆

Thursday, October 30th

Halloween Carnival Set up in McKinnon Hall

 

Friday, October 31st

Halloween Carnival

 

Saturday, November 1st

All Saints Day

 

Sunday, November 2nd

All Souls Day

Daylight Savings Time ends. Move clocks one hour back.

 

Monday, November 3rd

Annual Fund Launch

 

Friday, November 7th

Eighth Grade TACHS Exam

No School for Eighth Grade Students only

End of First Quarter

Half Day Dismissal – Faculty Meeting

 

Monday, November 10th

Manhattan Regional Conference Day

School is closed for the students only.

 

Tuesday, November 11th

Veteran’s Day - School is closed

 

Thursday, November 13th

Half Day Dismissal for Grades 3-8 only for Report Card Conferences

Report Card Conferences Grades 3-8 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

 

Friday, November 14th

Report Card Conferences Grades PreK3-8

8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.  

School is closed for Report Card Conferences

Important to Note

 

💻 FACTS Parent Portal 💻

 

The Archdiocese of New York has migrated its Student Information System (SIS) from Educate to FACTS for this academic year. We are pleased to announce that the FACTS Parent Portal will open on Monday, October 27th. This online platform provides families with convenient access to important school information and updates throughout the year.

 

Through the FACTS Parent Portal, you will be able to view your child’s grades, assignments, progress reports and report cards as you had been able to do in Educate.

 

Instructions will be provided for setting up your account on October 27th.  We encourage all families to log in once the portal opens to ensure your account is active and your contact information is accurate. This is an important tool to collaborate with teachers so you can stay informed and updated about your child’s academic progress.

🎃 Halloween 🎃

The buzz and excitement around the school is starting to build as we anxiously await the festivities at both campuses.

 

As you plan your child’s costume, the following information is important to note with respect to Saint Ignatius Loyola School’s procedures and policies for Halloween. My best advice is that if you are not sure, go with a different costume.

 

Lower Campus and Upper Campus Costumes

All LC and UC students may wear a costume to school.

  1. A student’s face cannot be completely covered in a mask.

  2. A student’s face cannot be painted to the point that he/she cannot be identified.

  3. If short shorts or micro mini dresses are a part of a costume, leggings must be worn with the costume.

  4. Half shirts or tube tops must be worn with a sweatshirt to cover.

  5. No weapons of any kind – this includes plastic weapons.

  6. Please remind the students travelling alone on mass transit that the costume should be put on when they get to school.

  7. Please send your child to school with a small bag for his/her treats.

 

Equally important to note, if you, as an adult, plan to attend the carnival or the Halloween Parade in costume and you are not easily identifiable, for the safety of all, you will be denied access to the school and/or asked to leave the parade. Sadly, in the world we live in today, we cannot be too careful.

 

Halloween at the Lower Campus

The PreK3 through Kindergarten Halloween Parade will take place in the schoolyard. During your child’s assigned parade time, you may join us in the schoolyard. Please note that, if you have children in different grade levels, you will be asked to exit at the end of each individual parade.

 

Halloween Parade at the Lower Campus:

  • Kindergarten - 1:00 p.m. -- 1:15 p.m.

  • PreK4 - 1:30 p.m. -- 1:45 p.m.

  • PreK3 - 2:00 p.m. -- 2:15 p.m.

 

Halloween at the Upper Campus

On Friday, October 31st, the Class of 2026 will be sponsoring the Annual Halloween Carnival in McKinnon Hall. The funds raised help to offset the cost of the Eighth Grade Trip to Club Getaway and the cost of the yearbook.

 

The schedule for the classes to attend the Halloween Carnival is as follows:

  • 8:45 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. –   First Grade - Parents are encouraged to come.

  • 9:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. –  Second Grade -Parents are encouraged to come.

  • 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. – Third Grade – Parents are welcome to join us.

  • 10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. – Fourth Grade – Parents are welcome to join us.

  • 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. – Fifth Grade – Parents are welcome to join us.

  • 12:10 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. – Eighth Grade Lunch – Carnival closed

  • 12:45 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. – Sixth Grade – Parents are welcome to join us.

  • 1:10 p.m. - 1:55 p.m. – Seventh Grade – Parents are welcome to join us.

  • 2:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. – Eighth Grade-  Prepare to lead Parade.

  • 2:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. – “Parade Finale” – All parents are welcome to join us outside.

News from the Development Office

 

Dress Down Fundraiser

Passes will be sent home with your oldest child the week of November 3rd.  Dress Down Passes may be used on a day the student prefers not to wear the school uniform to school.  For any additional questions, please email [email protected]

🍫 World’s Finest Chocolate Sale 🍫

Our World’s Finest Chocolate Sale ended on Monday, October 20th.

 

All chocolate payments were due back to the Development Office (Upper Campus) by Monday, October 20th.  Check payments are preferred. Checks should be made payable to Saint Ignatius Loyola School.

 

Envelopes need to be clearly marked with the student’s first name, last name and class. Each box contains 30 chocolates at $2 each, for a total of $60. Please note, opened boxes of unsold chocolate cannot be returned.

 

You may email Anna Sakalis at [email protected] with any questions you may have.

 

Thank you for all your support!

🎃 Halloween Carnival 🎃

Purchased Halloween Tickets will be distributed to students in First Grade through Seventh Grade the morning of the carnival.  You will also have the opportunity to purchase tickets at the carnival.

 

We recommend sending your child to school with a bag for his/her carnival treats.  Raffle winners will be drawn on the day of the carnival.

 

All money raised from this event is used to underwrite the Eighth Grade graduation trip and their yearbook.

News from the Admissions Office

PreK3 through Seventh Grade sibling applications for the 2026-2027 school year are available by contacting the Admissions Office. Please call Ms. Megan Bengoechea at extension 129 or Ms. Ana Zuck at extension 106 to request an application. A tour is not required for current families.

 

Applications for PreK3, PreK4 and Kindergarten are due on December 11th. Applications for First through Seventh Grades are due January 20th.

Immunizations

All Saint Ignatius Loyola School students must be vaccinated. There are no exemptions.  

Students from the Sixth Grade through the Eighth Grade must have Tdap and Meningococcal vaccine.

 

Please refer to the school handbook for the required vaccines from PreK3 through Eighth Grade.  All vaccination paperwork should be emailed to me directly.

 

Children who are not up to date with immunizations will be excluded from school beginning Monday, November 3rd.  There will be no exceptions.