The Patriot Report – April 23

“What is the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?” – Henry David Thoreau

Reflecting on Earth Day yesterday, I wonder what the future may hold for our environment. When I watch documentaries or listen to podcasts about the earth’s environments, I feel compelled to act in a way that helps and not hurts the planet. Acting in such a way as to not damage the earth’s environment is not easy and I am far from what would be considered ideal. Perhaps I am not alone in this. Might we all find it difficult to change our habits to reflect greater emphasis on care for our planet? 

I think we would all agree that caring for our planet is a good idea. Another good idea is to recognize that we can change incrementally and a lot of small changes can result in something great. A small but perhaps significant change I can make is to think of ways of decreasing the amount of energy I and my family consume at home. Perhaps at home, we can choose a no electronics day. Come to think of it that is actually a huge thing. So maybe we start with a tech free evening and then expand it from there. Perhaps we can plant a lot more wildflowers to attract more bees. Perhaps we can limit our commuting on the weekend. Maybe we look to do all three and then do even more after that. 

I encourage families to look for small victories in environmental change. Small victories, when added with other small victories, can lead to real change. It could be reducing energy consumption. It could be driving less. It could be buying less of what we do not need. There are small victories to be had. Involve your children in this as they need to be part of the solution. 

Our Walkathon pledging continues to do well and we are closing in on 75% of our goal! Some classes have already reached their class goal and are now setting new goals for themselves. Classes that were able to have more than 50% of their class goal for today have been rewarded with a dress down day next week in addition to the already scheduled dress down day on Friday, April 30th. Your child’s classroom teacher will communicate with you about the day selected if they met the goal. It is so great to see the support come in. Way to go St. Jude School!

A couple of things to address:

1. The pledge sheets need to reflect the online and cash/cheque donors. This is because the pledge sheets will be used for prize entry draws. The pledge sheets also help us to have a better sense of how much we have raised. Please make sure your child records every pledge including the online ones. 
2. We really want 100% participation in the Walkathon including our Option 4 students. We are one school community. We would love to see every child bring in one pledge, no matter the amount. 
3. Please send the money in for the Walkathon no later than May 20th (one week after the walkathon). You can send it in anytime between now and May 20th. We do receipt all money and we make sure we copy the pledge sheets so that we know what has been collected and who is owed tax receipts. 
4. Online donations are easiest due to the Charitable Tax receipt being issued by Charitable Impact. We do encourage online donation. 

Please read the BCCDC guideline for when to get tested for Covid-19. Click here.  

This is a reminder that parents need to take the time to do the Daily Check every day. It is important that we remain committed to taking our COVID-19 procedures seriously. Click here to access the form. You will no longer need to provide the child or parent’s name on the form.