The Patriot Report – April 26, 2024

 “We are charged not with obliterating our diversity and difference but instead with heightening our connection to each other.” – Fr. Greg Boyle

The words from Fr. Greg Boyle remind us that the diversity we see around us does not exist to point out our differences, but rather to draw us closer to each other. Being connected to one another is a form of kinship. Kinship means we belong to each other. One of the driving motivators of humans both young and old is the desire to feel a sense of belonging. As the Cheers sitcom theme song so aptly points out, “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.” We can create a sense of belonging by our kind words, welcoming actions, warm smiles, and being inclusive.

Kinship, that sense of belonging, is what is needed if we are to build better communities.

After two weeks of pledges we have eclipsed the $17 000 mark!

We will collect pledge sheets on May 2, to see where we are at next week. 

Keep up the great work St. Jude School Community!

There are 3 ways to donate to our School Walkathon:

• Online through Charitable Impact – click here
• Cash – send the cash to school on May 14, 2024
• Cheque – make cheques payable to St. Jude Parish with Walkathon on the Memo Line – send cheques on May 14, 2024

For cash and cheque donations, please be sure to correctly put the name and address and email on the pledge sheets because it is needed for a Charitable Tax Receipt. If this is filled out incorrectly or is not legible, then we cannot issue a Charitable Tax Receipt.

Thank you for your support

There will be individual raffle prizes that students can put their name in for if they raise enough money. For every $50 raised they will receive one ticket to enter for a prize draw. So if a student brings in $150 they receive 3 tickets to enter into prize draws of their choice. The prizes are as follows:

• $50 gift card to Sportchek with an outdoor basketball and soccer ball
• Gift card to cineplex odeon to cover the cost of 4 tickets and treats
• 2 tickets to the Tsawwassen Waterslides
• Gift card to purchase a season pass to Playland
• $100 gift card to Gamestop

In addition to the individual prizes we also have a school wide prize that if we meet our goal of $30,000 then we will have a non-uniform week and a pizza lunch for the school. Lastly, on June 14 (Sports Day), we are bringing in a dunk tank. For each student that brings in $100 they will receive 3 chances to dunk Mr. van der Pauw. For parents or anyone else that wants to try to dunk Mr. van der Pauw, it will cost $10 a throw. 

All students are asked to bring their pledge sheets (not the money) on May 2, 2024. Our goal remains that each child will have at least one sponsor recorded regardless of the amount pledged. If we can meet that goal a non-uniform day will be awarded.  

Do you have a love for children and the Word of God? We are seeking volunteers for Children’s Liturgy at St. Jude’s Parish which is held at the 11am Sunday mass. Volunteers assist on a rotating schedule which is flexible. To find out more, contact Anita at 778-838-4559 or anita.s.hua@gmail.com

Attention St. Jude School Parents:

There is to be no idling of cars in our school parking lot. A reminder that it is illegal to idle a car:

Idling means running the engine of a motor vehicle when the vehicle is not in motion.

Under section 2.7 of the Motor Vehicle Noise and Emission Abatement By-law 9344 PDF file (40 KB), it is illegal to idle a vehicle:

• For more than 3 consecutive minutes in a 60-minute period, or
• While unattended and unlocked

The Nature Club has highlighted the importance of Earth Week here at St. Jude School. On Tuesday we were treated to a presentation from OWL to learn about owls, eagles, raptors, and turkey vultures. On Friday, students used newspapers to plant seeds that will be grown in the classrooms and then planted in our garden boxes. 

Our very own Nature Club was featured in the newest edition of the BC Catholic. You can read the story here: 

https://bccatholic.ca/voices/every-day-is-earth-day-for-these-catholic-schools

The Nature Club would like to thank the Parent Support Group (PSG) for their financial support of this club. The PSG is a parent liaison group that awards funds from the BC Gaming Commission to school initiatives. The PSG has been a great supporter of many school initiatives in the past and we look forward to continued support in the future! 

Monday – Saturday: 9 am morning Masses
Novena Mass on Wednesdays: 7:30 pm.
Saturday anticipated Mass: 5 pm
Sunday Mass: 9 am, 11 am, 5 pm