The Patriot Report – August 27

WELCOME BACK

Welcome Back St. Jude School students and families! Another summer is coming to a close and a new school year is upon us. For myself, summer was enjoyable. I did get to go camping and watch sunsets by the ocean. Campfires? Nope! But I did get in some golf and I got to spend time with my family and that is something I cherish. 

While I was hoping for us to be in Stage 4 and have a normal start to the year, we all are aware of the recent announcements made by Dr. Bonnie Henry. As a school we have transitioned to a Communicable Disease Plan and we are implementing the recommendations from Vancouver Coastal Health and the Ministry of Education. Throughout the pandemic we have consistently followed the direction of Vancouver Coastal Health, the Provincial Health Officer, the Ministry of Education, the BCCDC, WorkSafeBC, and CISVA. As we move into 2021-22 we will continue to follow the directions and guidance that is given to us by the governing bodies of Health and Education. 

What stays the same from 2020-2021:

• students will continue to enter and exit through their classroom doors and will practice regular hand hygiene
• students in Gr. 4 to Gr. 7 will need to wear a mask while indoors
• staff will wear masks
• all visitors are to check in at the office and must wear a mask
• no parents are allowed to access our hallways during school hours
• pick up routines for primary and intermediate classes are the same except dismissal is at 3pm for all students
• meet the teacher night will be done virtually
• parents can make appointments with their child’s teacher as needed (in person or virtual appointments are possible)
• parents are to do daily health checks of their children
• do not send children to school if they have cold or flu symptoms or if they are sick

What changes for this year:

• no staggered recess or lunch breaks 
• no option 4 available for students
• drop off occurs between 8:30am and 8:40am – first tone at 8:30am (exterior doors will open) and students ready to learn by 8:40am
• classroom configurations are to be in support of the intended learning targets – flexible seating is allowed – no plexiglass in the classrooms
• no cohorts – all students can go outside together
• sports and extracurriculars will happen according to direction establish by the CISVA Elementary Athletic Commission
• whole school will attend mass together at the church – there will be no live streaming of mass
• field trips are permitted
• library is open to students
• Uniform schedule is as follows: 
  • Monday to Thursday – regular uniform
  • Fridays – Patriot Spirit Wear (gym strip is a part of the Patriot Spirit Wear)

I would like to take a moment here and speak directly to each of you, our parents.

Getting vaccinated for Covid19 and getting your children (12 and older) vaccinated is the most important defense we have against Covid19. I am encouraging our Gr. 7 parents to ensure your child is fully vaccinated for school and to those Gr. 6 parents whose children qualify, please have them be vaccinated. I am also strongly encouraging that all of our parents make sure that they are fully vaccinated as well. Vancouver Coastal Health is prepared to impose further restrictions on schools should Covid19 numbers escalate. If we want to bring back the normalcy of schools, if we want to keep our sports teams in action, if we want to see a return of orchestra concerts, then we need to do what we can in our circle of control to help combat Covid19 and help keep our communities safe. 

In 2018-19 St. Jude School cancelled its contract with Neat Uniforms. In 2019-2020 we introduced our new Cambridge Uniforms. Notable changes were made to the PE strip and we made changes to our polo shirt and school sweaters. We also added a sweater vest and we added a Patriots Spirit Wear. In 2019-2020 we announced that families would have 2 years to transition to the new Cambridge Uniform. 

As we enter 2021-22, the two year warning has passed. The old school sweater (handwritten St. Jude) is no longer considered part of our uniform. White polo shirts with no St. Jude School on it are also non-uniform. The old PE strip is also outdated and no longer considered part of the uniform. 

We understand that this may cause you a financial hardship if you need to replace all the items. If this is the case, please contact Mr. van der Pauw so that a win-win solution can be had. 

We also understand that it may take some time for families to get the correct items from Cambridge Uniforms as this is the busiest time of the year for uniform stores. As such, we will give families until the end of October to be in compliance. Those families who need more time are reminded to contact Mr. van der Pauw. 

We currently have the following items available for sale in our Consignment:

Gr. 7 Girls Kilt – $25 

Gym Shorts – size small – $10

Gym Shorts – size CXL – $10

School Sweater – size 30 – $15

If you would like uniform items to be sold in consignment they must be in good to excellent condition. They need to be the current uniform and not the old one. You will need to set a price and fill out a form. Please contact Mr. van der Pauw if you would like an item to be sold. From time to time we will post what is available for sale in consignment. 

Reminder of Uniform Schedule:

Monday to Thursday – Uniform

Fridays – Patriot Spirit Wear (gym strip is a part of Patriot Spirit Wear)

Due to a lack of interest (we had 3 potential students) and also due to scheduling conflicts, we cannot operate a Before School Club at this time. Should there be enough interest (a minimum of 5 to 10 students) we will revisit the idea. I am sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause some of our families. 

Morning drop off routine will be similar to last year. Classroom doors will open at 8:30 am (a tone will signal that doors will open). Students have until 8:40 am to arrive at school without being considered late. At 8:40 am the tone will sound and teachers will usher students in and then shut their doors. Students arriving after 8:40am are considered late. They will need to come to the front office as we do track lateness.  

Primary students will need to be escorted by their parents to their classroom exterior doors (faces East 15th). Many primary parents understandably park along East 15 in the morning to cross the street and drop off their child. I ask that you ensure you obey city parking signs that say no parking and exercise caution when crossing the street due to increased car traffic. However, parking in the lot and walking your child to the grass area outside their classroom door is a great way to get in some steps 🙂

Students are dismissed at 3pm from their classroom doors. Gr. 4 to 7 students walk to the parking lot independently. Kindergarten to Gr. 3 students are dismissed to their parents from their classroom exterior door. 

For after school, there is more parking available in the lot as we do not have a drop off lane. However, the lot can become quite full and I ask that you exercise patience and caution in the parking lot at all times. 

Miss Margaux Stevenson has been hired to work as an Educational Assistant and she will be running our After School Club. We are excited to have her join our team.  

Mrs. Margaret Skoko has been hired to work as an Educational Assistant. She is a parishioner of St. Helen’s in Burnaby and a former St. Jude School student. We are grateful to have her join us at St. Jude School. 

Ms. Kim Pham has been hired as our school Bookkeeper. Ms. Pham has experience in the private sector and is a parishioner of St. Joseph’s in Vancouver. We are thrilled to have Ms. Pham bring her knowledge to our school. 

After School Club (Patriots Club) is operational on September 7, 2021 from 12pm to 6pm. Miss Vanessa will be on site to help train Miss Stevenson. To register for After School Club parents must complete the form on our school website. Please click here: After School Club

In order to have a successful first day of school please ensure the following:

1. Students to be in proper school uniform
2. Students to arrive between 8:30-8:40 am and head directly to their outside classroom door
3. If you did not have your child’s supplies delivered to the school ensure that they come with their school supplies
4. Send your child to school with a snack and refillable water bottle
5. Pick up your child at 12:00pm or register them for After School Club  

Please understand that Morning Drop Off on the first day is always a challenge and we ask parents not to linger in the parking lot as we need to ensure that there is a proper flow of cars. 

The school supplies list for next year is available to purchase at School Start.  Please select your child(ren)’s grade for 2021-2022 to purchase the supplies directly from them and it will be delivered to our school. 

To view the list, please click on the desired grade below: 

Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3 
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7