REFLECTION
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” – Phil. 4:4-7
The above passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians is one of those scripture passages that crystalizes our focus. I enjoy finding such scripture passages that I can commit to memory. It helps me to remember what our true purpose is. During this season of Advent, we should reflect on what it means to rejoice, to show kindness to all, to pray and let go of our anxiety.
I know that Christmas can be a stressful time with much to do. We can certainly get swept along with all the to-do lists. The tasks will not go away but perhaps you can find some time for quiet prayer and reflection. As this Sunday is the second Sunday of Advent, we focus on peace. I believe that a peaceful life is the result of a prayerful life. Find time for prayer and may the Christmas season bring you and yours peace.
BRING WARMTH TO THE POOR
As a Catholic school, founded on Gospel values, we are asking for your assistance in bringing warmth to the poor this Christmas. We are collecting new Mens and Womens winter socks and gloves that we can give to shelters in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. If you are able to donate a new pair of gloves or socks (or both) we would be very appreciative. Your child can bring the items to their classroom. During the last week of school we will deliver the items.
Many thanks for your contribution!
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Our Christmas Concert: “The Little Drummer Dude” will take place on Thursday, December 14, 2023.
Matinee: 1:30pm Evening Show: 7pm
Doors open 30 minutes prior to showtime.
Coffee and Tea will be served before the 7pm show.
NOTE FOR PARENTS: Please have your children wear their costumes to school on Thursday for the matinee performance and return with their costume on by 6:30 pm for the 7:00 pm performance.
CONCERT COSTUMES--WEAR TO SCHOOL ON THURSDAY DEC 14
ADVENT ASSEMBLY WEEK TWO
Today we had our second Advent Assembly as we continue our journey to Christmas. We once again had the pleasure of learning about the biblical characters that make up the Jesse Tree, which is a visual representation of the lineage of Jesus. Many thanks to the Primary team for their work preparing their students to celebrate this special time of year. Our Advent Assemblies are every Friday in December, beginning at 11:20am. Parents are welcome to join.
ST. JUDE SCHOOL WELCOMES MISS HANNAH FOSTER
We are excited to hire Miss Hannah Foster as an Educational Assistant. Miss Foster comes to us with 9 years of experience having worked at St. James Elementary and St. John Brebeuf Secondary in Abbotsford, BC. She has experience working as an Educational Assistant and having attended Catholic school herself, she has a strong understanding of our model of education. Miss Foster is passionate about reading, learning new languages and cooking. We welcome Miss Foster to our school community.
ST. JUDE SCHOOL ACCEPTING NEW APPLICATIONS FOR 2024-25
We are now accepting new applications for the 2024-25 school year. Please get an application form from here or email the school office for one.
ST. JUDE SCHOOL TOURS
Our Gr. 7 Student Ambassadors are available to provide tours of our school to prospective families. If you know of someone who might be interested in attending St. Jude School, I encourage you to tell them to sign up for a tour. Any interested family can email registrar@stjude.ca to schedule a tour.
REFER A STUDENT AND GET REWARDED
A reminder to our families that our referral program is operational. Every student that is referred and enrolls in our school for the year results in a reward of $200 for the the referring family.
To learn more about the referral program, please click here.
STUDENTS NEEDED FOR PARISH CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
St. Jude’s parish needs students to participate in the St. Jude Christmas Pageant on December 24th! Your child would be assigned a part (Mary, Joseph, Gabriel, angels, shepherds, 3 kings, etc.) and given a copy of the play so they can learn their lines (1-3 short lines typically). Costumes will be provided. Please bring your child at 4pm on the 24th so that they can get into costume and do a practice. The pageant is approximately 15mins in length, followed by Mass at 6pm. Contact Carolyn Sussey at cglsussey@yahoo.com to have your child be part of the play by December 13th. As well, if you are interested in shadowing her this year to take on this initiative for next year, please let her know. Thank you!
DECEMBER AFTER SCHOOL CLUB NOTICE
Please note that the After School Club will close early due to two school events in December.
December 20, 2023–closes at 4:30pm
December 22, 2023–closes at 3:00pm
ST. JUDE PARISH MASS TIMES
St. Jude Parish Mass Times
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
CALENDAR REMINDERS
Dec 14 – Christmas Concert 1:30pm & 7:00pm
Dec 15 – Advent Week 3 Assembly at 11:20
Dec 19 – School Confessions
Dec 20 – Staff Christmas event; After School Club to run until 4:30
Dec 21 – Learning Update Goes Home
Dec 22 – Last Day of Class before Christmas Break; After School Club runs until 3pm
You can subscribe to our school calendar here.