The Patriot Report – February 24, 2023

“With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be so, my brothers.” – James 3:9-10

In the Letter of James, the author reminds other disciples of the power of speech. It is an important reminder for us today and worth reflecting on during Lent. Our words can be used to build others up or tear them down. We can inspire and compliment or we can ridicule and mock others. Our words we can control and so we need to pay special attention to what we say to others.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructs us that it is the impure thoughts and intentions from our hearts that defile a person. And so the path to kinder words is to work on ourselves and purifying our hearts. We do this through prayer, through reading scripture, through quiet reflection and through practice. 

Let us therefore take heed and speak carefully and kindly. Our words matter.  

The Income Tax Receipt is being emailed out to families on February 10, 2023. Please check your inbox. In some cases the email may have ended up in your spam inbox. The email address used is the one we have on file with respect to banking. We have taken this route as you will have an electronic copy that is not susceptible to getting lost in backpacks or getting lost in the home. Having a digital copy may also make it easier for tax purposes and lastly it was more efficient for the school office to send out Income Tax Receipts this way. 

Please see the click here to read a letter from Fr. Jun explaining the Income Tax Receipt.  

Please contact Kim Pham at bookkeeper@stjude.ca if you have questions. 

St. Jude School is organizing a K to 7 Ice Skating field trip to Trout Lake Ice Rinks for March 9, 2023. Forms will be sent home on Monday and we are asking that they be returned by March 2nd. We ask that parents consider volunteering as we will need help with supervision and with tying ice skates. 

The purpose of the three way (teacher – parent – student) conference is to promote dialogue and student involvement in the learning process. The goal is that students come away knowing that both the classroom teacher and their parent are supporting them in their learning journey. 

Due to time constraints, some parents may not find a time that works on March 10. If this is the case we encourage you to try and book a time on another day between March 1 and March 9. Our teachers can be contacted directly and meetings can be set up at times that work for all parties. 

Please follow the link to secure your booking: https://schoolinterviews.ca/code/hgn7z

Follow the link to get your Samosa orders in. Order by March 24, 2023. 

http://bit.ly/3xCq76t

On rainy days I have observed that many of our students, especially girls, are not wearing appropriate footwear for the weather. The slip-on girls shoes should not be worn outside as it offers very little protection to the students. Students are allowed to leave their uniform shoes on their desk chair or in their sports/gym bag and then change shoes when they arrive. This allows them them the opportunity to wear rain boots outside. 

Another option is to consider an all black waterproof shoe that can be worn all day. The Vessi shoe, black on black, is a product I would recommend. I have a pair and my own children also have their own to wear to their school as well. An all black shoe, waterproof, dry socks, and no need to change shoes!

We have partnered with Vessi (a Vancouver based company) for a special offer for our St. Jude School families–a 20% discount. However, if purchasing as a school shoe, you need to purchase the black on black option (see link below). Vessi is online only and they ship to your house. If the shoe does not fit, you can ship it back and exchange. 

You can visit Vessi here: https://ca.vessi.com/products/kids-weekend-asphalt-black-on-black

The promo code for our school is being sent home with your child today. If you have lost the promo code please email Mr. Chris van der Pauw

As St. Jude School continues to prioritize in-person learning, we wanted to remind you of our policy regarding family vacations.

While we believe that the best learning environment is in the classroom, we understand that families may need to take time off for valid reasons. As such, we kindly request that vacations be taken during the natural breaks in the year (Spring Break, Summer Break, and Christmas Break).

For those students who will be away, we want to remind parents that we do not provide work in advance. However, our online subscription to Mathletics, daily reading and journal writing can help keep your child engaged in their studies.

Please do not ask your child’s teacher for homework. Rest assured that your child will catch up on any missed units/assignments upon their return to school.

Our Gr. 7 Student Ambassadors will be 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. 

This past year we handed out $1200 in rewards to parents that referred students to our school. 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.