The Patriot Report – February 4, 2022

“He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” – Luke 2:51-52

The above quote from the Gospel of Luke occurs after Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the temple. Moments earlier in the gospel, we read that they had discovered that Jesus had not been with them in the caravan and so they went back into Jerusalem to search for him. While the episode of Mary and Joseph searching for Jesus is worth investigation and reflection, I am fascinated by the line that Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man. 

In order for Jesus to advance in wisdom and favor, it means that Jesus had lessons to learn. I think we sometimes overlook this line but for me it is a comfort. If Jesus, the son of man, fully God and fully human, needed time to advance in wisdom, then we should be all the more patient with ourselves and our children. The important lessons of life take time to understand. Many lessons can only be attained with experience and with the passage of time. If Jesus needed time to grow into the person he was to become, then we should remind ourselves that our own children will need time as well. 

In our fast paced world and the ever pressing desire for instant gratification, we might lose sight of the long view. The best things in this world tend to take time. Certainly, we need to afford our children the time and space and patience for them to grow in wisdom. It is not easy. I doubt it was not easy for Mary and Joseph either. There must have been many times in which Mary and Joseph prayed for patience and understanding in raising Jesus; I do not think raising the Son of God would be stress free. 

When we find ourselves running out of patience with our children, we too can turn to prayer. We can remind ourselves that even Jesus needed time to grow in wisdom. If Jesus needed time, then of course our own children need time as well. The best we can do is to be there for them and be a role model for them and pray that in time they too will grow in wisdom and favor before God and others. 

School administration has made the decision to cancel student led conferences on March 11, 2022. Student led conferences is a way for students to show parents their learning and it involves multiple groups of parents in the classrooms touring various stations. We felt that given current restrictions and not knowing when restrictions would be eased, the best course of action would be to cancel the conferences now so that parents and staff can make calendar adjustments. 

March 11, 2022 will be a regular day of instruction with normal school hours (8:30-3:00) and After School Club will run that day as well. 

Since we are not going to have Student-Led Conferences, we are going to make use of our SeeSaw platform for digital portfolios. Teachers will work with their students and have them upload examples of their work and learning. All parents should be able to access their child’s SeeSaw account and see the work samples. If you are not able to access it or are having problems, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher. 

All re-registration packages were emailed to all returning families from our registrar@stjude.ca account on Monday, Jan 31, 2022.  Please note that we have waitlists in several grades and families must be aware that spots will be offered to our waitlist families if you do not get your forms back in time. If you are having problems completing the form, please reach out to office@stjude.ca.

Parents who choose to take vacations during school instructional days do so knowing that we will not be providing homework packages. While I understand that vacation travel is often cheaper during non peak times (believe me when I say that educators know full well the costs of traveling in peak seasons), teachers continue to teach the students that are present during the instructional days. 

Students who miss school for family vacations or family travel can participate in some online learning activities such as Mathletics or RAZ Kids. However, teachers are not going to prepare individualized homework packages and students can catch up on missed work upon their return. 

We all know how congested our parking lot can become for dismissal. There are a couple of things that have been brought to my attention that are worth communicating to the entire school community. 

1. Do not park in laneways blocking already parked cars. Imagine trying to get out of your parking spot but you cannot because a car is double parked blocking several cars. We understand there may be no parking spots available but this is not allowed. 
2. Do not linger and allow kids to play. If parents can leave once they have their children this will free up more spaces. 
3. Supervision goes until 3:15pm. Most of our parking lot is empty by 3:10pm at the latest. If you would like a less stressful experience, aim to get to the school by 3:10pm and you will find a spot with ease. 
4. Exercise caution at all times. Parking lots are always very busy and susceptible to accidents. Please ensure that you are always mindful of your surroundings and drive slowly and cautiously. 

Another option is to park further away from the school and look to get some steps in. Trust me, your son or daughter can handle the steps and this might be a nice, less stressful, way to transition from school to the car. When my dad picks up our kids from St. Pat’s in Maple Ridge he parks at least 3 to 5 minutes away and walks. 

Crowded parking lots and schools go together like peanut butter and jelly. Go to any one of our CISVA schools or high schools at dismissal and you will see that all parking lots are busy. In fact, if you go to many of the Vancouver Catholic schools, I think you will be grateful for how big our parking lot actually is. 

Be calm. Be kind. 

We are excited to welcome kindergarten registration for children born in 2017, turning 5 in 2022. These children will begin kindergarten in September, 2022.  Please click on our Admissions Top Tab to access the New Family Application.  

As of today, we only have space in Gr. 2 and Kindergarten for 2022-23. All other classes are full at this time and several have waitlists. 

We currently have no stock available for sale in our Consignment.

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