The Patriot Report – February 9, 2024

“Prayer is, therefore, the source and origin of every upward journey toward God. Let us each, then, turn to prayer and say to our Lord God: ‘Lead me, O Lord, on your path, that I may walk in your truth.'” – St. Bonaventure

In a lot of ways I have become dependent on my iPhone to navigate my routes and tell me which route is the fastest. Rarely do I drive anyway without consulting maps and seeing where the heavy traffic is or possible accidents. I really do despise being stuck in traffic jams so I will continue to consult which routes are fastest and then I trust that the data my iPhone app has is better than what data I have at the time. 

We need to apply the same logic to decision making in our own life. As cheesy as it sounds, we need to pray to God before making decisions and in doing so, learn to trust in the Lord much like we trust in our maps that get us home. If we want to be closer to God, it starts with prayer. 

In honor of Catholic Schools Week and the upcoming Catholic Educators Conference, Cambridge Uniforms is offering a 5% discount on uniforms starting Saturday, February 10, and ending on Sunday, February 18, 2024. 

St. Jude School has added the Patriots sweatpants and hoodie to our PE strip. These items cannot be worn under the school uniform (exceptions are made from time to time due to weather). The sweatpants and hoodie are available for purchase through Cambridge Uniforms. Visit their online store to order. 

I would like to remind parents that best practice is for parents to assess their children before they drop them off at school and ensure that they are healthy and able to function at school. We have had several instances of children being dropped off and the child expresses to us right away that they are not feeling well. In some cases they are physically ill. In such cases, parents will be called and children will need to be picked up as they cannot continue to be in the classroom when they are ill. 

The Gr. 6 Girls Basketball Team have continued to put forward strong performances. Having beat OLS, the girls finish 1st in their division and they will host the 2nd place team from the North Shore. The team also travelled to Langley to participate in the St. Catherine’s Tournament. They won this tournament through strong play on both ends of the court. They dominated the scoreboard but also created turnovers, controlled the rebounds, and had multiple blocks in each game. Way to go St. Jude Patriots!

On behalf of the school community I would like to express our congratulations to our Gr. 2 students who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation this past Tuesday. We continue to pray for our Gr. 2 class as they prepare for First Communion and we pray for our Gr. 7 class as they prepare for Confirmation. 

On Wednesday the Grade Two and Three classes were invited to perform at the Senior’s Sweetheart Luncheon at Renfrew Community Centre. The audience was captivated by the students’ sweet and joyful singing. A big thank you to the teachers and EAs who prepared the students to sing, accompanied them on the guitar, and coordinated the event. Much appreciated also were our parent volunteers who accompanied the classes. 

I am happy to report that work has begun to address the art supply room that was damaged by a pipe leak. The restoration and repairs needed are extensive and so it might be some time before the work is completed. We know that this work has caused changes in our operational procedures. Most notably, After School Club is now hosted in the cafeteria. Parents are reminded to pick their children up from the exterior door that faces the parking lot and is close to the retaining wall and the gas meter. Thank you for your cooperation. 

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.

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