The Patriot Report – January 17, 2020

“Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This quote has long been one of my favorite quotes. Yesterday, in Grade 7, we explored the idea of moral dilemmas. Certainly students who are about to enter high school are going to be faced with their fair share of moral dilemmas. From peer and social pressures to expectations from family and church, it can be hard for young people to make decisions. As a class we explored a famous hypothetical moral dilemma in which a man must choose between saving his dying wife by stealing the medicine that would save her or not stealing the medicine and watch her pass away. The dilemma is meant to provoke thought and discussion and to get students to see that decision making is difficult and seldom is life so clearly black and white. We concluded the mini lesson by reflecting on some of the dilemmas that young people might face and we discussed how we might make better decisions. And this is where von Goethe’s words come in. If our youth can know what is most important in their journey towards their best self then this can guide them in decisions. 

It is not just the youth that would benefit from the words of von Goethe. All of us need to be reminded of what matters most and let this be our compass as we make our decisions. 

Many of our families have used Munchalunch with success. This is a reminder to all of our families that ALL hot lunch orders must be completed online. Below you will find instructions for how to set up your account. 

HOW TO REGISTER:

1. Go to: https://munchalunch.com/schools/StJude   
2. Click the “Register Here” button (as shown below). The system will guide you through.
3. After adding your children, click the green “Order Lunch!” button to order.
4. Next time, just click the “Login Here” button to access your account.

ORDERING DETAILS:

• • Online ordering will be OPEN from January 10, 2020. 
  • All orders for February must be completed by January 27, 2020. 
  • If you need assistance with ordering, or do not have access to the internet,
    please contact August Ma at hotlunch@stjude.ca or the Office at  office@stjude.ca 

Please note if your child is ill on a lunch date, you are welcome to come and pick up their lunch by 11:45am; otherwise please consider it a donation for a child who does not have a lunch. Consistent with previous years, there are NO REFUNDS.  

Three way conferences are on January 30, 2020. The purpose of 3 way conferences is for the student, the parent and the teacher to come together to discuss educational growth and establish goals for moving forward. The aim is to establish a clear path for improvement for the remainder of the school year. Students need to be in attendance for the meeting and should be in school uniform. Parents and students are to arrive only for their scheduled time slot. 

To book your interview time click here.

Last year was the first year we introduced a Re-registration night in which we accept and process re-registration forms. Each year we are required to collect information from our families as set out by the Auditors. The Re-registration packages were sent home today so please expect these to come home with your child. We will have PEC members as well as school staff on site that evening to process Re-registration Packages. Please make sure that you have all documents completed accurately and correctly. Similar to last year, families who hand in Re-registration packages late will be charged a $20 late fee. 

New this year is the ability to authorize the school to accept payments through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). This means that you can opt out of having to pay by cheque or cash and instead the school can withdraw the specified funds similar to the existing Pre-Authorized Debit system we use for monthly tuition. For example, instead of paying the Student Activity Fee of $75 by cheque or cash, you can opt to have the funds automatically withdrawn on the specified date in the Re-registration package. In this case, you would not have to write cheques or bring cash with you that evening. 

In the Re-registration package there is an important FAQ about EFT and a permission form for you to fill out. EFT is safe and efficient. It will greatly reduce the amount of work required in our bookkeeping office to process cheques and cash and you will have the peace of mind in knowing exactly when money will be debited and you will be better able to track and record payments. Therefore I am encouraging everyone to sign up for the EFT. 

This year, Cambridge Uniforms is donating two $50 gift certificates to their store for our AGM night. Parents who arrive on time (between 6:15 and 6:30pm) will have the opportunity to enter their names into a draw for the certificates. Only one entry per family. You must be in attendance to claim the prize. 

I look forward to seeing all of our parents at our AGM and Re-registration Night. 

Re-Registration Night Details:

When: February 5th, 2020 at 6:30pm

Where: St. Jude School Gym 

The Gr. 7 Class is selling Krispy Kreme Doughnuts on January 24th. The Pre Order form is due Monday January 20th. 

Our annual Scholastic Book Fair will happen January 27 to 30 in the Downstairs Library. We invite you to come by and take a look at the many titles for sale. The book fair will be open during 3 Way Conferences so make sure you pay them a visit! All proceeds from the bookfair go to support purchasing book titles for classrooms and the library!

St. Jude School is now receiving applications for Kindergarten and other grades that have spaces for 2020-21. If you know of families that are considering St. Jude School please encourage them to apply right away so that spots can be guaranteed. New families are encouraged to email office@stjude.ca to set up a tour and to pick up an application package. 

I would like to remind parents that in the event of a school closure we will announce it through email using MailChimp and through our school website. We will also post it on Facebook. When snow is in the forecast, please check the website and your email. Do not call the office or email checking to see if school is open. If we have not emailed you or posted it on our website and Facebook, then school is open as usual. 

The decision making process for closing the school due to snow includes:

– assessment of sidewalks & stairways

– assessment of parking lots

– assessment of staff driving routes

– assessment of general driving conditions

– assessment of weather, current & projections

– consultation with neighbouring schools and principals

– consultation with PEC and staff that live in the area

– prayer 

Some of the factors which make St. Jude School unique when considering these decisions include the following:

– we’re not a neighbourhood school, but nearly exclusively a commuter school

– students travel from different parts of Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, and Richmond

– staff travel from Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, North Van, and Maple Ridge

– we live in a region that does not get much snow and many drivers are ill prepared (no snow tires) to drive in snow yet do so anyway. The risk of car accidents greatly increases in such conditions and commute times become exceptionally long with many arriving very late.  

Other factors all schools must consider:

– are we able to provide a quality learning experience if we have 1/3? or 1/2? of our students in the building?

– if some teachers aren’t able to make it to school, do we have the support from our Teacher On Call pool to handle the sudden demand? Are we able to provide adequate supervision if staff cannot make it to work?

– can we confidently say that we made the best decision to open if an injury or fatality occurs?

When the school is closed due to inclement weather, communication will be through the MailChimp, Facebook, and the school website by 7am at the latest. It is the responsibility of the parents to check the website, our Facebook feed, and their email when snow is in the forecast. 

In difficult weather, our hope is to open our schools as soon as it is possible while considering all educational and safety perspectives. We thank you for your prayers and support!

Students are shown having fun in the snow. Many students from different grades got together to build a life size snowman!

The Gr. 6 Girls Basketball team is competing at the OLPH Basketball Tournament today, January 17.