The Patriot Report – June 21st, 2019

This is a copy of what I wrote for the Gr.7 Memory Book:

To the Gr. 7 Class of 2019:

The quality of the advice I share will be determined by you and whether you follow it or not is entirely your choice. 

Speaking of making a choice, you are about to be faced with a lot more choices. The amount of choices you will be faced with can seem daunting and your parents pray and hope you make the right ones. We all hope this for you. I know you do to. None of you wants to make bad choices. But how do you know what the right choice is? In order to make the right choices, you first need to know what direction you want to head in. – 

In order to know the direction for your life, you need to know who you want to become. And notice, I said WHO you want to become and not WHAT you want to become. So much emphasis is put on the what of life. What high school to go to. What car you want. What friends you want. What university to go to. What career or job to have. What city you want to live in. All those whats are important but they are not as important as WHO. If you want to make the right choices you need to know who you want to be.  

Having a vision for your life is critical because it provides you with direction and guides you in decisions. Without a vision, you will be lost. I think a lot of people in this world of ours are lost. Being without a vision for your life is like trying to navigate a complex city you have never been to without a GPS. Sure, you might eventually end up at the destination, but if you ask me, I would much rather prefer having a map that is showing me where I need to go.  

This is why we, as a Catholic school, have always tried to educate you in the vision of our faith. That vision is one that says you are loved. You are made by God and for God and that means you are a masterpiece already. Your destination is life with God, who is Love. Follow that path and you will have joy.

But you will make poor choices at times, because you are human. In the aftermath of a poor choice, you need to ask yourself, how can I make this right? If you do that, you make it right, you find that you can continue to move towards becoming a better you. 

High school will have its challenges. But guess what, that is life. Life never stops giving you challenges. So stand firm. Embrace the challenge. But know that you are never alone. You have the full support of a community behind you. Your parents, your family, your pastor, and your teachers here at St. Jude are your cheer squad. Come back and visit from time to time. You will be forever welcome in our school. 

I wish you every success in trying to become the best of which you are capable. 

Due to scheduling conflict, Edo Sushi lunch has been changed to this Monday.  We will not have hot lunch on Tuesday.  

Last call for yearbook orders.  All orders and payments must be in by Monday, Jun 24. For orders received on Monday, there is a chance you may need to pick it up on the first week of July. This year we moved away from using our photocopier in order to produce a much higher quality product. By selecting an online publishing company we are able to offer you a product that will capture the 2018-19 school year. With an increase in quality came an increase in cost. If you did not receive an order form please CLICK HERE.

We will be emailing and sending home the school supplies list next week.  

Please note the following: 
Cambridge Uniforms is NOT coming on site for the Focus Week. They are requesting that parents book online for fittings during that week. Any purchases made online or in-store will save the GST. 

To make an in store fitting appointment: CLICK HERE
To see the Cambridge flyer: CLICK HERE
To see the price list: CLICK HERE
Our Online Code: TPA859

We are moving our Learning Resources department upstairs and consequently our computer lab and library will be moving downstairs. This is a big undertaking but a worthwhile one. We need your help! If you can bring boxes to our library we would appreciate it. If you are available to assist with moving in the last week of school please reach out to us. 

Step Up Day is on June 24 in the afternoon. It will start at 1:00 pm and will go to 2:30 pm, after which students will return to their classes. Students who are not returning to our school for 2019-2020 can either be picked up at 1:00 pm or they can attend the Step Up Day activities. The purpose of Step Up Day is to allow for students to meet their teacher for the next school year. Miss Handy, who is still in Ontario, will not be able to make it for Step Up Day. 

On Tuesday, June 25, at 9:00 am, we will be having our Recognition Assembly. The purpose of the assembly is to recognize the students for their achievements throughout the year. 

On Wednesday, June 26, the students will be cleaning their desks and classroom. Some classes may have already begun this process. All supplies and personal belongings will go home with the student that day. Please ensure your child comes to school with a mostly empty backpack and send along a large reusable shopping bag so that they can bring home their belongings. 

If your child no longer needs or wants their used stationary items (pencils, pens, rulers, scissors, etc…), please consider bagging them in a ziploc bag and have your child drop the donation off in the Gr. 2 classroom.  These will be sent to students in need in third world countries. Please do not send in broken items.

We are nearing the end of the school year for participation hours. Emails are currently being sent out to families. If hours have not been met, participation cheques will be cashed on June 30, 2019. For more information please contact Ann Tang, the Parent Participation Coordinator at eparticipation@stjude.ca 

Please ensure you contact Ann Tang about your hours. It is the responsibility of parents who have opted into the Parent Participation program to ensure they complete their hours. If you do not complete your hours then cheques will be cashed. Ann Tang has reached out to parents via email so please look for the email in your inbox. If your email address has changed it is your responsibility to let Ann Tang know this by emailing her. 

On Thurs, Jun 20, the Gr. 7s celebrated their Promotion Day with evening mass, then headed over to Burnaby Mountain Clubhouse for the awards ceremony and dinner.It was a beautiful night of friendship and sharing.  We wish the Gr 7s all the very best.