The Patriot Report – June 23, 2023

“Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me.”- Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers)

This being the final newsletter of the 2022-23 school year, it is only fitting that I give a shout out to our amazing people that work each day to help children grow into better people. Last night, the promotion ceremony of the Gr. 7 Class had many highlights. One such highlight was the speech delivered by our two valedictorians, Bella and Damian. Using mountain climbing as a metaphor created an image of the educational journey that listeners could imagine. 

Teachers and Educational Assistants are equivalent to the Sherpas that guide would be climbers up the slopes of Mount Everest. They know the route, they carry a heavy load, and they adjust to the needs of those they climb with. At the end of the journey, both the climber and the Sherpa need their rest. 

Thank you to our educational staff that give much of themselves in the service of children. 

Thank you to our parents that support our school and entrust us to care for your children. 

Thank you to Fr. Jun and the parish of St. Jude for their support in enriching the spiritual life of the school. 

Thank you to our students for being amazing, wonderful, caring people. 

On behalf of St. Jude School I wish to take a few words to express our appreciation for the 6 years of service that Ms. Irene Goh gave to our school. For 5 of those years, I had the opportunity to work alongside her. Ms. Goh succeeded and made an impact in our school because she constantly put others first. In this, she truly lived out the example of servant leadership. Many times, too many to count, children and staff would come to her with problems that were not hers to solve. Yet, if she could solve them, she would. Her friendly smile and her uncanny ability to remember everyone’s names, especially the children, helped to create a learning environment where everyone felt welcomed. 

Having worked closely with Ms. Goh in the office at St. Jude School, I will miss her tough love approach and her great sense of humor. I know, with confidence, that Ms. Goh has most certainly made a positive impact on our school. We wish her every success and blessing in her new career. 

Thank you Ms. Goh! 

On Tuesday, June 27, orchestra students will be bringing their violins and cellos for other students in our school to interact with between 10:45 and 11:45am. The Junior Orchestra is available to Gr. 2 to 4 students and Senior Orchestra is Gr. 5 to 7 students. Having just attended their year end concert, I can personally attest to the quality of instruction orchestra members receive. 

If your child comes home and expresses interest in joining and you would like to learn more about the program, please email Dr. Andrew Luchkow at luchkow@gmail.com

Our school walkathon exceeded our goal by raising over $25,000*.  Your generosity, especially in such times of high inflation and rising costs of living, is truly appreciated. We will be using funds to begin to upgrade our library. The library will be converted to a library learning commons space over the next few years as this is a major undertaking. Three classes managed to exceed the target of $150 per student average and will get to have a non uniform day next week. All classes surpassed the $100 per student average and will get to have a movie afternoon with extra recess time. We again thank all of our families for their generous support. 

* The funds raised in Gr. 7 go directly to paying for Outdoor Education so these funds do not get counted in our total.

The last day of class is on June 28. We will start our day with a school mass and the day ends at 12:00pm. As previously communicated for several weeks now, there will be no After School Club this day. Please be on time to pick up your children as there is a staff meeting for all of our staff starting at 12:30pm. Thank you for your support. 

After June 28th, all items in the lost and found will be donated (if possible) or thrown out. We do not keep items over the summer. Please ensure that you or your child checks the lost and found by the main school office. 

Last week the Nature Club attended a field trip to Lynn Canyon with their teacher sponsor, Mrs. Abela. The club had a great time at the canyon appreciating the beauty of our “back yard” and spanning a stunning suspension bridge. 

Last Tuesday, Grades 5 & 7 celebrated the Annual Dragon Boat Festival on the water. The classes split into teams and rowed in their own dragon boats to race each other False Creek. Everyone had a blast and the day will not be soon forgotten! 

St. Jude School is pleased to announce that we have hired Miss Megan Ryan and Miss Kate Gloster for the 2023-24 school year. 

Miss Ryan, our new Music Teacher, comes to us from Ireland. She is presently teaching music in London to elementary school students and will be making her way out to Vancouver in August. She will be working 3 days a week at St. Jude School and 2 days a week at St. Joseph School. 

Miss Gloster has worked in our school as an educational assistant since the end of March. Miss Gloster is also from Ireland and has a background in teaching learning resources. Her skillset will be utilized to support our learning resource department and our growing international student program. 

We are excited to welcome them both to our St. Jude School community. 

Kindergarten – Mrs. Stanley and Mrs. Wong

Gr. 1 – Miss Glinsbockel

Gr. 2 – Miss Handy

Gr. 3 – Mrs. Abela

Gr. 4 – Mrs. DiFonzo

Gr. 5 – Mrs. Chao

Gr. 6 – Ms. Corea

Gr. 7 – Mr. Mow

PE – Mr. Campanile

Music – Miss Ryan 

Learning Resource Coordinator and Vice Principal – Miss Smillie

Learning Resource Teacher – Miss Gloster

Our School Start Supply lists are available now. Parents who order early will be entered into a draw to win grocery cards. 

Parents can go directly to: https://schoolstart.ca/, and click on the following:

– Parents Shop Here

– Purchase School Supply Kits

– Select Province, then City, then School

– Lastly, they click on their grade and proceed from there