The Patriot Report – March 3, 2023

“Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She replied, ‘No one, sir.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.'” – John 8:10-11

As we begin a new month we turn our focus to a new virtue, mercy. God’s mercy is a central messages in scripture and it is important that we educate our children on how mercy can be transformative. 

Mercy is the ability to show compassion and forgiveness when one has the power to punish. The reason why forgiveness is so central to the Christian worldview is that it ends the cycle of pain. Without mercy we seek retribution and we seek to inflict the same amount of pain or more on those who have hurt us. What we are shown by Jesus through his teachings and actions, is that forgiveness brings about true healing. 

When someone comes to us seeking forgiveness, we are given the power to either forgive or to seek revenge. Forgiveness is hard and it is challenging because of the pain and anger we feel. We need to acknowledge the truth of our own pain. But we must also acknowledge that holding onto anger will only bring further anger and pain. The only path to healing is through forgiveness. 

Throughout our time in March and the season of Lent, we need to reflect on the message of forgiveness as taught to us through the parables of Jesus and through his own actions. 

At the start of the school year the Provincial government announced that there would special grant given to schools under the Student and Family Affordability Fund (SFAF). In total, 60 million went to the public sector and $3.8 million came to the Federation of Independent School Associations (FISA) to support families struggling with increasing costs and that access education through independent school authorities. CISVA, our school authority, received funds and distributed them to the schools. 

Our school is now in the position to be able to distribute these funds. There are restrictions however to what the funds can be spent on and the most notable restriction is that it cannot be used as tuition credit. 

We understand that the rise of inflation has impacted all families. However, we also know that most of our families are financially secure and are able to weather such times. However, we do have families that are making tremendous sacrifices to be able to send their children to a Catholic school and we are able to use the SFAF to offer some support.

If your family is need of assistance please contact the school principal at cvanderpauw@stjude.ca by March 31, 2023. Please be assured that confidentiality will be maintained.   

St. Jude School is organizing a K to 7 Ice Skating field trip to Trout Lake Ice Rinks for March 9, 2023. If you have not returned your form, please ensure you do so by Monday, March 6. We are grateful to parents who are willing to volunteer as we will need many helping hands with tying the laces on the skates. Parents who have their own skates and are proficient at skating are welcome to assist on the ice with students. 

We understand that many students, if not most students, have little to no experience with ice skating. There will be falls and awkward movements. In many ways it will be like watching a toddler learn how to walk. But there are so many lessons of resilience in falling and getting back up. 

St. Jude School is launching the Chess Club after Spring Break. Chess Club happens during lunch recess on Wednesdays and is presently open to students from Gr. 3 to Gr. 7. We have 84 students signed up for the club with two divisions, competitive and friendly. I would like to thank the Parent Support Group (PSG) for their financial assistance in purchasing the needed materials to get our club up and running. 

Cambridge Uniforms is doing a spring order of Patriots Gear. Orders are due THIS SUNDAY March 5, 2023 with an anticipated delivery date during the week of April 17-21. Please visit https://www.cambridgeuniforms.com/

The purpose of the three way (teacher – parent – student) conference is to promote dialogue and student involvement in the learning process. The goal is that students come away knowing that both the classroom teacher and their parent are supporting them in their learning journey. 

Due to time constraints, some parents may not find a time that works on March 10. If this is the case we encourage you to try and book a time on another day between March 6 and March 9. Our teachers can be contacted directly and meetings can be set up at times that work for all parties. 

Please follow the link to secure your booking: https://schoolinterviews.ca/code/hgn7z

Follow the link to get your Samosa orders in. Order by March 24, 2023. 

http://bit.ly/3xCq76t

As St. Jude School continues to prioritize in-person learning, we wanted to remind you of our policy regarding family vacations.

While we believe that the best learning environment is in the classroom, we understand that families may need to take time off for valid reasons. As such, we kindly request that vacations be taken during the natural breaks in the year (Spring Break, Summer Break, and Christmas Break).

For those students who will be away, we want to remind parents that we do not provide work in advance. However, our online subscription to Mathletics, daily reading and journal writing can help keep your child engaged in their studies.

Please do not ask your child’s teacher for homework. Rest assured that your child will catch up on any missed units/assignments upon their return to school.

Our Gr. 7 Student Ambassadors will be 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. 

This past year we handed out $1200 in rewards to parents that referred students to our school. Every student that is referred and enrolls in our school for the year results in a reward of $200 for the the referring family. 

To learn more about the referral program, please click here.