The Patriot Report – May 10, 2024

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” Ephesians 4:2

One of my favourite country songs, which I start listening to when the weather gets nice, is Tim McGraw’s “Humble and Kind.” In the song he outlines all the ways he wants his own child to remain humble and kind. St. Paul, likewise, is reminding the people of Ephesus and by extension us, what is most important for a community. And just last week, at a retreat led by Sister John Mary, principals were reminded that we must uphold high expectations but then also practice kindness, mercy, and patience when the children we work with fail to meet the expectations.

In the above quote, St. Paul is not saying that we should allow sin and that we should tolerate practices that lead to hurt. Rather he is reminding people to not become militant and unforgiving when approaching others because, and this is important, we all fail and we all have faults. Patience, love, humility, and gentleness, are the ingredients needed to help others grow in their spirituality. This is a great reminder for our school community and our own families. 

We have passed the $25,000 mark for our fundraising campaign. All grades have passed the average of $100 per student!

We are asking for the money to be brought in on TUESDAY, MAY 14. Once we have double checked the pledges and have verified the donated funds, we will then host our prize draw raffle. The dunk tank has been ordered and will be here on June 14 for our Sports Day festivities so that those who brought in $100 will get three chances to dunk Mr. van der Pauw. Class parties to celebrate our success will be planned for June as well. 

With your financial support, we are now able to move forward with our Library renovation project, set to take place over the summer months. 

Because we passed the $25,000 mark, we will have a non-uniform week from June 17 to June 20, with June 21 being a day off from school. Way to go St. Jude School!

Another award was achieved as we passed the $25,000 mark.  We will have a pizza lunch day on June 17. Order forms to come and again, congrats to St. Jude School!

There are 3 ways to donate to our School Walkathon:

• Online through Charitable Impact – click here
• Cash – send the cash to school on May 14, 2024
• Cheque – make cheques payable to St. Jude Parish with Walkathon on the Memo Line – send cheques on May 14, 2024

For cash and cheque donations, please be sure to correctly put the name and address and email on the pledge sheets because it is needed for a Charitable Tax Receipt. If this is filled out incorrectly or is not legible, then we cannot issue a Charitable Tax Receipt.

Thank you for your support

There will be individual raffle prizes that students can put their name in for if they raise enough money. For every $50 raised they will receive one ticket to enter for a prize draw. So if a student brings in $150 they receive 3 tickets to enter into prize draws of their choice. The prizes are as follows:

• $50 gift card to Sportchek with an outdoor basketball and soccer ball
• Gift card to cineplex odeon to cover the cost of 4 tickets and treats
• 2 tickets to the Tsawwassen Waterslides
• Gift card to purchase a season pass to Playland
• $100 gift card to Gamestop

In addition to the individual prizes we also have a school wide prize that if we meet our goal of $25,000 then we will have a non-uniform week and a pizza lunch for the school. Lastly, on June 14 (Sports Day), we are bringing in a dunk tank. For each student that brings in $100 they will receive 3 chances to dunk Mr. van der Pauw. For parents or anyone else that wants to try to dunk Mr. van der Pauw, it will cost $10 a throw. 

The Parent Support Group (PSG) is a necessary parent liaison group between the school and the BC Gaming Commission.  The formation of this group meets the eligibility for receiving a government grant from the BC Gaming Commission.  This grant money is intended to benefit K-12 students in British Columbia through enhancement of extracurricular opportunities and community involvement. Historically, this money has subsidized field trips and supported various school clubs (i.e. the chess club and nature club).  The school cannot apply for this grant unless we have parents who volunteer their time towards forming the PSG.  If you are interested in joining or would like more information, please email psg@stjude.ca

The Grade Three class walked to the Renfrew Ravine to study the local biodiversity and then took the SkyTrain to Central Park in Burnaby where students saw squirrels, birds, geese, fish, ducks, and a coyote. It was a great learning experience for all.  

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