The Patriot Report – November 25, 2022

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” 1 Cor. 3:16

What changes might we see in ourselves, our homes, and our communities if we truly accepted this teaching found in this letter from St. Paul to the Corinthians? I would imagine that we would see several important transformations. 

First, we would see a profound reverence for all people take hold. For when we enter a temple, we approach it as a sacred space. We quiet ourselves and we sense a divine presence. To see another as a temple of God, where the Spirit of God dwells, means that we would approach each person with the same reverence.

With reverence guiding our actions we would also see communities and societies transform. United in our understanding that each is a temple of God, we might be able to show greater compassion and tenderness for those that may appear different from us or hold different opinions. 

The early followers of Christ understood deeply that the teachings of Christ was indeed radical and transformative. If we reflect on the idea that each person is a temple of God and moreover, allow that teaching to inform our practice and work at cultivating a tender approach to others, then we might just see the type of communities we want our children to belong to. 

The primary teachers and their students led our school in our first Advent assembly.  Advent is a liturgical season in the Catholic Church in which the faithful prepare the hearts and minds through prayer to receive Christ into their hearts. It prepares the faithful for Christmas in which we are reminded that God became man to show us how we are to act in the world. Advent is indeed a time to remind all to take seriously the things that Jesus took seriously. 

As an Independent School, we undergo an external evaluation process every six years. This means that personnel from CISVA and the Ministry of Education come on site to inspect the school in all areas. Our policies and practices as well as instructional plans and methodologies all come under inspection. While this is a process of accountability and compliance, it is also an opportunity for us to showcase what we do well. 

The External Evaluation Committee praised the school for its commitment to Catholic education and identity, its preparation for the evaluation, its unit plans, its learning support services, its use of school facilities and for building school pride. As principal of St. Jude I wish to extend my gratitude to the hardworking staff of St. Jude School. The commendations we received are a result of their hard work. 

We have committed and dedicated teachers, educational assistants, and office support staff that really support our vision: St. Jude School is an inclusive Catholic community growing in faith, knowledge, and virtue.

We are now accepting new applications for the 2023-24 school year.  Please get an application form from here or email the school office for one.  

On November 30th, 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 use this link to sign up for a time: https://www.schoolinterviews.ca/code/hyynb.

The Christmas Concert will have two showings on December 13, 2022. 

Matinee Performance

Doors open at 1:30pm with show starting at 1:45pm

Evening Performance

Doors open at 6:00pm with show starting at 6:30pm

*Due to limited seating capacity, we are recommending that external family members such as grandparents, aunts and uncles, consider coming to the Matinee Performance. Outside doors will not open before the time indicated above. 

The Gr. 7 class is seeking your help with their (2) fundraisers:  

Purdy’s Chocolate

Proud Patriot’s T-Shirt Order Form

Please subscribe to our school calendar for a list of important dates. 

To subscribe to our calendar feed copy the link below and paste it into your calendar app:
https://stjude.ca/events/?ical=1&tribe_display=month

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.