The Patriot Report – October 06, 2023

“It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord.” -Preface from the Liturgy of the Eucharist

I can recall with clarity, a lesson from a time when I was a student at ACRSS in Port Coquitlam. My Christian Education 11 teacher, Mr. Chris Seppelt, was teaching us about Dante’s Divine Comedy and that above the doors to Hell was written the phrase: abandon hope all who enter here. The lesson was about how Hell is the absence of Hope. To be in a place of utter despair is to be in Hell. 

What keeps Hope alive? What keeps us from falling into despair? I believe that the answer is found in thanksgiving. In the liturgy, the priest invites the faithful to give thanks to the Lord. And we are further reminded that giving thanks to God is not only our duty but also our salvation. We have many blessings in our life so we might easily be able to understand why giving thanks is our duty. We all teach our children to say thank you when they receive a gift or blessing. It is right to give thanks. But is it our salvation?

Giving thanks requires a person to see that they have indeed been blessed. Seeing and appreciating the blessings gives us salvation because past blessings remind us that there will be future blessings. Even if we find ourselves struggling through various sufferings, we can hold fast to hope. We can remind ourselves of what we can be grateful for. Practicing gratitude gives us peace, joy, and hope. In that way, giving proper thanks to the Lord is our path to salvation. 

I wish all of our families a very blessed Thanksgiving. 

Patriots Gear is now available for order on the Cambridge Uniform Store Website. 

Each year our Gr. 7 class fundraises for their Promotion Ceremony. Please support their efforts and in the process enjoy some fresh donuts.  

Order Krispy Kreme Donuts by clicking here.

School photo orders for Lifetouch are due October 11th.

Orders can be placed online at www.mylifetouch.ca or by return envelope to the school office.

Retakes are Nov 3, 2023.

Parent Teacher Interviews are coming up on Thursday, October 19th. The purpose of Parent Teacher Interviews is for the teacher and the parent/guardian(s) to discuss the child’s behaviour, habits, attitude, and performance. The conversations are to focus on goals for the child and the strategies to implement at home and at school so that greater learning can happen. It is also an opportunity to raise and address concerns. It is not an opportunity to discuss other children or other teachers.

There will be no school on this day, and we do not recommend that children attend the interview.

To book your time slot, please visit this link:

https://schoolinterviews.ca/code/8n9zr

Alternatively, you can go to: www.schoolinterviews.ca
Event code: 8n9zr

If none of the posted times work, please email your child’s teacher to set up an alternate time to meet.

We are excited to welcome kindergarten sibling registration for children born in 2019, turning 5 in 2024. These children will begin kindergarten in September 2024.  Please pre-register by completing this form.  

So far 34 parents have signed up for Remind. We need this to get to 100% of our families. Please sign up for our Remind Text Messaging system. There is no charge to you and it allows us to communicate via text messages in case of emergencies. This is the quickest and easiest way for us to communicate. 

There are a couple of ways to sign up:

Use your phone and text @8hdh4ga to the number (514) 613-2161

Follow this link: https://www.remind.com/join/8hdh4ga

Congratulations to all of our runners that participated in the annual Cross Country Championships. This event is one of the largest Cross Country events in the Province with over 1500 athletes participating throughout the day. 

Mandarin class will not meet on the following days:
Oct 2^nd: TRC Day, No School 
Oct 9^th:  Thanksgiving Holiday, No School                  

Pui Ying Mandarin class will return on Oct 16 (Mon 3.15-4.45pm).

If you are interested in having your child attend classes please email Nellie Chan at nellie@puiying.org.  

With Halloween fast approaching, St. Jude School will allow students to dress in costumes on Tuesday, October 31, 2023.

Please ensure that your child’s costume is appropriate and suitable for our Catholic school community. Those who dress as Saints or Biblical Characters will receive special prizes!

Students are not permitted to wear the following:
● Any costume that covers the face. Staff members must be able to identify
students.
● Costumes that are provocative, revealing, sexual in nature, or employ questionable props, including fake weapons.
● Costumes that depict violence, alcohol, or drugs.
● Costumes that could be offensive or perpetuate a stereotype of someone’s culture, gender, heritage, age, sexual orientation or religion.
● Costumes that mimic or imitate another person or group of people in our community.

Students who choose to not be in costume are to be in their school uniform.

Reminder to submit absentee notes for when your child is sick or away from school. This can be done online through our school website: https://stjude.ca/absentee-note/

St. Jude Parish Mass Times

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