The Patriot Report – October 16

“He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, ‘Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. ” Matthew 18:2-3

Each day I have the privilege of working in a school setting. It is good for the soul to be able to work in a such an environment. One of the best parts of my work day is when students enthusiastically say hello to me. Their joy is often infectious and I find myself smiling as a result. So lately, I have found myself reflecting on the powerful influence that children here at school and in my own family have on me. This lead me to remembering what Jesus said to his disciples when the questioned him on who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

His response may sometimes be interpreted as advising that we must be innocent like a child. But a closer reading of the passage combined with reading what biblical scholars have said, reveal that Jesus was suggesting that we must become dependent on God like a child is dependent on their parents.

Let us for a moment imagine how much harder life would be for our children if we were to abandon them. If we never provided for them. If we never comforted them. If we never taught them. It is not hard for us to imagine how their lives would turn out. 

Now let us apply this to our relationship with God. Jesus is teaching his disciples, and by extension the faithful today, to learn to depend on God. When I reflect on this teaching, I think about my own children. I hope my own kids know that they can come to me for help. Often, if they ask for help, I will offer my assistance but I try to make sure I do not over assist. I want my kids to become independent but I also want them to know that I am in their corner and I will always be there for them. Perhaps God operates in much the same way. Perhaps, when we pray to God it’s not that God will suddenly fix all our problems but rather God just may give us what we need to solve the problem ourselves. 

I think this comes down to trust. Our children trust us because they know we provide for them and we want what is best for them. We need to trust God. We need to pray so that we can let God into our lives. We need to go to God when the problems of the day overwhelm us and hope seems to dissipate. When we turn to God we turn our hearts towards what is good and true. In this way, we turn our hearts to heaven and in doing so we find our way. 

The school is taking extra precautions to make sure we can safely have in-person parent teacher conferences. We need each parent to be mindful of the following:

• No students or children are to attend the conference
• Only 1 parent is to attend the conference
• No parents are to attend if they have any Covid19 related symptoms
• All parents must follow our directions so we can all be safe

In order to host in-person meetings we will be doing the following:

• Access is only granted from the outside exterior doors – doors will be labelled according to Grade
• Interviews are only 10 minutes with a 3 minute buffer to allow for disinfection – meetings must not run late as we need to disinfect
• The main hallway is closed off to parents – to access the opposite side of the building parents must either cross by the school office or by the learning resources room
• Parents must not linger and are to only show up for the time booked; parents must wait for the teacher to admit them into the space
• Physical distancing is important – teachers will have tables set up to allow for 6 ft distancing 
• Teachers will have a plexiglass divider
• Teachers and Parents are to wear masks and Parents will need to sanitize their hands upon entry into the classroom
• Teachers will disinfect the chair and table in between each parent visit

I have attached a map showing the layout and directions for parents. Click here to view the map. 

To book your interview time slot please click here. 

Parents who feel uncomfortable attending in person are to contact their child’s teacher to arrange for a zoom session. In the interest of time management, we ask that parents who wish for a zoom session still book a time slot and the teacher can coordinate from there. 

Parent Teacher Interviews happen on October 22, 2020. 

You have until TOMORROW to complete your orders. 

Patriots Spirit Wear is now available for order through Cambridge Uniforms. 

See the attached flyer for our code to access the ordering page. 

On Thursday, October 15, St. Jude School hosted its mini meet for cross country. The event took place at Beaconsfield Park close to the school. The running route provided a challenge for our athletes as they had to contend with running both downhill and uphill. Our runners are to be commended for participating in this event and doing their best. It is important that we look for safe ways to be physically active during these COVID-19 times. I would like to that the staff of St. Jude School for their efforts in supporting this event. In particular thank you to Mr. Campanile for his work in organizing the event. 

Often when new students come to St. Jude School they end up telling us that it was a family member or a friend that referred them to us. The power of your referrals is something St. Jude School wants to reward. The program is not retroactive and it is effective as of October 13, 2020. 

The New St. Jude School Student Referral Incentive Program awards a referring St. Jude School family with a $200 tuition credit for each new student who is referred to and enrolls in and attends St. Jude School for the academic school year. (Refer a family that enrolls two students and receive a $400 tuition credit; refer a family that enrolls three students and receive a $600 tuition credit; etc.). The rules of the referral program are outlined below:

• Tuition credit awards will be given to families for referring new families/students to the school. To qualify for the incentive, referred students cannot have a sibling currently or had been previously enrolled at St. Jude School.
• There is no limit to the number of students a family refers to St. Jude School.
• All new students must meet standard enrollment criteria and be enrolled for the entire school year before credit is granted. Referring Families must also remain enrolled for the entire academic year.
• Tuition credits will be applied to the last payment of the school year. Families who paid their tuition in full will receive the credit on the next year’s tuition or will receive an incentive cheque if they are graduating out of the school, and teachers and staff (excluding the principal and office staff) making referrals will receive tuition credit or an incentive cheque should they not have children in the school equal to the amount of the tuition credit.
• To qualify, the Referring Family must fill out the online form before the new family contacts the school. New families will be asked to confirm their connection with the Referring Family when they are interviewed.
• Newly referred families who enroll after February 15 and re-register for the following Academic school year will result in the award being applied to the following school year provided that the family remains enrolled for the entire academic year.
• Failure to turn in a completed Referral Incentive Program form will make the referring family ineligible for the reward.
• The referral program is for parents or guardians who are paying tuition for enrolled students attending St. Jude School.
• Interpretation of program parameters will be at the sole discretion of the Principal and Pastor.

The Referral Form is available through our website under the new Admissions Tab on the main page. Or you can click here to access it. 

Gr. 5 students worked with their hands to apply concepts learnt in class about simple machines. Students were challenged to create a complex machine from household items that were based on the principles of simple machines. 

This is a reminder that parents need to take the time to do the Daily Check every day. It is important that we remain committed to taking our COVID19 procedures seriously. Click here to access the form.