The Patriot Report – October 27, 2023

“St. Jude, pray for us.” 

This weekend is the feast of St. Jude, our school and parish patron saint. In the Catholic tradition, we look to the saints as role models and to intercede on our behalf. Many pray to St. Jude as he is the patron saint of impossible causes. Devotion to St. Jude really came alive in the West in the 20th century. If we look at the history of the 20th century, we can see that much of the early 20th century was filled with turmoil. World War 1, the Great Depression, World War 2, and the age of the Atomic bomb come to mind. It is no surprise that people turned to St. Jude. 

I encourage you to make a special effort to go to mass this weekend at St. Jude Parish. And should you find yourself facing an impossible task or situation, turn to St. Jude and ask him to intercede on your behalf. 

St. Jude, pray for us. 

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.

We are asking that parents do not send Halloween Candy treat bags for classmates on October 31. The school will give out nut-free chocolate to celebrate Halloween and we want to be mindful of how much candy/chocolate is being distributed at school. 

In the days following Halloween, we ask that you consider limiting the amount of candy/chocolate you send to school with your child. Hopefully the candy/chocolate is accompanied by a full and healthy lunch. 

At St. Jude School we are very blessed to be able to celebrate 9am Mass every Wednesday. As Catholics, we believe that the Mass liturgy is the most important form of prayer. Mass is also counted as part of our religion curriculum through CISVA. It is very important that students are on time for this weekly prayer and liturgy service not just for the important curricular pieces, but also for the vital community building that takes place. We also understand that at times it might not be possible to be on time for mass, we would then ask that parents accompany their children to the church so that they do not fall behind or be left out. As always, parents are more than welcome to attend our prayer services at school and our weekly Mass. Thank you for working with our teachers to build our faith community at St. Jude. 

Please note that the Christmas Concert will take place on Thursday, December 14, 2023. More details to come at the end of November. 

A big thank you to Grades 4 and 6 for leading the school in prayer this Thursday during our annual Living Rosary. We are very grateful to Ms. Corea and Mrs. DiFonzo for organizing and leading their classes for this treasured school event. Our Lady of the Rosary, Pray for Us! 

This Friday morning, Grade Sevens led the school in an important assembly in honor of St. Jude. This assembly was in anticipation of the Feast of our patron saint which falls on Saturday, October 28. Thank you Mr. Mow for preparing this assembly and helping your students lead our school in celebration. St. Jude, Pray for Us! 

Congratulations to our Grade 5 girl’s volleyball team who secured third place at the Volleyball Tournament this week. The girls played their best and had a great time! Thank you to Coach Gloster and Coach Wong for your support and guidance. Go Patriots! 

Set, Spike, Bump! On Thursday our Grade 7 girl’s volleyball team were the zone champions at the qualifying tournament. The girls will compete in the finals in the coming weeks.  Thanks to Coach Campanile for your support of our team. Go Patriots! 

We recently did a test message. You should have received a notification on your phone. During a school closure event, Remind will be our first communication tool. 

The Remind service is free of charge to St. Jude Families. We presently have 81 families signed up. We need this to be all of our families as this will be our primary communication tool for Snow Days, Emergency Closures, and Lockdowns. 

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

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.  

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