The Patriot Report – September 11

And when the earth has turned beneath you and your voice is seldom heard. When the flood of gifts that blessed your life has long since ebbed away. When your mind is thick and hope is thin and dark is all around, I will stand beside you till the dawn. Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come follow Me and I will give you rest. – Lyrics from Be Not Afraid by Bob Dufford, SJ

The above lyrics are from a Church hymn that many of us are familiar with, Be Not Afraid. The fourth verse, quoted above, seems to be appropriate for these times. During the pandemic, I am sure that many of you feel like your voice many not be heard. Perhaps you feel like the “flood of gifts that blessed your life” have been removed. We have lost such gifts such as embracing a friend with a simple hug or handshake, or being allowed to blow out the candles on a birthday cake, or not being able to simply show up to a mass at your parish. Maybe you have found yourself “thick” with “dark” thoughts about what the future may bring. The first part of the song seems rather depressing. The lyrics recognize that life is hard and full of suffering. 

But halfway through the third sentence, we notice a shift in the lyrics. When all hope seems to be lost, our Lord and Savior, reminds us that we will never be abandoned. God will be there with us until the dawn. The song then returns to the chorus of “Be not afraid. I go before you always…” As challenging as Covid-19 is, we must remind ourselves of the power of Faith. As Dr. Vanessa Lapointe reminded our staff before the start of the school year, we need to “Faith it until we make it.” We need to put our trust in the Lord. We need to surrender our desire for control and for knowing what will happen next. But this takes courage. When we know that our God goes before us always, then perhaps we will have the courage to handle whatever may come our way this school year. Be not afraid.

I am sure some parents may be wondering what classrooms look like with the return of students. While the students in Gr. 7 were at PE, I was able to snap a picture of the classroom. Classrooms with individual desks are all forward facing. The picture below shows what a standard classroom looks like. In some of the smaller classrooms, some of the desks are joined together but are forward facing. I would like to remind all parents that BC Health Guidelines for Schools do not require there to be physical distancing in the classroom. 

Picture Day for students attending in-person is September 18, 2020. Full uniform is required. Students participating in the Temporary Transition Option will have their picture day near the end of November. 

This morning the parking lot traffic seemed much smoother. The opening of the parking spaces did not make much impact as many parents were parking and leaving promptly thereby freeing up more spots. 

As such we will look to have both a drop off lane and parking. If it gets really congested again, we will explore options for a drop off lane in other locations. 

Thank you for your continued patience. 

If your child has life threatening allergies, we need to have the Student Emergency Response Plan completed by your family doctor.  Please have this form submitted to us by September 25, 2020.  

If your child is going to be late to school (after 9:00 am), kindly advise the school by email at office@stjude.ca.  Your child will need to come thru the main entrance when they arrive.  

If your child is going to be away, please email or call the office before 8:45 am.  If emailing, please state your child’s name, grade and the reason they will be away.  An absentee note is required to report their absence for auditing purposes at the end of the school year.

Please ensure that the school has your correct contact information on file.  If you have recently changed your address, telephone number or email address, please email us with the changes. 

Make sure you are signed up for our newsletter.  

Any volunteer or chaperone working with our students must have a criminal record check completed first. Only those with valid criminal record checks will be permitted to supervise or volunteer on school grounds or school sponsored activities. Each individual must complete one. If a grandparent is going to volunteer for yard supervision, hot lunch supervision, etc., he or she must also have a criminal record check on file with the school.  We will complete the Criminal Record Check Form in the school office.  Please bring your picture ID to the school office for verification.  

With Covid-19 presenting real life challenges we are updating our uniform policy to make it more user friendly during the pandemic. Please note the following:

Monday: Uniform Day

Tuesday: Uniform or Dress Code Day: 

– Boys: Navy Blue or Black Pants with White Polo Shirt (easily available at Old Navy, WalMart, and Children’s Place).  Navy Blue or Black Bermuda Shorts can be worn from the first day of school in September until the Thanksgiving weekend, and, from after Mother’s Day until the end of the school year.

– Girls: Navy Blue or Black Pants with White Polo Shirt (easily available at Old Navy, WalMart, and Children’s Place). Navy Blue or Black Bermuda Shorts can be worn from the first day of school in September until the Thanksgiving weekend, and, from after Mother’s Day until the end of the school year.

• Shoes – black

Wednesday: Uniform Day

Thursday:  Uniform or Patriots Spirit Wear Day (Patriot Spirit Wear purchased thru the school are: PE shirt, PE shorts, Patriots long sleeve shirt, Patriots Hoodie, Patriots sweatpants) – Shoes can be any type of runner 

Friday: Uniform Day

Check out the links below:

Old Navy Girls

Old Navy Boys

I would like to update the parent community of changes to our Covid-19 Plan:

• Daily Screening Form (access from the main page of the school website) must be completed by the parent before 8:20 am
• Masks are not recommended for PE and will not be worn
• Music class will take place in the classrooms
• The PHO has assured schools and municipalities that playgrounds are safe. Students will wash their hands before going outside and when coming back inside. Staff will monitor numbers on the playground to ensure that it is not crowded. Students are reminded to give each other space, to not touch others, and to practice proper hygiene (cover mouth if sneezing, immediately leave playground to wash hands, not to touch face, etc.). 
• The following schedule will be strictly adhered to for recess: (please note all students will eat in their classroom from 12:15 to 12:30)
  • 10:10-10:25 – K and Gr. 1 (Zone 1) Gr. 6 and 7 (zone 2)
  • 10: 30 – 10:45 – Gr. 2 and 3 (Zone 1) Gr. 4 and 5 (zone 2)
  • 11:45 – 12:15 – K and Gr. 1 (Zone 1) Gr. 6 and 7 (zone 2)
  • 12:30 – 1:00 – Gr. 2 and 3 (Zone 1) Gr. 4 and 5 (zone 2)

Please also note the change from above to the mandatory wearing of uniforms. We will follow the new weekly routine for uniforms. 

Check out www.cambridgeuniforms.com

St. Jude online school code is: TPA859

Returning clients: https://www.cambridgeuniforms.com/account/login

New clients: https://www.cambridgeuniforms.com/account/register

There has been a great response from the online Zoom fittings for families who require assistance with reading size charts, navigating the website and confirming their sizes.  Book an online fitting here: https://www.cambridgeuniforms.com/pages/book-an-online-fitting