The Patriot Report – September 18

“And this too shall come to pass.”

I can recall sitting at my Grandma’s dining table as a teenager having a conversation about the troubles of being a high school student. For those of you who have teenagers, you will certainly understand that high school can be filled with worry and stress. Often my Grandma would have her crystal glass cookie jar on the table. She would invite me to sit down and have a cookie. That cookie jar was like a portal to opening up and talking. My Grandma, a mother of 13 children, was an expert listener. I often wonder if she used a similar tactic with her own children but maybe without the cookies. She was also a woman of few words. There was one phrase that she would often say that was built on years of life experience and it was always some variation of things will come to pass. The hard times will not last forever. 

As a parent and an administrator, I often find I reflect on those words of my Grandma. I also think about her life and why she could say that things will come to pass with such certainty. My Grandma was born in 1924. She would have been the age of our Kindergarten students when the Great Depression started in 1929. The Great Depression was absolutely catastrophic for so many people. Following this, she would have been 15 years old when World War 2 consumed the world. Her brothers went off to war and like so many families, their lives were changed dramatically. But like the Great Depression, World War 2 came to an end and by the age of 20, my Grandma was married. Throughout her youth, my Grandma and her generation, was faced with global catastrophes. I am sure that at times they would wonder when it would all be over. So often, when one crisis ended it would not be long until another crisis would come along. Life certainly taught my Grandma that the problems of this world comes and goes. My Grandma passed away in 2008 at the age of 84 but her wisdom stays with me today. 

I believe my Grandma truly understood that dark times eventually fade away either with time or with resolution. The wisdom of my Grandma and perhaps yours too, is a wisdom that can often only be gained through years of life experience. As we face the challenges of global pandemic and we wonder when it will end, let us look to the wisdom of previous generations. Let us be reminded, like my Grandma would remind me, that this too shall come to pass. 

Yesterday, my child’s school went into a Hold and Secure Lockdown. This means the threat was outside the building. Nevertheless the police had shut down several blocks in the neighborhood of Maple Ridge due to a police incident. 

We want to make sure we use a communication system here at the school that can reach as many people as possible. To ensure we use a platform that many of our parents are comfortable with we ask that you complete this simple survey by clicking here.

After much discussion and debate on staff about Meet the Teacher night we have elected to go with a format that will hopefully work for all of our families. It goes without saying that we would have much rather done this in person but we simply cannot accommodate due to Covid-19 restrictions. 

As such, teachers will be creating videos and presentations that will highlight the course expectations among other important topics pertaining to the year. 

Each teacher will send out a class email later next week with links to the videos and presentations. We ask that you watch the videos and presentations so that you can be informed about your child’s class. As always, emailing your concerns to your classroom teacher is always welcomed. 

Patriots Spirit Wear will not be available until October 1st. Cambridge Uniforms has been experiencing back logs. We thank you for your patience. 

I am happy to report that our parking lot seems to be very stress free during the morning drop off. I wish to thank all the parents for your cooperation in dropping off your children. The staggered drop off has resulted in less congestion and I believe greater safety. Thank you.

A few families have reported that they are not getting our emails. It is then discovered that the emails are going to their Junk Email Inbox. If you know of families that are not getting the newsletters or our emails, please tell them to check their Junk mail. Thank you.

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.

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

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