The Patrioteer – January 16, 2026

We have entered the winter doldrums, and yet the sun is shining! Usually this part of the year sees an increase in Season Affective Disorder or the “winter blues” due to the colder weather and lack of sunlight. But we live in Vancouver and the weather here is bucking the trend. This week we have had a lovely streak of winter sun! In the event that this sun changes to rain, here’s some ways to beat the winter blues! 

Increase Vitamin D: This vitamin is lacking when the sun is hiding, try to incorporate more of these foods–salmon, sardines, cod liver oil, canned tuna, egg yolks, and mushrooms. 

Increase Sleep: A good night’s sleep can make a world of difference. Try to limit screen use before bed, start a calming routine, and keep your bedroom dark and cool to increase sleep time. 

Turn to Prayer and Positivity: Instead of dwelling on negative thoughts, try to focus on positive parts of your life. God is good and has blessed us all immensely. Make prayers of thankfulness a part of your routine to accentuate the positivity in your life! 

Don’t forget to turn to community and speak to others if you’re feeling down this winter, we are all in this together! 

St. Jude, Pray for Us!

Basketball season is up and running! This week we had various games at home and away!

Congrats to the Grade 5 girls, who had exciting games against OLS and St. Mary’s.

Way to go, Grade 5 Boys, who were able to show so many awesome skills against St. Mary’s.

Great job, Grade 7 Girls, who were great sports on and off the court at the St. Pat’s Tournament. 

Awesome skills, Grade 7 Boys, who had a blast playing OLS. 

Munchalunch is open for the rest of the school year. Please note some changes to item prices as well as some new selections from Pho Kitchen. 

Ordering for the week must be completed the prior Wednesday at 7am. 

 The registration link for the Notre Dame grade 8 placement exam is now open. Families can register by visiting www.ndrs.org. The placement exam will take place at 9:30am on Friday, January 23, 2026.

A reminder to our families that our referral program is operational. Every student that is referred and enrolls in our school for the year results in a reward of $200 for the the referring family. 

To learn more about the referral program, please click here. 

The Grade 7’s will be selling snacks, refreshments and used uniforms at the upcoming Care Day.  Please see poster below for more information.  Thank you for supporting the Grade 7 class!

We are excited to launch a year-round Bottle Drive to raise funds for the Grade 7 Graduation.

You can help by donating your empty beverage containers through the Return-It Express Program.  Stickers can by printed at the Return-It Express kiosk by entering St. Jude Fundraising and phone number 604-616-3220.   Please see attached flyer for more information. 

Grade Seven Students sent home plastic recycling bags for collection over the holiday! 

Thank you for supporting Grade 7 fundraising.  

If your family has recently moved, or if you have a new phone number, please email office@stjude.ca with your new address/contact information so that we can update our records.

The decision making process for closing the school due to snow includes:

– assessment of sidewalks & stairways

– assessment of parking lots

– assessment of staff driving routes

– assessment of general driving conditions

– assessment of weather, current & projections

– consultation with neighbouring schools and principals

– consultation with staff that live in the area

– prayer

Some of the factors which make St. Jude School unique when considering these decisions include the following:

– we’re not a neighbourhood school, but nearly exclusively a commuter school

– students travel from different parts of Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, and Richmond

– staff travel from Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, North Van, and Maple Ridge

– we live in a region that does not get much snow and many drivers are ill prepared (no snow tires) to drive in snow yet do so anyway. The Government of BC has not mandated that winter tires must be used on lower mainland roads during the winter season. As such, the risk of car accidents greatly increases in such conditions and commute times become exceptionally long with many arriving very late or not at all, which reduces our ability to properly staff the school.

Other factors all schools must consider:

– are we able to provide a quality learning experience if we have 1/3? or 1/2 of our students in the building?

– if some teachers aren’t able to make it to school, do we have the support from our Teacher On Call pool to handle the sudden demand? Are we able to provide adequate supervision if staff cannot make it to work?

– can we confidently say that we made the best decision to open if an injury or fatality occurs?

When the school is closed due to inclement weather, communication will be through the Remind App first, Facebook, and the school website by 7am at the latest. It is the responsibility of the parents to sign up for Remind, to check our website, or our Facebook feed, when snow is in the forecast.

If the school is closed due to Snow, there will be no clubs, sports, or after school clubs running that day. 

In difficult weather, our hope is to open our schools as soon as it is possible while considering all educational and safety perspectives. We thank you for your prayers and support!

St. Jude’s Parish offers an RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program for anyone interested in learning more about the Catholic faith and for Catholics who have not received the sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation.  Classes are held on Thursdays at 6pm in the church hall.  For more information, please contact the parish office at 604-434-6700.

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