The Patrioteer – November 21, 2025

“If music be the food of love, play on!” 

-William Shakespeare

Music can move and inspire, it even can lead to emotion as the above quote from Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night shows! Music can be heard all throughout the day here at school and this weekend we celebrate the feast day of the patron saint of music, St. Cecilia, a Roman martyr who died in the Third Century. She is said to have sung to the Lord loudly at her wedding which led to her becoming the patron saint of music. 

Music education has been scientifically proven to be extremely beneficial for children. Music can lead to sharper reasoning skills as musicians need to use different parts of their brain at the same time. Musical training specifically works in the left side of the brain which is responsible for processing language leading to better language skills. Music classes and other art classes can be fun for children and can lead to higher self-esteem. There are lots of reasons to engage in music education, which is why we have it in our weekly curriculum. So whether we are engaging in music education for the love of music, or the benefits, we can invoke St. Cecilia to intercede for us.

Pray for us, St. Cecilia!

St. Jude, Pray for Us!

We will need to close after school club early due to some scheduled school events. Please make note of these changes. 

Friday, November 28th

The staff Christmas party is taking place this day, so the after school club will be closing at 4:00pm in order to facilitate our staff celebration. 

Wednesday, December 10th 

The school Christmas program, “Straw and Order” will be taking place at 6:00pm this day, so we will be ending the after school club at 5:00pm to ensure our staff can prepare for this event. 

Friday, December 19th

This is the last day before Christmas Break, so our after school club will end at 4:30pm for our staff to ensure they have time to close the school down for the break.

Thank you for your attention to these schedule changes. 

Just a reminder, if your family is in need of financial support through Feeding Futures or in need of a winter jacket, please email Ms. Smillie at csmillie@stjude.ca. 

The deadline is November 28th. Please be assured that confidentiality will be maintained.

Our Grade 5 and 6 boys competed in the zone finals this week and had a great time representing our school while enjoying the sport of volleyball! Both teams had a great showing, but did not advance to the district finals. 

Great job, boys! And thank you to our boys volleyball coaches, Ms. B and Mr. C. 

Go Patriots!

The St. Jude Christmas Program, “Straw and Order”, will take place on Wednesday December 10th in the school gym. We will have two performances, a Matinee at 2pm and a ticketed performance at 6:00pm.

Instructions for ticketing for this performance will be distributed next week! Stay tuned!

For those exploring high school options for their children, Notre Dame Regional Secondary School will be having an open house on Tuesday, November 25.  Doors open at 5:30pm with Principal’s Address at 6pm.  

Families are encouraged to register for the placement exam by January 4th, 2026, to take advantage of the reduced non-refundable application fee of $75.00, payable via e-transfer to payments@ndrs.org (no password required). Please include the student’s full name and “AppFee” in the message.

Please note that the fee for placement exam registration will increase to $100.00 after January 4th, 2026.

The registration link for the grade 8 placement exam is now open. Families can register by scanning the QR code on the poster or by visiting our website at www.ndrs.org. The placement exam will take place at 9:30am on Friday, January 23, 2026.

We are excited to welcome kindergarten sibling registration for children born in 2021, turning 5 in 2026. These children will begin kindergarten in September 2026.  Please pre-register your child by completing a google form found here: https://forms.gle/JyhfmSqzFHTcoeNT8

School tours are now being offered to prospective families interested in having their child attend St. Jude School.  They are led by our Gr. 7 School Ambassadors and can be booked in advance by calling our office.

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. 

St. Jude Grade 7 Class 2026 is fundraising with Purdy’s Chocolatier!
Please support us through purchasing some very sweet Christmas gifts for friends, family or yourself! 

Just follow the link below:

https://fundraising.purdys.com/1033039-132263

Last day to order: Saturday, November 29

Pick up orders from St. Jude school Cafeteria: Friday, December 5

Thank you for supporting the Grade 7 Class!

SNACK & PIZZA SALE! 
Come treat yourself — grab a snack, drink, or something sweet while supplies last!
Popcorn Specials
 $3 – 1 Popcorn Bag
$4 – 1 Popcorn Bag + Juice Box
$5 – 2 Popcorn Bags
$6 – 2 Popcorn Bags + Juice Box
$8 – 3 Popcorn Bags
$1.50 –Chips
$1.50 – Juice Box
Pizza Slice
$3 per slice
Drinks
$2 – Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate
Dessert
$1 – Cookies
✨ Enjoy — Great Taste, Great Deals! ✨
All proceeds go toward supporting GRADE 7!

The Grade 7 class will have a gift basket draw as part of their fundraiser.  Gift baskets are valued at $200 and $500.  Tickets are only $5.  Please contact one of our Grade 7 parents, Rachelle Moshfeghi, via text or WhatsApp at 604-764-7935 to purchase tickets.  

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. 

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.

Lost and Found: There is a fair amount of unlabelled jackets, school sweaters and tupperware in the Lost and Found.  Please ensure your child’s items are labelled.  If your child is missing any items, please have them check the lost and found.  Thank you! 

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