Thunder News Flash – March 2, 2019

As we continue to unpack our school’s theme, we are still focussed on the virtue of Hope.  However, next week we will be entering into the season of Lent, and sometimes it seems that Lent and Hope are at opposite ends of the faith spectrum.  Lent is not only about fasting, or doing penance, or trying to remove sin from our lives.  Lent is also a time to discover that God’s mercy and grace are always with us; that we can discover the extraordinary in the ordinary; that our lives can be transformed in many ways.  As we begin Lent, let us think about all we hope to achieve during this season and all the new ways we can encounter God as we journey towards Easter.

*Please note additional day added

St. James and St. Ann’s School, along with SJB, will be hosting a “Garage Clean Up” Work Bee over FOUR days in March.  This is a great opportunity for families who have been unable to meet the required number of Parent Participation hours in their task group.  Please join us on Friday – Monday, March 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th as we remove unwanted items from the garage storage that is behind our school.  We will be renting a dumpster to aid in our clean up so there will be plenty of work for everyone.

If you have students in both schools, you may divide your hours to claim Parent Participation hours at each school, but please no double dipping.

Also note that both schools will be using the same sign up sheet that you will find by clicking here.

Questions?  Contact Erika by clicking here.

You are invited to attend the St. Ann’s Parish Mission on Monday, March 25th – Wednesday, March 27th.  There will be morning Mass at 8:00am and evening Mass at 7:00pm followed by a Lenten reflection led by Fr. Patrick Murphy, CS, a Scalabrinian Priest from Casa del Migrante in Tijuana.  Fr. Patrick will celebrate the Holy Eucharist, preach the Lenten Mission, hear confessions and draw our attention toward being good disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ through a sincere change of heart.  Mark your calendars and make this Lenten Mission a priority!

Come and join the Parent Prayer Group in praying the rosary for our school community at 8:30am every Thursday morning.  Please note that we meet each week in the school Library.  Small children and babies are welcome.

The next Work Bee will take place on Saturday, March 9th from 9:00am – 2:00pm.  While the long range forecast shows that it will be sunny on March 9th, please dress for any weather conditions as there may be work both inside and outside of the school.

Due to unforeseen circumstances the Sky’s No Limit – Girls Fly Too! event being held at the Abbotsford Airport has been postponed until October.  For those of you who have already been successful in booking your flights, they will be transferred to the same day and time on the new weekend, October 5th – 6th, and they will soon be sending out emails to confirm this with you. They hope to see you all in October.

The school will be hosting Community Coffee on Tuesday, March 5th at 8:30am in the school Library.  This is a wonderful opportunity for community members from both the school and the parish to join together for some coffee, treats and great conversation.  Bring your toddlers as well as there will be toys and colouring pages set out for those children who are not yet in school.  We hope to see you there!

It is time to re-register your children for St. James & St. Ann’s School for the 2019-2020 school year!  Re-Registration Packages will be sent home through the oldest child in each family on Friday, March 8th.  This package is very comprehensive and we hope that you will read through all the information included in the package.  Then, you are asked to bring your completed Re-Registration Package, all required cheques and any supporting documents that you need, to our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, March 13th in the school gym.  Please note that we will not accept any Re-Registration Packages before this meeting, and you must attend this meeting to be eligible for the $50 registration fee.  Packages returned after this date will be subject to a $100 registration fee, and they must be returned by the end of the day on March 15th in order to hold your child’s seat for the 2019-2020 school year.

Here is some important information that you need to know about the AGM:

• dinner will be served from 6:00pm – 6:30pm
• the meeting will begin promptly at 6:30pm – here we will go through changes for next year, explain tuition increases, etc.
• no later than 7:15pm we will begin to accept the Re-Registration Packages at tables throughout the gym that are divided alphabetically

Some important information that you need to know about the Re-Registration Package:

• all white papers are to be filled out and returned on March 13th, or by March 15th at the latest
• all blue papers are information pages for you to keep
• there are two copies of the Family Statement of Commitment, which must be signed by both parents – the white copy is for you to return with your package and the blue copy is for you to sign and keep at home for reference
• remember to bring proof of residency with you – we must collect this each year
• remember to bring cheques with you for Parent Participation (3 cheques required), Registration Fee (1 cheque or cash), Student Fees (1 cheque)
• you only need to attach a new cheque or bank form to the Tuition Payment Form if your banking information has changed

We hope to see you all at this very important meeting.

We will have an early dismissal day on Tuesday, March 5th.  Please send your children to school with a snack, and all those children who ordered Hot Lunch will be able to enjoy their Shrove Tuesday pancake lunch and then be dismissed at 12:55pm for the monthly staff meeting.  Students who did not order pancakes and sausages on the Hot Lunch form will need to bring a lunch to school on March 5th.

The following day is Ash Wednesday and we will be celebrating Mass together as well as participating in our Poverty Lunch.  The students are asked to bring a simple snack, a smaller lunch, and no treats to school.  We will have a short assembly in the gym at 11:45am, and then the students will return to their classes in silence and eat their lunches in silence.