Thunder News Flash – December 4, 2021

Thank you to the many families who have already signed up to bring a gift item or food item (boxes of chocolates/peanut butter and jam) as part of our Christmas Giving Tree.  The link to the electronic sign up was emailed to parents last week, but just in case you didn’t receive it you can access the sign up by clicking here.  Our campaign will run from December 1st – 13th.  Using the same process as when we have parents sign up for conferences, you will simply select the item you would like to purchase, and if you want to select another item you simply have to add another item.  Once you have purchased your item(s), your child may bring them to the school in the morning and place them in the collection bins outside of the Library, and your child will be given an ornament to place on the Christmas tree.  Any gift cards that are purchased should be brought directly to the office by your child.  Grade three parents, please note that as a class you are already participating in this program, so you do not need to sign up at the link as well.

Just a reminder that during December, January and February we switch to our “winter uniform”.  No shorts or skorts are to be worn during those months, so please put those away until March!

On Tuesday, December 7th we encourage all students and staff to participate in a special dress down day to support the migrant workers in Abbotsford who have been impacted by the recent flooding.  This will be a jeans day, and the minimum donation to participate in this special day is $2.  As always, jeans may not be ripped or have holes in them.  Any tops worn must be appropriate – no spaghetti straps, and no inappropriate logos or slogans.  So, wear your jeans and a non-uniform shirt, and help make a difference!  

The latest weather warning to be posted is calling for snow over the weekend, and on and off over the next two weeks.  Once again, please monitor the website carefully for any school closure notifications, as they will be posted there much earlier than an email being sent out.  Let’s pray that we can finish these last two weeks before the Christmas break without any further school interruptions!

Here is some information about the next two weeks that parents should be aware of:

• Monday, December 6th – we will be having a walk through of The Road to Bethlehem.  There are still some children who we do not have permission forms from to participate in the filming of our Christmas event – an email was sent directly to those families on Friday
• Tuesday, December 7th – Subway for Hot Lunch – this was deferred from November 16th, and parents already paid for this as part of the November Hot Lunch order.  This is also our special jeans dress down day for the migrant workers in Abbotsford
• Wednesday, December 8th – we will have our December school Mass at 10:45am led by the Grade 3 class.  We are waiting for information regarding the latest health order, and if it impacts school Masses.  If so we will be holding our Mass in the school Gym
• Friday, December 10th – we will be having a run through of The Road to Bethlehem
• Monday, December 13th – we will be filming The Road to Bethlehem.  Please note that all students need to come to school dressed in their costume for the filming.  An email was sent to parents yesterday with all the costume information for each grade.  We may have to film classes more than once to get the best performance, so the children do not need to bring their uniform to change back into
• Tuesday, December 14th – this is our special hotdog Hot Lunch day, with hotdogs provided by the school.  If your child requires a gluten-free bun, or your child is unable to eat a hotdog due to allergies, please send an email to the school by clicking here.  So far the school has not received any information about children not participating in this special lunch, and we are excited to provide hotdogs for all!
• Thursday, December 16th – the video of The Road to Bethlehem will be released at 6:00pm for families to enjoy.  This will be uploaded to the school’s YouTube channel
• Friday, December 17th – this is our last day of school before the Christmas break, and please note that students are dismissed at 12:55pm.  This is also a Christmas dress down day where students can wear Christmas colours, Christmas clothes, Christmas pyjamas, etc., as long as what they are wearing is appropriate

As you may be aware, there is a Netflix program called Squid Game which is incredibly popular right now.  According to Common Sense Media, parents should be aware that “the level of violence is very intense in Squid Game.  Characters are systematically tortured and killed for the sadistic pleasure of a game master.”  Common Sense Media also states that it is too violent for young teens and rates it as 16+.  

This program has come to our attention as it is reported that some of the students are “playing” Squid Game out on the playground.  This has led to some play that is more physical than we have seen in quite a while at the school, and while we are addressing these incidents as they happen we would ask parents to speak to their children about this as well.  Squid Game is not a game that should be played at school.

The next Work Bee will take place at the school on Saturday, December 11th from 9:00am – 2:00pm.  Please bring any small, cordless gardening tools that you are able to, gloves for inside or outside work, and a mask.  Your help at the school is much appreciated.  

Are you a member of St. Joseph’s Parish?  The Regional Education Committee (REC) is still looking for one more member to represent St. Joseph’s Parish at our monthly meetings,  Please contact Tasha for more information by clicking here. 

To date, only about half of the parents have recorded any hours of Parent Participation through the Parent Participation portal on the school’s website.  If you have completed some hours, but just haven’t had a chance to record them yet, you can do so by clicking here, or by scrolling down to the end of the News Flash and clicking on the button marked “Submit Your Hours”.  If you need help with your username or password, please email the school office by clicking here.

Your orders for our Shopfunds Gift Cards were handed out in the pick-up lanes/parking lot on Friday.  If you were not there to pick them up, please contact the office to make alternate arrangements.  An adult must be present for the pick-up.  Thank you again for supporting our school!

Please complete a Daily Health Check with your child each day before they come to school.  The easiest way to do this is to go to the BC K-12 Health Check website by clicking here.  Please also remember that adults and children in Kindergarten – Grade 7 are required to wear masks in indoor spaces.  These proactive steps will help us all remain safe and healthy.