Thunder News Flash – December 11, 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), or who have already brought in their items as part of our Christmas Giving Tree.  If you haven’t signed up yet, it isn’t too late – you can find the link by clicking here.  Monday, December 13th is the last day to bring in your items to help support families in the Abbotsford area, and we look forward to our Christmas tree being covered with ornaments. 

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!

Does your child currently enrolled in the school have a sibling who will be starting Kindergarten in September 2022?  Or, do they have a sibling entering any grade from Grades 1 – 7 in September 2022 who you would like to enrol in our school?  If so, please send an email to the school office by clicking here and request a Sibling Application Package.  Completed Sibling Application Packages are due back at the school by Thursday, December 16th.

A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in our Jeans Day on December 7th in support of the migrant workers in Abbotsford who were affected by the recent flooding.  We raised $500.15, which will go a long way to help these hardworking men.  Well done, everyone!

Just a reminder that parents need to have completed 10 hours of Parent Participation, and logged it through the school’s website, by January 31, 2022.  For parents who have been unable to complete these hours, the first electronic funds direct debit payment of $200 will be processed on February 1st.  We understand that for some of the tasks which are structured a little bit differently, most or all of the 20 hours will be completed after January 31st.  If that is the case, please send an email to the Regional Education Committee by clicking here.

Here is some information about our last week before the Christmas break that parents should be aware of:

• 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 last week 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.  However, it might be a good idea to wear a warm base layer under their costume, as the weather is predicted to be quite cold on Monday
• Tuesday, December 14th – this is our special hotdog Hot Lunch day, with hotdogs provided by the school.  Primary students will receive one hotdog, and intermediate students will be given two hotdogs.  In addition, the students will be given a special Christmas cupcake, baked and decorated by the parents in our Cooking/Baking group
• 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 11:55am.  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

The next Work Bee will take place at the school today, 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. 

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.