Thunder News Flash – February 19, 2022

We are happy to let you know that the BCCDC has rescinded the Addendum that was put in place for schools to implement by January 10th, and the Ministry of Education has followed suit.  This means that we are returning to the health and safety protocols that were in effect prior to the Christmas Break.  The school’s Communicable Disease Plan will be updated as soon as possible, emailed to parents and posted once again on the school’s website. 

It is still very important to do the following: 

• complete a daily health check with your child – click here to see the most up-to-date information regarding this
• monitor your children regularly for symptoms of illness – if they are sick, they should stay home.  Please click here for information about testing for COVID-19
• follow all of the provincial restrictions that are currently in place – please click here for the latest information
• ensure your children are wearing a mask when they enter the school each morning, unless exempt
• seek reputable sources of information about COVID-19, such as the BCCDC, including how to protect yourself, your family and your community, and what to do if you suspect you have the virus by clicking here

It has also recently been announced that every student in the province will be provided with 5 rapid tests for COVID-19.  These tests will be sent directly to schools, and once they arrive they will be sent home with each student.  They are meant to be used if your child is sick, and their symptoms are consistent with those of COVID-19.  More information will be provided to parents soon.

We are so happy to let you know that we will be holding our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, February 23rd in person in our school Gym.  Here is some important information to be aware of:

• the meeting will take place from 6:00 – 7:00pm
• please wear a mask, practise physical distancing and ensure that you have completed a daily health check before attending the AGM
• please also note that the chairs in the Gym will be spread out to allow for distancing and we would ask you not to move the chairs, except of course if there is more than one member from the same household attending together
• at the meeting we will:
  • give you a brief summary of this school year, including an update on our school Growth Plan Goals as well as financial information about the year to date
  • have the members of our Regional Education Committee (REC) give you information about the portfolios that they manage and their involvement in the school
  • give you an opportunity as stakeholders in the school to ask questions and have them answered by either the Principal, our Archbishop’s Representative or members of the REC
  • provide you with some preliminary information about next year, including the new tuition rates for 2022-2023
• Re-Registration Packages for our current families will be handed out at the end of the meeting – parents will be emailed the information to sign up online for an appointment to bring the completed package back to the school on Tuesday, March 1st, Thursday, March 3rd or Friday, March 4th

We hope that all returning families will be able to attend this very important meeting.  As stakeholders in the school, your input and questions are very important to the administration of the school and help us to make future decisions as well as learn how and where we can improve.  If you are unable to attend this meeting, please note that your child’s Re-Registration Package will be sent home with the oldest child in the school the following day, Thursday, February 24th.  

There have been some issues around the new ordering process for Hot Lunch through MunchaLunch.   Hopefully this information will help:

• you must create an account with MunchaLunch to be able to order Hot Lunch for your child(ren)
• please ensure that you select the correct grade(s) for your child(ren) as this has caused some confusion when Hot Lunch is delivered
• please note that once you go through the ordering process, you MUST click on the “pay now” button for your order to go through
• when you finish your order, you will immediately receive an email with your order summary for the next month, unless you check the box that gives you the option not to receive these reminder emails – if you did not check this box and you do not receive the summary email, something went wrong
• the day before each Tuesday that you ordered Hot Lunch, you will receive a reminder email saying what you have ordered for the next day – if you do not receive this email, and you didn’t ask the system not to email you, please send your child(ren) to school the next day with a lunch as something went wrong

The current order runs from February 8th – March 1st.  When access is available for the next set of Hot Lunch dates, please note that if you are having problems with ordering you should contact the Hot Lunch Coordinator, Gina White, by clicking here. 

It is wonderful to continue to bring you more good news – we are happy to let you know that Mr. Sorley and his wife are expecting their second child in the summer.  Congratulations to them and we know that Joan will make an amazing big sister!

The British Columbia Council for Exceptional Children is offering a three-part webinar series that is designed for educators, parents, caregivers and others who support children with complex learning needs.  The ideas presented will build on each other and connect the relationship between anxiety and distress, emotion regulation and resiliency.  For more information about this virtual series, please click here.

After all of the delays with surgeries due to the pandemic, Mrs. Dlugan, our School Secretary, is very happy to be having hip replacement surgery on Thursday, February 24th.  We ask for your prayers to guide the hands of her surgeon to make this a very successful surgery, and that her recovery period goes well.  She will be off work for a minimum of 6 weeks as she recovers, and hopefully will be back at work on Monday, April 11th.  In the meantime we welcome Mrs. Maria McHugh in the role of School Secretary for the time that Mrs. Dlugan is away.

There are a number of upcoming events at the school to be aware of:

Family Day – Monday, February 21st:

• Please note that Monday, February 21st is the Family Day holiday, and there will be no school for students

Pink Shirt Day – Wednesday, February 23rd:

• across the country, students will be wearing pink shirts on Wednesday, February 23rd to focus on an anti-bullying message.  At St. James & St. Ann’s School we believe that every day is an “anti-bullying day”, so we will be focussing on being extra kind to others on February 23rd.  Students are encouraged to replace their school shirt with a shirt that is pink.  If your child does not have a pink shirt, they may still participate by adding something pink to their school uniform – it could be a pink hair band, a pink scarf, a pink ribbon or pink sticker on their shirt, etc.  Please note that this is not a dress down day, but Pink Shirt Day

Annual General Meeting – Wednesday, February 23rd:

• in person from 6:00 – 7:00pm – for more information, please see above in this News Flash

Shrove Tuesday – Tuesday, March 1st:

• as this is a Hot Lunch day, and the sushi has already been ordered, we are happy to let you know that we will be continuing on with our tradition of serving the students Shrove Tuesday pancakes, except it will be for breakfast when they arrive at school.  The school staff will be cooking pancakes for all of the students, and the students will be served between 8:40 and 9:20am depending on their grade.  If your child is used to eating breakfast much earlier than this, you may still want to have them eat a small breakfast at home before coming to school.  The students will be able to have 1 – 3 pancakes, depending on their age, and they will also be served orange wedges with their pancakes.  If your child requires a special pancake due to allergies or dietary restrictions, please send them to school with their special pancake, and we will heat it up for them to eat with their class.  This will definitely be a fun day before we begin our Lenten journey

Ash Wednesday – Wednesday, March 2nd:

• as we begin the season of Lent, our focus turns to prayer, almsgiving and fasting.  Ash Wednesday is a day where Catholics abstain from meat, and while children are not obligated to participate in this form of sacrifice, we do ask that you send your child to school on March 2nd with a small snack, a light lunch, and no treats.  The children will participate in our Poverty Lunch, where they eat in silence in the classrooms, and our focus is on those less fortunate in our own community and around the world
• we are happy to let you know that as the restrictions for schools have been eased, the whole school will be participating in our Ash Wednesday Mass at St. James Church.  At this time the Mass is limited to school staff and students as faith gatherings continue to be capped at 50% capacity

Spring Break – March 14th – 25th:

• please note that the last day of school before Spring Break will be Friday, March 11th.  This will be a full day of school 

Congratulations to Mrs. Doyle, who was honoured at our Catholic Educators’ Conference for her 25 years of service to the CISVA.  Mrs. Doyle has served all 25 of her years at St. James & St. Ann’s School, and we are so proud of her.

Thank you for supporting our Berryhill Frozen Blueberry Fundraiser!  We raised almost $500 for our school.  Cases of Blueberries will be handed out in the pick-up lane/school parking lot on Thursday, February 24th at 2:30pm.