Thunder News Flash – February 10, 2024

Movie Night Success!

A heartfelt thanks for making our recent Movie Night a great success! The night was truly special, thanks to each and every person who attended.

A big shout-out to our dedicated school staff and volunteers for their hard work—your efforts made the night magical. We are getting closer to make our fundraising goal of $25,000! Your contributions, whether big or small, are making a significant impact.

If you are looking for a way to ensure that your students will have access to books, that highlight Catholic beliefs and values look no further! Welcome to Pauline School Book Fair – a ministry of the Daughters of St. Paul who are women religious serving the Church through the use of media.

Pauline School Book Fairs present you and your family with a wonderful selection of Catholic resources from Pauline Books & Media, the publishing house of the Daughters of St. Paul. The Book Fair selections include: 

• Board books
• Catholic Fiction
• Coloring & Activity books
• Bible stories
• Saint biographies
• Comic books (also known as graphic novels)
• Prayer books
• Parent and teacher resources

St. James School will be hosting the Daughters of St. Paul and a Pauline School Book Fair on February 14th from 8:30 – 4:00 at St. James Parish. Your child will be bringing home a book list, which we encourage you to look over. You can even go online at www.paulinestore.ca to help you choose your selections!

This will be a ONE DAY Book Fair so all purchases will be “cash and carry”, that is, they will be purchased that day. Accepted forms of payment will be: Cash, Visa, Mastercard and Debit.

No one is obliged to make a purchase and a percentage of all proceeds will benefit the school.

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

February 12-13 Candy grams for sale – 25 cents each.  Students can send a Valentine Candy gram to a friend in the school. These will be delivered on February 14. 

Valentine’s Day will be celebrated at school on Tuesday, February 13th, due to the fact that Ash Wednesday falls on February 14th.  This will also be a Valentine’s Dress Down Day and we will also be handing out pancakes to all of the students in the school for Shrove Tuesday.

Catholic Schools Week – February 12th – 16th – at school we will be focusing on what we love about being in a Catholic school.  We will also be hosting an SJA alumni basketball game vs. our senior students at 1:30 on Tuesday, February 13th.  Please join us in the gym for this fun event!

Reports Go Home – February 13th

 Valentine’s Day – Tuesday, February 13th:

• This will be a dress down day for students to wear their Valentine’s Day colours (red, white, and especially pink).  As always, the clothes that students wear must be appropriate – no ripped/torn jeans, no inappropriate slogans or graphics on their clothes, no short shorts, and no spaghetti straps.  
• If students are bringing Valentine’s Day cards to share, they must bring a card for everyone in their class 
• While we do not encourage food treats at school, if your child does want to bring a small treat for each student they should be attached to the Valentine’s Day card.  Treats should be individually packaged, and nut-free.  Cards will be distributed and collected in a bag, and all treats will be taken home so that parents can determine if the treats are able to be eaten by their child

Ash Wednesday – February 14th

• Please join us for Ash Wednesday Mass at 9am.

Catholic Educators’ Conference – Thursday, February 15th and Friday, February 16th:

• There will be no school for students on February 15th or 16th, as teachers will attend the annual Catholic Educator’s Conference

Family Day – Monday, February 19th

• No School

Annual General Meeting – AGM – February 21st

• Please join us at the AGM on February 21st.  We will start at 6:30 with a presentation from the REC, followed by an exciting talk on social media awareness, digital citizenship and cyberbullying.  You will receive your tax receipt and your registration package for next year at the end of the evening.  Your registration MUST be returned via appointment February 26 or 28 to be registered for next year.

100’s Day – February 22nd

• Primary Classes will celebrate being in school for 100 days!

Pink Shirt Day – February 28th

• This will be a dress down day.  Please encourage your child to wear pink on this day to support Pink Shirt / Anti-bullying Day

The next Work Bee will take place at the school today, Saturday, February 10th from 9:00am – 2:00pm.  This is a great way for parents to accumulate 5 hours towards their Parent Participation commitment.  Please also ensure that you bring gloves for both inside and outside work, as well as any small, cordless gardening tools you are able to bring.  Your work around the school, both inside and outside, is much appreciated.

Dear Parents,

We have noticed that uniforms are getting a little sloppy as of late.  Please remember to wash uniforms regularly and to update them if your child has outgrown any pieces.  On all days, especially Mass days it is very important to look sharp.  Students are to wear the SJA sweater to Mass.  Please remind your child to tuck in their shirts and tie their shoelaces.  Please review the Uniform Policy, found in the Parent Handbook for a full description of uniform requirements.  Hair should be neat and kept out of the eyes for safety reasons.  Also, please ensure that students are wearing black shoes – no crocs or other unacceptable footwear.  Teachers will be conducting uniform checks starting next week.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation. By adhering to these expectations, we not only uphold our school’s tradition but also foster a sense of belonging and unity among us all. Your commitment in helping your child presenting themselves in a smart and respectful manner truly enhances the pride we take in our school.

Thank you for your cooperation in maintaining our uniform standards. Let’s continue to shine brightly as ambassadors of St. James & St. Ann’s School!

Due to the fact that we will be at the Catholic Educator’s Conference next week, there will be no Thunder News on Feb. 17th.  We wish all of you a restful Family Day weekend with your families!