Thunder News Flash – February 15, 2020

It is almost time to re-register your children for St. James & St. Ann’s School for the 2020-2021 school year!  Re-Registration Packages will be sent home through the oldest child in each family on Friday, March, 6th.  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 11th 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 13th in order to hold your child’s seat for the 2020-2021 school year.

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

• dinner will be served from 6:00 – 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
• babysitting services will be available in the school Library for toddlers to Grade 5 students.  If you have an infant in a stroller or carrier they are welcome to attend the AGM with you, and children in Grade 6 and up are very capable of staying home by themselves

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 11th, or by March 13th 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 – please return one signed copy with your package, and the other copy is for you to sign and keep at home for reference
• remember to bring proof of residency with you – this is a provincial requirement and we must collect this each year
• remember to bring cheques with you for Parent Participation (3 cheques required), the Registration Fee (1 cheque or cash), and 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.

While the B.C. curriculum no longer aligns with the use of letter grades or numerical assessment, parents are still able to request letter grades for their children in Grades 5 – 7 for the core subject areas.  The form to request letter grades is found on the website by clicking here.  Please print the form and submit it to your child’s teacher from February 18th – 21st for the latest term, and your child’s teacher will return the form to you with the letter grades for your child the following week.  For the final term of the year, please submit this form from June 15th – 19th and the completed request form will be given to you with your child’s final Progress Report for the year.  It is important to note that in elementary schools, letter grades do not equate to a percentage, but instead are related to a descriptive word:

• A = excellent
• B = very good
• C+ = good
• C = satisfactory
• C- = unsatisfactory

Come and pray the rosary with us on Fridays at 8:30am in the school Library.  It only takes 20 minutes, but the benefits last much longer.  Help us pray for our schools, children, teachers, school staff and school families.  Everyone is welcome and there are toys for your little ones to enjoy while we pray.

As we wrap up Catholic Schools Week, we encourage school students to wear their uniforms to the Mass they attend with their families this weekend – February 15th and 16th.  This would be a wonderful way to witness to how proud they are to attend St. James & St. Ann’s School.

And, if in your parish it is possible to play other roles at Mass, such as bringing up the gifts, handing our bulletins, etc., that would be wonderful as well.

Last week as part of Love Thy Neighbour Day, we collected donations to help support the RCAV charities.  These charities include The Men’s Hostel, The Door is Open, the Prison Ministry and Refugee Sponsorship.  Thank you for your very generous donations – we collected over $400 which will be sent to the Archdiocese to help support these very worthy causes.

Just a reminder that the school will be closed on Monday, February 17th for the Family Day holiday.  We hope that you have the opportunity to rest and enjoy some wonderful time with your family.

Just a reminder that due to the short week last week, and no school on Monday, we were unable to collect the Hot Lunch forms in time to prepare for lunch on Tuesday.  Please note that as a result there will be no Hot Lunch on Tuesday, February 18th – please make sure you send your child to school with a snack and lunch!  Hot Lunch forms are due on Friday, February 21st at 2:30pm.  Unfortunately we are unable to accept any late forms.

Come and watch Frozen II on our big 16×9 Movie Screen on Friday, February 21st in the school gym.  Doors and Concession open at 5:30pm and the movie starts at 6:00pm.

$5 per person or $25 per family.  An info package was sent home last week with all the details, including how you could win the VIP couch seating area!  Buy your VIP raffle tickets this week at recesses!

For a movie review from a Christian perspective please click here or click here.

Please note the movie is rated G in Canada.

Thank you to our Sponsor:  Westlynn Meats & Seafood!

Sponsorship opportunities are still available.  Please click here for more info.