Thunder News Flash – June 09, 2018

Instead of my words filling this section of the Newsflash, I thought instead I would let Pope Francis’ words from Gaudete et Exsultate speak for themselves. All I hope is that you find some time to reflect on his words:

14. To be holy does not require being a bishop, a priest or a religious. We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer. That is not the case. We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves. Are you called to the consecrated life? Be holy by living out your commitment with joy. Are you married? Be holy by loving and caring for your husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church. Do you work for a living? Be holy by labouring with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers and sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus. Are you in a position of authority? Be holy by working for the common good and renouncing personal gain.

I think the above passage clearly articulates that as Christians we are called to a life of holiness. There is of course much more to Pope Francis’ work, but perhaps this brief excerpt will inspire you to read more. To get a free version of Gaudete et Exsultate click here.

We are pleased to announce that we will be turning our current Library space into a Learning Commons which will contain the Library as well as a Makerspace.  A Makerspace is a place where students can come to design, explore and create projects with simple tools and materials, all under the supervision of an adult.  In order to get our Makerspace off the ground we need a variety of supplies and tools, and we are hoping you can help with this.

As most families do, you probably have a variety of extra school supplies or craft items laying around your house, and you are wondering what to do with them.  Well, we are in need of new or gently used items such as:

• Student scissors
• Glue sticks
• Pencil crayons, crayons or markers
• Rulers
• Pencils and sharpeners
• Chalk and erasers
• Dry erase markers
• Pipe cleaners, googly eyes, beads, buttons, straws, popsicle sticks, cotton balls, stickers, cotton swabs, yarn, felt pieces, pom-poms, ribbon, etc.

With Father’s Day coming, maybe dad is getting some new tools or simply needs to sort through the tools he has.  We are in need of the following tools that are gently used and still in good working order:

• Cordless drill (ex. Ryobi 18V)
• Drill bit set (1/8” to 3/8”)
• Measuring tapes
• Screwdriver (hand) sets (Robertson, Torx, Phillips, slot)
• Driving bit set (ex. Ryobi)
• Hand saw, hack saw and keyhole saw
• Allen wrench set
• 1/4” to 3/8” combination wrench set
• Metric combination wrench set
• Hammers
• Pliers
• Crescent wrench
• Vise (ex. Stanley portable quick vise)

If you are able to help with any of these donations we are very grateful.  Please bring your donations to the school starting on June 12th.  If you would like more information about our plans, or would like to help in other ways, please email Mrs. Sask at tsask@stjameselementary.ca.  

Our Community Coffee will be hosted in the school gym at 8:30am on Friday June 15th. All are welcome 🙂

Neat Uniforms will be at the school on Thursday, June 14th, from 2:00 pm to 7:00pm. 

Dear Parents,

There is a weekly Catholic podcast that is a doing a 3 week book study starting Monday, June 4th on “Gaudete Et Exsultate – On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World” by Pope Francis. We would like to invite you to join in by getting the document free online at the vatican website, by purchasing it through Holy Family Catholic book store, or by ordering it on Amazon.ca

The deadline to sign up is June 14th. Thank you!

Our Lost and Found is overflowing with clothes, shoes, and other items again. Please have a look through the Lost and Found as we will be sending the items off to charity as of June 15th. Thank you.

Alex and Dana McCune of Sts. Joachim & Ann, along with Fr. Donnelly of St. Joseph’s (Langley) are putting on their first Catholic summer camp in July! 

The camp will be held at St. Catherine’s Elementary in Langley from July 9-13, and we would love to have your help in reaching your students. We are geared towards ages 7-15 and have planned a week full of fun activities that celebrate our faith and life in Christ.

Please click here for more information.