Thunder News Flash – May 7, 2022

As we move from Public Health Orders to being “Health Aware”, here are some important reminders:

• complete a daily health check with your child – please 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
• follow all of the travel guidelines put in place federally – please click here for the latest information
• if you would like your child to wear a mask at school, please ensure they bring at least one mask with them to school each day
• 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

We wish all mothers a wonderful day on Sunday, May 8th.  Whether you are being spoiled by your children, or spending time with your own mother, may your day be filled with blessings.  Here is a special prayer for all mothers:

“Mary, on this day when we honour all mothers, we turn to you.  We thank the Lord whom you serve for the great gift of motherhood.  Never has it been known that anyone who sought your intercession was left unaided by grace.  Dear Mother, thank you for your “Yes” to the invitation of the angel which brought heaven to earth and changed human history.  You opened yourself to God’s word and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

Dear mother, intercede for all of our mothers.  Ask your Divine Son to give them the grace of surrendered love so that they could join with you in giving their own “Fiat.”  May they find daily strength to say yes to the call to the sacrificial love – the very heart of the vocation of motherhood.  May their love and witness be a source of great inspiration for all of us called to follow your Son.

On this Mother’s Day, Mother of the Word Incarnate, pray for us who have recourse to you.”

Please click here to read all about the Focus Week for St. James & St. Ann’s School that Neat Uniforms will be holding for families to purchase uniform pieces for next school year.

On Wednesday, May 18th St. James & St. Ann’s School will be holding our Ready, Set, Learn event, from 6:00 – 7:00pm.  This evening session is for parents whose children are 3 – 5 years of age, who have not yet started school, and of course the 3 – 5 year olds are welcome to join in the fun as well.  Please click here for more information.  If you are planning on attending this fun and interactive event, please click here to email the School Office so that we can plan accordingly.  We hope to see you there!

Lifetouch Photography will be at the school on Monday, May 16th to take our class photos, and if the weather cooperates they will also take our school panorama picture as well.  Please ensure that your children come to school that day looking sharp, in their complete school uniform.

While we had a very successful re-registration of our existing students, and will be welcoming many new students to the school in September, there are still some spaces available for the 2022-2023 school year.  If you know of any families who are considering sending their children to St. James & St. Ann’s School, we have a few spaces available in Kindergarten and Grades 5 and 6.  The Application Package can be found on our school’s website or by clicking here. 

As you know, there are a number of changes taking place at St. James & St. Ann’s School next year.  Here are some of the changes that we are able to share with you at this point as we have actively been working on hiring new staff members:

• Grade 6 Teacher – Mrs. Lauren Schwagele
• Grade 3 Teacher – Mrs. Caroline Winship
• PE Teacher (maternity leave) – Mrs. Rebecca Baker

Some of our existing staff members are moving into new roles at the school, and we are happy to share the following changes with you:

• Mrs. Marie Doyle – moving to the Learning Resource Department 
• Mr. Michael Sorley – moving into the role of Specialist Teacher (IT/French)

We still have the following teaching positions to fill for next year:

• Grade 7 Classroom Teacher – this is a full-time position 
• Kindergarten  Teacher – this is a one-year maternity leave position

The next Work Bee will take place at the school on Saturday, May 14th from 9:00am to 2:00pm. This is a great way to earn five hours towards your Parent Participation commitment.  Hopefully the weather will be good, so please bring gloves for both indoor and outdoor work, as well as any small cordless garden tools that you have.  Please remember to complete a daily health check before coming to the Work Bee, and stay home if you are unwell.  We are very grateful for all of your hard work around the school.

As we get closer to our largest fundraiser of the year, our Zumbathon, next week will be a time to celebrate our school spirit through dress down days as follows:

• Monday, May 9th – PJ Day
• Tuesday, May 10th – My Favourite Day – dress as your favourite hero, sports star, action figure, food, etc.  The possibilities are endless!
• Wednesday, May 11th – Student/Staff Switch Day – students can come dressed as a member of the school staff, and staff can dress like a student!
• Thursday, May 12th – Retro Day – come dressed in the clothes of days gone by

As always, students may wear their Thunderwear on any of our dress down days.  Please remember that dress down day clothes must be appropriate, with no ripped/torn jeans, short shorts, clothes with inappropriate slogans or graphics, and no spaghetti straps. 

Let’s have a great week!

We are looking for some more volunteers to help with Zumbathon:

Thursday, May 12; 1-2:30pm – Set-up in the Gym (1 or 2 more needed)

Friday, May 13; 8:30am – 12:15pm – Various Event Tasks (there will also be time to Zumba!). (1 or 2 more needed)

If you need some hours, or just want to help, please contact Nicola Humphreys by clicking here.  Thank you!!!

EARLY BIRD PRIZE:  Bring your pledge sheets and money in on Monday, May 9 by 3pm for an early bird prize of 1 extra raffle ticket for the prize draw PLUS a chance to win one of 2 Candy Bags donated by Clayburn Village Store.  We will tally up how much we have raised so far and reveal it on Tuesday!

The ZUMBATHON is this coming FRIDAY (MAY 13)!  It is sure to be a fun and exciting day filled with school spirit.  Students in Grades K, 2, 4 and 6 are invited to dress in warm colours (red, orange, yellow, pink, etc.) and students in Grades 1, 3, 5 and 7 are invited to dress in cool colours (blue, green, purple, etc.) – get creative and wear your assigned colour, paint your face or colour your hair, temporarily of course!  More information about the day will be coming this week.

All students earn 1 raffle prize ticket for every $10 they raise.  There are over 35 different prizes to be won (and more to come!), including:

• Top Primary Student Prize:  $100 Chapters Gift Card
• Top Intermediate Student Prize:  $100 Chapters Gift Card
• Special Prize Draw for all those who raise $125+:  a Karaoke System!
• and many great class prizes for all classes who raise at least $3,000 as a whole

For a current list of prizes, click here.  They can also be found on the school’s Facebook page by clicking here.

DONORS CAN PLEDGE ONLINE USING THEIR CREDIT CARD BY CLICKING HERE.

We hope that students are busy collecting pledges to raise money for outside learning and fun spaces for our school!  Together we can raise $25,000!