Thunder News Flash – May 22-26

The PFA will be having its very first Pub Night to close out the 2016-2017 school year at Finnegan’s Pub and Grill, 33780 King Road.  This will be a fun-filled event for everyone with 50/50, Toonie Toss, Lotto Board and a Silent Auction that you won’t want to miss.  Tickets are $25 and include entry, a burger and a drink.  Look for the information package coming home with your oldest child on Tuesday, May 23rd.  There will be someone selling tickets after school for the next two weeks, so be sure to stop by and grab tickets for your family and friends.  

The Consignment Store is now accepting uniform pieces to boost their inventory; however, they will not accept non-uniform pants.  Items can simply be dropped off at the school office with your contact information and the dollar amount you would like for each piece.  Or, if you would simply like to donate the item to the school it will then be sold by donation and the money will go to the school.  The Consignment Store will be open on Step Up Day, June 26th, from 1:00 – 3:00pm.

Congratulations to the following students who won the Knights of Columbus Substance Abuse poster contest – Sarah C., Suger M., Damien A. and Esther A.  The following students also won the Knights of Columbus Christmas poster contest entitled “Keep Christ in Christmas” – Gaby Q., Patrik B. and Emily C.  Finally, congratulations to Patrik B. who also won the Chess Tournament held at the school on Friday, May 19th. 

We have noticed that recently there seem to be a number of interesting variations to our school uniform, which are definitely not part of our uniform policy.  If you need a reminder about our uniform policy, please read the Parent Handbook by clicking here.  Please note that there will be a number of uniform checks conducted by school staff over the next few weeks, and if you receive a uniform infraction notice this must be addressed as soon as possible.  There are still six weeks left in this school year, and we want our students to not only be sharp, but to look sharp as well!

There will be one final student-led Mass at St. Ann’s Parish for this school year.  This will take place on Sunday, June 11th at the 10:00am Mass.  We are looking for students to help with greeting, handing out the bulletins, bringing up the gifts, etc.  If there are any families who think their children might like to play one of these roles, please contact Kellie Ouimet by clicking here.

We will be having our annual Neat Uniforms Fitting Day on Friday, June 2nd from 2:00 – 7:00pm.  This is a great opportunity to come and have your child try on any new uniform pieces that they will need for next year, and then place your order for the 2017-2018 school year.  To see their poster, please click here.

The Vancouver Whitecaps FC are once again organizing a Faith and Family Night for Saturday, June 3rd.  If you are interested in purchasing tickets click here and enter the promo code “faith night” to get discounted tickets.  After the match, a band will perform and Whitecaps FC player Fredy Montero will address the crowd.

All students and their families are welcome to join us at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital for the Hospital Outreach Mass on Sunday, May 28th at 4:00pm.  The Mass takes place in the Chapel on the main floor.  Students in Grades 6 and 7 are invited to be the readers.  If you would like to be a reader, please arrive at 3:45pm. Mrs. Wakely and Mrs. Dos Santos will be there to help supervise and prepare the volunteers.  We also appreciate lots of young voices to help with the singing!  We hope to see many of you there.

The Archdiocese of Vancouver is sponsoring a workshop for parents and teachers.  With the rising popularity of the online series, 13 Reasons Why, issues around suicide prevention, self-harm, and bullying have been on people’s minds.  Clinical Counsellor PJ Lewis will address what you should know and how to talk to your teens.  The workshop will take place at St. Ann’s Parish on Wednesday, May 24th from 7:00 – 9:00pm.  Admission is free, but you must register by clicking here.

Please note that there will be no school on Monday, May 22nd for the Victoria Day holiday.  The school and office will be closed that day.  

The school year is almost done and families only have until June 15th to complete any remaining parent participation hours for this year (20 hours plus a fundraiser).  If you have any questions please contact the Parent Participation Administrator at participation@stjameselementary.ca by clicking here.

Thank you very much to all those families who have brought in their pledge form and money collected so far.  With 57% of school families submitting their pledges already, we have already collected almost $17,000.00!!!

We are currently $8,000 short of our goal of $25,000 for technology in every classroom to be achieved.

Some families have asked why we are raising money for more technology and not for something like a new playground?  There are a few reasons:

• Raising money for projects like a new playground is a fantastic idea and is definitely part of the plan for future Walkathons at our school.  Currently the Archdiocese and the CISVA are working to come up with the best plan for the future of our school building (renovate or build new).  The future of St. James & St. Ann’s School is definitely exciting.  Once we know what their plan for our school building will be, then we can consider fundraising for projects such as a new playground.
• As you are aware, technology has become an integral part of our society.  It’s a part of everything we do including how we learn and teach.  To better prepare students for their future, using technology in the classroom is essential.  The three years of fundraising for technology is so that the school can achieve the goals outlined in our technology strategic plan.  The money goes towards more than just computers and iPads.  It has been and will also be used for things like ceiling mounted projectors, network infrastructure, antivirus and web filtering software, and replacing outdated technology for classroom teachers to fully integrate technology into their teaching.  The important thing to remember is that all of these items can either be worked into any school renovations, or moved to a new building.
• Fundraising at all CISVA schools bridges the gap between government funding, tuition and the actual cost of educating a student in a Catholic school.  Our Education Committee works hard to ensure that the school’s budget is balanced every year.  When the budget is balanced, it enables us to set aside the money that is raised from the Walkathon so that it can go towards additional items that enhance your child’s experience at St. James & St. Ann’s School.

It is amazing to see that every pledge counts no matter the dollar value.  Students can’t wait for Walkathon prizes to be handed out.  To keep the Walkathon “momentum” going, please hand in your pledge sheets and money collected as soon as possible.  Please note that pledging online is now closed; however, we are still collecting pledge sheets and money in the office.

Thank you for your support of our great school.