Thunder News Flash – May 29-June 2

By now you have all read the letter that was emailed to school families on Friday, May 26th, announcing that Mr. Chris van der Pauw will be the Acting Principal for our school for the 2017-2018 school year.  We are very fortunate to have hired Mrs. Zuzana Lavrikova to teach a combination of PE/IT for next year.  She is an excellent addition to our staff and we will welcome her to St. James & St. Ann’s School in September.

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.  We are asking you to try and have the ticket forms that came home with your oldest child handed into the school office by Wednesday, May 31st, so that we have an idea of the numbers.  We will still be selling tickets outside of the school this week as well.  Looking forward to seeing you all there!  

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.

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 five weeks left in this school year, and we want our students to not only be sharp, but to look sharp as well!

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.

We will once again be entertaining our school volunteers at the Volunteer Tea with a Talent Show on Tuesday, June 27th.  We encourage students in Grades 4 – 7 to audition and hopefully earn a spot in this great show.  The first auditions for students in Grades 4 and 5 will take place on Friday, June 2nd at lunch, and for students in Grades 6 and 7 on Monday, June 5th also at lunch.  Come to these auditions ready to wow us with your talent!

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.

Just a friendly reminder that WALKATHON 2017 pledge sheets and money raised are now due.  Thank you very much to the almost 60% of school families who have already submitted.  For those families who haven’t submitted yet and are still planning to do so, every pledge counts no matter the dollar value.

Together we have raised just over $17,000 so far!

The three years of Walkathon 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.  Technology in the classroom has a number of benefits:

• it is good for the environment – the more things that are done using technology, the less paper that is used by the school
• it allows for immediate access to information, which is so important for the inquiry-based learning that is mandated by our new curriculum
• it makes collaboration effective between students who are working on a shared assignment, but also between the teacher and the student to give feedback that leads to improvement
• it prepares students for the future, which we know will include much technology
• it improves knowledge retention due to better student engagement
• and most importantly, it makes learning fun as students are already inclined towards the use of technology

The important thing to remember is that all of the items purchased or leased with Phase 3 of our Technology Plan can either be worked into any school renovations, or moved to a new building.

Let’s try to reach our $25,000 goal so that all of these plans can be achieved and all students can benefit.

Thank you for your support of our great school.