Thunder News Flash – October 30, 2021

Next week we celebrate two important feast days in our Church – All Saints Day on November 1st and All Souls Day on November 2nd.  While many religions celebrate All Saints Day, in the Catholic Church this day celebrates all those who have entered Heaven, including saints who are recognized by the Church and those who are not.  All Souls Day is set aside to pray for and honour the dead who have not yet reached Heaven.  Catholics believe that through the prayers of those on Earth, the dead are cleansed of their sins so they may enter into Heaven.  We will celebrate both of these important days in the classrooms, and also at our November Mass which will take place on Wednesday, November 3rd at 10:45am.  Students are encouraged to come to school dressed as their favourite saint on November 3rd, as we focus on the lives of the saints, and call on them to help us in our own journey to sainthood.

Don’t want to sort the cans, bottles and other recyclable containers you have at home which you can return for the deposit?  Don’t want to wait in line at the bottle depot?  Well, do we have a solution for you.  We have now set up an account for the school at R & T Depot, 31550 South Fraser Way in Abbotsford.  Simply put your containers in a clear bag, and drop them off at R & T Depot using their “Return-It Express” service.    Go to the kiosk, punch in our school phone number (604-852-1788) and the number of bags you are returning – there is a 6 bag limit per drop off.  The machine will then print your labels, then you put one label on each bag, and place your bags into the Express Kiosk chute.  The deposit monies will then be credited to the school’s account – what a simple fundraiser for the school.  We thank you in advance for your support.

We had lots of fun at school last week with the Sask Pumpkin Patch on Thursday, and Friday being our Halloween dress up day.  We were very impressed with the creativity and variety of costumes the students were dressed in.  We hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe Halloween on Sunday, whether you go trick-or-treating or not.  After Halloween, students are encouraged to sort through the candy they have collected, and donate the extras to charity.  If you choose to support NightShift, please have your child bring the extra candy to their classroom, where we will be collecting these items from November 1st – 5th.  Also, just a reminder that Halloween candy should be enjoyed at home, and not at school.

Are you a member of St. Joseph’s Parish?  The Regional Education Committee (REC) is looking for one more member to represent St. Joseph’s Parish at our monthly meetings,  Please contact Tasha for more information by clicking here. 

If your child was absent in October, and you did not send a note to the office to explain this absence, your child was given an attendance note yesterday.  Please complete this note, sign it, and send it to the office with your child as soon as possible.

The next Work Bee will take place at the school on Saturday, November 6th from 9:00am – 2:00pm.  For those parents who are attending this Work Bee, please bring a rake if possible, a cordless blower if you have one, gloves for indoor and outdoor work, and a mask.  Your assistance at the school is most appreciated.

We will have our next early dismissal day for our monthly staff meeting on Wednesday, November 3rd.  Please send your child to school with a snack and lunch, and they will be dismissed at 12:55pm. 

Thank you to all who bought and sold Panago gift certificates.  With 291 certificates sold, we raised almost $1,200 for St. James & St. Ann’s School!!!  Your certificates were sent home with your child on Friday, or are in the office for pick-up, if so selected.  We will be unveiling our next fundraiser soon.  Thank you for your support!

Please complete a Daily Health Check with your child each day before they come to school.  The easiest way to do this is to go to the BC K-12 Health Check website by clicking here.  Please also remember that adults and children in Kindergarten – Grade 7 are required to wear masks in indoor spaces.  These proactive steps will help us all remain safe and healthy.