Thunder News Flash – September 17, 2022

Our lives are a mosaic of people we have encountered during our lives – the experiences we have had with these people have helped to shape us into who we are as a person.  Jesus experienced many different people during his time on Earth, and they also helped to create the mosaic of his life, while he in turn had a large influence on theirs.  During the month of September we are focused on the woman at the well.  While she was a Samaritan and someone that Jews did not associate with, Jesus had one of the longest encounters with this woman that is recorded in the Gospel of John.  This in and of itself shows the significance of this encounter.  While there are so many lessons that we can take from this account, our focus is going to be on the characteristics of being welcoming and accepting others.  Ask yourself, who has been like this woman in your life?  Or, how have you welcomed and accepted others like Jesus did in this story?  While we hope that we have many encounters which add to the beauty of the mosaic of our lives, we can take comfort in knowing that all are welcome and accepted in the Kingdom of God.

Things have been going quite well with our before and after school procedures.  Just one reminder – please remember to pull up as far as you can in the lane before stopping your vehicle.  Pulling up right to the old white flag pole would certainly help with the back up of vehicles on Townline Rd.

If you are looking for a particular uniform piece from the Consignment Store, please email the parents who run the store at consignment@stjameselementary.ca and let them know what the item is and the size that you need.  The parents will then look to see if they have that item in stock, respond to your email, and meet you at the school at a designated time.

We are committed to taking the students outside as much as possible, but we need your assistance.  Please ensure that your children have good outdoor footwear, preferably boots, on days when it is rainy.  While umbrellas seem like a good solution for the rain, they create problems when the students are running around, as well as lining up.  The people around them often get soaked from the water running off of them, and accidentally hit with the edges.  A good waterproof jacket with a hood is a great investment to help us with our “Wet Coast” weather. 

Just a reminder that it is important to complete a Daily Health Check each day before sending your children to school.  If they are sick, please keep them home until they feel better.

The Comfort Kits and Id. tags, which are an important part of our emergency planning, are now overdue.  The Comfort Kits will be moved out to our storage container next week, so if you haven’t sent in your child’s yet, please ensure that you do this before September 22nd.

Please come pray with us for your school community.  We meet in the school library every Thursday at 8:30 – 9:00.  We look forward to seeing you there.  Everyone is welcome including babies and small children.  If you have any questions, please contact Helen Schriefers at hschriefers98@gmail.com. 

• Monday, September 19th  – NO SCHOOL – National Day of Mourning to mark the Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
• Wednesday, September 28th – ORANGE SHIRT DRESS DOWN DAY (moved from the 29th due to Cross Country meet)
• Thursday, September 29th – Cross Country Meet at St. Catherine’s
• Friday, September 30th – NO SCHOOL – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation