Thunder News Flash – September 26, 2020

Parents will soon be receiving the proof package from their child’s individual school photo sitting.  Please note that photos may only be ordered online, and the proof package will contain all of the information required to order your child’s photos directly from Lifetouch.   If you decide that you would like retakes, these will be done on October 15th. 

As with many of our routines, we are having to change how we manage our “Consignment Store” at the school.  We are now moving to our version of online shopping, which can be done through a new email address:  consignment@stjameselementary.ca.  If you are in need of used uniform pieces please follow these procedures:

• send an email to consignment@stjameselementary.ca, by clicking here
• in your email please state which uniform pieces you are looking for, what size you need, and how much you are able to pay for these uniform pieces
• the parents who manage our Consignment Store will then go through the items we have, and reply to your email letting you know if the items you requested are available or not available at this time
• if the items you request are available, the parents will then make arrangements to meet you outside the school and give you the items requested
• you may then look at the items, and pay for the ones that you would like to purchase – cheques made out to St. James School or cash are accepted for payment

Please note that due to COVID-19, these uniform pieces cannot be tried on, and cannot be returned if you change your mind – all sales are final!  

We are happy to announce that we will once again be having Hot Lunch on Tuesdays at the school.  Your oldest child in the school should have brought home the first order form of the year yesterday – if you haven’t seen it yet it is on pink paper.  Please note that there is an error on the form, and they are due back on Friday, October 2nd.

The reusable, washable masks for all of the students have now arrived at school.  If your child’s Classroom Teacher sent them home to be labelled with your child’s name, please return them to school as soon as possible.  These masks will stay at school to be used if required for a classroom activity, or if your child was to get sick at school.  If used they will be sent home to be washed, and then must be returned to school as soon as possible.

With the closure of schools last Spring it made it very challenging to address any missing items or errors in the Registration Packages for the 2020-2021 school year.  If there were any missing items, or errors that needed to be fixed, your child would have brought home a note from the office on September 24th.  If you did not receive a note, that means that we have everything that we need!

Things continue to go well with our new drop off and pick up procedures.  Please remember that both lanes are areas where children are getting in and out of vehicles, so please drive slowly and cautiously.  Some parents are pulling ahead while looking back at their children – even though we ask you to move efficiently through the lanes, please do not start moving until your children are buckled up.  Also, if you have made arrangements to park in the lot to walk your children to and from your vehicle due to special circumstances, please use the crosswalk to walk across the lot.  The crosswalk is located between the two handicap spaces on either side of the lot.  Your cooperation is most appreciated, and will continue to make our drop off and pick up procedures a success!

On September 30th, St. James & St. Ann’s School will once again be participating in Orange Shirt Day.  As we continue to build our collective understanding about the history and struggles of Indigenous peoples in Canada, we will hold a special Dress Down Day on September 30th.  Orange Shirt Day is a day to recognize the harm caused by the residential school system in Canada, and to acknowledge the fact that every child matters.  Please know that this will be done in age-appropriate ways in the classrooms.  Our Catholic social teachings call us to honour the dignity of all people.  Further, the Canadian Catholic Bishops have urged all Catholics to commit to continuing our walk together with Indigenous peoples and to build a more just society where we recognize and nurture the gifts of all people.  There are also many ways to tie this day to the BC Curriculum, which calls us to recognize the First Peoples Principles of Learning.

Students who are participating in this Dress Down Day must wear something that is orange or has orange on it – this could be a shirt, a sticker, a hair band, a ribbon around their wrist, etc.  As always, students must dress appropriately for this Dress Down Day, with no ripped jeans, no inappropriate slogans or images on their clothes, no spaghetti straps and no short shorts.  If students are not participating in Orange Shirt Day then they should come to school dressed in their school uniform.  We hope that all students will join us in participating in some way in Orange Shirt Day.

Please note that a new shortened list of symptoms, and new instructions have come out from the BCCDC for our daily health checks.  The new form lists the following symptoms:

• Fever
• Chills
• Cough or worsening of chronic cough
• Shortness of breath
• Loss of sense of smell or taste
• Diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting

The new instructions state that if you have one of those symptoms, excluding fever, you should stay home for 24 hours from when the symptom started.  If the symptom improves, you may return to school when you feel well enough.  If the symptom persists or worsens, seek a health assessment.  The instructions further state that if you have two or more of the symptoms, or you have a fever, you should seek a health assessment.

The new form is included in the updated Return to School Plan that was emailed to parents, and can also be found on our school’s website.