Thunder News Flash – September 7, 2024

Dear Parents, Guardians and Friends of our School Community,

I hope this message finds you well and filled with excitement for the upcoming school year. It’s with great joy that we welcome you back to our cherished Catholic school community!

Our theme for this year, “Living, CELEBRATING, and Proclaiming our Faith,” encapsulates our shared journey of faith and learning. We are thrilled to emphasize “Celebrating” this year, as it reminds us to celebrate our loving relationship with Jesus and with each other, creating a vibrant and enriching environment for our children.

To kick off the school year in the spirit of togetherness and faith, we will be hosting a Back-to-School BBQ in conjunction with our Meet the Teacher Night on Thursday, September 19th, 2024, from 4:30-7:15.  Reserve the Date!   More information and an invitation to RSVP will be sent out soon! 

This event is an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow parents and meet our dedicated staff.  We look forward to seeing you and your families there, as we embark on a new school year filled with faith, celebration, and living out the values that define our Catholic school community!

The PFA Needs your help!  We are looking for volunteers who are interested in taking on the following tasks as their fundraising parent participation hours:

• Creating, printing and hanging Event Posters (Movie Nights, Walkathon/Zumbathon, etc)
• Sponsorships and donations – securing these for our events (food, prizes and advertising)
• Document Creation & Mail merges from excel spreadsheets (or google sheets) into Word documents (or Google Docs)

If you are interested in any of these, or if you have a specific skill set that you think could be helpful to our fundraising efforts, please contact participation@stjameselementary.ca

Parents are welcome to order the St. James & St. Ann Elementary School Uniform Crested Uniform Sweatshirt. This Crested Uniform Sweatshirt was brought in to replace the old navy crested uniform sweaters back in 2022. Only payment by Direct Debit will be accepted. Orders will be delivered to the designated child attending St. James & St. Ann’s in early October. An email and order form will be send to parents soon!

Please note that the Grade 7 hoodie takes the place of this crested school sweatshirt – you do not need to order one of these crested sweatshirts for your Grade 7 child, unless you want to!

The Parent Rosary Group meets every Thursday morning from 8:30am – 9:00am in the school library. All are welcome, small children and babies are also invited. No previous experience is necessary. If you have an intention request that you would like to share with the group, please email: hschriefers98@gmail.com.

We are once again excited to offer a chance for Thunder families to gather twice a month over coffee and treats. We are currently looking for a coordinator for this as well as a couple bakers. If you are interested in one of the positions below, please email Tasha at community@stjameselementary.ca

Community Coffee Coordinator: One person who oversees the bi-weekly community coffee event every second Friday from 8:30am to 9:15am. You will be the liaison with the office to schedule dates and liaison with the community rep to ensure that it is advertised. You would arrive a little early to make coffee, set out treats, and some select toys and/or colouring sheets for younger siblings. You will ensure that everything is cleaned up, and the gym is left for school-use condition following the event.

Community Coffee Baker: One or Two people to bake two-dozen peanut-free treats such as muffins, cookies, loaves, or squares for the community coffee event throughout the year. These would need to be delivered to the kitchen by 8:15am on the Friday mornings of the event, or arranged to be dropped off by 3pm the Thursday afternoon prior to the event. We look forward to this event as an opportunity for our community to come together. Please keep an eye on the school calendar for upcoming dates and time.

At St. James and St. Ann’s we strive to provide a safe learning environment for all students. Due to some of our pupils suffering with life threatening nut allergies, we would like to remind parents that we are a Nut Free School. An allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock) can occur through ingestion of nut products, cross contamination and breathing nut dust in the air. Since this condition can be life threatening, we are asking all members of the school community for their help in minimizing the risk to these children by:

• Avoiding giving children nuts or nut products in their packed lunches
• Instructing your child not to share food with other classmates

Thank you in advance for making the class environment a safe and healthy place for the students. By working together, we can make a difference for our children! We look forward to a great school year.

Do you want to know what is going on in our school each week?  Be sure to follow us on our St. James & St. Ann’s School Facebook & Instagram pages for ongoing updates and reminders.

By following our Facebook & Instagram pages, you’ll have easy access to the latest news, important reminders, and exciting updates about school activities and events. It’s a fantastic way to stay connected with our school community and ensure you never miss a beat.

To join our Facebook (St. James & St. Ann’s School) & Instagram (St. James School) communities, simply visit our pages and click the “Like” button. Once you’re connected, you’ll receive notifications and updates directly in your Facebook & Instagram feeds, keeping you informed about everything happening at our school.

We value your engagement and involvement in your child’s education, and our Facebook & Instagram pages are just one of the many ways we strive to keep you informed and connected. We look forward to sharing this journey with you!

Thank you for being a part of the St. James family. Let’s stay connected and make this school year truly memorable!