Thunder News Flash – April 10, 2021

We are happy to let you know that the YMCA Kids’ Club will be opening their before/after school care program at our school on Tuesday, April 13th.  There were many hurdles that had to be jumped over, but things have now been finalized.  On Monday, April 12th, the YMCA Kids’ Club will be providing an opportunity for those families who have registered with them to meet the staff after school, and will send those families the information about this directly.  However, that does mean that there will be no care provided at our school on Monday morning – if this causes any difficulty for those families who were previously registered for mornings in the Thunder Club, please send Mrs. Sask an email directly by clicking here.  

The opening of the YMCA Kids’ Club provides many benefits for those students who are registered with them.  However, it does mean that we will no longer be able to have students wait for their parents in the Library when they are late in the afternoon.  While we understand that sometimes there are issues with traffic, or an emergency arises, parents are asked to pick up their children by 2:45 each day at the latest.

Neat Uniforms, our uniform supplier, has had to adapt and do things very differently this year.  Please click here to read a letter about purchasing uniforms for next school year; click here to see a promotional flyer about a bundling option that they have; and click here to see a poster about our school’s online focus week.  They are working very hard to meet all of your uniform needs under less than ideal circumstances, and we are confident that this will continue in the future.

Our photographer, Lifetouch, will be at the school on Monday, April 12th to take our class photos.  They will be following COVID protocols, and thankfully the weather should be nice enough to take the photos outside this year.  Please ensure that your children come to school “camera ready” on Monday morning!

The School Office is still missing a number of attendance notes for March.  These notes are required each year for our attendance audit, which takes place in May.  If we still require a note from your family, an attendance note was sent home with your child yesterday.  Please check your child’s backpack to see if they have an attendance note for you to sign – you can’t miss it as they are bright pink!

Once again we will be welcoming instructors from 1-Vibe Entertainment to teach the students Hip Hop dance lessons during the week of April 12th – 16th.  The instructors will follow strict COVID protocols, including teaching from the stage and wearing masks.  As we will not be able to have parents come and watch a performance at the end of the week, instead the classes will be filmed on Friday, April 16th, and a video will be put together by 1-Vibe Entertainment for us to share with parents during the last week of April.  Every year the students look forward to our Hip Hop week, and we are so happy to be able to offer this again, especially this year.  Please watch for an email next week that lets you know what your children should wear for the final lesson on Friday.

Just a reminder to please log your Parent Participation hours through the school website, or by using the link at the bottom of this News Flash.  There are a number of parents who we know have completed some hours, but they are still not recorded in the parent portal.  Also, for those families who are having difficulty completing their Parent Participation hours, please send an email to Mrs. Sask by clicking here, as there are some special projects coming up at the school, and some jobs that require new parents to take them over to the end of the school year.

As you know, Mrs. White and her family will be moving soon, and her last day at the school will be April 22nd.  While we are definitely going to miss her presence at the school, we are happy to let you know that Mrs. Di Palma will be returning early to take over Mrs. White’s position in the Library, and providing some learning support as well.  Mrs. Di Palma’s first day back will be April 19th, and we look forward to having her back on staff.

The next Work Bee will take place at the school today Saturday, April 10th from 9:00am – 2:00pm.  Please bring gloves for inside and outside work, and any cordless gardening tools to help with some landscaping work around the school.  As always, your hard work is most appreciated!

Zumbathon 2021 is fast approaching.  Your children were pumped up yesterday in their first Virtual Pep Rally, where the Grade 7s entertained with a music video and various skits.  We know that students are excited to get asking and work towards winning some great prizes that will be announced at our next Pep Rally.

We encourage all students to ask for pledges in COVID-safe ways:  by phone, video calling and emails, and encourage potential donors to donate online.  Please see the information package for more details.  For your convenience, we emailed out a sample email yesterday for you to use.  As well, check out our school Facebook page for a link to donating online that you can share with your family and friends.

We have some great prizes that can be won, which will be announced at the next Pep Rally.  If you would like to donate a prize, please contact Juana Veters by clicking here.  Thank you for your consideration!

DONORS CAN PLEDGE ONLINE USING THEIR CREDIT CARD by clicking here.

Together we can raise $25,000 for outside learning and fun spaces for our school!

The Province of BC has created a new Daily Health Check App for parents to use each morning to assess the health of their child before they head off to school.  This is a fun and interactive way to find out if you should stay home until you feel better, or get further health information by calling 811.  To use the Daily Health Check App on your desktop computer, please click here.  To download the app on your mobile device, please click here.

Parents are asked to complete a Daily Health Check of their children each morning before they come to school.  Please assess your child for 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

If your child has one of those symptoms, excluding fever, they should stay home for 24 hours from when the symptom started.  If the symptom improves, they may return to school when they feel well enough.  If the symptom persists or worsens, seek a health assessment.  If your child has two or more of the symptoms, or they have a fever, you should seek a health assessment for them.