Thunder News Flash – February 5, 2022

With the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, it is even more important to do the following:

• complete a daily health check with your child – click here to see the most up-to-date information regarding this
• monitor your children regularly for symptoms of illness – if they are sick, they should stay home.  Please click here for information about testing for COVID-19
• follow all of the provincial restrictions that are currently in place – please click here for the latest information
• ensure your children are wearing a mask when they enter the school each morning, unless exempt
• seek reputable sources of information about COVID-19, such as the BCCDC, including how to protect yourself, your family and your community, and what to do if you suspect you have the virus by clicking here

While we are happy to announce that schools will once again be able to participate in sports tournaments, the other restrictions which were part of the amended protocols for schools continue to remain in effect.  These will be re-evaluated on a weekly basis by the Public Health Officer, the BCCDC and the Ministry of Education.  To review these changes, please see our Communicable Disease Plan, which can be found by clicking here.

While we all continue to navigate through routines that are disrupted and changes that seem to come up daily, let’s also remember to be kind to each other and offer assistance to those who need help during these challenging times.

It is time to once again tighten up on our uniform expectations, as staff have noticed that things have begun to look a little bit less than “uniform” at our school.  While there have been heating issues that have led to some temporary changes in our uniform expectations for some classes, the heat in the west wing of the school is now working.  Students are expected to be at school each day in uniforms that are clean and properly fitting.  Hair should be neat and tidy, and if it is falling across your child’s eyes, which is a safety concern especially for P.E., it is time for a hair cut.  Please click here to read our Uniform Policy.  As we approach Catholic Schools Week, let’s help our students wear their uniform with pride.

The next Work Bee will take place at the school on Saturday, February 12th from 9:00am – 2:00pm.  This is a great way for parents to accumulate 5 hours towards their Parent Participation commitment.  Please complete a daily health check before coming to the Work Bee, and stay home if you are feeling unwell.  Please also ensure that you are wearing a mask when you arrive at the school, and that you bring gloves for both inside and outside work, as well as any small, cordless gardening tools you are able to bring.  Your work around the school, both inside and outside, is much appreciated.

While the B.C. curriculum no longer aligns with the use of letter grades or numerical assessment, parents are still able to request letter grades for their children in Grades 5 – 7 for the core subject areas.  The form to request letter grades is found on the website by clicking here.  Please print the form and submit it to your child’s teacher from February 7th – 11th for the latest term, and your child’s teacher will return the form to you with the letter grades for your child the following week.  For the final term of the year, please submit this form between June 20th – 24th and the completed request form will be given to you with your child’s final Progress Report for the year.  It is important to note that in elementary schools, letter grades do not equate to a percentage, but instead are related to a descriptive word:

• A = excellent
• B = very good
• C+ = good
• C = satisfactory
• C- = unsatisfactory

There are a number of upcoming events at the school to be aware of:

Catholic Schools Week – February 13th – 20th – at school we will be focusing on what we love about being in a Catholic school, as both staff and students, but we want to extend this beyond our school’s doors:

• on the weekend of February 12th/13th, we encourage all of our students to wear their school uniform to the Mass they attend.  Whether you attend Mass at one of the parishes in Abbotsford, Aldergrove, Mission, Chilliwack, Langley, or beyond, wear your uniform with pride and let everyone who asks know that you are proud to be a student at St. James & St. Ann’s School

Valentine’s Day – Monday, February 14th:

• this will be a dress down day for students to wear their Valentine’s Day colours (red, white, pink).  As always, the clothes that students wear must be appropriate – no ripped/torn jeans, no inappropriate slogans or graphics on their clothes, no short shorts, and no spaghetti straps
• if students are bringing Valentine’s Day cards to share, they must bring a card for everyone in their class – Teachers will provide their students with a class list to help with this
• while we do not encourage food treats at school, if your child does want to bring a small treat for each student they should be attached to the Valentine’s Day card.  Treats should be store bought, individually packaged, and nut-free.  Cards will be distributed and collected in a bag, and all treats will be taken home so that parents can determine if the treats are able to be eaten by their child

Jeans Day – Tuesday, February 15th:

• we will be having our annual Jeans Day fundraiser for the RCAV charities.  Each student is required to bring a dollar or two to participate in this special Jeans dress down day.  If you would like more information about the charities that are supported by the RCAV, please click here.  And for information about what the students should not be wearing, please see above

Almost Thunderwear Thursday – Wednesday, February 16th:

• as this is a short week, we will end our time at school celebrating Catholic Schools Week by having a special Spirit Day – students are encouraged to wear their Thunderwear to school, and show their Thunder Spirit.  If your child does not have any Thunderwear, parents may contact the principal by clicking here 

Catholic Educators’ Conference – Thursday, February 17th and Friday, February 18th:

• staff will be at school participating virtually in the Catholic Educators’ Conference, our annual professional development opportunity.  There will be no school for students on February 17th or 18th

Pink Shirt Day – Wednesday, February 23rd:

• across the country, students will be wearing pink shirts on Wednesday, February 23rd to focus on an anti-bullying message.  At St. James & St. Ann’s School we believe that every day is an “anti-bullying day”, so we will be focussing on being extra kind to others on February 23rd.  Students are encouraged to replace their school shirt with a shirt that is pink.  If your child does not have a pink shirt, they may still participate by adding something pink to their school uniform – it could be a pink hair band, a pink scarf, a pink ribbon or pink sticker on their shirt, etc.  Please note that this is not a dress down day, but Pink Shirt Day

Annual General Meeting – Wednesday, February 23rd – we are very hopeful that we will once again be able to bring you an in-person Annual General Meeting as follows:

• the meeting will take place in the Gym from 6:00 – 7:00pm
• please wear a mask, practise physical distancing and ensure that you have completed a daily health check
• at the meeting we will give you a brief summary of this school year, and then some preliminary information about next year, including the new tuition rates for 2022-2023
• Re-Registration Packages for our current families will be handed out at the end of the meeting – parents will be emailed the information to sign up online for an appointment to bring the completed package back to the school on either Thursday, March 3rd or Friday, March 4th
• if the Public Health Orders do not allow an in-person meeting to occur, a virtual AGM will take place and more information will come out about this in the coming weeks

Our current fundraiser, 10lb Cases of Frozen Blueberries, is underway.  You can buy yours for $30/10lb case.  The school makes $10/case sold!  An online Google form was emailed home yesterday, and can also be found by clicking here.  Please note that we are only accepting Direct Debit as a payment option.  Cases will be ready for pick-up at 2:30pm on Thursday, February 24 at the school.  We cannot store cases that are not picked up at this time.

Please complete your order form by 3pm Thursday, February 10 and help support our school!  Thank you.