Thunder News Flash – May 30th, 2026

After many months of preparation, our Grade 2 students are in the midst of receiving their First Holy Communion. This year, families have been celebrating this special sacrament in their home parishes.  However, the majority of our students will be receiving their First Communion this Saturday, May 30 at St. Ann’s Parish.

First Holy Communion Celebrations:

• St. Joachim and Ann Parish – April 26
• St. Joseph’s Mission – May 3 
• St. Ann’s Parish –May 30
• St. James Parish – June 7

First Holy Communion is one of the holiest and most important occasions in the life of a Catholic. It marks the first time a person receives the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist—the Body and Blood of Christ through the consecrated bread and wine. This is a significant milestone in the faith journey of our students, and they are excited to receive this special gift from Jesus.

Please keep our Grade 2 students and their families in your prayers as they celebrate this most blessed occasion.

“Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for the most precious gift of the Holy Eucharist. We ask You to bless all those who are preparing to receive Your Body and Blood for the first time.  You have provided for us richly through the gift of Your Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Receiving the Holy Eucharist is a tremendous blessing, and we ask You to help the children to prepare well before receiving You.  Help them to continue to grow in love for You each day of their lives.   Amen”

Just a gentle reminder that Monday, June 1 is a non-instructional day.  School will be closed.

Zumbathon Fundraiser – A Great Success!

We are excited to share that our Zumbathon fundraiser was a tremendous success! Together, our school community raised an amazing $20,556 toward our playground project. Thanks to everyone’s hard work and generosity, the new playground equipment has been ordered and we look forward to seeing it installed in the near future.

To celebrate this achievement, we held an exciting Prize Rally Assembly, where 36 raffle prizes were awarded to lucky participants. We also recognized the top fundraiser from each class with a special prize.

Top Fundraisers by Class

• Kindergarten: Felicity Bugash
• Grade 1: Marcus Booth
• Grade 2: Nathan Forsthovel
• Grade 2/3: Filip Borowski
• Grade 4: Ella Greatbanks
• Grade 5: Katherine Rauch
• Grade 6: Kaelyn White
• Grade 7: Anna Rauch

Special prizes were awarded to the top fundraisers:

• In the primary grades – Nathan Forsthoval
• In the intermediate grades – Kaelyn White. 
• The top class, Grade 5, was awarded with a special pizza party

Congratulations to all of our winners, and thank you to every student and family who participated in making this fundraiser such a success!

Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors

We extend our sincere appreciation to the following businesses and organizations for their generous donations:

• Curtis Tire
• Clayburn Village
• Treasure Landing
• Fred’s Custom Tackle
• Chilliwack Cineplex (movie passes, popcorn vouchers, and prize items)
• House of James
• Banter Ice Cream
• Clay Cottage
• Panago Pizza (25 small pizza vouchers)
• Canadian Tire Abbotsford
• Long & McQuade ($25 gift card)
• Holy Family Bookstore
• Abbotsford International Airshow (Carload Pass)
• Kickstart Physio & Wellness Centre, Abbotsford

Your support helped make our fundraiser and prize rally a memorable experience for our students.

A Special Thank You!

A heartfelt thank you to our Parent Fundraising Association volunteers for their dedication and hard work throughout this event:

Grace, Brandy, Jasmin, Kristine, Karine, Milkah, and Nakita

We are so grateful for the support of our families, volunteers, sponsors, and school community. Together, we have taken a big step toward creating an exciting new playground space for our students to enjoy for years to come!

Our hot lunch ordering system, MunchaLunch , is OPEN for JUNE!  Ordering closes MAY 31^st  at 11:59pm. Orders will not be accepted after this date due to ordering timelines with vendors.

If you have an existing account please log in and confirm your account is to date  (ie; student information/Grades) prior to ordering.  If you are a new family to our school, please register an account using the link below.

HOW TO REGISTER:

1. Click the “Register Here” button (as shown below). The system will guide you through
2. After adding your children, click the green “Order Lunch!” button to order
3. Next time, just click the “Login Here” button to access your account.

 NOTE:

We are now accepting Credit Card payments as our preferred method of payment.  Auto-debits are still accepted, however, credit card payments significantly reduce administrative workload for our accountant and help us manage the program and payments to vendors more efficiently. 

Thank you

Link: https://munchalunch.com/schools/stjamesandstanns

Café au Play is a wonderful opportunity to build community, make new friendships, and connect with other families in a relaxed and welcoming environment. We will have coffee and light refreshments for parents, along with toys for the kids!

Date: Thursday, June 4
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Location: School Gym

Join us for a littles-friendly get-together where families can gather, play, and connect. Light refreshments will be provided.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For Catholic moms seeking a deeper faith through study, in a community of prayer and support, you are invited to join the LYNAY group.  Meetings will take place every other Thursday from 9-11am, and run during the school year, beginning May 21st.  Please contact Shannon White for location details and more info at shanwhite@shaw.ca

Encourage kids to join Summer Reading Club!

Make reading fun this summer! Dive Under the Sea and join Summer Reading Club (SRC) at your Fraser Valley Regional Library.  SRC is a free program that encourages kids to track their reading every day. Kids who read over the summer perform better at school. You can read anything — novels, picture books, information books, graphic novels, magazines, audiobooks, ebooks, websites — it all counts!

This year’s theme is Under the Sea. Registration for in-person and online SRC officially begins June 21. For information about SRC, click the links: Summer Reading Club and SRC 2026 Letter to Parents. To register, visit http://www.fvrl.ca

Here are the exciting activities your children can enjoy when they participate in SRC:
• Enter contests to win prizes.
• See amazing performers.
• Participate in fun activities online.
• Earn a medal!

It’s not just for kids! Did you know that SRC is open for teens and adults too? Families can participate together to support each other’s reading and set a positive example. The library has something for everyone this summer – and it’s absolutely free!  

Visit your nearest library to get started!
Abbotsford Community Library: 33355 Bevan Ave, 604-853-1753
Clearbrook Library: 32320 George Ferguson Way, 604-859-7814
Mount Lehman Library: 5875 Mt. Lehman Road, 604-856-5988