Thunder News Flash – October 25th, 2025

Did you know that Halloween has roots in our Catholic tradition? The word “Halloween” comes from “All Hallows’ Eve,” which means the evening before All Saints’ Day—a special feast when we honour all the saints in heaven. In the early Church, people would prepare for All Saints’ Day with prayer and reflection the night before, much like how we prepare for other holy days.

Over time, cultural customs like costumes and treats became part of the celebration, but the Christian meaning remains: it’s a time to remember the victory of good over evil, and to celebrate the saints who show us how to live holy lives.

As a Catholic school, we encourage our students to enjoy Halloween in a spirit of fun, gratitude, and faith, while keeping our focus on the deeper meaning of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days that follow.

On Friday, October 31, students are invited to come to school dressed in their Halloween costumes. We ask that costumes be fun, positive, and appropriate for our Catholic school environment — please avoid scary, gory, or violent themes, and no weapons or masks that cover the face.  If your child has a mask that they would like to bring for the halloween parade, they may wear it for that time and then take it off for the remainder of the day.  Students may also choose to wear black and orange if they prefer not to dress in costume. 

The Grade 7 Leadership will be awarding prizes in each classroom for best costume in the following categories: 

• Most Colourful Costume
• Team Favorite Costume
• Most Creative Homemade Costume

The following week, on Wednesday November 5th we will celebrate all Saints Day and invite the students to dress as their favourite saint. This will be in conjunction with our Mass and gives us a great opportunity to pray for all souls and saints gone before us. There will be a prize for the best saint costume! We look forward to seeing what Saint you choose!

Remembrance Day Assembly – November 7th

Parents are invited to join us for a very special Remembrance Day Assembly led by our Grade 7 class. The assembly will take place at 1:50 p.m. in the school gym. Together, we will honour and remember the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve our country through prayer, reflection, and student presentations. We hope you can join us for this meaningful event.

Our hot lunch ordering system, Munch a Lunch, is OPEN!   

 We are accepting orders for November hot lunch dates. Ordering closes November 1st at midnight. Orders will not be accepted after this date due to ordering timelines with vendors.

If you have an existing account please log in and update your account (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 or LOG IN:

 Go to: https://munchalunch.com/schools/stjamesandstanns

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: 

Parents can now pay by credit card!  Payments can also be made by Electronic Funds Direct Debit from your account on the 15^th of each month.  You will see a “pay now” option at the end of the ordering process, please click pay now to submit your order but please do not submit a cheque.  Payments will be deducted, and account balances will be updated on the 15^th.

Please Remember –  submit all orders for Hot Lunch by November 1st.    

Photo Retake Day Reminder:

A friendly reminder that photo retakes will take place on Monday, October 27. Students who were absent on the original photo day or who would like a retake will have the opportunity to have their pictures taken. Please ensure your child comes to school prepared and dressed appropriately for photos.

Please ensure your child is aware that you would like a photo retake.  For younger students, you could let the teacher know you would like a retake through a note in your child’s agenda.  

Movie Night! – We Need Sponsors!

We’re looking for sponsors to help bring this event to life! Sponsorship supports our school and provides promotion for your business in our community! Contact Jasmin at 8617jcl@gmail.com

Friday, November 14, 2025 – Movie Night! 

Join us for an epic evening as we watch Kung Fu Panda 4 on our big 16 x 9 screen! Expect plenty of snacks, popcorn, and fun. It’s the perfect way to relax and enjoy a movie night with our amazing school community.

Date: Friday, November 14, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM (Doors open at 5:30 PM)
Location: School Gymnasium
Cost: $5 per person | $25 per family (5 or more)

Our concession stand will have pizza, hot dogs, smokies, popcorn, and more!

Stay tuned for more exciting details coming soon! 

St. James and St. Ann’s school offers a variety of fun sports and events. The dates of upcoming practices include:

Volleyball

• Monday, Oct. 27 – 7:45-8:20 – Grade 6/7 Boys Practice 
• Monday, Oct. 27 – 12:15-12:45 – Grade 5 Boys & Girls Practice 
• Monday, Oct. 27 – 2:45 – 4:00pm – Grade 6/7 Girls Practice
• Tuesday, Oct. 28 – 7:45-8:20 – Grade 6/7 Girls Practice 
• Tuesday, Oct. 28 – 2:45 – 4:00pm – Grade 6/7 Boys Practice 
• Wednesday, Oct, 29 – 12:15-12:45 – Grade 5 Boys & Girls Practice
• Thursday, Oct. 30 – 3:00 – 4:00pm – Grade 6/7 Boys and Girls Game @ Dasmesh

Dance Squad

• Tuesday, Oct. 28 – 12:00-12:30 – Grade 7 Dance Squad 
• Thursday, Oct. 30 – 12:15 – 12:45 – Dance Squad Practice 

Supporting My Children in their Growth

4-day PRH Online Workshop – Over 2 weekends – November 29-30 and December 6-7, 2025.    8:30am-4:00pm, daily

Benefits to expect from this workshop:

• A better understanding of your children and of their needs, and, in this way, foster their development.
• Significant improvement in your relationship with each child.
• Understand the cause of certain behaviours in order to manage the difficulties encountered.
• Enable each child to find their place in the family and their actual environment

Facilitated by: Leah Bittante

For: -parents of children of any age (recommended 3 years or older), grandparents who want to grow in their relationship with their grandchildren. See the flyer and link below for more information.  November 2025 Supporting My children (1)

http://Link to registration and fee information.