Thunder News Flash – September 12, 2026

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome back to a new school year! On behalf of our entire staff, we are thrilled to welcome our returning families back to our school community and extend a warm greeting to all of the new families joining us this year.

We hope your summer was filled with rest, joy, and memorable moments with loved ones. As we open our doors for another year of learning, we are filled with excitement for all that lies ahead. Our mission remains rooted in nurturing both the minds and hearts of our students—fostering academic excellence while deepening their faith, compassion, and commitment to living out Catholic values every day.

This year, our theme centers on being “Rooted in Faith.”  We look forward to partnering with you to ensure your children feel supported, inspired, and encouraged as they discover their unique gifts and grow in God’s grace.

Thank you for entrusting us with your children’s education and spiritual growth. Your partnership, prayers, and involvement are what make our school such a vibrant, loving home for our students.

May God bless our school family with a safe, joyful, and inspiring year ahead.

We are excited to welcome our community back and invite you to our annual Welcome Back BBQ and Meet the Teacher night on Thursday, September 24th. Please fill out the RSVP for if you intend on coming for dinner.  Hotdogs, hamburgers, chips and a drink will be available free of charge for all families!  We ask that you please limit your food order to one hot dog or one hamburger per person. Please make sure to fill out the RSVP form so we can order the correct amount of food!

5:00 Welcome and Introductions in the gym and Dinner

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.

The safety of our students at St. James and St. Ann’s School is our highest priority.  As such, we would like to remind parents to follow the pickup/drop off procedures as outlined in the Parent Handbook. 

If you are dropping off your children in the morning, please ensure that they are able to get out of the car independently, so that cars can move smoothly and efficiently through this area. If your children need assistance getting out of the car, please park in the parent parking lot.

When picking up students at the end of the day, please remind your child that you will be using the pick up lane and that they need to keep watch for your car. Students will be dismissed at 2:30 and students who are being picked up in the Pick Up Lane will be instructed to wait in the designated area. If your child is not in the waiting area when you pull up to the front of the line in the designated pick up area, parents will be asked to continue to drive through the lane and to either park in the parking lot or to drive around the block to re-enter the pickup lane. Please do not stop and/or leave your car in the pick up lane. We would like traffic in this lane to move efficiently for the benefit of everyone.

If there is a delay in the pick up / drop off lane – please remember there is to be absolutely no passing vehicles in the pick up / drop off lane. We need to work together to ensure that all our children are safe!

School uniforms can  promote a sense of school unity and school spirit. Like members of a sports team, students who wear uniforms feel like they are part of one group and therefore tend to perform better and care more about their school.  It is important that students come to school dressed in their proper school uniform each day.  This includes gym strip for Grades 2-7.  Students should have gym strip and running shoes at school in a gym bag and be ready to change for gym classes.

Throughout the coming months, school staff will be paying particular attention to school uniforms.  We will be checking student uniforms, and sending home a note to inform parents if students are not wearing the proper uniform.  Please help your children wear their proper uniform with pride for our school.  Thank you!

Our school uniform policy is outlined in the St. James and St. Ann’s parent handbook.   

https://www.stjameselementary.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2025-26-School-Uniform-Policy-1.pdf

The Parent Fundraising Association (PFA) is inviting interested families to join! Joining the PFA is a fun and rewarding way to get involved in our school community, connect with other families, and help plan and deliver special events and activities for our students.  Please email Kristine – krienxx@yahoo.com or Jasmin – jasminchantals@gmail.com for more information.