XTRA! XTRA!
St. Andrew’s School Newsletter
June 26th, 2008

********************************************************

LET US PRAY

Loving God,
You have blessed us in so many ways
throughout this school year.
We thank you for the many times we
have felt Your presence in our lives.

We ask Your blessing in a special way
for all those families who are leaving
our school this year.
They have touched our lives and we will
never forget them.

We pray that as we begin our summer holidays,
we will keep you at the center of our lives,
knowing that without You, we can do nothing.
Amen.

GRADE 7 FAREWELL

Last Friday evening, we celebrated our Grade 7 class of 2008 with Mass followed by a reception. I am most grateful to all of the Grade 6 parents and students who contributed so generously to the success of this event. Also, we were very blessed to have the expertise of Mrs. Tabano who coordinated the dinner and worked so closely with the parents. Sincere thanks to all of you.

CALENDAR FOR 2008-09

I have attached a calendar for the 08-09 school year. Please keep this in a safe place. It contains lots of important information. I will also continue to send home monthly calendars. Please note that if any of the dates change, I will inform you well ahead of time.

SCHOOL WEBSITE

As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, we are very excited about our website being updated in the very near future. You will soon be able to access lots of information about school events and activities. I will, however, continue to send the newsletter on Thursdays. Our goal is to provide all necessary information to our families by accessing our website so that you can be as involved as possible in the life of the school.

SCHOOL UNIFORMS

Beginning in September, we will really be “raising the bar” with regard to proper uniform. This year, I was really disappointed to see that many children were coming to school wearing sweaters that were in disgraceful condition. We’re trying to teach the children to take pride in their uniform, so I need your help to ensure that what they wear to school is appropriate and in good condition. We will be sending home a note with your child if the uniform policy is not being honoured. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. In can’t wait to see the new school ties!

WARM WEATHER CAUTION

In the weeks ahead, many of the children will be spending a lot of time outdoors enjoying the summer weather. Please remember that sun block and hats are very important. Also, make sure that your children have lots of water as they can get dehydrated very quickly when they’re out in the sun. Let’s hope for a great summer!

NEW BABIES COMING SOON!

As you know, Mrs. Mallari and Mrs. Iaconis are expecting their babies soon. Mrs. Mallari’s baby is due early in July and Mrs. Iaconis’ early in September. We’ll keep you posted! By the first newsletter in September, we’ll be able to pass on the news. We wish both of these teachers all the best as they prepare to welcome their little ones. This is a first baby for Mrs. Iaconis and second for Mrs. Mallari.

PARENT PARTICIPATION/FUND RAISING

This year, we noticed that some parents did not complete participation hours and/or Shop Funds purchasing. This meant that as the year came to an end, they had to deal with their cheques being deposited and in some cases this added up to quite a lot of money. I strongly encouraged all parents to make the effort to start right in September to accumulate hours and work on their Shop Funds purchases. This is especially important for parents who have chosen to do non-scheduled participation. It is not our intention to burden families, so if you keep the requirements in mind and stay on top of things, there won’t be a problem by next June.

LAST MINUTE CHECK-UP

When your child arrives home today, please make sure that they have all of their belongings with them, including their report card! If they are missing uniform items, shoes, etc., please come into the school right away and look for them. We will be in the school till next week.

SUMMER READING CLUB

As usual, the Vancouver Public Library is offering a summer reading club. Details are available at all VPL branches and brochures were sent home with the children recently. I noticed that in many of the report cards I read, most of the teachers mentioned summer reading as a priority for the children. I hope that as many families as possible take advantage of this program.

BEST WISHES TO OUR ‘LEAVING’ FAMILIES

As well as saying goodbye to our Grade 7 families, we also bid farewell to the following families who are moving out of the area:

The Longpre Family (Samantha)
The Oppal Family (Tamaya)
The Lopez Family (Jared)

We will truly miss these wonderful families and our love and best wishes go with them.

To all of our St. Andrew’s families, have a wonderful summer. Be safe, be happy, and we’ll see you in September!

With much love,

Mrs. Mailley

Past Newsletters