Thunder Update: August 2023

Hello St. John’s Thunder community! 

We hope everyone is enjoying a safe and fun summer.  The start of school is just around the corner and we are excited to welcome several new staff and families to our community. We remain dedicated to providing a quality Catholic education rooted in fostering a sense of community and belonging, nurturing responsibility in our students, and promoting high expectations in learning. We welcome and value your positive energy and dedication to excellence in education, too, and we look forward to working with you and your child(ren) again this year. This is why we are here!

First, appreciation is extended to our #WCDSBAwesome custodial staff Sylvia, Wes, & Preston. Over the summer, they have been thoroughly cleaning the building and working to ensure that our school is ready to welcome students back. We are grateful that they deep cleaned the classrooms and washrooms, waxed the floors, and moved furniture in preparation for the beginning of the year. The transformation in our school is unbelievable thanks to their tremendous work over the summer. Thank you!!!

Our school office officially opens Tuesday, August 29th. If you are in the registration process, please make sure that all forms are completed online and all necessary documents are uploaded.  If you are uncertain of the status of your child’s registration, please do not hesitate to contact the main office after 9am on Tuesday, August 29th.

We are committed to providing our families with as much information as possible.  This begins today with our first “Thunder Update” of the 2023-2024 school year. There will be a weekly update from the school, and you may also receive additional information as we begin this school year or throughout the year that may be critical or time-sensitive. We encourage all families to pay close attention to all updates shared by our school. PLEASE encourage other families to sign up for NewsWire so they can also receive these important school wide updates!

Please see the schedule below for our 2023-2024 timetable.

SCHOOL HOURS

  • 8:45am: student supervision on yard begins (no students at school before this time)
  • 9:15am: school begins (students arriving after this time are late)
  • 10:25am – 10:40am – AM recess (grade 1-8 students)
  • 12:00pm – 1:00pm – Lunch hour all students
  • 2:20pm – 2:35pm – PM recess (grade 1-8 students)
  • 3:45pm: school ends

Due to the limited size of our outdoor yard, students will continue to eat lunch at different times this year. Please see below:

  • Grade 1-3 students will eat from 12:00pm – 12:20pm
  • Grade 4-8 students will eat from 12:40pm – 1:00pm
  • Kindergarten teachers will provide more information to families during their first day visits / first day of school information

Back to School Key Dates:

  • Thursday, August 31st: PD Day for staff
  • Monday, September 4th: Labour Day (NO SCHOOL)
  • Tuesday, September 5th: FIRST Day of School 2023/2024 (Grade 1-8) 
  • Wednesday, September 6th: Year 2 (SK) Kindergarten students first day of school

 

First Day of School 

Tuesday, September 5th is the first day of school for students in Grades 1-8. Students will be meeting their classroom teacher in their class lineups on the blacktop at 9:15 am at the back of the schoolyard. We kindly ask that parents and guardians stay outside the fenced in yard and do not wait with your child(ren) in the schoolyard. We have over 450 students and in order to keep all students safe we will have many staff that will greet you and support your children with where they need to go. All classes will be marked with a large pylon. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding.

 

Kindergarten Information

Kind reminder, NO Kindergarten students attend the first day of school. 

Our Year 2 (Senior Kindergarten) students’ first day of school will be Wednesday, September 6th.

For our Year 1 (Junior Kindergarten) students and for any new Year 2 (SK) students, you were sent an email from the school about a time to meet your child’s Kindergarten team. To help with the transition to school, all Year 1 students (JK) have a staggered start in the first week of school. Your child’s first week of school schedule was included in the email you received and will be shared again at your visit.

 

Back to School: What you really need! 

All of our classrooms have all the essential learning materials for students (e.g., pencils/ pens, crayons, markers, scissors, glue, notebooks, etc.). Please do not rush out and purchase school supplies for your child.

 

If you are looking to purchase items for school here are a few items that are required: 

  • Backpack (we do have brand new backpacks available at school for students who need them. Please ask in the Main Office…we are happy to help out!)
  • Lunch bag (am/pm snack & lunch)
  • Water Bottle (Refillable & Reusable- NO glass)
  • Indoor SHOES (to be left at school)
  • Crocs cannot not be worn in the gym…not even in “sport mode”

 

Class Placements 

To support our transition back to school, families will be receiving classroom teacher information at the end of next week prior to the long weekend and the start of school. More information will be shared next week.

Please know that class placements continue to be tentative due to ongoing registrations and evolving enrolment. We will require patience, flexibility, and understanding on behalf of our students and families. Working together as a home-school partnership will allow for a positive school start-up. Staffing and classroom changes are directed by the Board office and this process may occur during the first few weeks of school which could lead to classes being revised. Our staff takes great care in considering all students’ needs when creating class placements. We will not be accepting any requests for classroom changes from students, parents or guardians.

 

 School Bus Transportation

Information from the bus transportation company about your route was made available to students/parents on Monday, August 21st on the student transportation website at www.stswr.ca by using your student login portal. Students require an OEN to log in/create an account. For students without an OEN, student transportation will be mailing out letters to families with their busing information. Please note it takes time to add/change students to routes, so please check as soon as possible. Please remember that all Kindergarten students must be met by a parent/guardian when transitioning from the bus.

 

Outdoor Recess Equipment

  • outdoor learning will be encouraged as often as possible for all grade levels
  • please make sure your child has appropriate clothing for outdoor play and extended periods of time outdoors
  • please do not send equipment from home; all recess equipment will be provided for students again this year
  • we need to control the amount of equipment on the yard to reduce the incidence of accidents for both staff and students

 

Parking lots are for staff only

  • The parking lots are for staff only.
  • Thank you for respecting that staff need to have easy access to the school throughout the day.
  • Please do not park in the school/ church lot unless you require a parking accommodation for accessibility.
  • You are encouraged to park at Cherry Park OR walk to drop off/ pick up your child each day.
  • Student safety is a significant priority. We cannot have moving traffic in the lots while students are arriving and departing school each day.
  • The school parking lot will be blocked off during student arrival and dismissal times. Please plan accordingly.

 

Dogs on Property

There is a clear WCDSB policy that dogs are not allowed on school property. Your fury family members are, of course, welcome on city, NOT school, sidewalks. Please make sure that you say goodbye to your child at the sidewalk if your fur baby is along for the drop off. Much appreciated!

Keep enjoying the summer sunshine and stay tuned for more information as we enter into another school year together!