Friday Update

September 17, 2021

Dear St. Matthew’s Elementary School Families,

We have now completed two full weeks of school and the excitement of a new school year continues!

This year we will focus on wearing our school uniform with pride and so, uniform checks will be conducting throughout the year. I have been impressed with your children’s adherence to school uniform guidelines. One friendly reminder: hair accessories should only be the colours of school uniform which includes, white, green, yellow, navy or black. Please consult our Parent Handbook accessible HERE for more details.

Sincerely,
Miss Welsh

BIBLICAL WORDS OF WISDOM:

Be brave; let us prove our valour for the sake of our people and the cities of our God; the Lord will do what he judges best”

(2 Samuel 10:12)

Dates of Note

Monday, September 20, 2021: NO INTERNET @ SMES TODAY (The school’s internet service provider will be changed today; call 604-589-7545 if you need to reach the school)

Tuesday, September 21, 2021:
FEAST OF ST. MATTHEW!

Tuesday, September 21, 2021:
HEAD CHECKS

Tuesday, September 21, 2021: PEC MEETING 5:00 PM

Wednesday, September 22, 2021: GRADE 7 PRAYER TIME IN THE CHURCH – all are welcome – 2:35 pm – 2:50 pm

Friday, September 24, 2021: SCHOOL MASS @ 9:00 AM – All are welcome!

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NEWS FOR THIS WEEK

10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY VIDEO

In celebration of our 10th school year at St. Matthew’s Elementary we thought it would be nice to connect with a number of individuals that have had a special connection to the success of our school. Over the next several months you’ll notice a 10 Year Anniversary Video Series segment during the Friday Updates. Take a moment to click on this LINK to meet various past and present members of our school community and hear why being part of SMES has been meaningful to them. This week we are hearing from Father Augustine, the pastor of St. Matthew’s back in 2012 when our school first opened.

A BIG thank you to Tania Di Liello, Randy Mangalindan and Patrick de Vera for producing these videos!

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SAFE HAVEN SUNDAY

Safe Haven Sunday is a weekend set aside by the Archdiocese of Vancouver and parishes to directly address the harms of sexualized content and pornography in an appropriate way. Within the context of the Mass, parishes are able to provide teaching and resources that will support and protect individuals, marriages and families in making all homes a safe haven.

It is inspired by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ formal statement Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography, where they explain, “The use of pornography by anyone in the home deprives the home of its role as a safe haven and has a negative effect throughout a family’s life and across generations.”

Safe Haven Sunday will take place on Sunday, October 3, 2021.

All St. Matthew’s School families will soon be receiving a copy of EQUIPPED: Smart Catholic Parenting in a Sexualized Culture. We hope this resource helps you as you navigate this particularly challenging aspect of parenting.

Click on the image above to learn more about this important and challenging topic.

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SMES TERRY FOX RUN

This year, our school Terry Fox Run will be taking place on Friday October 1, 2021. An order form has been sent home to purchase a Terry Fox tshirt, with all proceeds raised going to The Terry Fox Foundation. We are proud to be participating in this great cause, and are excited to show our school spirit. Please submit the completed form/payment by the end of day on Thursday, September 23, 2021. Many thanks in advance for your support!

You can also access the forms by clicking HERE. Thank you for your support!

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GRADE 7 ASSEMBLY

Today our Grade 7 students led a great assembly focused on our patron saint, Saint Matthew! Please click HERE to access a video of this assembly. Enjoy learning a little bit more about this awesome saint!

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ONGOING REMINDERS

DAILY HEALTH CHECK

Students and staff are to stay home when sick. Parents should do a Daily Health Check before sending their child to school – please click on the Daily Health Check image for access to the Daily Health Check.

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A MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTOR, FATHER TRAN

Father Tran would like to extend a very warm welcome back to all St. Matthew’s families on our 10th Anniversary year! He prays that this school year will be one filled with much peace and blessings for everyone. A few reminders:

* All families are invited to come back to Sunday Mass. The church is now considered a safe place for public worship and he is eager to have everyone experience the grace of God in church. Please go to saintmatthews.ca for Mass times.

* A reminder that everyone is expected to attend Mass every Sunday (or on Saturday evening). It is also important to bring your envelopes each time you go to Sunday Mass. This does affect a familiy’s tuition category. Families that hand in their envelopes consistently are given Category 1 status for tuition and pay the lowest rate.

* Families can also donate online instead of giving in cash/cheque with their Sunday envelopes. Please phone the parish office at 604-589-2448 for details about using the online option for weekly Sunday giving.

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