First Week Back!

Our first week back has been filled with fun and excitement. The students have taken part in different games throughout Phys. Ed and house games for Neophyte week. I has been a terrific start to the year!

Students started their cooperative games unit. We will be playing lots of games that include teamwork, cooperation, communication, and sportsmanship. We will be exploring these skills in more depth in the coming weeks!

Welcome

Welcome all.

My name is Mr. Orr, and I am thrilled to be back for my 2nd year at St. Jude’s Academy as the Physical Education teacher for grade 4, 5, 6 and 7. I currently reside in Burlington with my wife Katelyn and are expecting our first child in December! I have had a very busy summer full of fun events and I can’t wait to hear about all of the things you did this summer as well! It is going to be a great school year, and I am very excited for it to begin!

Units and Collaboration:

Physical Education for grades 4, 5, and 6 will include different games and sports that fit into cooperative games, invasion games, striking games, and net/wall games. We will also spend some time practicing or aesthetic movement skills in dance and gymnastics and of course health and fitness lessons. I look forward to another strong year of athletics and hope everyone is ready to work hard and have fun!

We will also be collaborating with classroom teachers to be able to connect the students learning throughout subjects. In grade 4 we will be spending some time learning about games from medieval times and discussing how games have grown and evolved over time to what we know today. In grade 5 we will be connecting our health and fitness lessons to the study of the human body and how we can maintain a strong and healthy body for life. In grade 6 we will be making connections to First Nations games and how the these games influenced many of the games we play today. We will also be discussing early explorers and some of the health issues they ran into on their journeys. It should be a fascinating year!

Below are a few items which require your attention.

·         Orientation Night will be taking place on August 28, 2019. Please check your email for the invitation. If you would like to speak with me about Phys. Ed for the coming year I will be located in Rm 29!

·         St. Jude’s is strictly a nut free school!

·         Welcome Back Barbeque and Back to School Kick Off will take place on September 19^th. Tickets will be sold in the first weeks of school. More information to come.

·         Uniform requirements: Students must use the summer uniform until October 15^th. For Phys. Ed. the students should be prepared on the first day of school with their Phys. Ed. uniform which includes the grey t-shirt, navy blue shorts, white socks and indoor gym shoes.

·         Starting in grade 3, students will be bussed to the dome/Wynn Fitness gym facility for all PE classes. Please try to arrive at school on time, as being late puts you at risk of missing the bus for PE.

·         First day of school is September 4, 2019 and promptly starts at 8:45am. School ends at 3:45pm.  

·         Parents, if you would like to volunteer in the school or on field trips, you are required to provide a current Vulnerable Sector Check. If this was provided previously (within the last 5 years) you must sign the annual offence declaration form to continue volunteering with our school.

Upcoming Dates and Events:

·         August 28, 2019 – Orientation Night

·         September 4, 2019 – First Day of School

·         September 4-6, 2019 – Neophyte Week

·         September 6, 2019 – Spirit Day: House Colours Dress Up

·         September 13, 2019 – Terry Fox Run

·         September 19, 2019 – Welcome BBQ

·         September 20-27, 2019 – Fall Fundraiser

·         September 25, 2019 – Casual Day

·         September 30, 2019 – Orange Shirt Day

·         October 11, 2019 – No School for Students

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress at St. Jude’s Academy do not hesitate to contact me at torr@stjudesacademy.com or connect with me in person at St. Jude’s Academy.

I am excited to meet you/see you all again. Enjoy the last few days of your summer!

Mr. Orr

Track and Field

St. Jude's has had a terrific track and field season this year. We had three separate teams, the under-10's, under-12's, and Elementary teams. These teams each competed at SSAF sanctioned track meets with our athletes doing fantastic! At the Under 10 meet, St.Jude's finished fourth overall out of 30 schools and Anthony in Grade 4 was named Top Athlete of the meet. We then carried over our success into the annual inter school competition with the Maples Academy, winning with a score of 357-194. We are very proud of all our St. Jude's athletes and look forward to another great season next year!

St. Jude's Summer Camp

Bouldering Trip

The grade 7's went on a bouldering field trip this week. They got to experience some different challenges and try to test their rock climbing skills. The students did a great job of stepping outside their comfort zone and try new things. Check out the fun we had in the pictures!

Baseball Skills

We have been working on our baseball skills throughout the grades, learning how to bat, throw and field balls. The grade fours have been using a tennis racquet to help them be successful as have some of the grade fives. The grade sixes have been practicing using a bat and have had good results!

Striking and Fielding Games

We have started our new unit which is striking and fielding games. All grades will be working on learning the rules and skills to a combination of sports including kickball, baseball and cricket. The grades will be working on different skills to try and build on one another as the students progress through the years. The students started with some warm up games and have built on their knowledge of strategies to come up with the best strategies for winning striking and fielding games. Below are the skills each grade is working on.

Grade 4: The grade 4's are working on learning the basic rules of striking and fielding games and being able to hit a ball with a tennis racquet. We will also be working on catching a ball and throwing with accuracy towards a base.

Grade 5: The grade 5's are working on hitting a ball with a tennis racquet and then an enlarged baseball bat. We will be working on catching balls in the air and feilding them off the ground. We will also be working on throwing with accuracy and being able to develop our one handed catching skills.

Grade 6: The grade 6's are working on hitting with a baseball bat consistently, and being able to field all types of hits, both in the air and on the ground. We will also be working on fielding and throwing in one motion and understanding where they need to throw the ball. We will learn the positions of baseball and work on what each position needs to do to be successful.

Grade 7: The grade 7's are practicing hitting consistently with a baseball bat and being able to field all types of hits. They will also be working on the advanced rules of baseball including tagging up, leading off and stealing. The students will try to demonstrate their understanding of the game during gameplay and be able to make correct plays on the fly.

It should be a terrific few weeks of striking and fielding games. Don;t forget about the the fun srpin fundraiser things happening this week!