News from Vanier - May 11-15

​Dear Vanier Students and Families,
 
We hope you all enjoyed the very lovely weather this past weekend.  We know, with the weather continuing to improve, focusing on school work may become more difficult.  Please persevere.  Every bit of learning that happens now will help make next year (and beyond) easier for everyone.
 
There is lots going on this week:
 
PD Day – Friday, May 15
 
Our staff will be participating in a Professional Development Day this Friday, May 15.  Scheduled class meetings and Zooms will be cancelled that day, unless a teacher tells you otherwise.  The Virtual Skills Room will be closed that day as well.  We will be spending the day working on planning for the next school year.  Enjoy the extra-long weekend!
 
Vanier Virtual Ridge Run – Friday, May 15
 
Vanier traditionally hosts dozens of students from throughout Whitehorse (and sometimes from the communities) for our Ridge Run through the hills of Riverdale.  Of course, we can’t host that activity in the traditional way, so we are hosting a Virtual Ridge Run at 12 noon this Friday.  We are encouraging all our students and staff (and those from other schools) to get 30 minutes of outdoor physical activity and to take photos! Send the photos to us through Instagram @ VCSSYukon or at vcss@gov.yk.ca.  There will be prizes for sending in photos!
 
Virtual Skills Room Contest
 
Our Virtual Skills Room is working to help more and more students with assignments.  A teacher or Educational Assistant is available Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm to help answer questions, get the week’s assignments organized, read, or scribe (ie. type an assignment for a student).
 
We do have more capacity, so we would love to see more students drop in to check it out.
 
Every student who visits the Virtual Skills Room over Zoom (details in The Hallway in Google Classroom) will be entered into a draw for prizes!  One doesn’t need to already have a Skills Room class – anyone can join the Zoom to get help or simply say hello.
 
 
Supporting children during Covid-19
 
Covid-19 has disrupted families' lives in profound ways.  Our children (this includes our teenagers), have increased stress due to these disruptions.  This free webinar gives fact-based and practical information on supporting your children at this time.  New routines, or a lack of routines, increased strain on family relationships and uncertainty about the future are just a few of the stressors children and their families may be experiencing now.  Other helpful information that is covered: anxiety contamination, social isolation, financial stress, grief and loss, and over-exposure to the news.  Strategies on fostering resiliency are emphasised. Please check out this webinar for helpful information:
 
https://ca.ctrinstitute.com/free-webinar/
 
 
Covid-19 Community Cookbook
 
We’ve noticed that we have been able to spend more time cooking these days!  As a legacy project to mark these eventful times, we would like students, families, and staff to contribute a recipe to the Vanier Covid-19 Community Cookbook.
 
Choose your favourite recipe, snap a photo of it if you have one, and submit the recipe, instructions, notes, and the photo in The Hallway in Google Classroom.  We’ll publish and distribute a digital cookbook nearer to the end of the year.
 
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback.
 
 
 
Sincerely,
 
Ryan Sikkes, principal and Jeanette Gallant, vice-principal