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Dear Vanier students and families:
Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. Psalm 86:4 Dear Lord, may your perfect will be done in my life and in the lives of my loved ones. May you bring joy and rejoicing into our homes. I believe in your goodness and I am proud to be a child of God. Amen. Things are starting to pull together and we feel that we are starting to get a sense of rhythm and routine to our days. However, there are still lots of little things that we are still trying to pin down once we see how things develop. I often think of the recommended approach to building a new park or public space: Instead of paving pathways right away, it’s better to leave it and see where people walk naturally and then install the pavement there! So it goes at Vanier with things like computer carts, getting students logged in, use of textbooks/workbooks, etc. We are waiting a bit to see where/how some things might best be organized before we formalize the plans and will communicate them to students/parents/guardians when things have been confirmed. Thank you for your patience as these things develop - if you do have specific questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact teachers directly through their email ([email protected]), reply to this email, or email our general school mailbox: [email protected] A hearty, “Congratulations, best wishes, and God bless!” to our Class of 2020 who were recognized in a very scaled down version of their Cap and Gown ceremony that took place last week. Now, we turn our focus to the Class of 2021 and planning to ensure we have a safe and meaningful recognition of their academic accomplishments. Grade 12s, stay tuned for more information from Ms. Giczi, Mr. Gillard, and Mr. Gray. Sincerely, Ryan Sikkes, principal and Alethea Wallace, vice-principal Week at-a-glance Monday, August 31st
Attendance We take attendance every period every day. Now that students’ timetables have settled, we are starting to make attendance calls (either in-person or automated) for students who are absent but who have not been excused by a parent/guardian. We ask that parents/guardians call (667-5901) or email ([email protected]) each day that a student is excused to prevent these notifications from being made home. Visits to/from other schools In normal times, we allow for limited visitations of students between FHC and Vanier during our lunch periods. However, this year we cannot allow these visits to occur and remind Vanier students they are not permitted to visit FH Collins at any point during the school day. We appreciate our students understanding of the need for this change for safety reasons. Our students should also not be visiting Christ the King Elementary students over the lunch hour either. Mask use in schools The use of non-medical masks in schools has been recommended by Yukon’s Chief Medical Officer of Health for students aged 10 and above in situations where physical distancing is not possible. These could include:
Reusable masks have been ordered and will be provided to students upon arrival. In the meantime, we have disposable masks available for any student or staff member who requires one to meet the recommendations. “The big three” of the safe six Our public health officials in Yukon have been constantly repeating the “safe six” precautions for addressing the Covid 19 pandemic. You can see our operational plans here: https://www.vcss.ca/covid-19.html At Vanier, we have been focusing heavily on the first three of these: 1.Maintain physical distancing – keep 2 metres (6 feet) away from everyone who’s not a member of your social bubble. In situations where physical distancing is not possible, masks are highly recommended. We will eventually be supplying each student with reusable masks. Until then, we have disposable masks available in many classrooms or in the front office. 2.Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Hand sanitizing stations are located in many areas of the school and we require students to wash or sanitize their hands every time they move to a new room. 3.Stay home if you're feeling sick. Here is a bit more information about the symptoms of Covid-19 to watch for. There are places you can turn to for advice on whether to attend school or when to return after feeling sick:
Cafeteria is open! Our cafeteria operators from last year – the Cruz family – are back and open for business. Students may sit at a physically distanced seat inside the cafeteria or request a take-out container (for a small additional charge). The cafeteria is open during the morning break between 9:51 and 10:01 for the Junior School and 10:05-10:15 for the Senior School. Lunch is served between 11:25 am and 1:02 pm to allow for the morning and afternoon Senior School students to purchase food as well as our Junior students over their lunch break. The cafeteria accepts cash or debit. Blended Learning – Advice for Parents COVID-19 protocols in Yukon schools may mean that opportunities for teaching approaches that involve close physical contact may need to be limited/modified in the face to face setting. Also, as Grades 10-12 students are in school with their teachers and classmates for a half day, they may be required to engage in digital activities with technology and online tools when not in school. Blended learning strategies, working in concert with other experiential / place-based, service-learning activities, enable teachers to maintain student-centred learning approaches and meet curriculum requirements amidst social distancing requirements. While not in class, teachers may be asking students to:
Skills Room and Tutoring Program The Skills Room is up and running and available for help and support! It opens at 8 am every morning and EA assistance is available until 8:30 am. It is open again for the Junior School lunch hour (12:12 to 1:02) with support and again after school from 3:15 until 4:15. Within the Skills Room, we also offer a peer tutoring program where senior students can sign up to be tutors (with 4 hours of tutor training provided) and any other Vanier student can sign up to be tutored. The tutors can either work off their time as volunteer hours, or be paid. Tutoring is free of charge for tutees. Don't let yourself fall behind, get the help you need!! Anyone interested in becoming a tutor, getting a tutor, please see Ms. Cann or email [email protected] Comments are closed.
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16 Duke Road
Whitehorse, YT Y1A 4M2 Fax: (867) 393-6370 Upcoming DatesSemester One X-Block Dates
Aug 28: x=1 Sept 4: x=5 Sept 18: x=3 Oct 2: x=7 Oct 16: x=8 Oct 30: x=6 Nov 13: x=3 Nov 27: x=5 Dec 4: x=7 Dec 18: x=3 Jan 8: x=1 2024/25 PLC Dates: September 11th and 25th October 9th and 23rd November 6th and 20th December 11th January 29th February 12th and 26th April 9th and 23rd May 14th and 28th My child is feeling ill or has symptoms. Can my child go to school?
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