News from Vanier - September 30 - October 4

​September 30th, 2019

Dear Vanier families and friends,

We had so many staff and students dressed in orange shirts today!  So many, in fact, that I couldn’t check all the names in the photos we took to make sure we had media releases in place to share them with you all!  Once we are able to do that, we’ll post the photos for sure.

Orange shirt day is a day in the year where we use our clothing to express our desire to reconcile with Canada’s Indigenous peoples with regard to the destructive legacy of the Indian Residential Schools.  However, our commitment to the challenging work of reconciliation goes beyond wearing orange on one single day.  Our school handbook has been updated to express our school’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation and we hope that all our students and staff will engage meaningfully in this important work.

Our website – www.vcss.ca – is where you can find our handbook and is a great source of school information, too!

Sincerely,
Ryan Sikkes, principal

Dates to Note:

September 30 – October 4 – First informal report from teachers.  All parents/guardians can expect emails from each of your child’s teachers to arrive this week.

Thursday, October 3 – Grade 9 Immunizations.

Friday, October 4 – Final day to be entered to win a $250 Visa Gift Card.  Just submit ALL forms and fees to the office to be eligible to win.  The package should have arrived in your mailbox within the last couple of weeks.
Wednesday, October 9 – Schools of Whitehorse Annual Food Drive, supporting the Whitehorse Food Bank.  Bags will be distributed to all neighbourhoods this week. 
Permission forms for students to ride with other parents/guardians to collect food items or to offer services as a driver can be found here: http://www.vcss.ca/home/food-drive-permission-form
We kindly as that you please place your bag of donated items outside your home in a well-lit area before 6:00pm on October 9th.  This event involves hundreds of student volunteers who do their best to get every home; if your bag is not collected, we apologize and ask that you drop it off at one of the Whitehorse secondary schools (FH Collins, Porter Creek Secondary or Vanier Secondary) or at the Whitehorse food bank @ 306 Alexander Street.
Examples of non-perishable goods:
Canned: meat, fish, milk, soup, beans, vegetables, fruit
Dry foods: dried prepared meals, pasta, pasta sauce, rice, cold and hot cereal, sugar, dry soup mix, coffee, tea, crackers, peanut butter, jam.  NO EXPIRED GOODS, PLEASE.
Thursday, October 10 – Individual school photos, please return envelopes with payment to Ron Wilson this day.  Envelopes were distributed last week – extras are available in the school office.
Friday, October 11 – PD Day: All-Secondary Schools.  Enjoy your day off – the staff will be here working hard!
Monday, October 14 -   Thanksgiving Holiday – No School.
Wednesday, October 16 – Post Secondary Information Night – 6:30pm @ Vanier Small Gym
For Parents and students to learn about:
Post-Secondary application process
Deadlines to be aware of including early admissions
How to get started in the trades
Career exploration possibilities
How to make a "gap year" meaningful
Money stuff including scholarships and where to find them
 
Tuesday, October 29 – Student Led Conferences.  More information to come in a few weeks.
Other Notes
Learning Commons’ Bookmark Contest – Congratulations to Morgan Iskra as the winner of this year’s bookmark design contest!  We had phenomenal entries this year and it was very difficult to make the final decision.  Thanks to everyone who submitted a design – here are the “top four”:
Attendance – If you are planning a vacation during school time, or know of a planned absence for your student, please make sure to inform the office (not just the teachers).  This will ensure your student is marked excused and you won’t receive a call and/or email at the end of the day.  Either call 867-667-5901 or email [email protected] to let us know!
Office 365 – As part of the mail-out package mentioned above, you will see information regarding “Office 365,” which is an online suite of programs that students can access through Yukon Education. Vanier believes this is an excellent tool and resource. We hope that all students “opt-in” for Office 365. This form only needs to be filled out if you choose to OPT-OUT.  If you have any questions, please call us.
Tutoring -  Through the Skills Room, all Vanier students can access a free tutoring program. If your child needs support with their school work (academics, organization etc), please encourage them to pick up a form requesting tutoring in the Skills Room.  All concerns and questions can come to Ms. Cann.  At this point in time we have many tutors available, but as the school year picks up there tends to be less availability.