Newsletter February 21 – Mar 4

Greetings,

As I didn’t get to completing last week’s newsletter in a timely manner, I’ll opt to send one out every two weeks from now on.

The Gospel reading from Sunday, Luke 6: 27-38, gives us our most difficult, and maybe dangerous, mission: To love one another.  I’ll let the Holy Father, Pope Francis, take the lead here:

“Here Jesus is not speaking in paradoxes or using nice turns of phrase.  Love you enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  This is the Christian innovation.  It is the Christian difference.  Pray and love.  The Lord demands of us the courage to have a love that does not count the cost.  Because the measure of Jesus is love without measure.  How many time have we neglected that demand, behaving like everyone else!  Yet his commandment of love is not simply a challenge; it is the very heart of the Gospel.  Do not worry about the malice of others, about those who think ill of you.  Instead, begin to disarm your heart out of love for Jesus.  For those who love God have no enemies in their hearts.  The worship of God is contrary to the culture of hatred.” (Pope Francis. Homily, Pastoral visit to Bari, 23 February 2020)

Yes, this is the Christian innovation that set the stage for a radical revision of human relations.  I don’t know about you, but I’m a sinner.  I have to work at this.

Ahead  

On Tuesday, February 22 at 7:00 pm we will have a ZOOM meeting for parents of those students entering grade 8.  When I visited the elementary students at HFES and CKES and canvassed how many students had a sibling at VCS, looked like more than half put up their hands.  We’ll post the invite to our website, vcss.ca, and will ask the elementary schools to push out an invite also.  See you then.

Wednesday, February 23 is Pink Shirt Day at VCS.  Folks are hoping for a picture of the student body in their pink shirts.  This day is aimed at making people aware of bullying.

Thursday, February 24 the French dept. has arranged a COVID-friendly Cabane a Sucre event for us.  Check out the front doors at lunch.

Friday, February 25 is Heritage Day, a stat holiday.  No school.  The school will be without power as the contractors hook up the shop’s new, massive dust collector.  Teachers, please do not come into the building on Friday!

During Rendezvous weekend, the Grad class will have a float appearing in a COVID –affected parade, which is to say no parade at all.  These are strange times, but the grads stand to win a heap of money to put toward their celebrations this year, so come on out and check it out, even if it is just parked in the lot.  You can check the Vanier Hallway Team on MS TEAMS for more info.  If you are volunteering at Rendezvous, please tell the organizers you are with Vanier.  Five volunteers nets us $500 to our grad! Thanks to Mr. Cassidy!

Tuesday, March 1 is Fat Tuesday, but at 7:00 pm there is also a School Council Meeting.  I imagine it will be a Zoom affair.  We’ll post the invite to the school website, vcss.ca, when it comes along.

Wednesday, March 2 is Ash Wednesday.  Students will have an in-class liturgy during first block.  Father Swavek will be here at lunch to bless us and mark those interested with ashes.  Why?  Because from dust we come and to dust we go. We should also repent and follow the Gospel.  Lent is forty days of prayer, penance, and fasting ending with Easter.  This is a great time to dig in to our collective history and try to take our fallen nature seriously.  If not now, when?

Spring Break is coming up.  I won’t post another newsletter until after that.  The dates are from Saturday, March 5 to Sunday, March 20.  Take a break.  This is a good chance for students to get their service learning hours completed.

Report Cards are due in to the office on Monday, April 4, just in case you were wondering.

Finally,

I’m sure there is more going on than I can recount here.  In these upcoming weeks, we will be working on getting students scheduled for next year, building the timetable, assigning teachers, and doing some hiring.  We’ll be busy because there is always more to do than what we plan.  I have some mixed news: Melissa Craig has decided to pursue her dreams of working in the trades again after having filled in for Alex Sullivan while she was away on a temporary assignment.  Alex will be returning to the office at the start of May.  We’ll miss Melissa, of course, but we are very happy for Alex’s return!

Again, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected].

Thanks and blessings,
​
Kyle Janzen, Principal VCSS