Newsletter Jan 31 – Feb 4, 2022

Greetings,

In Sunday’s Bible reading, we have an excerpt from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.   It’s about love.  During these times of COVID, we wonder at what the disruptions have done to the future prospects of many of our students.  It is a good time to take stock so as to see what is really important given that the expectations of the past may have to be modified to meet the realities of the future.  St. Paul reminds us:

If I speak in human and angelic tongues,
but do not have love,
I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy,
and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
if have faith so as to move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I can give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast,
but do not have love, I gain nothing.
 
Indeed, as I may have said before, our mission as a Catholic School is not just to prepare our students for the job markets of the future.  We really have no way to know anyway.  But we can try.  Ultimately, however, our mission is to prepare our students for eternity.  Knowing the primacy of love, that God is love, is likely more foundational than any other proverbial stone we lay in this building.
 
This Week
We have COVID tests that parents and guardians can pick up at the office.  We ask that you not come into the school if you are sick.  We don’t give them to students as the tests become useless if they freeze.

Our student absences are still numbering over 100 for each day.  I hope that everyone is taking care.  Please know that we continue with mitigation efforts.  Masking is in place and our custodians are doing a great job of wiping down surfaces.  There is a lot of sanitizer around.  I think the school does remain low-risk for transmission, but everyone has a different comfort level here.

If your student is at home, please know that all teachers should have their MS TEAMS up so students can keep working from home.  If you are having any problems accessing Teams, please let me know.
Enough with COVID already!  I pray God may intervene to grant us a reprieve from this scourge
Let’s talk about something else…

Report cards will be coming out near the end of the week.  This is process that the new office staff and I are not completely familiar with.  We are learning as we go.  Thank you for your patience.

Grad fees were originally set at $275, but they are set now at $150.  Anyone who overpaid can get in touch with Lyn at the office.

Students are expected to get their service learning hours in to Ms. Best ASAP.  There is a drop box for sheets in the Religious Ed office.  Please insure that all parts of the sheet are complete.

There is a School Council meeting on Tuesday, Feb 1.  It’s on Zoom.  We will post a link on the school website: vcss.ca.

Our School Messenger system is still not working to deliver absence notice to parents.  This is the result of a computer glitch which we hope will be fixed soon.  Given the number of absences, this bad timing, but there it is.  If you have any questions about your student’s attendance, please contact the office. 

Some news from the Parish: On Monday, Feb 7 at 7:00 in the CYO Hall, which is in the church basement, Fr. Swavek is leading another installment of the Synod on Synodality.  This is an opportunity for all community members to weigh in on how they see, or don’t see, the Holy Spirit in our world today.  Pope Francis initiated this worldwide discussion. 

Also, our cathedral is in need of serious upgrades to its insulation.  I believe the term is ‘wrap’.  We also need a new furnace.  All of this is very costly.  We do what we can with grants and energy incentives, but we still need some cash to get the ball rolling.  If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to this project, please contact the cathedral: [email protected].

Finally,

I can’t help but think, and worry, about all our students who are not here.  We don’t have any knowledge about who is sick, who is being careful, or anything.  I’ve asked the students who are here to reach out to those who aren’t.  The place just isn’t the same with these lower numbers.  Again, join me in prayers for those who are away, and that things change so we can be together again.

Blessings,
​
Kyle Janzen, Principal VCSS