VCSS Weekly Email - November 22-26

Greetings,

Winter, despite not officially starting until Dec 21, is here.  Boots, coats, scarves, mitts, masks.  All gets a little complicated.

Since last weekend’s exposure notice at Vanier, the students and staff have really stepped up their mitigations.  Thank you.  Please continue to mask up, sanitize hands and surfaces, and maintain the distances necessary.  Let’s see if we can make it to Christmas, at least, without any other notices.  That would be great.

This Week
This week is not special in terms of events.  Just a regular sort of week, which seems increasingly rare.  We’ve got four weeks until the Christmas break.  The push to finish up classwork is on.  When we return in January, there is a review week, and then exams.

Thanks to Mr. Gray and Mr. Cassidy for organizing Share the Spirit this year.  While COVID mitigations will doubtless have some impact on our fundraising activities, we are going to try to make it as normal as possible.  Classes will be fundraising from Nov 20 – Dec 6.

Student photo portraits have arrived and are being sent out for teachers to give to students this week.  Some went out last week.

This week is PLC, so that means early dismissal or getting caught up on work in gr 8 and 9 homerooms.
On Fridays at lunch, some young, eager students are leading the Alpha program for those interested delving more into our Christian faith.  Thanks, and its great to see students taking the lead on this!

We continue to see vaping in the school.  Just a reminder that vapes and other tobacco/nicotine delivery products are not allowed on our premises, and will be confiscated if discovered. 

We’ve had some issues with heat in the building.  On especially cold days, it may be a good idea to wear warmer clothes as our system is complicated and the building may be warm in one spot, but not so much in another.  We are working this out.  Our apologies.

The Yukon First Nations’ Education Directorate is offering holiday food hampers to Vanier’s Indigenous families. They have set up an Eventbrite link through which families will register: https://bit.ly/winter-break-hampers. 

Please see the attached poster.

Finally,
COVID continues in our community.  The pressures of mitigation and masking take their toll on our mental well-being while attempting to safeguard our physical health.  As the vaccine mandate comes into effect, we may see further disruptions with staff absences.  I can only hope and pray that we get through this with our dignity and community intact.  More than ever we need God’s grace.

Blessings,
​
Kyle Janzen, Principal VCSS