Dear Vanier students and families:
Further to our last email, there are two additional items to add:

Covid-19 Funding for Families:

The Government of Yukon is offering a one-time contribution of $250 per student to families with children in Kindergarten to Grade 12 who have been impacted by COVID-19. This funding will help offset some of the financial costs related to the impacts of the pandemic for Yukon families in need, to help support them with their children learning from home during this time. 

The full details are included in the attached letter and application form.  Online applications can be made here: https://sportyukon.com/events-page/news/

2019-2020 Yearbook
Mr. Gillard and a group of diligent students have begun work on a yearbook for this academic year.  See the attached flyer for details.  Copies can be purchased for $45 through the Jostens website here: https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productBrowse/1393329/Vanier-Catholic-Secondary-School/2020-Yearbook/2020051404152052081/CATALOG_SHOP/

Mr. Gillard and his crew would appreciate submissions of photos taken during the year by emailing them to vcssyearbook@gmail.com or submitted through this link: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOyEq51d8y95d059PYb70VnFcFij65kjCuj2ibo6x23BQTgSTth0MNoE_zzfzaQMA?key=amtjR0lSSHVFNV9OVkprTDJUczlMTVhoNDhLV293

Sincerely, 
Ryan Sikkes, principal and Jeanette Gallant, vice principal

Dear Vanier students and families:

Good and loving God-
We thank you for the opportunity, short though it may have been, to play a part in the lives of our students and our new graduates. We are grateful for your guidance and love as we shared in this important work.

Please bless and guide our Class of 2020 as they reach this end, and as they chart new beginnings. May what they have learned by being here with us allow them to truly be people of service to others.  May what we have learned from them enable us to be the same.

Please help them to use all that they have learned here to make the world a better place - to serve others in true solidarity and kinship - to seek ways to help the poor, the marginalized, and those who are suffering - and to always seek the greater good.

We know that some of them will experience pain and hardship, and we know that some of them already have, and we ask you to grant them solace and strength.

Finally, Father, we thank you for giving us the opportunity to build our community with these young men and women while they are here. Though they are leaving our school, we know that they will always be with us as part of the Vanier family, and we ask that the bonds that have been created here remain strong despite any distance.

We ask all of this in your name, and in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

This week was originally scheduled to include celebrations of our Class of 2020 with a graduation Mass, cap and gown ceremony, prom, and drug- and alcohol-free after-grad event.  We are very sad that these events will not occur as scheduled and that this class will be denied these time-honoured traditions.  Please pray for them as their secondary school careers close in this most unusual of ways.

We have currently postponed our cap & gown ceremony until Wednesday, August 26, if the public-health guidelines allow us to gather then.  This weekend, we will be dispatching photographers to take a socially-distanced family photograph for each member of the Class of 2020 as a tribute to their accomplishments in the time of Covid-19.
 
Catholic Schools of Whitehorse Live-streamed Mass – May 20
Traditionally, our Class of 2020 weekend would have started with a Graduation Mass celebrated by the Bishop. Having Mass said in one’s honour is usually reserved for very special occasions and we are grateful for the Diocese’s continued support.

The last few years, we have brought all students from the Catholic Schools together in May to celebrate Mass together. This year, we will replace this event with a live-streamed Mass on Facebook. In particular, we will feature students from kindergarten, Grade 7, and Grade 12 to focus on the transitions they have all made or will make this year. We will also feature the “passing of the lamp” from a Grade 12 student to a Grade 11 student – something we usually do at our Graduation Mass.

The link to the live-streamed Mass will be on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Whitehorse’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RomanCatholicDioceseofWhitehorse/

Download program to follow along with the Mass here!

Next year

The Government of Yukon with the Chief Medical Officer of Health released a plan for a phased approach to relaxing the restrictions that have been imposed due to the pandemic.  This plan mentions that schools will be starting to plan what the return to school in August might look like.

We understand the strong desire to return to “normal” as soon as possible.  However, the safety of the most vulnerable and marginalized in our territory needs to be the top priority.  This might mean that some restrictions may be left in place that will impact how school is delivered in the fall.  We commit to keeping you as informed as possible about this process and how it may affect families.

We appreciate the continued patience and understanding of all our students and families as we develop these plans.
 
Covid-19 Community Cookbook
We’ve noticed that we have been able to spend more time cooking these days! As a legacy project to mark these eventful times, we would like students, families, and staff to contribute a recipe to the Vanier Covid-19 Community Cookbook.

Choose your favourite recipe, snap a photo of it if you have one, and submit the recipe, instructions, notes, and the photo in The Hallway in Google Classroom. We’ll publish and distribute a digital cookbook nearer to the end of the year.
​
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback.
 
Sincerely,
Ryan Sikkes, principal and Jeanette Gallant, vice principal

​Dear Vanier Students and Families,
 
We hope you all enjoyed the very lovely weather this past weekend.  We know, with the weather continuing to improve, focusing on school work may become more difficult.  Please persevere.  Every bit of learning that happens now will help make next year (and beyond) easier for everyone.
 
There is lots going on this week:
 
PD Day – Friday, May 15
 
Our staff will be participating in a Professional Development Day this Friday, May 15.  Scheduled class meetings and Zooms will be cancelled that day, unless a teacher tells you otherwise.  The Virtual Skills Room will be closed that day as well.  We will be spending the day working on planning for the next school year.  Enjoy the extra-long weekend!
 
Vanier Virtual Ridge Run – Friday, May 15
 
Vanier traditionally hosts dozens of students from throughout Whitehorse (and sometimes from the communities) for our Ridge Run through the hills of Riverdale.  Of course, we can’t host that activity in the traditional way, so we are hosting a Virtual Ridge Run at 12 noon this Friday.  We are encouraging all our students and staff (and those from other schools) to get 30 minutes of outdoor physical activity and to take photos! Send the photos to us through Instagram @ VCSSYukon or at vcss@gov.yk.ca.  There will be prizes for sending in photos!
 
Virtual Skills Room Contest
 
Our Virtual Skills Room is working to help more and more students with assignments.  A teacher or Educational Assistant is available Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm to help answer questions, get the week’s assignments organized, read, or scribe (ie. type an assignment for a student).
 
We do have more capacity, so we would love to see more students drop in to check it out.
 
Every student who visits the Virtual Skills Room over Zoom (details in The Hallway in Google Classroom) will be entered into a draw for prizes!  One doesn’t need to already have a Skills Room class – anyone can join the Zoom to get help or simply say hello.
 
 
Supporting children during Covid-19
 
Covid-19 has disrupted families' lives in profound ways.  Our children (this includes our teenagers), have increased stress due to these disruptions.  This free webinar gives fact-based and practical information on supporting your children at this time.  New routines, or a lack of routines, increased strain on family relationships and uncertainty about the future are just a few of the stressors children and their families may be experiencing now.  Other helpful information that is covered: anxiety contamination, social isolation, financial stress, grief and loss, and over-exposure to the news.  Strategies on fostering resiliency are emphasised. Please check out this webinar for helpful information:
 
https://ca.ctrinstitute.com/free-webinar/
 
 
Covid-19 Community Cookbook
 
We’ve noticed that we have been able to spend more time cooking these days!  As a legacy project to mark these eventful times, we would like students, families, and staff to contribute a recipe to the Vanier Covid-19 Community Cookbook.
 
Choose your favourite recipe, snap a photo of it if you have one, and submit the recipe, instructions, notes, and the photo in The Hallway in Google Classroom.  We’ll publish and distribute a digital cookbook nearer to the end of the year.
 
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback.
 
 
 
Sincerely,
 
Ryan Sikkes, principal and Jeanette Gallant, vice-principal

Dear Vanier students and families:


​A Metaphor for Change


Spring is a metaphor for change. Some changes we eagerly await, and some we abhor. Some changes we plan and others arrive uninvited. To all these changes we ask the gift of Your perspective beckoning us to expectation, hope, and rebirth.
May the sunlight and the rain be reminders that You are at work renewing the earth. As a God of renewal, You are ever at work in our lives, too.
Open our eyes and lives to the needed changes in our lives this Spring. Awaken us to new life and perspective, for this we pray in Jesus’ name.
- Author Unknown


As the weather continues to improve, we understand that it may become more and more difficult to be sitting in front of a screen each day to work.  This may be a bit easier if you schedule your time each day – routines and schedules can be something to help bring calmness and predictability.  They can also help with motivation, too!

​
We encourage everyone, near the start of each week, to plan out your time for the week – our Learning Assistance Teachers and Educational Assistants are available to help students in this regard.  Please feel free to email vcsskills@yesnet.yk.ca to ask for help or visit “The Hallway” in Google Classrooms to see who is on duty in the Virtual Skills Room (and get the Zoom code to visit it).


Is Google Classroom a bit of a mystery?

Many of our teachers are using Google Classroom to help manage their classes – we know that many parents are wondering how it works or what it looks like!  Here is a short video that explains it well for parents/guardians: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgS-hoSIjnw

Remember that you can contact a teacher and ask to be added as a parent so you can get notification emails!


Extra Long Weekend coming up!

We had a PD Day scheduled for April 24 that we postponed to May 15. Our staff need some time set aside to plan for the end of this year and the start of next year.  On Friday, May 15, class meetings and regularly scheduled events may be cancelled or postponed – those details will come directly from teachers next week.  Further, Victoria Day is Monday, May 18 and there will be no classes that day, as well.


Service Learning

Service Learning has always been a core component of our school’s religious education program.  Completing these hours in Grades 10-12 also help each student meet the requirement of BC’s Graduation Program – a requirement that we cover through the mandatory service learning hours in Christ and Culture 10 and World Religions 12.

Service Learning is not intended to be a burden – rather it is designed to help our students understand that giving of themselves – their time, talent, and efforts – actually helps them experience a sense of satisfaction and/or gratitude that can be life-changing.  In these current times of physical distancing and feelings of isolation we need, more than ever, to find ways to stay connected to our larger community.  Service Learning is one way to help our students do this.

Our school’s Social Justice Club will be highlighting service learning on our Instagram feed (vcssyukon) all week!

Tomorrow, students who have not yet met their service learning requirements will receive an email from Mr. Gillard and Ms. Gray.  We continue to expect service learning hours to be completed and will allow parents to monitor and sign the log sheets.  The time requirements are:

• Grade 8 – 5 hours
• Grade 9 – 10 hours
• Christ and Culture 10 – 15 hours
• World Religions 12 – 15 hours

Of course, many of the traditional opportunities to earn service learning hours are not available due to the Covid-19 pandemic and public heath restrictions.  Here is a list of service learning opportunities that will meet our requirements:

• A “random act of kindness” for another person
• Pick up trash in around your neighbourhood (or a school yard!)
• Sharing books/puzzles/games with other families in your neighbourhood
• Zoom or phone tutoring for other students (please, no in-person meetings!)
• Write letters to those who are housebound (we can help deliver them)
• Write thank you cards/letters to essential service workers (we can help deliver them)
• Do some extra chores around your house (above what you normally do)
• Collect food from your friends and neighbours and deliver to the Food Bank
• Sweep driveways or sidewalks for others
• Walk a neighbour’s dog
• Prepare a meal(s) for someone who could use it
• Go to the store/get groceries for someone who cannot go out

Counselling

Our school’s counselling department has always provided supports for students who are grappling with a variety of personal issues.  Ms. Ouellette and Ms. Brogdon continue to be available to students and families.

The best way to get in touch with them right now is by email (Mia.Ouellette@gov.yk.ca orKatrina.Brogdon@gov.yk.ca) and they can make individual arrangements to schedule an appointment.


Please contact us!

Please don’t hesitate to contact teachers, counsellors, or the school’s administration to address your concerns – we’d very much prefer to resolve an issue while it is still small rather than let it grow into something more serious. We also need your feedback in order to know how things are going!

• Telephone: 667-5901
• Email:
  • School’s general email:vcss@gov.yk.ca
  • Skills Room email:vcsskills@yesnet.yk.ca
  • Staff emails:firstname.lastname@yesnet.yk.ca(e.g. ryan.sikkes@yesnet.yk.ca)

Sincerely,
​Ryan Sikkes, principal and Jeanette Gallant, vice principal

Dear Vanier students and families:
 
The gospel from Sunday’s Mass was the story of the two disciples meeting Jesus on the road of Emmaus.  The two disciples did not recognize Jesus at first and only realized, later, who he was.  It’s a beautiful story on the theme of despair turning to hope and unbelief turning into belief.  
What lessons can we take from this story of not recognizing Jesus immediately?  How do we make sure that the lives we live, or the situations that we face, don’t cause us to overlook or fail to recognize the presence of God in our lives?
 
The rhythm and routine of learning from home is starting to settle in for many students and families.  Here are a few items that may help as things continue…
 
Students: General information and announcements
 
Students may have noticed that an extra class popped up today in their Google Classroom desktop – “The Hallway” is a classroom that contains general information and announcements that pertain to a variety of things: Skills Room, Learning Commons, Grad 2020, Social Justice Club, etc.  Please check this classroom periodically for information only – there are no assignments or work required for this class!!
 
Students & Parents/Guardians: Getting extra help
 
As a school, we will start to reach out a bit more to those students who don’t appear to be engaging their course work so that we can offer as much support as necessary.  At any time, if you need specific help that is best supported by a teacher, connect to Vanier’s Virtual Skills Room or to a teacher. We do not want this “learning from home” to add undue stress or negatively affect family relationships. Please reach out if you need help!
 
Parent/Guardians: Productive feedback for learning at home
 
Hopefully, your children are able to do a lot of their school work independently from you. However, there will be times when they struggle or want to show you their work. When you notice that a child needs feedback about a task, there are some ways to ensure your responses are helpful.
 
Ideally, we need to help learners know what their strengths are and then provide information to help them adjust their thinking in order to build or improve skills. We want to avoid simple statements like “Looks good,” or “Not bad.” Feedback can promote learning – and benefit your relationship - when it is specific and builds on strengths. Try using these prompts to promote learning:

• I noticed that you …
• Next time, you might try …
• Have you thought about …
• This part is interesting. Can you describe your thinking for me?

 
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.  Simply reply to this email, email a staff member at firstname.lastname@yesnet.yk.ca, email vcss@gov.yk.ca for general inquiries, or call the school at 667-5901 – take your pick!
 
Sincerely,
 
Ryan Sikkes, principal and Jeanette Gallant, vice-principal

​Dear Vanier Students and Families:
 
Draw us forth…
Draw us forth, God of all creation.
Draw us forward and away from limited certainty
into the immense world of your love.
Give us the capacity to even for a moment
taste the richness of the feast you give us.
Give us the peace to live with uncertainty,
with questions,
with doubts.
Help us to experience the resurrection anew
with open wonder and an increasing ability
to see you in the people of Easter.
Amen.
 
We hope everyone enjoyed the lovely weather this past weekend – the crocuses appearing and the trees starting to bud is such an exciting sign of rebirth and renewal!  It is no coincidence that the early Christians chose to mark Jesus’ death and resurrection during this season.
 
Our first few days of learning from home with most students participating online have been quite smooth from our perspective.  If your reality has not been the same, please let us know so we can try and help!  We would much rather help sort out any issues early on before a student starts to feel behind.
 
Here are few bits of information to share this week:
 

• Later this week, we’ll be rolling out our “Virtual Skills Room” – details will be in a future email and posted on the school website – www.vcss.ca – as an option for students to get extra help, assignment reading and/or scribing online, etc.
• If portal passwords need to be reset, please call the school at 667-5901 or email vcss@gov.yk.ca
• If you require a pick up or delivery of school materials or assignments, please call the school at 667-5901 or use this link to request one.
• We still have locker contents to distribute – please feel free to call the school at 667-5901 before you come to pick them up or use the link above to request a delivery.
• Books are available from the Learning Commons – simply email janet.clarke@yesnet.yk.ca with your requests and to make arrangements for pickup or delivery.
• You can always email teachers using the email convention firstname.lastname@yesnet.yk.ca – please don’t hesitate to contact teachers or the school if you have any questions or concerns.  Again, earlier is better!

 
I just want to repeat a few suggestions for students to help set the best conditions for learning at home:
 

1. Think about where you are going to work.  If possible, find a quiet place that you use for studying only.
2. Have a regular routine.  Set a schedule and study at the same time each day.  Consider scheduling your classwork in a specific order.
3. Plan out your study time to include regular breaks.
4. Keep pace with your schoolwork and don’t wait until the last minute to complete tasks.
5. Keep your learning area tidy and organized and with minimal distractions – this includes your online environments – put your phone on “do not disturb”, shut off your notifications, close multiple browser tabs, etc.

Let’s keep in touch!  Our Instagram account (vcssyukon) is a great way to stay connected.  We’ll have more opportunities as the days progress.
 
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
 
Happy Easter!
 
Sincerely,
 
Ryan Sikkes, principal and Jeanette Gallant, vice-principal

Dear Vanier students and families:


Halleluiah, He has risen!  Truly, He has risen!


On behalf of all staff of Vanier Catholic Secondary, I bring you warm Easter greetings.  Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection remind us that all things are possible through God. We hope that these warm, lengthening days inspire a sense of rebirth and renewal. 


We hope that your long weekend was joyous, despite the lack of being able to gather as we usually do with family and friends.  Thank you for making those sacrifices for the sake of our collective health.
This week will see the commencement of learning from home on Thursday.  Tomorrow, all students will receive emails from their teachers outlining what the remainder of the year’s learning standards will be, along with details about how students will interact with teachers going forward.


As a reminder, the expectation is that all Grade 8 and 9 students will have a total of 10 hours per week of teaching and work time.  Grade 10-12 students will have 3 hours per week per class for teaching and work. Student and family well-being are our top priority, so please communicate with teachers if adjustments are necessary.


At this time, we still do not have approved protocols for the handling of materials (e.g. locker contents, technology items, assignments and learning materials).  We have been advised that these will be in place tomorrow afternoon and we can begin making arrangements for pick ups or deliveries as soon as we verify our processes will be safe and hygienic.  When pick ups or deliveries of materials is ready to begin, we will send out another email to everyone.  Thank you for your continued patience.


However, we are now in a position to begin arranging for the loan of technology.  We have a very limited number of laptops, iPads, and keyboards that we can loan.  These are our priorities (in order):

1. Grade 12 students who do not have access within their home to a suitable device for up to 12 hours per week.
2. Students who require technology as outlined in a Student Learning Plan or Individual Education Plan.
3. Other students who have no access to suitable technology within their household.
4. Other students who may have trouble accessing a suitable device within their household for the required time each week.

​We understand that, for many families, it will be convenient to have an additional device in the household.  We simply cannot provide enough devices to meet those who desire them for convenience’s sake.  Please keep the following in mind when assessing whether you need an additional device:

1. Most online activities will not be done according to a prescribed schedule, so families can expect that online work can be done throughout the day, not just at particular times.
2. Most scheduled activities will be Zoom conferences which can easily be done using a smart phone or tablet.
3. Most smartphones are more than capable of showing videos, using Zoom, and using Google classroom.  We have a number of wired keyboards (Lightning connectors for Apple phones or iPads) that make typing easier which may be all your child needs to fully participate using their phone.

To request a device, please follow this link or call the school at 667-5901.


We have heard some anxieties with regard to assessment, grading, and report cards.  Here are some key messages from us:

• All students are expected to make the best of these upcoming learning opportunities;
• Students who were passing their courses at the end of spring break are expected to pass, but grades may go up or down based on performance between now and June 12.
• Students who were not passing at the end of spring break must complete prior work as evidence of that learning.  Students in this position will be contacted by each applicable teacher to demonstrate the required learning in order to improve their performance and pass the course.
• Students will not have final, summative exams in June.
• Each teacher will determine the best way to ensure students have demonstrated the required learning and provide a final report card with detailed comments about next steps.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have further questions or concerns.


​​Sincerely,
Ryan Sikkes, principal and Jeanette Gallant, vice-principal