Dear Vanier Students and Families:
 
Today was a new experience for all our staff as we met virtually through a Microsoft Teams meeting! Lots of good ideas are already emerging that will result in an effective and engaging educational program to start on April 15.
 
We also held our first daily prayer over Instagram Live at 12 noon today – this will continue every weekday and we invite all our students and families to join us.
 
We appreciate your understanding and patience as we continue to make preparations.
 
Here are some other things that will be happening this week:

• A staff member will call each family to confirm contact information, share some information, and ask some questions about technology access and supports that students may need to have in place while learning from home.
• We will be preparing to empty lockers so students can have all their learning materials they need at home.  We will be offering curb-side pick up or delivery to homes – we will send another email when this will be ready.
• We will be preparing to offer loans of materials from our Learning Commons – visit our catalogue at vcss.ca  Learning Commons  Catalog.  Again, we can arrange curb-side pick up or home delivery!  Email requests to Janet.Clarke@yesnet.yk.ca

 
I know the biggest question on most students’ minds is, “What am I going to do until April 15!?”  Here are some suggestions:
 

• Start building in some routines during the work-week - consistent bedtimes, wake-up times, and work times;
• Watch our Instagram feed (vcssyukon) for daily prayer (12 noon) and daily challenges and contests;
• Make sure you have a quiet space set aside at home to do school work;
• Daily reading time – start reading a novel (order one from the learning commons for pick up or delivery) or download the Libby app and use your Whitehorse Public Library card to download e-books;
• Review prior learning (with materials from lockers, when available) in all courses in progress;
• Catch up on work that was assigned prior to spring break – submit those overdue assignments;
• Grade 10-12 students – do practice Literacy and Numeracy assessments
• Use online tools to master mathematics  or literacy skills – e.g. Khan academy
• Read online news sites and have current events discussions (what else is going on in our community, country, world aside from Covid-19?!);
• Watch YouTube videos to help revisit and master those tricky topics that you don’t feel you learned well enough the first time;
• Daily physical activity – make it a goal to get outside for at least 30 minutes every day;
• Do an art or craft project;
• Find a free audio book to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet.  There are stories available in French as well: https://stories.audible.com/start-listen?ref=adbl_ent_anon_ds_hm_hb
• Start a journal – in a notebook or digitally to write down your thoughts, tell a story, or write poetry;
• Watch an online documentary (and get your friends to watch it at their home) and meet online to discuss it.  National Film Board (https://www.nfb.ca/) has an excellent, free collection;
• Watch a Powerful Stories Tedx:   https://www.ted.com/playlists/386/10_years_of_ted_talks_powerfu
• Listen to a podcast for teens – there are so many great options out there!

 
I know many of you, especially Grade 12 students, will be anxious to get going on new learning.  Again, please be patient and don’t email your teachers asking for work – they’re working on preparing it for you now.
 
Teachers will be in touch soon to outline what will be happening in their classes.
 
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions or concerns.
 
Thanks,
Ryan Sikkes, principal and Jeanette Gallant, vice-principal

Dear Vanier Students, Parents, and Guardians:
We mentioned in an earlier email that we would provide an update on or before today about the resumption of instruction.
Nothing has changed since our email from Monday, March 23 that included an attached letter and FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) from the Department of Education.  In that letter, it stated:
Classes at all Yukon schools are suspended as of March 18, 2020 until April 15, 2020, due to recommendations from Yukon’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. 
During this time, students are not expected to attend school or learn from home. School staff will be working with their principal and staff from the Department of Education to assess potential impacts to school programs and to plan for measures needed to ensure continued learning for students. This includes: 

• Identifying where students are at in their learning to date. 
• Identifying the most essential learning for students that can completed for rest of the school year after April 15. 
• Ensuring students who are eligible to graduate Grade 12 this year will graduate. 
• Looking at how to best deliver essential learning to students and communicate student learning to families should the suspension of face-to-face classes continue after April 15. 

Next week, our staff will begin tackling this list.  I will email again on Monday with some further information about:

• Possible educational activities for students to engage in until April 15;
• Ways to access the contents of lockers to obtain binders, books, and learning materials;
• Ways to obtain books and learning materials from our Learning Commons/Library; and
• Other suggestions to best prepare for the resumption of instruction on April 15.

I realize it will be frustrating for many to wait until April 15 to resume instruction - we thank you for your patience and understanding during this time while staff prepare.
Again, we want to ensure all our school community stays well informed and connected, so please:

1. Ensure that we have a valid email address for every student, parent, and guardian on file.  In particular, we don’t have many student email addresses on file.  If you would like to add or update an email address, please email the updates to vcss@gov.yk.ca
2. Join our Instagram feed.  We would like to be able to share images of our students continuing to learn at home and allow students to join us each weekday for daily prayer over Instagram Live.  Our account name is vcssyukon and you need to ask to join – if your user name does not clearly identify you, please let us know who you are and what student you are connected with!
3. Download and install Zoom.us app (for iOS and Google) or software (Mac or Windows).  We will be using Zoom to facilitate class meetings and other school group virtual gatherings.  You do not need to create an account with Zoom to participate, simply download the software from https://zoom.us/ or find the free app on Apple store or Google store
4. Bookmark our website.  https://www.vcss.ca/ will continue to be the main place for information to be posted.  Teachers’ websites and our Learning Commons library catalogue are also linked there.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact us by replying to this email.
Sincerely,
Ryan Sikkes, principal and Jeanette Gallant, vice-principal

Hello everyone:

For the latest news from Government of Yukon on the Covid-19 situation, please visit their Covid-19 website.

Classes at Yukon's public schools are suspended until April 15.  Educational programming that will involve students working from home will continue after spring break ends on March 27 and arrangements, in particular, for grade 12 students will be put into place to ensure graduation.

More information will follow on what Vanier students can expect after the end of spring break will be posted on this website on or before March 27.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us directly at vcss@gov,yk.ca or by calling the school at 867-667-5901.

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

March 9th, 2020

Dear Vanier families and friends,

We are sad that our school will not be hosting two sporting events, accommodations, and food services for athletes next week during the now-cancelled Arctic Winter Games.  We very much understand how difficult it was to make this decision out of an abundance of caution for the safety and well-being of all the participants and volunteers.  We recognize how many hours of training and planning went into this event and wish to remain focused on the commitment of the athletes, coaches, and volunteers.  We hope that these efforts will pay off in other ways even though it will be disappointing to miss the games experience.

As we head into spring break at the end of this week, we will be encouraging students to clean out their lockers before the end of Friday.  Gym strip, especially, should be taken home to be laundered.

This will be the last email until school resumes on March 30 – enjoy the break!

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

Upcoming Important Dates

• Wednesday, March 11, 11:09 am, X block is period 3
• March 16 - 27 – Spring Break – Have a relaxing couple of weeks.
• April 3-4 – THINKfast – THINKfast is an interactive learning experience designed for youth.  Students can choose from a collection of activities and reflections that will help them and their group experience the challenges of poverty and injustice in concrete ways.  By participating in this 25-hour educational and fundraising fast you stand in solidarity with those in the Global South who need our support, both through financial support to projects they are leading and through a greater understanding of the structures that perpetuate poverty and injustice.  In one day, you take a stand against oppression and directly support programs in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East that bring about peace, justice, and development.  Registration forms will be distributed after spring break.
• Wednesday, April 8, 11:09am – Easter Liturgy
• Friday, April 10 – Good Friday, No School.
• Monday, April 13 – Easter Monday, No School.
• April 14-17 – Numeracy Assessment window for all Grade 10s.

Smart phone concerns
Smart phones can be wonderful tools for communications and for learning.  We do, however, have some concerns with some of the choices that our students are making with their phones and wish to encourage parents/guardians to discuss smart phone use.

1. Usage late at night – many of our students are exhausted at school while reporting that they stay up late at night playing games or communicating.  Please consider asking your child to charge their phones in the kitchen or a parents’/guardians’ bedroom
2. Inappropriate content – we receive reports of students who are viewing and sharing inappropriate content – mostly videos, including pornography.  While our school’s wifi is filtered, cellular data is not.
3. Intimate images – the possession and transmission of intimate images of subjects under 18 years is a criminal offence.  Some students believe that sending intimate images to romantic partners is an exception to this law – it is not.

It is our school’s opinion that parents/guardians have the responsibility to access your child’s smart phone periodically to monitor usage and safety.
If you have any questions or concerns or wish some support in engaging with your child on this issue, please feel free to contact the administration or a counsellor for advice.

Food for Learning
The Yukon Food for Learning Association (YFFLA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the nutritional needs of school students in the Yukon.  Their vision is a Yukon where every student has access to nutritious healthy food while at school.
Here at Vanier we have been using our funding from the YFFLA to ensure we always have healthy food on hand that is accessible to all students. 
Students are encouraged to stop by the office where they can be directed to supplies to make healthy sandwiches, paired with fruit and granola bars, if they are hungry or have no food.

Class of 2020 Fundraisers
The Graduation class of 2020 is currently accepting donations towards their Raven Recyling fundraiser.  When returning recyclables to Raven Recycling, just quote “Vanier Grad Class of 2020”, they will then put the refund towards the grad account.  They provide refunds on all ready to drink beverage containers sold in Yukon.  This includes all beer, wine, liquor, pop, juice and milk containers.  Any and all donations are greatly appreciated.
On Saturday, April 18, The Leesiders (Whitehorse’s premiere Celtic dance band) will be playing a down east kitchen party at the Coast High Country Inn as a Class of 2020 fundraiser!  Tickets will be on sale starting March 30 at the school - $25 each.  No minors; 19 years and older only.
​
Service Learning Hours
If your child received an “I” on their report card for Religion and had a comment saying they need to get their Service Learning Hours completed, please encourage them to see Mr. Gillard regarding this matter.  They may also have hours not completed in previous years that is affecting credits on their transcripts.  Please keep in mind, if a student did not complete hours in one year, they do carry over to the next. 
Please visit the website for more details: https://www.vcssreligion.com/service-learning
 

March 2nd, 2020

Dear Vanier families and friends,

Since the news broke last week regarding the credible allegations made against Jean Vanier, we have entered into many conversations about what this means for us as a school. Jean Vanier was the founder of L’Arche and a member of the family after whom our school was named. We previously held him in high regard and now know that this trust was unwarranted.  We have removed pictures of Jean Vanier from our walls and staff have engaged students in conversations about the significance of these reports.

The most common question we have heard is: “Will we change our school name?” 

Our honest, but perhaps unsatisfying, answer this week remains the same as it was last week: “We don’t know, yet.”

However, our School Council will be undertaking a consultation process in the coming weeks to hear from all those both within and outside our school community regarding the issue of whether to keep or change the school’s name.  This process will include seeking input from staff, students, parents, the diocese and the broader community, including local First Nations, before a decision is made.  Information about this process, including ways for you to express your thoughts and opinions, will be shared by way of these emails from the school.

In the meantime, we would like to reiterate that, as a school community, we stand in support of the women who came forward to report their abuse.  We also stand with the thousands of residents, volunteers, and staff of L’Arche communities who continue to struggle with this news.  Further, in no way will this process be an attempt to minimize these allegations.  We strongly condemn any actions that violate the emotional and physical well-being of others.

We would also like to echo our message from last week that news like this is never easy to hear and, for some students and families especially, hearing about abuse may cause feelings of anxiety, fear, sadness, or anger to name just a few.  If your child is feeling this way, please encourage them to reach out to an adult they trust to listen and help.  In particular, Ms. Brogdon and Ms. Ouellette will welcome any student who seeks support.

If you have any questions, concerns, comments, or feedback about this matter, please feel free to bring them our attention and/or our school council Chair, Cynthia Lyslo, at [ mailto:clyslo@me.com ]clyslo@me.com

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

Upcoming Important Dates 
• March 2-6 – This week!!  Informal Reporting Window.  Parents/Guardians should expect progress reports emailed or telephone calls. 
• Wednesday, March 4 – PLC (Early Dismissal) 
• Friday, March 13 – Locker Clean out. VCSS will be home to many athletes during the Arctic Winter games over Spring break.  Keeping this in mind, we will be facilitating a locker clean up this Friday to ensure we are as prepared as possible for homing so many people during the AWG. 
• March 15 – 21 –The Whitehorse 2020 Arctic Winter Games, officially known with the slogan “Bring it North”, is a multi-sport event which will take place in Whitehorse!  Vanier will be hosting Arctic Sports, Gymnastics, Accommodations, and Food Services.  The Arctic Winter Games is the world’s largest multisport and cultural event for young people of the Arctic.  Best of luck to all participants! 
• March 16 - 27 – Spring Break – Have a relaxing couple of weeks. 
• April 3-4 – THINKfast – THINKfast is an interactive learning experience designed for youth.  Students can choose from a collection of activities and reflections that will help them and their group experience the challenges of poverty and injustice in concrete ways.  By participating in this 25-hour educational and fundraising fast you stand in solidarity with those in the Global South who need our support, both through financial support to projects they are leading and through a greater understanding of the structures that perpetuate poverty and injustice.  In one day, you take a stand against oppression and directly support programs in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East that bring about peace, justice, and development.  Registration forms will be distributed after spring break.

Food for Learning
The Yukon Food for Learning Association (YFFLA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the nutritional needs of school students in the Yukon.  Their vision is a Yukon where every student has access to nutritious healthy food while at school.
Here at Vanier we have been using our funding from the YFFLA to ensure we always have healthy food on hand that is accessible to all students.  
Students are encouraged to stop by the office where they can be directed to supplies to make healthy sandwiches, paired with fruit and granola bars, if they are hungry or have no food.

Grad of 2020 Fundraiser
The Graduation class of 2020 is currently accepting donations towards their Raven Recyling fundraiser.  When returning recyclables to Raven Recycling, just quote “Vanier Grad Class of 2020”, they will then put the refund towards the grad account.  They provide refunds on all ready to drink beverage containers sold in Yukon.  This includes all beer, wine, liquor, pop, juice and milk containers.  Any and all donations are greatly appreciated.

Wood Street Centre – 2020-2021 Program Application Dates
• Deadline for 2020 - 2021 Program Applications (except ES 11) into Wood Street Centre  - Friday, March 6, 2020. 
• ES11 Overnight Event - Friday, March 6, 2020 and Saturday morning, March 7, 2020.
Please see woodstreetcentre.ca for all 2020-2021 Application Packages.

Service Learning Hours
If your child received an “I” on their report card for Religion and had a comment saying they need to get their Service Learning Hours completed, please encourage them to see Mr. Gillard regarding this matter.  They may also have hours not completed in previous years that is affecting credits on their transcripts.  Please keep in mind, if a student did not complete hours in one year, they do carry over to the next.  
Please visit the website for more details: https://www.vcssreligion.com/service-learning

CBC North is looking for their first-ever Junior Reporter to help cover the Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse in March. The goal is to deliver on-the-ground stories that the teen athletes would be interested in, as told by one of their peers. The student will report on sports and social aspects of the games, on television, through written online reports, and social media. No prior experience is necessary, and this is a paid opportunity. Community students are welcome to apply, as long as they have accommodation, transportation to and from the job site, and an adult support during the games.

If you know of a self-directed and creative student who is 12-16 years old; loves social media and sports; has an interest in journalism, media and writing; and is not competing in the Arctic Winter Games, please pass along this opportunity to them today. The application process is simple: submit a short video about why you should be the Junior Reporter to jane.sponagle@cbc.ca.