Greetings!

I hope everyone was able to spend some time with family and friends counting blessings over this past weekend.  Despite the difficulties that pepper life generally, we do have much to be thankful about.  I’ve been reading about the ancient Stoics, those philosophers that practiced a calm detachment to life’s troubles.  They insist in the practice of imagining how much worse things could be before issuing any complaint about one’s present circumstance.  Indeed, the path to wisdom is always calling…

Thanksgiving Liturgy

The whole school will come together at 10:05 on Tuesday, Oct 12 for the Thanksgiving Liturgy hosted by Ms. Sharma’s Genocide Studies 12 class.  This is our first full-school gathering since the pandemic. 

Food Drive

Bags have been delivered to most streets in Riverdale and beyond.  Our school will be gathering those full bags of dry and canned goods on Wednesday, Oct 13 all day.  We’ll drive them down to the food bank afterschool.

NET

We met the recently-arrived National Evangelical Team members after mass on Saturday night during a yummy potluck.  This group is a little older than last year’s and are full of enthusiasm for the mission ahead.  Members will be in and around the school until May, participating in class activities and helping with the liturgies and retreats. 

Grade 8 Retreat 

The Grade 8 Retreat scheduled for Wednesday, Oct 13 will have to be postponed until Nov 3.

VGSA

First meeting of the year is tomorrow, Thursday at lunch in Room 20 (Mr. Willoughby's), please join for free pizza and drinks.

Confirmation Classes

Confirmation classes are starting up on Wednesday, October 20 at 6:30 in the Sacred Heart Rectory.  Registration forms can be found outside the Religious Education Office.  Please talk to Ms. Best if interested.  It used to be that confirmation was done at the same time as First Reconciliation and First Communion, but that changes about five years ago.

Literacy and Numeracy Assessments

Due to COVID and a series of unfortunate events (last year’s snowmageddon and internet failure), we are behind on the completion of Grade 10 Literacy and Numeracy Assessments and the Grade 12 Literacy Assessment.  These are required for graduation.  We will get a large number of these completed during the first week of November.  Teachers will have an opportunity to prep students in the coming weeks.

Reports

All families should be getting the first informal, interim report this week.  In two week’s time, teachers will prepare the mid-term report.  Please review these carefully and have a discussion with your student.  Parents can always check out what work has been assigned by getting on to teachers’ MS-Teams sites.  Ask your student to take you there!

Awards Night

Awards Night is schedule for Monday, Oct 25 at 7:00 in the small gym.  Invites will go out this week.

Finally,

Today’s (Monday) Gospel reading comes from Luke 11: 29-32.  They are ominous words. Jesus warns the people of their disbelief and seeking of signs for some sort of proof of God’s presence in our midst.  Our Lord reminds us of Jonah who was sent off to Nineveh to convert the evil doers.  He found success, but only after he was swallowed by the whale for his cowardice.  We often forget the advice of Christ.  We don’t want to hear it, for we think we are fine, and that there is no great urgency to turn ourselves to God.  Just like making room for gratitude, this weekend, let’s make a little room for God.  Let him guide us in a reflection of what we have going for us, and what more we may do bring God’s love into our lives and our world.  Let that be all the proof we need.

God bless you,
​
Kyle Janzen, Principal VCSS.
 

Greetings!

We begin our seventh week of classes this week.  In two weeks we’ll be half-way through the semester!  Now, routines are established, relationships are starting to gel, and the learning is underway in earnest.  We are fortunate to have the opportunity to have full-day, full-school classes.  This is not the case elsewhere in Canada.  Even in the Yukon, COVID-19 has impacted operations in Watson Lake and Carcross. 

Although we may think we are out of the woods when it comes to school closures, we are not.  We must remain vigilant and continue to follow our hygiene practices.  This means continuing to wear masks when in the hallways and common areas outside of class.  Please remember to bring a reusable mask to school!

Thanksgiving Weekend
This weekend is a long one.  Hopefully you can get together with family and friends for a time of sharing and gratitude.  Monday, Oct 11 is a stat holiday.  School will be closed. 

The Cafeteria and the YFNED Food Program
The Yukon First Nations Education Directorate’s plan to provide breakfast and lunch to all students is changing to reflect the original intention to support Indigenous students.  We are happy to follow their lead here.  The cafeteria was going to provide 50 free lunches to the first come, first served.  After listening to interest, that number is now 100.  However, this offering will be in place only for October.  The YFNED will then target Indigenous students and the food insecure.  We will assist this goal by implementing some sort of voucher in November.  Meanwhile, we have a problem with the gas line to the cafeteria, so the variety of foods will be different as the big stove and deep fryer are not operational.  Jerry and Jhenn have a way to keep things moving.  Food will continue to be on offer.

Volleyball
The volleyball action continues this week on the following schedule.  Lots of games at VCSS!

Tuesday Oct 5 9/10 boys at VCSS afterschool

Wednesday Oct 6 Gr 8 boys at CSSC Mercier afterschool

Thursday Oct 7 Supervolley VCSS vs PC at VCSS (girls 5:00; boys 7:00)

Friday Oct 8 Supervolley VCSS vs FH at VCSS (girls 5:00; boys 7:00)

Awards Night
Because COVID-19 manages to make everything more difficult, we did not have awards nights last year.  We would like to honour those deserving students.  We’ll have an Awards Night on Monday, October 25 at 7:00.  Stay tuned for details.

Please know that if you have any questions, you can reach me at Kyle.Janzen@yukon.ca

God bless,
​
Kyle Janzen, Principal VCSS

​
For Picture Day next week, students will have their photos taken according the schedule.
On Monday morning for the first two blocks of the day, Grade 8 and Transitions students will have their photos taken. During the next three blocks of the day, Grade 10, 11, and 12 students with the last names starting from A-L will have their photos taken.

On Tuesday morning, Grade 9 and Room 1 students will have their photos taken during the first two blocks of the day. Grade 10, 11, and 12 students with the last names starting with M-Z will have their photos taken during the last three blocks of the day.

Greetings everyone,

What a beautiful time of year!  Get out there and enjoy the colours.  As we all know, the pageantry is on display for a short time only.

Sick and at School
Firstly, we have seen many students and staff battling with some sort of cold these past couple of weeks.  While it isn’t COVID-19, we must still take it seriously.  Just a reminder that if you are not feeling well, please stay home.  All teachers should have work posted to MS-Teams for just such occasions.  If you are unable to get through to MS-Teams, please send a message to teachers or contact the office.  Please take of yourselves and one another.

The Election
Elections Canada will be running a polling station in our large gym on Monday, Sept 20 all day.  Ms. Sharma will be hosting a student poll from 9:00 to 12:35 in the Learning Commons. 

Reconciliation Liturgy
We will be having a reconciliation-themed liturgy on Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 10:00 for the grade 8 and 9s, and again at 11:15 for the grades 10/11/12s.  We will have a few guests.  If you are interested in attending this liturgy, you are welcome, but please stop by the office to let us know you are here.  It is entirely appropriate to wear an orange shirt.

Permission Forms
All families should have received a copy of a permission form that allows students to go off-site for school-based activities in the neighbourhood.  If you can print it off, please sign it and send it with your student who can drop it off at the office.  We will be sending hard-copies home on Monday for a prompt return on Tuesday if home-printing is an issue.  Also, a package of forms went home.  For those who have brought their forms in, your name will be entered into a draw for a $250 VISA gift card.

Terry Fox Run
The first event covered with this permission form is the annual Terry Fox Run/Walk on Wednesday, Sept 22 at 11:09.  Students will gather in the small gym for a brief presentation and then head out for our walk through the neighbourhood.  Please bring in a donation.  Terry wanted a dollar from every Canadian.  We can honour that!  Thanks to Mr. Willoughby and his Socials 10 class for organizing this.

SWIS Worker
The Settlement Worker in the School (SWIS) program has returned.  Every Friday, Maryknoll and/or Junsu will be in the board room to help students and their families who are new to Canada get settled in.  Drop by and make a new friend.

Picture Days!
Next week, on Monday Sept 27 and Tuesday Sept 28, Star Flower photography will be at school taking photos of all students.  Even if you aren’t interested in a package, we ask that all students take photos for our records.  Please see attached some guidelines from Star Flower, ‘Tips for a Good Student Portrait.'

Volleyball
Students were involved in the Early Bird Tournament action on the weekend at the various high schools.  The good times continue with SuperVolley starting on Wednesday, Sept 22.  Grade 9/10 girls from 3:30 -5:30 immediately followed by the senior boys.

Tutoring
If students are interested in tutoring others for a variety of classes, please sign up with Ms. Johnston or Ms. Seloterio for the tutor training.  Pay rates are good, and you can help your fellow students.

This last piece is in keeping with the Gospel message from this Sunday.

 “If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
Taking a child, he placed him in the their midst,
and putting his arms around him, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”                               Mark 9

Greetings!

We can see the dust start to settle as we get used to the idea of being back in school.  I hope the excitement about new courses and opportunities remains fresh.  Volleyball is underway and the mountains around town are changing into their fall colours.  At this beautiful time of year, we have much to be thankful for.

Meanwhile, some school issues require our attention.

If your child is not able to get onto MS TEAMS, or be added as a member to a Team, it is likely because a form hasn’t been signed.  Several grade 8s and those who have arrived from out-of-territory need to sign a Cloud Services Form.  I’ll ensure that each student who has not signed this form will have a copy given to them in first period on Wednesday.  Bring it home, sign it, and send it back to the office.

The office will send out information packages to every family this week.  There are two packages.  The white-paper package is information to read over and keep at home, this includes such items as attendance expectations and procedures, direction to read over specific policies in the school handbook (at vcss.ca), evacuation procedures, internet use guidelines, and what happens should behaviour become worrisome.
The second package will be on brightly-coloured paper, and this contains forms that need to filled out, signed, and returned.  Bring these completed forms back by October 5, and your name will be entered in a draw for a $250 VISA gift card.

This week grade 8 and 9 students will be participating in the DART, which stands for District Assessment for Reading Team.  This activity will have students meet with a teacher one-on-one and perform a reading assessment that will then help teachers to direct their class-wide learning activities.  We call it assessment for learning.  Ask your student how they felt it went.

Last in the list, students, staff, and guests are still required to wear masks when in the hallways.  Please ensure your student has a mask with them when they leave home.  We don’t have a budget for masks any longer, and our supply is dwindling rapidly.

Finally, an old friend of mine, wise to the ways of the wilderness, loved going to the Tombstones at any time of year, each time being as beautiful as the next.  The landscape had only changed its clothes.  The constant beauty remained no matter what the outward appearance.  In 1 Peter, the author writes:

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

Even though the mountains are in their full flowering of beauty, let’s remember true human beauty comes from within.

God bless,
​
Kyle Janzen, Principal

Parent Letter     Aug 30, 2021

Greetings!

Like every year, back to school is a busy time.  With our return to our pre-pandemic five-period day schedule, grade 10-12s have an additional adjustment.  So far, so good…

Schedule changes are still possible until Wednesday this week, but then we’ll lock things in and the school year will be truly underway.  A few issues are worth mentioning:

School means a change in routine.  Please ensure students are getting enough rest at night, and that the phone is off and away so as not to disrupt much needed rest with the latest TikTok update.  The loss of just one hour’s sleep a night adds up to missing nearly a full night’s sleep by the end of the week.

Teachers will once again be regularly posting assignments to MS-Teams for each class.  Ask your child to show you.  No doubt, the homework routine is another change to our summer ways.

We currently have two vacancies on the VCSS School Council following the resignation of chair Cynthia Lyslo.  We wish Cynthia all the best and thank her for her years of service and commitment to VCS.  The next school council meeting is this Tuesday, August 31 at 7:00 in the Learning Commons.

Some concerns have arisen around our attempt to regulate traffic in the student parking lot.  This project is driven by an ongoing concern over dangerous driving.  If the danger evaporates, so does the need for regulation.  I urge all parents and guardians to go over the responsibilities and privileges of driving, especially in school zones, with our young drivers.  More information to follow.  Stay tuned.

However, the overall feeling is pretty positive.  Students are in class, teachers and support staff are doing what they do, and the building is holding together.  The learning has begun!

We have our opening liturgies in the small gym on Tuesday.

In all of the excitement of the first weeks, we do well to return to the words from the prophet Micah that have guided VCSS since it’s inception in 1997:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

God bless you all,
​
Kyle Janzen, Principal VCSS
 
 
 

Greetings! 

I am very happy to have landed here in the principal’s office.  Many of you will know me as I have been teaching at Vanier since 2005.  I am grateful for the support and fine work of my predecessors, Ryan Sikkes and Katrina Brogdon, and our staff in leaving the school in such excellent shape through the events of the last year and a half. 

Sadly, the recent news of revealed graves at former residential schools has caused shock across the country.  Please know that as a school community, Vanier remains committed to walking the path of reconciliation with our First Nations.   

To be sure, the Covid-19 pandemic has been a disruption for all of us.  Now that we are entering a recovery phase, we can focus on our primary mission - the education of our students.  MS-Teams will continue to be used as a way for teachers to post assignments and keep in touch.  This is a great way to keep things rolling if students, for whatever reason, can’t attend. 

Student and staff safety remain front of mind, but we are looking at a school year that looks much more ‘normal’ than the recent past.  Some precautions will remain in place for now, such as continued mask-wearing in hallways and common areas, but not in classrooms.  We ask that students bring their own masks and keep them handy.  While we can provide masks for students and guests, we have no budget for them.  The cost of supplying masks to students will soon put a crunch on our budget if we need to provide as many as we did last year.  Stay tuned for updates on mitigations.  We will be sharing information with students and the school community on the first day and as developments occur.   

Our school timetable will be returning to our pre-covid schedule of five classes per day and the shorter lunch.  Students will also be assigned lockers this year.  You can find a copy of the school-wide schedule on vcss.ca 
Please look at our website for important dates, supply lists, and the school handbook which outline behaviour expectations, dress codes, and general school information.  Updates are upcoming and ongoing. 

We have some new and returning staff and some moving on: 
Maria Gray, our former religious education coordinator, has moved over to Holy Family as their new principal.  Congratulations and all the best in your new role.  You will be missed. 
Mia Ouellette is back from her education leave as our full-time counsellor. 
Kristen Johnston, lately from Jack Hulland, will be in the junior learning assistance role. 
Monica Best, whom many will know from Christ the King, is our new religious education coordinator. 
Rosalind Schmitke will be rejoining us in our Shared Resource Program while Richard Johnson is on leave. 
Serge Comeau has moved to the Individual Learning Centre for this year. 

Students entering grade 8 and their parents/guardians are invited to an information meeting on Thursday, August 19 at 7:00  PM in the small gym.  This is a repeat of the meeting held last spring, so if you attended that one, no need for this one.  However, grade 8 students are expected to attend the orientation on Friday, Aug 20 at 1:00 PM.  Our new students will get a chance to meet their teachers and their new cohorts, receive their lockers and schedules, and explore the school.   

On the first day back, Monday, August 23, students are welcome in the building.  At the first bell, grades 8 and 9 will be in the small gym, and grade 10, 11, and 12 will meet in the large gym.  We will hand out schedules and convey some other information. 

Schedules were not released at the end of the year as we were uncertain what this year would look like because of Covid.  Over the summer we had new floors installed which prohibited access to the office.  Now we are playing catch-up.  Please be patient with us.  Schedules will be released to grade 8s at the orientation, and all others will receive them first day back, Monday, August 23.   

Bus passes are changing.  Instead of monthly passes, students will be issued bus passes for each semester, so students will need to decide if they will take the school bus or city transit.  More information regarding bus registration will be out through email. 

Our school’s name is also in the process of changing, but the process takes time.  When we can share some news, we will. 

Jerry and Jeanette will be returning to the cafeteria this year to provide students with nutritious lunches and snacks.  With the shorter lunch period, line-ups will be a thing.  Let’s remember to keep it courteous. 

You can expect some forms to come in the mail regarding school fees: $25 for school fees in addition to $25 for religious education fees.  Families with more than one child attending Catholic schools pay $40 for the whole family for the religious fees.  We respectfully ask that you pay fees promptly through cheque, cash, or e-transfer to vcss@gov.yk.ca 

2021 Grads (last year’s) are welcome to a BBQ at the school on Thursday, Aug 26 at 5:00.  This will be followed by the first annual Jim Giczi Memorial Dodgeball Game where students pit their skills against the red serge from the local RCMP detachment.  

This new role will come with challenges, but we are blessed with a great team of educators and staff, and the students are amazing.  You have my assurance that I will do all I can to make the school experience as rewarding, enriching, and memorable as possible.  Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any concerns and questions.  We are always ready to help. 

Finally, as we hopefully emerge from the Covid emergency, we see that the world continues to roil away and defy our expectations.  As a Catholic school, we profess Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.  Guided by his divine presence and wisdom, we work to bring peace, love, and dignity to all.  Always remember that with God, all things are possible. 

Yours in Christ, 
​
Kyle Janzen