Dear Vanier students and families:
 
[NOTE: In all the fun of preparing to greet the Holy Family Elementary Grade 7 class at the school as part of their drive-thru graduation, I forgot to send this out!  My apologies for the delay.  RS]
 
This will be the last regular Monday email until school resumes in August.  However, please do make sure you continue to check your emails regularly as we will continue to distribute information using email over the summer as necessary.  We anticipate needing to do this at least a few times as things develop and what the start of next year will look like becomes clearer.
 
The world has been a topsy-turvy place, these last few months especially.  However, I believe that our strong sense of community and mission has served us well – and will continue to do so over the summer.
 
Our school is guided, in many ways, by Jesus’ two great commandments: To love God with all your mind, heart, soul, and strength and to love our neighbours as ourselves.  Imagine if everyone could live by those commandments!  Part of loving our neighbours as ourselves involves recognizing and acting against injustices, as outlined in this prayer:
 
RESHAPING A MISSHAPEN WORLD
 
God of peace,
your call is clear.
We are to reshape a misshapen world.
Bless us with your peace
so that through our actions
we may change the course of human history.
Give us the grace to never dishonor ourselves
with prejudice, apathy, or hatred.
Let us stand firm against anything that is dehumanizing.
Guard us against indifference and complacency.
Ignite our hearts with your love and your justice,
so that our commitment of conscience will stand out
like the brightest light in the darkest night.
 
Loving God,
we are your imperfect people, yet we trust in your love for us.
Turn our complacency into commitment
to ease the pain of those who suffer.
Turn our bitterness into renewed purpose to stop injustice.
Turn our apathy into resolve to put an end to oppression.
Turn our indifference into new energy to serve those in need.
Turn our stubbornness into determination to bring peace to all humanity.
 
Empowering God,
Give power to the powerless
and strength to the weak.
Give joy to those who despair
and freedom to those who have been robbed of it.
Give satisfaction to those who hunger
for bread and for justice.
 
God of all,
let new life rise out of the ashes of human suffering.
May generations to come be architects of peace and justice.
May they be full of strength and courage
and passionate about bringing your love to all humanity.
Amen.
 
Return of school’s materials
 
As the school year winds down, we will now start collecting all school materials that have been loaned or assigned to students.  These include:
·       Textbooks
·       Library books
·       Graphing calculators
·       Musical instruments
·       Science equipment
·       Technology (Mac Book Airs, keyboards, iPads)
·       Anything else that students are borrowing
 
We will have tables set up at the front of the school until Wednesday, June 10 – 9 am to 4 pm – to receive these materials.  Please return everything as soon as you are finished with the materials.
 
If you are not able to come by the school to drop materials off, please request a pickup and we will send someone to come to your home to collect the materials.  Online request form:  Request a pickup.   Or call the school at 667-5901.
 
CCSA – dinner table questions
 
Our school’s entire curriculum is built on the “Core Competencies” of Communication, Thinking, and Personal and Social Responsibility.  Typically, we lead students through the process of self-assess on their growth in these areas and report that with our final report cards.  Due to our present circumstances, we are not having student complete a Core Competency Self-Assessment.
 
Instead, we would ask all parents to, at some point over the next days, have a discussion with your child – like a student led conference – using the attached guide and prompts.
 
Student/Parent survey about online learning experiences
 
While we expect face-to-face learning to resume in some capacity next year, we also expect that we may need to maintain an online component to some classes.  In order to help inform our planning for next year, if online learning is necessary, we would appreciate your feedback.  All students and parents/guardians are invited and encouraged to complete this survey:
 
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VCSonlinelearning
 
We really appreciate everyone’s feedback to help us improve!
 
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
 
Sincerely,
 
Ryan Sikkes, Principal and Jeanette Gallant, Vice-principal
​​

Over four weeks in June and July 2020, the Department of Education will be offering summer school courses virtually/remotely for secondary students who have not successfully completed a course or who wish to strengthen their skills in one of these core academic subjects:
 

• English 8
• English 9
• English 10
• English 11
• Mathematics 8
• Mathematics 9
• Foundations of Math and Pre-calculus 10
• Workplace Mathematics 10
• Foundations of Math 11
• Pre-Calculus 11
• Workplace Mathematics 11
• Pre-Calculus 12
• Science 10
• Chemistry 11

 Courses will be offered based on a minimum of 6 students per class. Class sizes will be limited in order to provide a high degree of individual instruction.
 
Secondary students can register in 1 of the core academic subjects offered if they haven’t successfully completed a course with:
·      a final grade of 40% or higher; or
·      proficiency indicator of ‘Emerging’ or higher (Grade 8-9).
 
Fees for Summer School courses will be $180.00. Students, parents or guardians unable to pay Summer School tuition fees, may contact the Summer School Administrative Assistant at 667-5141 to make other arrangements.
 
Date:                                       June 23 - July 17, 2020
Time:                                      8:45 a.m. - 12:00 noon                      
Location:                                 F.H Collins Secondary School (Virtual/Remote Classes)
Course Fees:                           $180.00
Contact:                                  Summer School Administrative Assistant 667-5141
Registration Deadline:           Monday, June 15th, 2020
 
For further information and to download the registration form please see your school counsellor or visit our website: https://yukon.ca/en/register-summer-school

​Dear Vanier students and families:
 
Here is a quick mid-week update.
 
Return of school’s materials
 
As the school year winds down, we would like to start collecting all school materials that have been loaned or assigned to students.  These include:
-Textbooks
-Library books
-Graphing calculators
-Musical instruments
-Science equipment
-Technology (Mac Book Airs, keyboards, iPads)
-Anything else that students are borrowing
 
We will have tables set up at the front of the school starting tomorrow, Friday, June 5 until Wednesday, June 10 – 9 am to 4 pm – to receive these materials. 
 
If you are not able to come by the school to drop materials off, please request a pickup and we will send someone to come to your home to collect the materials:  Request a pickup.
 
 
Yukon Graduate Day – June 10
 
Wednesday June 10, 2020 has been proclaimed Yukon Graduate Day by the Commissioner of Yukon to recognize and celebrate the success and achievements of each and every Yukon graduating student.  Please see the attached letter from the Minister of Education for more details.
 
I will also officially declare this to be the day where our Class of 2020 students who are leaving our school community get to start addressing me as ‘Ryan’ rather than ‘Mr. Sikkes’!
 
We celebrated our Class of 2020 through a photography project over the course of the weekend when we would have been hosting our Graduation Mass, Cap and Gown, Prom, and drug- and alcohol-free aftergrad.  CBC Yukon featured this project in a short video you can watch by clicking HERE.
 
Our graduates will soon be contacted to arrange an exit interview where they can give us some direct feedback on their experiences at Vanier – this is very helpful information for us and we have made changes within the school based on this information from previous graduation classes!
 
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact the school.
 
Sincerely,
 
Ryan Sikkes, principal

​Dear Vanier students and families:
 
This Sunday was Pentecost, where the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and other followers of Jesus is marked in the Christian liturgical calendar.  The Holy Spirit is a true presence in everyone’s life and it’s often so subtle or masked by other concerns that it’s easy to forget.  The gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit are what cause a constant renewal in our community, our country, and the world and are reflected in Psalm 104 we heard at Mass yesterday:
 
Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O Lord!
the earth is full of your creatures;
Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the LORD.
Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
 
It’s June!
 
It’s difficult to believe that we are heading into our last two weeks of school!  The resilience our students and staff have shown in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic has been inspiring to us as school leaders.  Further, in those moments where resilience has sometimes suffered, the empathy shown by others to provide support and advice has also been truly gratifying to observe.
 
There are still some difficult times ahead for all of us.  There is also much uncertainty at the moment, which can be harder to deal with than bad news.  We will commit to keeping our entire school community as informed as possible as things develop, especially in regard to the start of the next school year.  Please keep checking your emails for News from Vanier throughout the summer.
 
Last week of learning from home
 
This is our last week of our online learning program to cover the essential learning standards that needed to be covered after spring break.  There will be no formal exam period, although some teachers have final projects and assignments to wrap up their courses.  Students will not have much additional time after this week to get outstanding assignments submitted – let’s focus on getting everything done this week!
 
Summer school
 
Over four weeks in June and July 2020, the Department of Education will be offering summer school courses virtually/remotely for secondary students who have not successfully completed a course or who wish to strengthen their skills in one of these core academic subjects:
 

• English 8
• English 9
• English 10
• English 11
• Mathematics 8
• Mathematics 9
• Foundations of Math and Pre-calculus 10
• Workplace Mathematics 10
• Foundations of Math 11
• Pre-Calculus 11
• Workplace Mathematics 11
• Pre-Calculus 12
• Science 10
• Chemistry 11

 
Courses will be offered based on a minimum of 6 students per class. Class sizes will be limited in order to provide a high degree of individual instruction.
Secondary students can register in 1 of the core academic subjects offered if they haven’t successfully completed a course with:

• a final grade of 40% or higher; or
• proficiency indicator of ‘Emerging’ or higher (Grade 8-9).

 
Fees for Summer School courses will be $180.00. Students, parents or guardians unable to pay Summer School tuition fees, may contact the Summer School Administrative Assistant at 667-5141 to make other arrangements.
 
Date:                                       June 23 - July 17, 2020
Time:                                      8:45 a.m. - 12:00 noon                      
Location:                                 F.H Collins Secondary School (Virtual/Remote Classes)                                                       
Course Fees:                           $180.00
Contact:                                  Summer School Administrative Assistant 667-5141
Registration Deadline:           Monday, June 15th, 2020
 
Return of school materials
 
Shortly, we will be communicating with all students and families to share the arrangements for the return of all materials that belong to the school.  We will have designated drop-off days and times that we hope will work for most students.  We can make arrangements for home pick-ups if necessary.
 
Report cards and draft timetables
 
Report cards will be written next week and will be mailed no later than June 17.  Along with the report cards will be next year’s draft timetables for students.  We will not be able to accommodate schedule changes right away – those will all have to wait until just before school starts in August.  We will supply a list of all courses available in each block with the timetables so students can see what other options are available.
 
Yearbook
 
The yearbook printer was able to extend the purchasing deadline – we have enough orders to allow the yearbooks to be printed, but we are able to sell a limited number of additional books.  Additional copies may be available in the fall, but we cannot promise this.
 
The yearbook purchase link is currently off-line but will be back up tomorrow until the end of the week:  https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productBrowse/1393329/Vanier-Catholic-Secondary-School/2020-Yearbook/2020051404152052081/CATALOG_SHOP/

We are still looking for pictures of:

• "learning from home" Covid-19 homeschooling photos
• Sports throughout the year
• Field Trips
• General 'around the school' pics

 Send pictures to vcssyearbook@gmail.com.
 
Have a great last week of learning from home – please let us know if there is anything else we can do to help during these last days of the school year!
 
Sincerely,
 
Ryan Sikkes, principal, and Jeanette Gallant, vice-principal

Dear Vanier students and families:

I’m both saddened and pleased to announce that our vice-principal, Jeanette Gallant, has been appointed Principal of Christ the King Elementary School as of the next school year.  Ms. Gallant has been our vice-principal for six years and has been an inspirational instructional leader, administrator, and human being within our school community and we will miss her presence greatly.  In addition to her many talents, we will miss her optimism and good humour.  However, we are are thrilled for her and for the CKES community as she takes on this challenging role!  Thank you, Jeanette, for everything that you have contributed to Vanier.

If you would like to congratulate Jeanette on this achievement, please email her atJeanette.Gallant@gov.yk.ca to do so and send your best wishes.


Last two weeks of learning from home!

We are on the “home stretch” of our online programming to get us through this academic year.  The last day of our online programming is Friday, June 5 after which teachers will be writing the final report cards.  Please take these last two weeks to ensure that all assignments are completed and submitted.  Do take advantage, if need be, of additional help through our Virtual Skills Room which is available Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.


Next year…

We are planning in earnest for the many scenarios that might affect the start of the 2020-2021 academic year on August 18.  We have built a timetable, filled student schedules and begun hiring the necessary staff to get the year started in anticipation of face-to-face classes resuming in some capacity.  However, the Covid-19 situation is still fluid and plans may need to change between now and August.  The safety of our students, staff, and the wider community are the most important factor to consider as we are planning.

We will endeavour to keep you all informed through these emails and our school website as plans for next year develop and are confirmed. 


Awards
We will be selecting students as recipients for our various end of year awards.  We will recognize students for academic excellence and commendable effort in each of the courses that we offer as usual.  This year, we will separate courses between semester 1 and 2 to recognize the very different way that school was delivered in Semester 2.

We will also select students for our overall awards (Principal’s Award, Christian Witness and Service Award, Safe and Caring School Champion Award) and for achievement in our extracurricular activities (e.g. athletics, social justice, tutoring, etc.).

These awards will be mailed home with the final report cards and we will publish the names of the winners in a newspaper advertisement this year instead of our usual ceremony.

Finally, after final report cards are completed, we will calculate the overall Grade Point Averages (GPAs) of all our students to determine our Principal’s List and Honour Roll Lists.  Those notifications will be mailed in the summer as usual, and hopefully we may be able to recognize those students in person in the fall.

Grad awards and scholarships will be awarded at the postponed cap and gown ceremony in August.


Cookbook
This week, we are celebrating the art, science, and craft of cooking in a larger way.  Ms. Stoker’s Foods 33 classes are displaying their food truck projects on our Instagram feed where a majority vote will decide on the winning proposal – please check them out and vote!

Further, we are still hoping for submissions to our Covid-19 Community Cookbook that we hope to offer all families at the end of the year.  Please submit your recipes by clicking this link: https://forms.gle/iLd1wG84iSyyqjuP7 The recipes we have received have looked delicious!

Finally, as always, please don’t hesitate to direct any of your questions, concerns, or feedback to us by replying to this email, emailing vcss@gov.yk.ca, or calling the school at 667-5901.
​
Sincerely,
​Ryan Sikkes, principal

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