November 25th, 2019
Dear Vanier families and friends, Informal reports: This week is the final informal report window for semestered classes. All teachers should communicate with you about your child’s progress through an email or phone call. Please don’t hesitate to contact teachers directly (by phone or email) for more information or to help support your child in coming up with a plan for improvement. Booster cards: Booster cards will be coming out soon. These are an essential fundraiser for the school and help us ensure that all students have access to programming and supports if their family’s financial situation might prevent them from doing so. We ask that each student sell two booster cards to help other students in need at the school and we appreciate everyone’s support in this regard. They make great stocking stuffers! Congratulations! Congratulations to students involved in our music program and on our volleyball teams – they are fantastic ambassadors of our school community! Our music program went on a northern tour this month – check out this great CBC article for the details: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/haines-junction-jazz-workshops-vanier-1.5352547 Our volleyball teams took five of the six championship banners! More importantly, however, we are most proud of our students for their sense of fair play and for their support of each other during the season and during the tournaments. Exam schedule coming next week: Finally, our January exam schedule will be included with this email next week. Some classes may have substantial tests before Christmas, but all academic courses will have exams scheduled during the January exam week. Sincerely, Ryan Sikkes, principal Dates to Note: November 25-29 - Informal reporting window Parents/Guardians can expect an email from each of your child's teachers this week. This email is to let you know how things are going and how to support students as we head into the last few weeks of the semester. The email will also let you know about any upcoming Important assessments that may occur in late December, before Christmas holidays. Please help your child be ready by marking these dates on your calendars at home and discussing strategies to be successful. FYI, all academic courses will also have scheduled exams January 13th - 16th. November 27-29 Arctic Sports Championships Arctic Sports Is always a highlight of every Arctic Winter Games and consists of several unique feats of athletic strength and endurance displayed in front of a packed audience. Events include the One-Foot High Kick, Two-Foot High Kick, Alaskan High Kick, Kneel Jump, Sledge Jump, Triple Jump, Arm Pull, Airplane, One Hand Reach, Head Pull, Knuckle Hop and Seal Crawl. December 2 - Share the Spirit begins Share the Spirit Yukon is back! Join us in helping families in need this Christmas. Share the Spirit Yukon has grown in the last 4 years to become the biggest geographic Christmas support program in Canada covering communities across the territory. Vanier will hold a variety of fundraisers during this time to aid us in supporting as many families as possible. December 4 - Class of 2020 Grad Meeting Parents/Guardians of the graduating Class of 2020, please join us at 7pm in the Learning Commons for our first Grad Meeting. December 5 - Annual Pancake Breakfast - 7am - 10am. Come and enjoy a plate of delicious panckages and sausages for a suggested donation of $5 a plate or $20 a family. All proceeds to "Share the Spirit" Fundraiser. November 18th, 2019
Dear Vanier families and friends, We are approaching the end of our semester! Next week will be the final informal report home for semestered classes. Please don’t hesitate to contact teachers directly (by phone or email) for more information or to help support your child in coming up with a plan for improvement. Our website – www.vcss.ca – is where you can find our handbook and is a great source of school information, too! Sincerely, Ryan Sikkes, principal Dates to Note: November 21 - Dalhousie University presentation November 22 -24 - Senior Volleyball Championships @ PCSS Good luck to our teams! November 25-29 - Informal reporting window Parents/Guardians can expect an email from each of your child's teachers next week. This email is to let you know how things are going and how to support students as we head into the last few weeks of the semester. The email will also let you know about any upcoming Important assessments that may occur in late December, before Christmas holidays. Please help your child be ready by marking these dates on your calendars at home and discussing strategies to be successful. FYI, all academic courses will also have scheduled exams January 13th - 16th. November 27-29 Arctic Sports Championships Arctic Sports Is always a highlight of every Arctic Winter Games and consists of several unique feats of athletic strength and endurance displayed in front of a packed audience. Events include the One-Foot High Kick, Two-Foot High Kick, Alaskan High Kick, Kneel Jump, Sledge Jump, Triple Jump, Arm Pull, Airplane, One Hand Reach, Head Pull, Knuckle Hop and Seal Crawl. December 2 - Share the Spirit begins Share the Spirit Yukon is back! Join us in helping families in need this Christmas. Share the Spirit Yukon has grown in the last 4 years to become the biggest geographic Christmas support program in Canada covering communities across the territory. Vanier will hold a variety of fundraisers during this time to aid us in supporting as many families as possible. December 4 - Class of 2020 Grad Meeting Parents/Guardians of the graduating Class of 2020, please join us at 7pm in the Learning Commons for our first Grad Meeting. December 5 - Annual Pancake Breakfast - 7am - 10am, $5 a plate or $20 a family. All proceeds to "Share the Spirit" Fundraiser. 2018-19 Yearbooks There are a few extra year books from the 2019-2020 school year. If you would like to purchase one, please contact the office. They are $40 and will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Booster Cards Booster cards will be coming home soon! These are an essential fundraiser for the school and help support many students and enhanced school programming. They make great stocking stuffers! We appreciate the support of our families with this annual fundraiser. November 12th, 2019
Dear Vanier families and friends, Our website – www.vcss.ca – is where you can find our handbook and is a great source of school information, too! Sincerely, Ryan Sikkes, principal November 14 - Student Satisfaction Survey We ask students to complete this survey every three years, it allows us to check-In with how students are feeling about their experience at Vanier. The questions relate to aspects of our school mission statement. It allows us to see student perspectives at this point in time, but we can also analyze data over time to notice patterns and trends. November 14-16 - Junior Volleyball Championships @ FHC & PCSS Grades 8/9/10 Volleyball teams are expected to attend school ALL DAY on November 14th. We wish you all the best of luck! November 21 - Dalhousie Presentation - Grade 12's November 22 -24 - Senior Volleyball Championships @ PCSS November 27-29 Arctic Sports Championships Arctic Sports Is always a highlight of every Arctic Winter Games and consists of several unique feats of athletic strength and endurance displayed in front of a packed audience. Events include the One-Foot High Kick, Two-Foot High Kick, Alaskan High Kick, Kneel Jump, Sledge Jump, Triple Jump, Arm Pull, Airplane, One Hand Reach, Head Pull, Knuckle Hop and Seal Crawl. 2018-19 Yearbooks Yearbooks have finally arrived. If your student has ordered one, please send them to Mr. Gillard to get their copy. ![]() We would like to extend a big Thank You to Lotteries Yukon for their travel assistance funding the Dawson Invitational Volleyball Tournament in Dawson. After a very long weekend of competition all of our Vanier teams were in the semi-finals. Only our Sr. Girls were unable to proceed to the finals. In the end, our Jr. Boys got the silver and our Jr. Girls and Sr. Boys won the gold! The athletes, coaches and chaperones enjoyed themselves very much and gained valuable playing experience from the trip, as we near the end of the volleyball season. The trip was very successful from all aspects and we would like to thank Lotteries Yukon for helping make the trip possible. Dear Vanier families and friends,
Two weeks ago, Canadians had the privilege of casting their ballots to elect our federal government. This week, we will commemorate those who made the ultimate sacrifice fighting in various wars during the previous century to defend and preserve our ability to live in a free and democratic society. Our students are fortunate to have never lived through a time when their personal freedoms have been at risk and we hope that continuing to gather as a school for Remembrance Day will help them make this connection. Sincerely, Ryan Sikkes, principal Dates to Note: Tuesday, November 5 - Numeracy Exam for ALL Grade 11's and any Grade 12's who haven't previously written it. Click HERE for more information. - Presentation from Thompson Rivers University - Presentation from University of Saskatoon Wednesday, November 6 - 2019 Education, Career and Volunteer Expo "Find out about opportunities that will build the skills and knowledge you need to land in the career that you want!" A chance for all senior students to meet with educational institutions, employers, government and non-profit organizations who can help Inform them about their future prospects and plans. Buses to leave Vanier at 1:05pm and return at 2:45pm, this is for all students in Grades 10, 11 and 12. A signed permission form is required. One can be found HERE. November 6-7 - Yukon Women Exploring Trades & Technology Conference The Young Women Exploring Trades conference (YWET) is an annual trades, technology and labour market exploration conference for high school girls. From Its Inception in 2000 to 2014 was a done day event for grade 8 girls held at the Yukon College. For the first time in 2015 we partnered with local businesses and organizations to bring 102 high school girls to fourteen different businesses and job sites for hands-on-real-world learning. Most of the workshops were instructed by the businesses who donated their shops, employees and time to deliver their own programming. This format was so well received by the students and industry partners alike we decided to continue to deliver the conference this way. Each fall we invite high school girls from across the territory to come participate in trades and technology workshops delivered by our instructors and industry partners. Priority will still be given to grade 8 girls, but all ages of high school girls are welcome to apply up to a capacity of 120 students. This is a unique and exciting opportunity for girls to find out firsthand what it is like to work in different trades and technology fields and for the businesses and Industries right here in the Yukon. https://imsva91-ctp.trendmicro.com:443/wis/clicktime/v1/query?url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.yukonwitt.org%2fywett%2dregistration&umid=7839EA14-968E-1605-847A-A89219741904&auth=c132af8ee7c9d1278d61a701569070a095ce962e-31e99424bf637b22967c72028670a4a4218b97b7 Thursday, November 7 - Presentations from The University of British Columbia and The University of Northern British Columbia Friday, November 8 - PD Day - No school for students, enjoy your long weekend. Monday, November 11 - Remembrance Day - No School November 14-16 - Junior Volleyball Championships @ FHC & PCSS November 22 -24 - Senior Volleyball Championships @ PCSS 2018-19 Yearbooks Yearbooks have finally arrived. If your student has ordered one, please send them to Mr. Gillard to get their copy. Looking for a Boost Booster Cards - The sale of Booster Cards Is one of the most Important fundraisers for our school community and It Is the only school-wide fundraiser we expect all our students to participate In. The funds raised help ensure that all of our students can participate fully in extra-curricular activities regardless of their family's financial situation. In addition, we use these funds for purchases and activities that benefit the entire school community like the blue benches in the hallways and picnic tables outside and around the school. In order to make this a successful fundraiser we are looking for businesses to offer deals or discounts for the year ahead. Here are just a few ways to help us raise money for our students:
Student Led Conferences are coming up this Tuesday, October 29 from 3:30 to 7:00 pm Student Led Conferences are the most important assessment activity of the year as they require students to self-assess their learning to date, receive feedback from their teachers, and communicate (in their own words) what they are learning, how it is going, and what are the next steps. They will also self-assess and talk about their Behaviours for Success and how those affect their learning. In the information age that we live in, this is increasingly becoming a more crucial life skill. Our expectation is that all students attend their Student Led Conferences with a trusted adult. If a parent/guardian is not available, another trusted adult (e.g. older sibling, extended relative, family friend, or Vanier staff member) will suffice as, again, the most important part is each student talking about their learning. Students will receive their formal written progress reports at the Student Led Conferences. If these are not picked up, they will be mailed home. If families require a second copy of the reports, they can be obtained from the office. ![]()
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October 7th, 2019 Dear Vanier families and friends, As we head towards Thanksgiving, we will have a liturgy this Wednesday where we will explore the concept of gratitude from our local and national perspective and also as it is expressed throughout the world in various cultures. Parents and guardians are always welcome at our liturgies, so please consider yourselves invited this Wednesday from 11:09 until 12:12! Our website – www.vcss.ca – is where you can find our handbook and is a great source of school information, too! Sincerely, Ryan Sikkes, principal Dates to Note: Wednesday, October 9 – the students, staff and families from all Whitehorse Schools will be participating in the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.
Friday, October 11 – PD Day: All-Secondary Schools. Enjoy your day off – the staff will be working hard! Monday, October 14 - Thanksgiving Holiday – No School. Wednesday, October 16 – Post Secondary Information Night – 6:00pm @ Vanier Small Gym [Please note the time change from 6:30 to 6:00 pm.] For Parents and students to learn about:
Tuesday, October 29 – Student Led Conferences. More information to come in a few weeks. Looking for a Boost Booster Cards - The sale of Booster Cards Is one of the most Important fundraisers for our school community and It Is the only school-wide fundraiser we expect all our students to participate In. The funds raised help ensure that all of our students can participate fully in extra-curricular activities regardless of their family's financial situation. In addition, we use these funds for purchases and activities that benefit the entire school community like the blue benches in the hallways and picnic tables outside and around the school. In order to make this a successful fundraiser we are looking for businesses to offer deals or discounts for the year ahead. Here are just a few ways to help us raise money for our students:
Other Notes Attendance – If you are planning a vacation during school time, or know of a planned absence for your student, please make sure to inform the office (not just the teachers). This will ensure your student is marked excused and you won’t receive a call and/or email at the end of the day. Either call 867-667-5901 or email [email protected] to let us know! Office 365 – As part of the mail-out package mentioned above, you will see information regarding “Office 365,” which is an online suite of programs that students can access through Yukon Education. Vanier believes this is an excellent tool and resource. We hope that all students “opt-in” for Office 365. This form only needs to be filled out if you choose to OPT-OUT. If you have any questions, please call us. Tutoring - Through the Skills Room, all Vanier students can access a free tutoring program. If your child needs support with their school work (academics, organization etc), please encourage them to pick up a form requesting tutoring in the Skills Room. All concerns and questions can come to Ms. Cann. At this point in time we have many tutors available, but as the school year picks up there tends to be less availability. |
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