Hello Lynx Families,
We have had another busy week at Vanier. On Sunday evening, our band students returned from Camp Caroline where they spent the weekend working with professional musicians honing their skills. They then got another round of practice Thursday after school when another set of clinicians arrived to work with them at school. All of this is in preparation for the winter concert which happens this upcoming Tuesday, December 13th at 7pm. We look forward to welcoming families to watch the performance.
Also on Thursday, our grade 9 English students spent the afternoon at Jack James High School. This field trip gave our students the opportunity to see how their current CTF complementary courses progress at a high school level. The Jack James team were gracious hosts with their students acting as guides and their staff welcoming our students into their classrooms.
Our holiday hampers drive has been an enormous success. We continued to receive items into this afternoon. In fact, it was such a successful drive that we are looking at adding extra families to our list.
I am sure that many parents are aware of the congestion around our school at pick-up and drop-off times. We have contacted the city about this issue, as it is both a traffic and safety issue, and in many cases these issues overlap. I know that it is not as convenient, but we are asking that parents avoid using the staff section of the parking lot to drop off students. Many students, support staff, and substitute teachers arrive at school closer to 9 am and are now having to negotiate both the icy conditions and the cars entering and exiting the parking lot.
Reflecting on the issues above, I want to stress how important a role parents and the wider community play in the success of a school. Without families volunteering their time and making donations, parent and band councils support (both financial and program wise), and the community working together in terms of logistics, we will not find the success that we hope for. So, please accept this thanks on behalf of the staff here to our wider community for building towards a better, stronger, more successful G.P. Vanier.
Bonne fin de semaine,
Chad Edmonds – Principal GP Vanier
Bathroom Etiquette
Over the past few weeks, we have had to address several incidents in both the boys’ and girls’ washrooms. While some of these issues may be considered minor, we want to be proactive in addressing them to keep them from escalating. While we are an Away for the Day school, we are allowing students to use their electrical devices during lunch hour. However, we have had to remind students that the washrooms and changerooms are a no-technology zone, full stop. We have covered this information with individual students and in classes, but we would also appreciate your reinforcement of this messaging at home. We have plenty of room for students to eat in the cafeteria, in open rooms, and in clubs/activities over lunch.
Winter Band Concert
We are proud to present our Winter Concert on December 13 at 7:00 pm. This concert is the summation of the hard work, practice, and learning our young musicians have done throughout these past months. We are also excited to welcome William Aberhart High School musicians.
School Reports
Families, G.P. Vanier’s School Development Plan, School Results Report and School Fees Report our now available on our school website under the Our School tab. You can find them directly by clicking on the following link.
Upcoming Dates
December 13: Winter Band Concert, 7:00pm
December 15: Explore Parent Meeting, 7:00pm
December 16: WINTER HAT DAY!
December 16: Winter School Dance, tickets must be purchased in advance
December 22: Last day before Winter Break
December 23 – January 8: Winter Break
January 9: Classes resume
