Calendar Updates

Dear Vincent Massey Families, 

I hope you had an enjoyable weekend. As we begin our first full week of classes after the labour action, I want to ensure that you have timely information on how we are returning to regular routines while focusing on learning. 

For our Grade 7 students, we will proceed with the switch of complementary classes in our 'wheel' after the Fall break. This means that Grade 7's will have new complementary classes starting on November 13. There are no changes to ELA, Social, Math, or Science classes. While time in term 1 complementary classes has been very limited, this decision provides a clean start for term 2, while still allowing students to be exposed to the full variety of programming offered at Massey.

High school tours have been postponed, likely until after January 31, as our high schools work through the significant impact on their semester 1 courses.  Information about high school open houses can be found on each high school's website but it is very much subject to change at this time. Grade 9 students can confirm their designated high school using the CBE Find a School tool. 

Our next school council and parent association meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 19. This delay accommodates the schedules of key members of the parent executive, which supports the parent association AGM. This timing also means that I will be able to provide a more detailed update on our School Development Plan and results reporting at that meeting. 

We will continue to have school-wide observance of Remembrance Day as planned this Friday, November 7, which is the last instructional day before November 11. While our observation will be somewhat scaled back, it is important to pause in a moment of silence to honour and remember the men and women who have served, and continue to serve Canada during times of war, conflict and peace. Students are invited to wear a poppy on Friday, and students in cadets and scouts are welcome to wear their uniforms to school. 

We are gradually restarting our athletics programming as we recognize the importance of sport in both student well-being and community building. Wrestling practices will begin shortly, with the divisional tournament in December. Students should watch for information posted around the school and we'll share details in the Weekly Update. 

The remainder of the basketball season has been cancelled. This difficult decision was made in consultation with other schools in our division. Given the limited amount of time left in the season of play, there were significant challenges in providing a fair schedule of games, particular as most teams had not played prior to the strike. More importantly, this decision supports our immediate focus on re-establishing relationships, routines, and engagement with learning. Our student athletes are keen to play some in-house games, and we'll use that opportunity for some fun community activities here at Massey in the next couple of weeks. 

Lastly, please note that picture retakes will now be on November 19. The school calendar has been updated, which is your best source for current information as we work through this return to school. 

Thank you for your support, 

​​​​​​​

David Pugh 

Principal