Dear Vincent Massey Families, 

As we reach the end of another year of learning, we would like to thank you all for your support and wish you a wonderful summer.  As we celebrated on Wednesday, our Grade 9 students are moving on to high school and we wish them every success. To our Grade 7 and 8 students, we wish you a restful and enjoyable summer holiday, and we look forward to welcoming you back soon. 

On a personal note, I would like to extend my gratitude to all of the teachers, support staff, and our facilities team who have worked hard throughout this unusual year to support the learning and well-being of each individual child, every day. 

Looking ahead to 2026-27, as has been our practice in the past we reserve the first day, August 31, for new Grade 7 students in order to help them have a smooth transition to junior high school. That means that the first day for next year's Grade 8 and 9 students will be September 1st. Our bell times remain the same next year.  

Teachers will be back to work next week for a couple of days but the office closes at noon on Tuesday, June 30 and will reopen on Wednesday, August 26 at 9am. The school email account will be checked periodically throughout the summer.  Work on student timetables continues during the summer, particularly in late August – this means that any timetable information visible in PowerSchool before August 31 may be incomplete or inaccurate. All students will receive a homeroom assignment and a printed timetable on their first day of school. 

All families are reminded to access MyCBE to review your child’s report card and teacher comments to get the full picture of how your child is doing in school This is only available until July 25, 2026. 

Grade 9 students recently completed Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs). These province-wide assessments are developed and overseen by Alberta Education. We have shared preliminary PAT results this week, through homerooms. Until these results are reviewed and completed by Alberta Education, they are considered unofficial and subject to change. In the fall, you will receive a copy of your child’s Individual Student Profile (ISP), which represents the official PAT results. These early PAT results do not affect overall report card outcomes and do not determine final achievement levels like “acceptable” or “excellent.” 

For next year, we have already secured dates for a Grade 8/9 Science enrichment trip to the Bamfield Marine Science Centre on Vancouver Island. Subject to CBE Offsite review, the trip is planned for Nov 30 to December 4 and will supplement curriculum outcomes related to the Fresh and Saltwater Systems, and Cells and Systems units in Grade 8 Science, as well as the units Biological Diversity and Environmental Chemistry in Grade 9. The cost will likely be around $2000, dependent on a number of variables including the currently unpredictable airfares. An expression of interest meeting for parents will be scheduled right at the start of September, but as we will need commitments very quickly after that meeting, we are providing this preliminary information now for your planning purposes. If you have any questions about this trip, please contact Ms. Lima at lalima@cbe.ab.ca . It is still our plan to run a Grade 9 Social Studies trip to Quebec, a Grade 8 Outdoor Leadership Sunshine Coast trip, and a Grade 8/9 Alberta band tour. Those proposed trips are planned for April/May 2027 and more information will be provided in the fall. 

Thank you again for all your support over this year. I'm joined by all the staff in wishing you a great summer and we look forward to welcoming our new Grade 8's and 9's in September. 

Best wishes, 

David Pugh 

Principal