Dear Vincent Massey families, 

We enjoyed opening our school to designated Grade 6 students this morning, and to prospective families this afternoon. Thank you to Mr. Rustemeyer and our leadership students for coordinating and facilitating these opportunities. There's a lot on offer in our learning community to support student learning and development, so it's always a pleasure to share and showcase this to our wider community. 

As we move forward with planning for next year, on April 23 we'll be collecting complementary course requests from students entering Grade 8 and 9. This informs our timetabling for next year, as we align our CTF and Fine Arts programming with student interest. At the same time, we'll be reminding students to express preferences based on those personal interests, rather than friend groups. Students are encouraged to try something different and lean in to the many different exploratory opportunities available in junior high school.  

In keeping with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action, we remain committed to fostering a school environment that honors Indigenous ways of knowing and that supports the diverse cultures and social-emotional growth of all students. Building on the guidance and knowledge shared by Knowledge Keeper Anita Crowshoe, we are pleased to offer students the opportunity to smudge at school. Smudging is a traditional Indigenous practice used to center the mind and spirit. To ensure this practice is accessible to those who wish to participate, we will facilitate smudging for students upon request. If you have any questions regarding how we are implementing this practice, please feel free to reach out. 

In academic news, the Pascal Grade 9 math contest results have arrived! A big congratulations to Eileen Z. for achieving the highest score at Massey at well over 90%! Overall, Massey placed 7 out of all 41 participating schools in Calgary. Well done Massey and thank you to Ms. Esau for facilitating and coaching this opportunity. An organizational meeting for the Gauss contest (Grade 7 and 8) was held on Monday, April 6 but interested students can still get involved by speaking with Ms. Esau in room 34. 

Athletics continue to the end of the year, with both Badminton and Track & Field. These sports often provide opportunities to students who may not have been successful in trying out for our basketball and volleyball teams. Badminton tryouts are well underway, ahead of our tournaments on May 4/5 (Grade 8), May 6/7 (Grade 9), and May 11/12 (Grade 7.) Track & Field practices will start in May, with our track meet on Friday, June 12. 

Last but not least, I want to thank Ms. Lima for all her work in organizing our successful West Coast Sailing Trip. I enjoyed helping teach and lead these five days of science, outdoor education, and personal development learning on the Salish Sea. These experiences are always rewarding and, as ever, I'm grateful for our students' perseverance and good humor.  

We have lots more off-site learning opportunities coming up over the coming weeks, so please review the following calendar reminders carefully. I've added a few key date reminders through to the end of the year. 

  • April 14 – Homerooms 7-3, 7-4, & 7-9 to Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller 
  • April 15 

o    Homerooms 7-5, 7-6, & 7-7 to Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller 

o    Heritage Trip mandatory pre-trip parent meeting at 6pm in the learning commons 

  • April 16 – Homerooms 7-1, 7-2, & 7-8 to Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller 
  • April 20 – first day of Term 4 complementary classes for Grade 7  
  • April 21 – Jazz Band workshop during periods 4 and 5 (at Massey) 
  • April 22 – Grade 7 (am) and Grade 8 (pm) rock climbing at Stronghold climbing gym 
  • April 23 – Grade 8 Science Antarctica presentation assembly (period 2) 
  • April 24 – no school for students, Maatoomsii'Pookaiks professional learning day 
  • April 27 – Fred Fox presentation assembly with Grade 7s (Terry Fox Foundation)  
  • April 27, 28, 29, & 30 – Grade 8 trips to Calgary Zoo, detailed schedule to follow 

Also, please note the following key dates in May and June: 

  • May 13 – Spring Band Concert, 6:30pm, all are welcome! (new date to accommodate Honour Band participants) 
  • May 15 – PD day, no school for students 
  • May 21, June 9, 16, 19, 22, and 23 – Grade 9 Provincial Achievement Test days 
  • June 24 – Grade 9 Farewell Ceremonies (am and pm ceremonies, homerooms tbd), Grade 7 to Edworthy Park, Grade 8 to Calaway Park 
  • June 26 – last day of school for students 

 

All the best, 

David Pugh 

Principal