Good afternoon Vincent Massey Families,
This update is coming to you a day early, as there is no school for students tomorrow. Staff at Vincent Massey School will be participating in CBE’s system-wide Maatoomsii’Pookaiks (Maah-doom-see’Boo-gaaks) (Children First) Indigenous Education Professional Learning Day. This day of learning will benefit both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students as we improve our practice in the area of individualized instruction through strength-based models.
On Thursday, April 30, the CBE Indigenous Education Team invites Grade 9 Indigenous students, their families, and their school staff to join the third annual CBE Grade 9 Transitions Mini Round Dance - an evening to honour self-identified Indigenous students who are transitioning from Grade 9 to high school.
Hosted at Ernest Manning High School, this event will include a bagged lunch feast, Indigenous artisans, special dances, an honour song, and a giveaway. Please see the attached poster for more information and a registration link.
Students have been reminded that food and drinks purchased off-campus at lunch should generally be consumed during the lunch break before returning to school. In particular, we do not allow slurpees, milkshakes, frappucinos, etc. into the school due to issues with spills and beverages being left in lockers. Similarly, students are not allowed to consume energy drinks at school, due to the negative impact on learning of very large volumes of sugar and caffeine. These policies are aligned with current research and with the CBE's commitment to provide students with the skills, opportunities and encouragement they need to adopt healthy eating patterns.
Here are your upcoming events for the next two weeks:
- April 24 – no school for students, Maatoomsii'Pookaiks professional learning day
- April 27, 28, 29, & 30 – Grade 8 trips to Calgary Zoo
- May 1 – Grade 8 Outdoor Leadership skills camp
- May 3 through 8 – Heritage Trip Grade 9 students to Ottawa/Montreal/Quebec
- May 4 & 5 – Grade 8 Badminton Tournament at Vincent Massey
- May 6 & 7 – Grade 9 Badminton Tournament at Vincent Massey
- May 6
o Earth Science presentations to Grade 7 students
o School Council meeting – 6:30pm in the learning commons
Also, please note the following key dates in May and June:
- May 13 – Spring Band Concert, 6:30pm, all are welcome!
- 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
Best wishes,
David Pugh
Principal