Dear Vincent Massey Families,
With winter here in full force, we are adapting to the reality of mostly indoor lunches. While students are welcome to go outside, we're also providing additional supervision and activities. This includes acquiring some additional lunchroom tables, which will be set up on the stage for Grade 7 students. We'll also be opening both main gyms at lunch every day to provide additional opportunities for movement.
Please note that food delivery services such as DoorDash and SkipTheDishes should not be used by students or by parents to get food to students. Food deliveries place an additional workload on our busy office staff; it is not always possible to locate students during the lunch period; and deliveries arriving early or late cannot be accepted by students in class. While I fully appreciate the challenges of navigating busy family schedules, please support your child in bringing a healthy lunch and snacks to school each day. For families experiencing hardship, we have a brown bag lunch program to ensure that every child has the opportunity to access nutritious food.
Basketball season has almost wrapped up. Thank you to all of our coaches and congratulations to all the players for their hard work and dedication through the season. Highlights included the Junior Boys and Senior Girls teams winning their divisional championships! The Senior Girls will be playing in the city-wide tournament of champions, with a game this Wednesday and then on Thursday and Friday, depending on how far they progress. Good luck to these athletes!
Wrestling season is fully underway with our first two meets on December 4 (at EP Scarlett High School) and December 11 (at Western Canada High School)
December 12 is a big day for our bands with our Winter Concert! All are welcome to this free celebration of the season. More information about opportunities to support our bands can be found on our website.
On the subject of supporting our students, the Parent Association's Casino Fundraiser is on February 12-13. This is a volunteer-run event, no experience is necessary, and meals are provided. The casino is an integral part of our fundraising at Vincent Massey School, raising tens of thousands of dollars which supports enrichment opportunities, learning tools, and field trip experiences for students. Please visit this link for more information and to sign up: Vincent Massey Casino Fundraiser
Looking far into the future, Provincial Achievement Test dates have now been released by Alberta Education. All Grade 9 students will be writing these mandatory tests on May 29 and June 12, 13, 17, 18, and 19. Please plan accordingly. The Grade 9 farewell ceremony will be on Monday, June 23, in order to provide enough time for the two ceremonies required for our large student population. The last day of school is June 26, which will be an early dismissal day.
Also of importance to our Grade 9's, please note that the deadline to submit an expression of interest for the Heritage Trip has been extended to this coming Monday, December 2. It is necessary to have these applications in by this time to confirm that the trip will go ahead and to make bookings. Please contact Ms. Ruttle if you have any questions.
Here's a summary of key dates up to the Winter Break:
· December 1 & 2 – Outdoor Leadership Winter Skills Camp
· December 4 – Fun Lunch; Wrestling Meet @ EP Scarlett High School 6:30-8:30; School Council Meeting @ 6:30 in the Learning Commons
· December 10 – Grade 8 Outdoor Education Rock Climbing
· December 11 – Wrestling Meet @ Western Canada High School 6:30-8:30
· December 12 – Winter Band Concert (evening)
· December 16 – Grade 8 Leonardo Da Vinci Guest Speaker
· December 17 – Grade 7 Outdoor Education Rock Climbing
· December 18 – Fun Lunch
· December 19 – Winter Dance and Activities
· December 20 – Last Day of classes before Winter Break
Best wishes,
David Pugh
Principal