Dear Vincent Massey families,
As we reach the end of our first full week post-strike, we're pleased with how quickly many students have settled back into the routines of learning. Today, we took a brief pause from those routines to observe Remembrance Day with a few words, a moment of silence, and music from our band. I also encouraged students to take time on November 11, perhaps at one of the many ceremonies around the city.
Next week is Fall break. This means that there is no school for students and the office is closed on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (November 10, 11 and 12.) We look forward to seeing students again on Thursday, November 13, at which time Grade 7's will be in new complementary classes, following timetables that were handed out earlier today. Grade 7's who didn't get their printed timetables should check PowerSchool on Thursday morning, or see their homeroom teacher.
Returning to routines includes realigning our calendars, and I can provide a few more updates at this time:
· Healthy Hunger lunches that were missed during the strike will be made up at a later date with rescheduled deliveries. There is no need to request refunds at this time.
· Although our high school tours are delayed, some open house activities are continuing:
· The Performing and Visual Arts program at Central Memorial High School will have an open house on November 19 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Applications are now open and more information is on their website.
· International Baccalaureate (IB) programming is offered at Western Canada High School. They are hosting an information night on November 24 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. Information is posted on their website but please use the Find a School tool on the CBE website to verify their boundaries for your address – these are different for regular English, IB, and language programs.
o Band and Outdoor Leadership programming has resumed its regular schedule.
o An information meeting was held for Wrestling this past Thursday. Interested athletes who missed this meeting should talk to Mr. Geraldi.
Thank you to those families who took the time before the strike to complete the interest form for our proposed out-of-province learning experiences. We are reviewing the level of interest for each trip, as well as calendar considerations, and we hope to have decisions by the end of next week about which trips will proceed.
Lastly, parent-teacher conferences will proceed as previously scheduled on Thursday and Friday, November 27 and 28. More information will be shared next week, with booking opening on November 20.
All the best,
David Pugh
Principal