Good afternoon Vincent Massey families, 

This weekly message is coming to you a bit early, with a reminder that there is no school for students tomorrow, October 25. Teachers will be working in the building on our school development plan and examining evidence of student learning and well-being. 

The Grade 9 Riverwatch trip has been canceled by the service provider, due to the onset of colder temperatures. The trip has been rescheduled for early June. 

I would like to extend a huge thank you to Mr. Morawski for making the Grade 8 and 9 band camp such a success. Students enjoyed their time improving their musical skills, and had fun with the activities at Camp Kindle. Thank you also to the teachers who helped out and the parent volunteers who made this trip possible. 

Halloween 

Next Thursday is Halloween. We look forward to celebrating together and many students choose to wear costumes (lots of teachers have costume plans as well!) As you support your child's costume choice, they should ask the following questions: 

·                     Does the costume involve a weapon?   

·                     Does it represent a negative stereotype?   

·                     Does it involve a mask that hides their identity entirely?  

·                     Does it have excessively gory elements?   

·                     Does it involve changing the colour of their skin? ("Shrek green" is ok, however emulating another nationality/race is unacceptable).   

·                     Does it allude to a culture that is not the child's own, such as a kimono, a turban or a feather headdress, etc.? 

·                     Does it mock religious beliefs?   

·                     Does it mock the LGBTQ+ community? 

·                     Is it based on tragic or violent historical events?   

If your child can answer "no" to all these questions and the costume is consistent with normal standards of dress for school, then it is likely that the costume is school appropriate and they are good to go!  If students show up at school with costumes that do not meet these standards, they will be required to change before joining class. 

Radon Testing 

Please be aware that, this fall the CBE will be conducting tests for radon gas in a number of schools across our system, including ours. Radon gas is odorless, tasteless and comes naturally through the soil. When the gas reaches unsafe levels, over many years of exposure, the gas is known to have harmful effects on health. If testing reveals a heightened presence of radon, various mitigation strategies can be implemented to reduce the gas concentration to safe levels. 

Testing involves hanging a small, round testing device (alpha tracker) for 91 days from the ceiling in areas of the school that are occupied 4 or more hours a day. The device is passive, which means it emits no information, sounds, or smells. The device will be installed on a non-instructional day, evening or weekend, so it will not interrupt learning. 

If you would like to learn more about radon, please visit Health Canada’s website: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-risks-safety/radiation/radon.html 

Upcoming Events 

  • October 25 – No School – Professional Development Day 
  • October 28 - Junior Girls Basketball @ Colonel Macleod (our games at 5:30 and 6:30) 
  • October 29  
    • Junior Boys Basketball @ Vincent Massey (our games at 4:30 and 7:30) 
    • Grade 7 Outdoor Education Rock Climbing trip 
  • October 30 
    • Senior Girls Basketball @ Valley Creek (our games at 6:30 and 7:30) 
    • Grade 8 band concert at Ernest Manning High School (evening) 
  • November 5 
    • First Day of Term 2, new Grade 7 complementary courses 
    • Junior Boys Basketball @ Colonel Irvine (our games at 5:30 and 6:30) 
    • Grade 9 Outdoor Education Hiking trip 
  • November 6 
    • Fun Lunch (details here: https://vincentmassey.cbe.ab.ca/lunchtime) 
    • Junior Girls Basketball @ Valley Creek (our game at 6:30) 
    • Senior Girls Basketball @ Balmoral (our games at 6:30 and 7:30) 
    • School Council Meeting at 6:30 in the Learning Commons 
  • November 7 
    • Remembrance Day Assemblies 
      • All Grade 8 classes and Grade 7 Homerooms 1 through 4 from 10:10 to 11:10 
      • All Grade 9 classes and Grade 7 Homerooms 5 through 9 from 11:10 to 12:10 
      • Parents are welcome at these assemblies 
    • Senior Boys Basketball @ TB Riley (our games at 6:30 and 7:30) 
  • November 8 – no school for students, start of fall break, school office is closed November 9 through 13. 

 

All the best, 

David Pugh 

Principal