Stay Informed:

• See our School Calendar for our dates and events.
• Review our SchoolMessenger information for steps you can take to ensure you receive all of our messages.

Dear Vanier families, 

School has definitely returned in full swing with after school activities, clubs, student athletics and field trips. 

This week our band started after school clinics; our yearbook editors started prepping this year’s edition (more news to come in the upcoming weeks) and our cross country and soccer teams had games. 

Our Cross-country team, which welcomes all students who want to join, enjoyed enormous success in our first two meets with numerous personal best finishes as well as multiple top five and first place finishes!  Our soccer teams also started off their seasons successfully.  Our boys’ team is currently 1-1, while our girls’ team is undefeated and has outscored their opponents 16-2! 

I was also very pleased with the interest that was generated in joining our student council.  It is wonderful that so many students want to share their voices and ideas on how we can make Vanier a better school for all students.  Teachers will nominate their students, and we will let students know next week. 

In the messaging below, families will see an invitation to the Girls excel in Math program (GEM) put on by the CBE.  Over the past few years, I am proud to say that Mme. Shah has led the largest contingent of female students in Calgary to this event.  If your daughter is interested in participating in this event, please see below for more information. 

Students who made option change requests that we were able to offer, who have not already received their new timetable, will be called down to the office and receive new timetables on Monday.   

A few families have reached out regarding messages they have received stating that they have been removed as the student’s guardian in Google Classroom.  In all the cases that have been identified, the parent is still identified as the child’s guardian in PowerSchool and the issue is solely a problem with Google Classroom.  The CBE is currently working with the Google Tech team to determine why these emails are being sent out.   I will share more information when I receive it. 

Finally, weather permitting, students will be participating in our annual Terry Fox run on Thursday, September 24. 

Bonne fin de semaine, 

Mr. Chad Edmonds – Principal Georges P Vanier School 

•  Georges P. Vanier School website has information as well: 
  • https://georgespvanier.cbe.ab.ca
• GP Vanier Cafeteria Menu: 
  • https://georgespvanier.cbe.ab.ca/cafeteria-menu  

Healthy Hunger Is Back! 

We are excited to offer Healthy Hunger lunches/snacks again this school year! Families can order special lunches for their children through the Healthy Hunger website. 

Our first Healthy Hunger lunch will take place on: 

• Friday, October 16 | Cobs 
• Friday, November 20 | Coco Brooks 
• Friday, Dec 11 | Modern Jelly Doughnuts 

To participate, please visit www.healthyhunger.ca, create or sign in to your account, and add your child using their current teacher and homeroom. All orders and payments must be completed online before the ordering deadline. 

Please note that lunches are not provided unless an order has been placed in advance. If your child is absent on a Healthy Hunger day, their lunch cannot be refunded and will be donated. All orders close 5 days before the lunch date.   

We look forward to enjoying our first special lunch together! 

GEM Math Series (Girls Excel in Math)

I am excited to share an opportunity for students in Grades 6–8 to participate in Girls Excel in Math (GEM) Calgary, program offered through the University of Calgary. 

GEM is for students who identify as girls and provides an opportunity to explore interesting mathematical topics that they may not normally encounter in the classroom, while discovering how these ideas connect to mathematics in the real world. Teachers from Vanier will be present at the sessions. 

Students will begin with a large group session led by Dr. Lauren DeDieu and will then collaborate in smaller groups with students from their school. These smaller sessions will be led by a teacher and supported by undergraduate/graduate math student volunteers. 

Our school has reserved 20 spaces for students. Spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so please register asap!  You can email Mme. Shah at rashah@cbe.ab.ca  

Dates and Topics 

All sessions run from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays at the University of Calgary: 

• November 7, 2026 
• December 5, 2026 
• January 23, 2027 
• March 13, 2027 

If your child is interested in participating, please register with Mme Shah or Ms. Richardson. We will accept registrations until all 20 spaces have been filled. For more information about the program: https://science.ucalgary.ca/mathematics-statistics/engagement/educational-outreach/girls-excel-math 

We are very excited to offer this opportunity to our students and hope many of them will take advantage of this chance to explore mathematics in new and interesting ways! 

Warmly, Mme Shah 

Child & Youth Well-Being Sessions for Families & Caregivers   

The CBE invites all parents and guardians to join us for a live online series focused on supporting child and youth well-being. Hosted by the Recovery Alberta Community Education Service (CES) Program in collaboration with experts from the Calgary community, this year's sessions will explore a range of timely topics. 

These sessions are free and provide information, resources, helplines, and services to support healthy child and youth development.

Sessions – October 2026

 More Information can be found here: https://www.cbe.ab.ca/child-and-youth-well-being-family-and-caregiver-series 

AHS Guidelines on Respiratory Illnesses and Lice 

With students returning to school, it seems like this has brought with it the expected uptick in illness.  A few families have reached out and asked for clarifications or for CBE policies around this. 

Please find attached AHS guidelines and information for on respiratory illnesses:   https://www.alberta.ca/respiratory-illness  

I also wanted to include the AHS guidelines for Lice, as a precaution as this is something that is commonplace amongst schools each year. You can find more information on lice here: https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Alberta/Pages/how-to-treat-head-lice.aspx 

If your child has head lice, please contact the school and let us know. Additional questions or concerns can be answered by Alberta HealthLink at 811. 

Save on Student Study Guides & Digital Resources - Until October 2, 2026 

We are excited to share a special offer for educational resources through a new partnership between EducationMatters and Castle Rock Research. You can purchase valuable study materials at a significant discount and help raise funds for EducationMatters. 

This is a great opportunity to get supplementary resources to support your student’s learning this school year, especially in preparation for unit tests and PATs. 

How to Order: 

1. Visit CBE’s unique online portal through EducationMatters: Order here:CBE Site Sale — Castle Rock Research 
2. Select our school’s specific ordering page. 
3. Place your order and pay directly online. 

All print materials will be delivered to the school and distributed to students.  

Annual Volunteer Registration Required for All School Volunteers 

To ensure the safety and security of CBE students and staff, all volunteers must be registered with the school each school year before participating in volunteer activities. 

The Annual Volunteer Registration Form is valid for the current school year only. All volunteers, including returning volunteers, must complete a new registration form each school year before participating in volunteer activities.   

Process: 

Parents and guardians can register as volunteers through the SchoolEngage tab in their MyCBE account. As part of the registration process, all volunteers must review the POPA requirements and sign to indicate their agreement with the conditions outlined in the form. 

New This Year: Community members who do not have a child registered with CBE must complete their volunteer registration in person at the school where they wish to volunteer. This change allows school staff to verify that volunteers have reviewed and acknowledged their privacy obligations under Alberta's Protection of Privacy Act (POPA). 

Parents and guardians can access the form through the SchoolEngage tab in their MyCBE account. Community members without a child in the system should be visit the office where they can complete their registration in person.  

Volunteer Opportunities 

We need adults to help with different roles (marshalling, collecting flags, etc.) at the meets.  If parents are interested please email Ms. Soukoreff at lmsoukoreff@cbe.ab.ca  

• Monday, Sept 21 - Confed 4:30 - 6:30 pm 
• Tuesday, Sept 29 - Meet #4 (if needed) 

Option Changes 

For those students interested in changing their option class, option change forms are available now in the office.  Forms can be required up until Sept 16. 

National Day for TRC & Orange Shirt Day Events 

All CBE staff, students, families, friends, and neighbors are invited to continue learning and show support at the 5th annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation & Orange Shirt Day event taking place at the Confluence Historic Site on Wednesday, Sept. 30 from 9-10:30 a.m. This important community gathering is a collaboration between the City of Calgary, CBE, Calgary Catholic School District, Calgary Police Service, Calgary Fire Department, and The Confluence. A CBE group photo will be taken at the CBE Smudge Tipi at the end of the event.  

For more information, visit City of Calgary events FREE Parking! All Calgary Parking on-street parking is free on September 30 each year. 

Looking for more ways to engage? Check out these community events. All are welcome. 

• University of Calgary & Calgary Public Library National Day for TRC 
• Orange Shirt Day at The Confluence 
• Werklund Centre National Day to TRC 
• Indigenous Runners Alliance Orange Shirt Day Run/Walk

CBE Online Forms  

Each year, schools have a variety of forms that parents / legal guardians / independent students are required to complete or review and update, some of which are paper and others online. For families who have not yet completed these annual forms, please submit the Demographic Verification and Annual Authorization forms in SchoolEngage for your child by Monday, Sept. 15. These forms are required every year for Alberta Education to confirm student funding. We recognize certain families have already completed Demographic Verification and Annual Authorization forms for their children for the 2025-26 school year and we thank you for taking time to submit them. 

Details of the online forms found in SchoolEngage include: 

• Demographic Verification - 2026-27 – This required form is an Alberta Education requirement as proof of Registration for funding purposes and includes your child’s personal information as well as parent / legal guardian contact information. 
• Citizenship Information Update - 2026-27 – This form becomes available if you change your child’s citizenship information on the Demographic Verification form. 
• Annual Authorization - 2026-27 – Combines the following forms: 
• School District Use of Personal Information - explains how CBE uses personal information in providing education services. 
• Consent for CBE Use of Student Information – provides an option to grant / not grant consent for additional use of student information by school/district and third parties. 
• Consent for Use of Student Information by News Media and Outside Groups (Third Party) - provides an option to grant / not grant consent for additional use of student information by outside groups and third parties 

SchoolEngage is one of the applications found in your MyCBE account. This is the same account that you use to pay fees, view academic information, book school conferences, register to volunteer etc. 

If you do not have a MyCBE account, on the MyCBE page click on Create a MyCBE Account. For online help, refer to MyCBE - Creating an Account (includes instructions and a video). 

To complete these forms: 

1. sign in to your MyCBEaccount 
2. click on the SchoolEngage icon 
3. select the form 
4. complete or review and update the form 
5. click on Submit to send the form electronically to the school 
6. repeat steps 3-5 for each form 

If you have any questions, please the office GeorgesPVanier@cbe.ab.ca.  Thank you to everyone for taking time to complete and submit annual forms each year.  

School Waivers 

For the 2026–27 school year, all parents requesting a school fee waiver will begin by applying through the central fee waiver process. 

For more information please contact the main office at Vanier or visit: https://www.cbe.ab.ca/waivers  

Upcoming Sports Dates: 

Please sign the blue athletic tryout form that will come home if your child is interested in playing any school sport this year! 

• Monday: Cross Country Meet #3
• Monday: Boys’ soccer at SJAM  
• Tuesday: Girls’ soccer vs FEO at Vanier 
• Wednesday: Boys’ soccer @ Branton 
• Thursday: no sports scheduled
• Friday: no sports scheduled 

Upcoming Dates 

September 24: Terry Fox run 

September 25: Instructional Day – No Students 

September 29: School Council 7:00pm 

September 30: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (no school for students)

October 2: Grade 8 Outdoor Education Kayak Trip 

October 5-7: Grade 8/9 Outdoor Education backpacking trip 

October 12: Thanksgiving (schools closed) 

October 16: Family-Teacher conferences (1:30 – 4:30pm) 

October 19: Family-Teacher conferences (9:00 am – 3:00 pm) Online