Dear Lynx families/Chères familles Lynx, 

Welcome back to school in 2024. It does feel like winter has truly arrived with a vengeance. Thank you to all the students and families who braved the cold and sent their children to school.  

Volleyball tryouts were well attended, and callback lists were posted for tryouts next week. Students should have checked outside the gym to see if they should attend next week. 

This past Thursday evening I joined William Aberhart’s principal, Mr. Sagriotis, and the team at King George for their kindergarten/grade 1 open house. The team there did a wonderful job presenting their program to a packed house. Mme. Hull, King George’s new principal, and I have worked hard to continue to build ties between our schools to best support student learning in our French program.  

Mme. Laurelle and students have also been busy visiting feeder elementary schools to talk about our late French immersion program. This will culminate with our Open House for Late French Immersion on the 1st of February. 

Finally, I want to let families know that after taking feedback from staff, students and families, GP Vanier will be moving to be a completely “Away for the Day” school. This means we will ask students to leave their phones in their lockers all day, not just during class. This will be a gradual process, we will be speaking with students over the next few months about the change; what it will mean, what they can do instead of using their phones at lunch and starting to create new habits around phone use. Our goal is to start the “Away all day” come the warmer temperatures in the spring. 

Stay warm. 

Bonne fin de semaine 

Chad Edmonds – Principal GP Vanier. 

Grade 9 Farewell Celebration Bottle Drive 

Thank you to our families for donating refundables to our bottle drive this week. This event goes towards the grade 9 Farewell Celebrations that are already being planned by the committee of students and Mme Scholz. If you still have some bottles you would like to donate, please go to North Hill Bottle Depot as we have an account there for Georges P. Vanier School. 

YMCA – Y Mind 

Y Mind is a FREE 7-week mental wellness program for teenagers (13-18 years old). The program aims to support and provide resources for teenagers experiencing mild to moderate levels of stress and/or anxiety. Y Mind is grounded on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness and allows participants to learn more about different ways of how to manage their stress and anxiety. This program is facilitated by trained mental health professionals and there will always be two facilitators at each session. We have seen proven results nationally of reduced stress and anxiety related symptoms, increased overall wellbeing, and an increased ability to cope with difficult emotions. 

Participants will receive a workbook of all the activities done during the program, so they can review and practice at home. We do provide snacks for participants during the program and meet other individuals experiencing similar feelings. Upon completion of the program, participants would receive a Certificate of Program Completion and a free 2-month YMCA gym membership as improving one's physical wellbeing has shown that it improved mental wellbeing. 

Y Mind is generously supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Alberta Government and allows us to offer the program at multiple locations throughout the city. The closest locations to your school are the Saddletowne Y, Rocky Ridge Y or a virtual group. 

Individuals can learn more about our program on our website (https://www.ymcacalgary.org/y-mind-mental-wellness-program) or complete a Formstack request (https://ymcacalgary.formstack.com/forms/ymind_intake_form_ymcacalgary) to sign up for our Information and Intake Sessions.  Students 14 and older can self-register for the program without parental consent as well. Interested individuals can contact our general Y Mind email if they have any questions at ymind@calgary.ymca.ca.   

Child & Youth Well-Being Family & Caregiver Series 

As part of a continued effort to support the well-being of students, CBE is committed to sharing valuable information about child and youth well-being with families and caregivers. 

This is the second (of five) sessions available for families and caregivers, this time focusing on 'brain development in adolescence'. Teen brains are amazing, but working with brains under construction comes with challenges. How do you nurture and appreciate this time? Adolescence is known across cultures as a tough time for both teens and adults who support them.  Adults and teens can work together to form a deeper understanding of what is happening in the brain creating a deeper understanding of one another. Come learn with us! 

Date: Thursday, Jan. 18  
Time: 6:30 - 8 p.m.  
Link: Child & Youth Well-Being Family & Caregiver Series 

French For Parents – Level 1 

Chinook Learning Services is offering a French Course for CBE Parents and Caregivers. You can build your French language skills in this introductory course. Learn or refresh vocabulary and grammar while increasing your confidence speaking French. Become more comfortable helping your children with their homework and conversing with the school staff. See Course Outline. 

One of our GPV French Immersion teachers will be the Instructor, Sophia Aristou. 

Textbooks & Materials: Textbooks are included in our course fees and distributed at the first class. 

Please see this link for more details: https://www.chinooklearningservices.com/ContEd/AdultCourses/French-For-Parents-Level-1.html# 

Upcoming Sports Dates 

Monday, January 15 –No School for Students 
Tuesday, January 16 – Jr Boys Tryout #3 INVITE ONLY 7:30 am, Wrestling Quad at GPV 3:45 pm 
Wednesday, January 17  – Jr Girls Tryout #3 INVITE ONLY 7:30 am, Sr. Girls Tryout #3 INVITE ONLY 3:45 pm 
Thursday, January 18  - Sr. Boys Tryout #3 INVITE ONLY 3:45 pm 
Friday, January 19  – No sports scheduled 

Students, please continue to check the schedule outside of the gym for updates. 

Upcoming Dates 

Jan. 15: Non-instruction Day (no school for students) 
Jan. 16: GPV hosts Wrestling 
Jan. 19: Last day to order Healthy Hunger – Jugo Juice 
Jan. 26: Healthy Hunger – Jugo Juice delivered 
Jan. 30: Wrestling Divisionals 
Jan. 30: Band Parent Association & School Council Meeting 7:00pm 
Jan. 30: Report Cards Available on MyCBE
 Jan. 31: First Day Semester 2 
Jan. 31: Vaccinations for Grade 9 students 
Feb. 1: Late French Immersion Open House 6:30pm 
Feb. 15 & 16: Teacher’s Convention (no school for students) 
Feb. 19: Family Day (no school)