Dear Vanier Families, 

Welcome to March.  I hope you all had a chance to view your child(ren)’s report cards.  Families will have a chance to meet with teachers here on March 19 and 20.  Please watch for an email from Ms. Gilkes in the coming week with instructions for signing up. 

Secondly, a big welcome back to Mme. Anna who is returning from the birth of her first child, Reggie!  

Over the past few weeks I have spoken with a few students and families about a few topics that I wanted to share with the wider community. 

To start, applications for the Gary Weimann award will open in April.  This is an annual award given to two grade 9 Vanier students, that helps financially support students with plans to better themselves and their community.  More information can be found below.  Interested Grade 9 students should see Mr. Cheng or Mr. Edmonds for more information. 

Secondly, we have noticed an uptake in students consuming “energy drinks” over the past few weeks; many of these students are consuming them as they walk into the building to start the school day.  This has sparked conversation between students, teachers, and families.  A few of the answers to questions that have arisen in the conversations are: 

  • These drinks are not sold in CBE schools and are not promoted by the CBE (AR3047).   Link here
  • The latest advice from Health Canada can be found here: Link here
  • Alternatively, John Hopkins offers a guide for families around Energy Drinks and children: Link here

Finally, volleyball playoffs start next week.  Good luck to our girls’ and boys’ teams which all made the playoffs.  Any future games’ times and locations will be determined by the outcomes of these first round games 

Bon weekend, 

Mr. Chad Edmonds – Principal École Georges P Vanier School 

Gary Weimann Award 

I hope you’re doing well! It’s hard to believe it’s that time again but I am pleased to confirm that applications for EducationMatters Awards are now open! With this, students at Georges P. Vanier School can now apply for the Gary Weimann Award for Community Service. Like last year, I have put the deadline as May 30 but please let me know if you’d like this to change. 

As in the past, to apply, students can visit our application portal at https://applications.educationmatters.ca, register an account and look for the “Gary Weimann Award for Community Service” application. 

A Message from School Council 

Dear families, please click here for an announcement from the School council regarding traffic safety around Vanier. 

Child Care Tax Receipts – Lunch Supervision 

Child Care Tax Receipts for CBE Lunch Supervision (January 2025–December 2025) are now available through MyCBE. 

Please download and/or print your online receipt to include with your 2025 tax return. Paper copies are no longer provided. If you do not already have a MyCBE account, please create one to access your receipt. How to View and Print Tax Receipts

Winston Heights Community Newsletter 

Share Your Stories – We’d Love to Hear From You 

One of the things that makes our community special is the people who live here. Their stories, talents, experiences, and moments—big or small—are what truly bring our neighbourhood to life. That’s why we’re inviting community members to contribute content for future issues of this newsletter. 

If you enjoy writing, photography, history, or simply sharing something interesting or uplifting, we’d love to consider your submission. 

What kind of content are we looking for? 
We’re interested in pieces that are informative, educational, or entertaining, and that reflect community life. Ideas include: 

  • A short story or reflection about life in the neighbourhood 
  • A local history piece or “did you know?” article 
  • A resident-written column on a hobby, skill, or passion 
  • Photos from a recent community-hosted event (with a short caption or story) 
  • A creative contribution like a poem, puzzle, cartoon, or game 
  • Letters to the editor or thoughtful opinion pieces on community topics 
  • Helpful, non-promotional how-to articles or seasonal tips 

 To keep things fair and aligned with our newsletter guidelines, submissions cannot include links, self-promotion, advertising, calls to action, or content that promotes paid programs, services, businesses, or events. The focus should always be on sharing information or stories—not selling or promoting. 

Length & format guidelines: 

  • Articles should be approximately 300–600 words 
  • If you include photos, the written word count should be shorter 
  • Photos should be clear, high-quality, and relevant to the story 

Please note that the newsletter team reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity, tone, content, and length to ensure everything fits well within the publication. 

If you’ve been thinking, “I have something I could share,” this is your nudge. Whether it’s thoughtful, fun, creative, or informative—your voice matters, and your contribution helps make this newsletter a true reflection of our community. 

We look forward to reading what you send! 

Shannon Smith, Your Newsletter Editor 

Healthy Hunger is Back! 

We’re excited to announce our upcoming Healthy Hunger lunches! 

  • March 13: OPA 
  • April 17: Coco Brooks 

You can now place your orders online through Healthy Hunger. Please remember that orders close 5 days before each lunch date, so don’t miss out!  Orders can be placed at: https://healthyhunger.ca/  

Any lunches that are not picked up on the day will be donated. 

Thank you for supporting our school and enjoying a tasty lunch or snack at the same time! 

Vanier Community Corner 

 1. Outdoor Education Donations

Our growing Outdoor Education program is accepting donations of outdoor equipment in good repair. We are looking for:

  • Cross-country ski gear (boots, skis, poles)
  • Snowshoes
  • Daypacks
  • Multi-day backpacking backpacks
  • Hiking boots
  • Tarps
  • Sleeping pads
  • Sleeping bags

Please contact Mr. Eitzen at mdeitzen@cbe.ab.ca for more information.

2. Lightly used French books needed for the library.   

-If you have some new graphic novels or fiction books in French that are suitable for middle years students, we would be happy to accept them!  Please drop them off at the main office. 

3. Hall Pass Donations

We are looking for interesting and unique items to use as classroom hall passes. Examples include a rubber duck or a small hub cap.

We use these passes to minimize student traffic during class time, and it lets teachers quickly identify which students have permission to be in the hallway and what class they are from at a distance.  

If you have any items that fit this description, please send them to school and we will gladly put them to use. 

Upcoming Sports Dates

  • Monday: Jr Girls’ Volleyball vs. QE at QE High School (4 PM start) & Sr. Girls’ Volleyball vs. TB Riley at Vanier (4 PM start) 
  • Tuesday: Sr. Boys’ Volleyball vs. TB Riley at Vanier (4 PM start) 
  • Wednesday: stay tuned 
  • Thursday: Jr. Boys’ Volleyball vs. QE at Vanier (4 PM start) 
  • Friday: no sports scheduled 

Volleyball Season Begins

We are in a division this year with SJAM, Queen Elizabeth, Colonel Irvine, Senator Patrick Burns, and TB Riley.  As a division, we have agreed upon similar expectations for games that promote safety, respect and a positive experience for players, coaches, other spectators and the hosting school. The expectations are as follows: 

  • All students (spectators and athletes) must leave school at the end of the day, before the games start at 4:00pm. Students who wish to stay to watch Vanier play need to have permission from the staff to stay to supervise. 
  • Players who remain at the school must remain in the gym and are not to be wandering the school.   Also, food and drink are not permitted in the gym.  
  • For all Away games, students must have their own parent or guardian accompany them to all games. They may not be supervised by someone who is not their parent/guardian.   
  • There are no in and out privileges for spectators. If you leave the building you should not re-enter. 
  • All visitors must enter our building through the schools main doors only. Entrance through an alterative door may trigger security protocols and result in significant consequences for students letting others in the school. This would be a significant security risk for everyone in the building. 
  • Student spectators without parental supervision will be directed by the hosting school administration to leave the building immediately. 
  • All spectators are expected to cheer and support the players, coaches, referees, etc. in a positive manner. 
  • Disrespectful behaviour from students or spectators will be addressed by the hosting school administration as well as your home school administration as a follow up. The student and parent code of conduct applies at all times. Spectators may be asked to leave the school depending on the severity of the issue. Parents also may be asked not to return. 
  • Parents/guardians who bring younger children are responsible for direct supervision at all times. The rest of the school is closed and off limits. Please ensure children are not in the hallways or playing on the stage or with any school equipment. 

Thank you for your attention to these things.  We thank you in advance for your ongoing support and look forward to the best year yet for our athletics teams!