Dear Lynx families/Chères familles de Lynx,

Welcome to November! For those of you with children in grade 9, you should hopefully be getting emails from Mr. Cheng about High School open house dates. I do recommend going to these with your child to get a sense of the high school and some of the programs it offers. Mr. Cheng has also started his conversations with our grade 9 students about high school and some of the differences students can expect.

Also in grade 9, a big thank you to Mme Scholz and Mr. Park for organizing the grade 9 Water Exposition. This was a final, bilingual, cross-curricular event where the students connected what they learned on the RiverWatch field trip and presented their findings about the water health of the Bow to wider philosophical and scientific questions about Water rights.

Basketball seasons are wrapping up over the next few weeks and wrestling season is starting. If your child(ren) are interested in joining the team, please contact Mr. Cheng for more information. This is a no-cut team, which means all students who try out will participate and represent Vanier at meets during the season.

The grade 6s will be leaving for outdoor school at Camp Chief Hector on Monday. I hope all the students who are attending enjoy themselves, take the opportunity to learn in a different setting and create some new connections with students who they haven’t yet had the chance to.

For those of you who have Instagram, we do have a school site where we share messages and stories about the school. You can follow us at: @gpvanierschool.

Finally, don’t forget to adjust your clocks this weekend as we end daylight savings time. We will wind the clocks backwards on Sunday morning.

Bonne fin de semaine,

Chad Edmonds – Principal GP Vanier

Gear Up

Different institutions around Calgary are hosting an event on November the 9th where families can access resources for students who may need some support with getting winterized or getting connected to some amazing community resources. Please see the attached flyer for more information. See poster under Resources.

Lifetouch Calgary Studio Appointments

If anyone missed having their fall individual photos, Lifetouch has appointments available at their Calgary studio.

Currently Lifetouch is offering the following studio dates:

November 4 9am - 12 noon
November 18 9am - 12 noon

*Afternoons will be available if the demand is there.

Click below to schedule your appointment
SCHEDULE NOW

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Conferences will be on Thursday Nov 23 (4:30-8:00), and Friday Nov 24 (9:00-2:00). They will be in-person on Thursday evening. On Friday, they will be hybrid so you can come in to see your child’s teacher, have your conference online through Teams or via phone. If you choose to have a phone conference, please book as a TEAMS meeting but inform the teacher you would like to do a phone conference by emailing them. The teacher will call you at the time of your conference.

To book, please go to your MyCBE account. The booking window opens for parents at 9:00 AM on Wednesday, November 15. It closes Wednesday, November 22 at 11:59pm. If you find that the teacher you want to see is booked up, please email them to set up an alternate time to discuss your child's achievement.

School Council Update

Congratulations to Farouk G., who was acclaimed Georges P. Vanier School Council President for the upcoming year. Our council has a couple of vacancies. If interested, please let Mr. Edmonds know, and he can connect you to our President.

French for Parents-Level 1

As a parent, are you interested in learning French? Are you interested in learning how to better support your child on their language learning journey in French Immersion? Mme Aristou is the instructor for the course, French for Parents-Level 1, offered by Chinook Learning for Continuing Education. The course runs from January to March, Tuesday evenings from 6-8pm at GP Vanier. For more information and registration, follow the link below:
https://www.chinooklearningservices.com/ContEd/AdultCourses/French-For-Parents-Level-1.html

Kernels Popcorn Fundraiser (Grade 9 Farewell)

Do you crave delicious Kernels popcorn? Are you tired of driving all the way to the mall for a taste of this delicious treat? Well you are in luck! Kernels Popcorn is coming straight to you at Vanier! During the week of November 27-30, students can pre-order popcorn snack bags during the lunch hour (Flavours: buttersalt, white cheddar, jalapeno jack, and low fat caramel; Cost: $3/bag). If you are interested, please send your child to school with some cash next week! All profits will be directed towards our Gr. 9 Farewell Celebration. Popcorn will delivered to your child on December 7.

Upcoming Sports Dates

Monday, November 6 – Jr Boys’ basketball at Colonel MacLoed
Tuesday, November 7 – Semi-finals Basketball (girls)
Wednesday, November 8 – Semi-finals Basketball (boys)
Thursday, November 9 – No School for students

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

Upcoming Dates

Nov 6: Vaccination catch-up day (grades 7-9)
Nov. 6-8: Grade 6 to Camp Chief Hector
Nov. 8: Remembrance Day Ceremony
Nov. 8: Last day of classes for students
Nov. 9: Professional Learning Day for staff, no school for students
Nov. 10 – 14: Fall Break, no school for students
Nov. 15: Classes Resume
Nov. 16: Grade 9 Vaccination Presentation (this date has changed, as it was Nov. 7)
Nov. 17: Healthy Hunger Lunch – Little Ceaser’s
Nov. 20-23: Grade 9 to Camp Chief Hector
Nov. 23 4:30 – 8:00: Parent-Teacher Conferences (in person)
Nov. 24 9:00 – 2:00: Parent-Teacher Conferences (hybrid)
Nov. 28: School Council Meeting
Dec. 7: Wrestling at Bob Edwards
Dec. 8: Non-Instructional Day
Dec. 13: Winter Band Concert