Last spring our campus became part of the Butterflyway Project, a David Suzuki Foundation initiative showing that a small group of residents can make a big difference. Bonnie Gosse and Chris Henley are the "Community Rangers" leading the project at our school. They have been busy making our grounds greener and healthier by planting pollinator-friendly shrubs and flowering plants. To see more about the North Vancouver Butterflyway Project visit davidsuzuki.org/take-action/act-locally/butterflyway/north-vancouver.

To keep our emails to you at a minimum, we include many of the important announcements for parents in this weekly publication. We recommend that at least one parent/guardian per household be subscribed to this newsletter list.

Thank you for reading.
Laura Bergstrome
Communications & Events

NEXT WEEK AT A GLANCE

On the Horizon

Michaelmas Festival September 29
Orange Shirt Day September 30
Harvest Lunch October 9
AGM October 28

NOTICES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

STUDENT PHOTO DAY - High School Photos will be on Tuesday, September 22 and Grade School Photos will be on Thursday, September 24. Photos will be taken in the morning. If desired, your child/student may bring a change of clothes for after the photoshoot. The whole High School and Grade School panoramas will be postponed for a later date, to accommodate the current physical distancing requirements.

WELCOMING JENNIFER ROSS - We are fortunate to have Ms. Ross, an experienced Waldorf teacher of almost 20 years, agree to carry our Grade 1 class until Mrs. Trainer has recovered fully from her surgery. Ms. Ross joins us from the Comox Valley Waldorf School where she was a Class Teacher, Music Teacher, Faculty Director, and served on the Pedagogical Leadership team. We are grateful to have her join us and are wishing Mrs. Trainer a speedy and thorough recovery.

ABSENTEES & LATENESS - If your child/student will be absent or late, please let us know by notifying the school as soon as possible.

• Early Childhood call 604-985-7435 with the following extensions:
  • Mulberry and Dandelion Preschool x 101
  • Plum Cottage Kindergarten x 102
  • Red Rose Kindergarten x 103
  • Sunflower Preschool x 104
• Grade School call 604-985-7435 x 421 (absentee line) or email rireland@vws.ca
• High School call 604-986-9753 or email svondruska@vws.ca

LICE CHECK - As a precautionary measure, please check your child’s hair for lice! It’s that time of year so let’s beat it at its game. Head lice info for North Shore schools

PARKING - We are still working through a few kinks as we all learn new habits. Overall, drop off and pick up are getting smoother by the day. If you spot anything that needs attention or have ideas for making things run more smoothly, let us know, by emailing MT@vws.ca.

VOLUNTEERS - Are you looking to get involved again with the VWS, but with resticted campus access don't know how? We would love a team of parents to help support our parking lot safety team. Contact Mary Henley at mhenley@vws.ca if you want to join!

EMERGENCY FORMS - Please resolve any outstanding Emergency Contact forms on BigSIS. These important forms must be completed or updated annually. Parent Login can be found here vws.bigsis.com/portal. If you are having trouble accessing your account please reach out to me, Laura Bergstrome lbergstrome@vws.ca or Huy Pham hpam@vws.ca and we will help you get sorted.

CLASS REPS - Our first Class Reps meeting for the year is scheduled for October 1 at 7:30 pm via Zoom; a sign-up link will be sent to you. Please reach out to Mary Henley, at mhenley@vws.ca, to confirm your role as a representative for your class.

GROCERY CARD PROGRAM - As we settle into the flow of the new school year, we will be holding off until October 15 to begin the Grocery Card program. For families new to the school, details about this program will come soon.

MINISTRY & BCCDC UPDATES

The following documents from the Ministry of Education and the BCCDC have been updated to include refreshed information about the procedures allowing for students and staff to return to school with mild symptoms of illness remaining, to ensure staff and students are not kept out of school longer than necessary.

In summary, the changes include:

• A health-care provider note (i.e. a doctor’s note) is not required to confirm the health status of any individual, beyond those required to support medical accommodation as per usual practices.
• A person with mild symptoms may elect to seek COVID-19 testing, even when this is not required according to the above guidance. Having a pending COVID-19 test result should not, by itself, be a reason to exclude a person from school if there are no other reasons to exclude them.

Please remember to communicate with your child’s Class Teacher or Class Advisor about any pre-existing conditions or seasonal allergies.

We request that you please take the time to read the updates in these links:

Provincial COVID-19 Health & Safety Guidelines for K-12 Settings (updated Sept 3)
BCCDC COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 School Settings (updated Sept 11)
BC's Back to School Plan, Protocols (updated Sept 14)

RED DOOR STORE

We are thrilled to now offer in-store shopping by appointment. Our tiny store allows only one shopper at a time, so schedule your shopping visits in advance by emailing reddoor@vws.ca. We will have hand sanitizer available and request that hands are sanitized on the way in. We are happy to accept pre-orders and curbside pick-up. Finally, we are very excited about taking our charming little store online; stay tuned for updates about the upcoming launch!

Ella Pedersen
Red Door Store Manager
@vws_reddoorstore

ELEMENTARY TRANSITION SUPPORT PROGRAM

For parents who have previously expressed to us that they wish to delay their child’s re-entry to in-person learning at school, we are offering a temporary program for K – 8 students that will include educational support materials provided by class teachers as well as weekly online support delivered by the Waldorf-trained subject teacher hired to coordinate the program.

Please confirm your participation in the Elementary Transition Support Program by September 18, by emailing the Management Team at MT@vws.ca. Please note that the Elementary Transition Support Program option will end on the last day of the Fall Term, November 6, 2020. Parents may choose to have their child return to in-person instruction at any time, but must work with the school to discuss a re-entry plan.

Thank you for patience as we have worked through details of how we will deliver this program.

FROM AWSNA

We continue to receive kind offers of support for schools and institutes in hazardous smoke and fire zones. Santa Cruz Waldorf School sadly reported that families have lost their homes. In addition, a number of schools in Northern California and Oregon have shared that community members have needed to evacuate their homes, and/or be at the ready to depart when required. It is certainly a very unsettling start to an already challenging school year.

Additionally, we have been unsuccessful in reaching The Siskiyou School in Ashland, OR, but note the following on their website.

The majority of AWSNA schools along the west coast report that they are impacted by heavy smoke, ash, poor air quality, and, for some, delayed school openings but otherwise report that they are safe.

I will update you as the needs become clearer. For now, please let me know if your school is willing to consider educating a student from a displaced family, knowing that tuition would likely not be applicable. And, keep our colleagues in your hearts as they navigate through these troubling times.

Very sincerely,
Beverly Amico, on behalf of AWSNA’s executive team
Association of Waldorf Schools of North America

VERSE TO RESTORE INNER PEACE

Quiet I bear within me. 
I bear within myself 
Forces to make me strong. 
Now will I be imbued 
With their glowing warmth. 189
Now will I fill myself 
With my own will’s resolve. 
And I will feel the quiet 
Pouring through all my being, 
When by my steadfast striving 
I become strong 
To find within myself 
The source of strength, 
The strength of inner quiet.

Ich trage Ruhe in mir,
Ich trage in mir selbst
Die Kräfte, die mich stärken.
Ich will mich erfüllen
Mit dieser Kräfte Wärme,
Ich will mich durchdringen
Mit meines Willens Macht.
Und fühlen will ich
Wie Ruhe sich ergiesst
Durch all mein Sein,
Wenn ich mich stärke,
Die Ruhe als Kraft
In mir zu finden
Durch meines Strebens Macht.