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The Current | VWS News & Events | #14
18/12/20
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Grade 2 Advent apples and candles

Dear <<First Name>>,

Together, we have achieved incredible things in 2020, despite unexpected obstacles and challenges. As we embarked upon this calendar year, the Vancouver Waldorf School was celebrating our full-member standing with AWSNA and the completion of the Social Inclusion training with Kim John Payne. Little did we know as we made plans for spring concerts, camping trips, plays, fundraising events, and community socials that the entire world was about to change, requiring us to stretch beyond our initial vision to continue serving our community.

We navigated the early days of the pandemic and school closures with a distance learning program conceived within a week of the last day of in-person school. We then successfully moved back on campus with the new health and safety protocols in place in the fall. We have been so grateful for the care of parents who have respected the 'Key Symptoms of Illness' and kept their children home when ill.

We updated our campuses by building an outdoor covered performance and class-use area. We extended the woodworking studio, improved ventilation in the classrooms, and moved the unsightly storage container away from the big play yard. We have further beautified our grounds and become Butterflyway Rangers thanks to the ongoing volunteerism of Bonnie and Dave Gosse, who also installed a new bench at the Grade School in memory of Arnold Grimm.

Our faculty have shown incredible creativity integrating this 'new normal,' whether in their classrooms, outside at recess, or how they coordinate cherished internal festivals. They have found ways to host virtual parent evenings, class socials, and plays, and provide distance learning tools for students who need to miss class due to illness.

Whether by distance or in person, our small but mighty High School continued to offer a full, well rounded and robust program, including the Arts, Humanities, Sciences, Drama and more. Our graduating class of 2020 was the first in VWS history to virtually present their Grade 12 Projects and class play and to be recognized with the Rose and Graduation ceremonies in Teams or on Zoom. Through the many shifts, the High School Student Council remains committed to supporting and encouraging positive community engagement.

Though visiting on campus is no longer possible, our parents continue to be active and engaged. We were thrilled with how well-attended and participatory the Virtual Town Hall and AGM were. The abundance of volunteerism that surrounds and upholds our thriving school culture is a steady source of inspiration. Working in Administration allows us to witness the creativity, resourcefulness, dedication, purpose, commitment, reliability, thoughtfulness, and energy of our phenomenal volunteers. We are moved by the kindness of our community of care every day!

And behind the scenes, ensuring all goes as planned is our Management Team who has risen to lead our school with warmth and care for our community's health and safety while maintaining relationships with the Ministry of Education, FISA, the Ministry of Health, the Public Health Nurse, and all faculty, staff, students, and parents. The Management Team is made up of Lorna Fortin, Susan Connon-Wilby, Mary Henley, Peggy Tan, and most recently, Gideon Weick, who began working at the VWS on March 15, 2020, only to immediately be required to help navigate distance learning the very next day! In his words, "Finally, in September, I got to see the whole school back in session with in-person teachers and students (nothing virtual!), teeming with laughter, song and excitement. Ah, that is the breath of life, and it has continued since."

In the next school year, we will begin planning celebrations for our 50th anniversary. We know that these fifty years have only been possible because of our donors and school families’ continued participation and support, both past and present. As you celebrate the holidays, we ask that you remember the Vancouver Waldorf School in your charitable giving to support an education that emphasizes courage, integrity, and a sense of service in a world that needs those traits now more than ever. Please join us in contributing online through the DONATE NOW button below or by mailing a check (made payable to Vancouver Waldorf School) to 2725 St Christophers Rd North Vancouver, BC V7K 2B6. The Annual Giving Campaign closed at the end of this month, and we will provide an update in January when we return from winter break.

In collaboration with the Administration Team, we wish you a healthy and happy holiday season.

Laura Bergstrome
Communications & Events

Donate Now

DATES TO KNOW

Grade 8 Play: A Christmas Carol December 18, 7:00 pm
Winter Break December 21 - January 5
Winter Term Begins January 6
Grade 7 Parent Evening January 6, 7:00 pm
Grade 5 Parent Evening January 7, 7:00 pm
Grade 3 Parent Evening January 11, 7:00 pm
Grade 8 Parent Evening January 12, 7:30 pm
Grade 6 Parent Evening January 13, 7:00 pm
Grade 1 Parent Evening January 14, 7:00 pm
Grade 2 Parent Evening January 14, 7:00 pm

 
ECC (Early Childhood Centre) | GS (Grade School) | HS (High School)
View the Full Calendar

AUTUMN IN REVIEW

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NOTICES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

TERM 1 REPORT CARDS - Report cards for Grade School and High School students are ready for download in the BigSIS Parent Portal.

WINTER BREAK EXTENDED - Winter break has been extended by two days. The winter term begins Wednesday, January 6. Contact the Management Team if you have questions or concerns at mt@vws.ca.

ECC RECOMMITMENT & REGISTRATION - It is time to confirm your child's spot in Preschool or Kindergarten next year. Our Admissions Office is already receiving new applications for September 2021. We want to offer our current families the chance to confirm enrollment before processing new applications. Log in to the BigSIS Parent Portal to begin the recommitment process. Confirmation is due by January 10. If your child is a younger sibling not currently attending VWS, please contact Carman Ho in Admissions, admissions@vws.ca, to ensure your name is on the priority list.

DOING GOOD THINGS - Grade 5 students have penned lovely letters in the hope of initiating a pen pal program with local seniors who have become housebound as a result of the pandemic. They received their first batch of responses today! If you know of any seniors interested or who might benefit from such a program, please let Ms. Johnston know at ljohnston@vws.ca, and she will match them up with a student.

GUITARS ON LOAN - Do you have a guitar that you are willing to lend to our Grade 8 - 11 students for the winter term? We are starting a beginner guitar ensemble and have 6 students wanting to borrow a guitar and case rather than buy one. Please contact Sarah at svondruska@vws.ca or 604-986-2922. Many thanks for considering our request.

RED DOOR STORE - Spots are still open at the Red Door Store for in-person shopping. Visit  signup.com/go/GKHsBUL to select a time this weekend that works for you. Or shop online, comfortably from home. Visit reddoorstore.ca for Waldorf toys, books, art supplies, clothing and more.

WALDORF STUDY GROUP - The Development Committee wishes to gauge interest in the possibility of a Waldorf parent study group - similar to the Detroit Waldorf School, who engaged in a “community read” and then met virtually to discuss and share learnings that stemmed from their chosen title. If you’re interested in participating in something similar, email Mary at mhenley@vws.ca.

CASCADIA SOCIETY - Weather permitting, Cascadia will present two plays on Zoom this coming Monday, December 21.

Paradise Play at 11:00 AM
Meeting ID: 978 8146 3443
Passcode: 214742

Shepherd's Play at 1:30 PM 
Meeting ID: 955 4873 6623
Passcode: 092341

MOA - We invite you to virtually attend the Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience by Kent Monkman exhibit at the Museum of Anthropology. As part of our professional development, faculty and staff are also taking this in.

The fourth light of Advent
is the light of humankind–
The light of hope that we may learn
to love and understand.

The Vancouver Waldorf School is situated on the unceded ancestral territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

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