It's so much more fun when you build your own marble run!

CONTENTS

• CONTENTS
• UPCOMING EVENTS
• LOVE THE LAND
• NOTICES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
• WWF GO WILD SCHOOL GRANT PROJECT
• SPREADING KINDNESS

Dear <<First Name>>

Spring is sneaking up on us, and that means that recommitment forms are now due! We are well underway planning for the 2021-22 school year, and we want you to be part of it! A letter was sent to families with children entering Grades 1 - 12 at the beginning of the month, and we need to hear from you by Sunday, February 28, to hold your child's spot. This is important as several classes are currently waitlisted, and we can't guarantee the space after this date.

Please refer to the email titled "Annual Commitment Forms due February 28," sent on February 2, for all the details or reach out to Carman Ho at admissions@vws.ca for assistance.

Laura Bergstrome
Communications & Events
lbergstrome@vws.ca

UPCOMING EVENTS

LOVE THE LAND

We had the pleasure of hosting Wes from Talaysay Tours earlier this month. During his visit with Grades 3 and 7, he spoke about many wonderful things, including making a canoe out of a cedar tree by starting a fire and packing the tree with clay, so it didn’t spread. Wes also shared some traditional food for the First Peoples—bannock, salmon, and berry soup—and how one can preserve berries to enjoy through the winter. The hat he wore (pictured) was made by his mother using bark strips with her hair woven throughout.

NOTICES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

GS & HS RECOMMITMENT - It is time to confirm your student's spot in Grade School or High School 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 February 28. Tuition Adjustment applications are also due by February 28. If you have any questions about the process, please contact Carman Ho in Admissions, admissions@vws.ca.

DRESS CODE - In the fall of 2019, we refreshed our student dress code at the Grade School to support children in learning and playing safely and happily. As a refresher, you may read the updates on our website. vws.ca/grade-school-dress-code

SPRING CLEAN-UP - If you notice anything that needs attention around either campus, please let Mary know at mhenley@vws.ca.

PARENT EDUCATION - Three sessions remain in the Waldorf 101 and 201 series with Pedagogical Manager, Gideon Weick. Over the next three weeks, we will look at Science: Developing Objectivity in a Subjective World, The Twelve Senses and the Development of Independent Thought, and Planting the Seed Through Waldorf Education: The Three-Fold Human Being in the Three-Fold Social Order. Register using the link below.

A FIRST BOOK OF KNITTING FOR CHILDREN - The book written by Jill Allerton and Bonnie Gosse has arrived! As a celebration of handwork, this book features several VWS students and their knitting projects. Please visit our marketplace online to learn more. www.vws.ca/community/vws-community-directory

WWF GO WILD SCHOOL GRANT PROJECT

Over the next several months, Grades 3, 4, 7 and 8 will be taking up a wonderful restoration project with Chris Henley, Bonnie Gosse, and me. As a group, we are looking for the following resources for the project. Are you able to help?

• A local signs manufacturing company in the area to create a laminated sign with pictures
• Camera for students to use to take photos of the project (for grant follow-up and sign making)
• 1 Outdoor Ladder to help remove ivy from the tree (or call a tree maintenance company to help remove it)
• 5 Loppers for Himalayan blackberry removal
• 2 yards of topsoil
• 1 yard of nutrient-dense compost
• 2 yards of wood chips

If you think you may be able to help, please contact me at vamadio@vws.ca. In the spirit of community and nature restoration, thank you for your collaboration!

Vanessa Faryan Amadio

SPREADING KINDNESS

In short, the origins of Pink Shirt Day began when two Nova Scotian teenage boys and their friends organized a high-school protest to support an LGBTQ2+ student at their school who was being bullied for wearing pink. The students took a stand against the harassment by purchasing and distributing pink T-shirts to fellow students. "I learned that two people can come up with an idea, run with it, and it can do wonders," says one of the organizers, Mr. Price, 17. At VWS, we aim to practice social inclusion every day; and are learning and growing. We believe that kindness and inclusion matter on Pink Shirt Day and every day.