December Newsletter
December 2021 School of Hope - Vermilion Home Schooling
Principal's Message
Good afternoon families!
November has flown by and we have already officially begun the Advent season leading up to Christmas. Here are some updates for you:
All students should have received progress reports. Many students are working very hard, and deserve to be recognized! For Junior high students, honour roll certificates have been sent to students and parents, and will be repeated after each progress report. Senior high students will be recognized at the end of each semester due to the complexities involved in the great variation in workload and pacing at this level. Elementary students will be recognized at the classroom teacher level throughout the school year.
A reminder to check out our School of Hope clothing line at this link. There are many different items (T-shirts, hoodies, jackets, hats, etc.) that come in many sizes, colours and price points. Items get shipped directly to your house. Still time for a little Christmas shopping to be done!
Advent/Christmas liturgy will be held on Dec. 15th at 10 am. Please click on this link a few minutes before start time to join: Christmas Liturgy. If you are/have a homeschooling student who would like to participate in the liturgy (usually by practicing and reading a section), please contact your facilitator/teacher as soon as possible!
We are entering the Advent season, where we are to prepare ourselves for Christmas. We are including as an attachment, a short series of weekly advent prayers you may want to use as a family. Here is a digital advent wreath that is kind of fun as well! digital advent wreath.
The first week of Advent, and the first purple candle on an Advent Wreath, symbolizes Hope. We encourage you to help those around you find and focus on the Hope in their lives.
God Bless,
Michel Despins and Dwayne Coffey
SOH/HHS Admin team
Advent Prayers -Monday Mornings
Drama Club!
Drama Club for Jr-Sr High Students-Regular Meeting Dates Set-
The student led Drama Club meets online every Thursday at 1 p.m. (except for the weeks when there is a Drama Course Zoom Class scheduled) The club's first activity is preparing a Radio Play production of 'The Christmas Carol'. There are still roles available for actors and for those interested in assisting with the behind the scenes technical theatre jobs.
Art Club!
Hello Grades 1-3!
Please join Mrs. Fortune and Ms. Schwenk on December 15th at 1:00pm for our next Art Club! We are going to make a Nativity Scene Christmas tree decoration. You will need popsicle sticks, white glue, markers and pipecleaners. Meet us at this zoom link: Art Club
See you soon, artists!
Hands of Hope
Hands of Hope is selling Cookbooks to raise funds to support our Compassion sponsor child, Marcela!
- The Bakery Cookbook- $10
- The Savoury Cookbook- $10
- The Christmas-Theme Cookbook- $5
- The Ultimate Bundle (includes all three Cookbooks above) - $20
If you are interested in buying the Cookbook and/or in supporting Marcela, please email wayne.kim@ecacs16.ab.ca.
Thank you for your interest and support!
SOH Debate Club!
The School of Hope would once again like to invite students to join our extracurricular club.
The SOH Debate Club hosts stress-free and fun activities for all students in Grades 9 to 12. This is a great way to meet new people, increase your public speaking and persuasive writing skills, and share in some fun debates on a variety of topics.
This year we are starting with a survey.
Here is the link to our survey: "Click Here"
Graduation!
Grad meetings will start in December. The meeting time and date will be emailed to students who indicated that they were interested in the grad survey.
The Grad-wear clothing meeting will also occur in early December. Again, students who indicated in the survey that they were interested in helping organize, will be emailed the time and date.
If you have any questions or would like more information on Graduation please contact Mrs. Speck
Parent Council
A group of parents representing all grade levels that provide advice and guidance to the School of Hope's administration. Together, we ensure that students have the best educational experience, teacher interactions and learning outcomes.
If you are interested in joining the parent council, please contact SOH principal Michel Despins. He can be reached at 1-780-853-2188 Ext 120 or emailed
Please read the minutes for the November Parent Council Meeting by clicking the PDF below.
Next Meeting Date: Monday January 17, 2022 6:30 PM
We've Launched!
Welcome to the official online shopping portal for the School of Hope. Enjoy browsing a wide selection of products from a variety of brands. You can customize them with the approved logo and graphics available. You can choose approved merchandise to fit your needs 24/7 with no minimum order quantities.
Important Dates
DECEMBER
December 16 - Ugly Christmas sweater / Christmas Character Look Alike day
December 20- 31 - Christmas Break
JANUARY
January - Diploma Exams
Virtual Tours of the Month
Live Polar Bear
San Diego Zoo
Banff and Lake Louise
Podcast of the Month
Podcasts are a fantastic way of accessing new ideas and information. I would like to share some of the podcasts that I listen to. Each month I will introduce you to two podcasts that I am listening to. I would like to invite you to share what podcasts you are interested in and listening to.
Please send your suggestions to Laryssa.Speck@ecacs16.ab.ca Of course, I am listening to podcasts about history but I would love to expand my 'horizons' in terms of podcast themes. Or, if you have a historical podcast that you are listening to, and think that I should too, share it with me!
Podcast Links - Click on the Picture
School of Hope - Vermilion Home Schooling
Email: michel.despins@ecacs16.ab.ca
Website: soh.ecacs.ca
Location: 5212 Railway Ave, Vermilion, AB, Canada
Phone: 1-888-350-4673
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/School/School-of-Hope-320214374696062/
VIBE!
VIBE classes are optional to attend; they will be recorded and posted in Canvas if student cannot attend live.
Zoom Links are available in the Canvas VIBE Classes or through Miss Kari's VIBE Class
VIBE is a mental health capacity building program that provides lessons and activities to enhance student mental health and wellbeing.
For more information on VIBE, check out: