March Newsletter
March 2021 School of Hope - Vermilion Homeschooling
March Principal's Message
Good day families!
Groundhog day has come and gone, with various famous critters sending conflicting reports about seeing their shadow (does one from France see his château?). Whatever they predicted, it has been cold, and we are all glad to see spring-like temperatures slowly coming back.
As first announced last month, we have a few new activities for you and family to check out. The drawing club for Gr. 1-6 is very well attended and parents report their children really like it. Our debate club has dedicated members and are meeting quite frequently to put their debate game faces on. The Hands of Hope club members are organizing SoH’s First Ever Social for gr 7-12. This is a new concept that we are interested in trying out, including games, music and prizes. Please mark the date and time on your calendar.(Sat., March 27th at 1 p.m.) If you have ideas for activities for our students that you would like to see, or to help organize, please let us know!
Lent is here, a time of reflection and preparation for Easter. To help your family get ready, here are a few ideas and links for you to explore and try out - Lent 2021 - Ideas to Prepare for Easter.
Take Care and God Bless,
Michel Despins
1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
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 michel.despins@ecacs16.ab.ca.
Read the minutes for the February Parent Council Meeting by clicking the PDF below.
Next Meeting Date:
March 1, 2021 - 6:30 p.m.
Hands of Hope
News from Hands of Hope...
Social for Grades 7-12: Hands Of Hope would like to tell you about a great opportunity coming up. We are hosting a School Social for grades 7 to 12 is coming up Saturday, March 27th.
For more information please click the link below.
Calendar and Cookbook Fundraisers - The Hands of Hope social justice club is working on two projects to raise money to support our School of Hope Compassion child and to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society.
For more information please click the link below.
SOH Debate Club
News from the Debate Club...
Our next debate date is set for March 4th. We are getting a good turn-out with a lively debate on a variety of topics.
Join us every 2 weeks on zoom!
For more information please click the link below
Grad News
Hey graduates. We want to hear from you.
Do you have a great idea for a Grad hoodie? We are looking for designs so if you have a saying, or an image that you think would look great on a grad hoodie, let us know. Go to the Grad info Canvas page - on the homepage is an idea board. Check out the suggestions and post a suggestion!
Drawing Club Grade 1-6
Miss Woodward will be hosting a Grades 1-6 Drawing Club for the months of February and March. Click on the attachment below to see the dates and the topics. This will be a drop-in basis through Zoom (no need to sign up). Your homeroom teacher will be sending out the Zoom link for anyone who would like to join.
Miss Woodward looks forward to getting to know everyone who attends and can't wait to see all of the awesome drawings!!
Grade 1 & 2 Pink Shirt Day jamboard
Pink shirt day activity from grade 1 & 2 students.
Before you speak, think and be smart. It's hard to fix a wrinkled heart.
Book Returns
If you have School of Hope semester 1 resources or other resources to be returned to the office, please follow the directions below.
Important Dates
March 1 - Parent Council Meeting
March 3 - Drawing Club Grade 1-6
March 4 - No online classes for School PD
March 4 - SOH Debate Club
March 5 - Professional Development Day
March 14 - Daylight Savings - Time change (Spring ahead)
March 15-21 - Brain Awareness Week
March 17 - Drawing Club Grade 1-6
March 17 - St. Patrick’s Day
March 24 - Drawing Club Grade 1-6
March 25 - No online classes for School PD
March 27 - Hands of Hope Social Grade 7-12
March 31 - Drawing Club Grade 1-6
April 1 - Debate Club
April 2 - Good Friday No School
April 5 - Easter Monday
April 5 - 9 - Easter Break - No School
April 15 - Debate Club
April 26 - Mental Health Art Submission Deadline (see below for information)
April 29 - Debate Club
VIBE
VIBE is hosting its yearly Mental Health Art Celebration and is inviting School of Hope students to participate! See the attached poster for details. Photos or scans of completed art can be sent to kari.thompson@ecacs16.ab.ca.
Grades 8-12 students are welcome to join in on VIBE's BMW (Building Mental Wellness) weekly program where topics around mental wellness are explored including mental health, mental illness, coping, communication, conflict, self-care, mindfulness, and more. Classes are live each week on Wednesdays from 1:30-2:10.
Grades 5-7 are close to wrapping up their VIBE classes on HOPE where they've learned what hope is, how it influences the brain and body, and how we can maintain a hopeful mindset. Students are welcome to join in every Wednesday from 2:30-3:10.
All VIBE classes are delivered via Zoom and recordings are posted on the VIBE Canvas courses. Zoom links are emailed to students each week. For more information about VIBE programs, please contact Kari Thompson at kari.thompson@ecacs16.ab.ca.
March - Did you know...
In the early Roman calendar, March (or Martius) was the first month! As March brought the first day of spring with the vernal equinox, it was the start of new beginnings.
March became the third month when January and February, which were added to the end of the Roman calendar around 700 BCE, were moved to the first and second months around 450 BCE.
School of Hope - Vermilion Homeschooling
Email: michel.despins@ecacs16.ab.ca
Website: https://soh.ecacs.ca/
Location: 5212 Railway Avenue, Vermilion, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-853-2188
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/School-of-Hope-320214374696062