April 2020 Newsletter

April 2nd, 2020

Click each article below to read this month’s newsletter or read the PDF version.

 


Learning Without Limits

 

Welcome to April!

We do hope that everyone is doing well and is staying safe and healthy at this time!

We are approximately three-quarters of the way through the school year, with statutory holidays on April 10 and 13 – Vista Virtual School staff will be unavailable on Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our teachers and support staff are working remotely so all students can and should continue to work on all of their courses. Due to the requirements of social distancing and an attempt to keep community members safe, our Vista Virtual School campuses remain closed at this time.

Please visit the link below for updated information regarding exams for our students.

Exam Information for VVS Students

We always welcome your comments. If you have any questions or concerns, please phone us toll-free at 1-855-974-5333 or talk with your teacher, and if you have any stories you’d like to share of your experiences with VVS—and how you balance your diverse needs or achievements (including winning awards, scholarships, etc.), contact vvsupport@pembinahills.ca.

Sincerely,

                  
`        Mike Loitz,                 Treena Bradbury,           Frank McCallum,
           Principal                  Associate Principal        Associate Principal

Alberta Distance Learning Centre (ADLC) Course Deadlines

ADLC continues to adapt to the needs of educators as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. After having temporarily suspended registrations pending further information, ADLC has now reopened Student Instruction (SI) courses. These are courses that VVS teachers don’t teach but they may be taken through ADLC. April 15 is the new deadline to register into 3- and 5- credit courses with ADLC and May 15 is the deadline to register into 1-credit courses with ADLC. June 15 is the deadline to complete all ADLC courses.

Tips to Succeed at Distance Learning

When working through your coursework, focusing on smaller bits will help the assignments from becoming overwhelming. Chunking your learning, readings, and assignments will help you manage the course as a whole and makes sure that you do not get in over your head (having to complete everything all at once with short deadlines).

Short-term goals for a distance learning class may include completing a particularly difficult assignment by a certain time, reading a certain number of pages in the textbook by an assigned day each week, achieving a specific grade on your exam, or even writing down one important thing that you have learned from the reading each day or week.

Take it one step at a time and complete each step as you go for each course, and before you know it, you’ll be close to the finish line!

Important Dates in April
  • April 1: April Fools’ Day
  • April 7: World Health Day
  • April 7: Green Shirt Day (for Organ Donor Awareness)
  • April 9: Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge
  • April 10: Good Friday (Campuses Closed – Staff Unavailable)
  • April 13: Easter Monday (Campuses Closed – Staff Unavailable)
  • April 15: VVS Annual All Staff Meeting (subject to cancelation)
  • April 19-25: National Volunteer Week
  • April 22: Administrative Professionals Day
  • April 22: Earth Day
  • April 23: World Book Day
  • April 28: WCB Day of Mourning (Alberta Workplace Injury Awareness)

Check out our monthly events on our website. We update this calendar as events are added.

VVS on the Road

As a result of COVID-19, our room bookings at various public libraries around the province have been cancelled for the first part of April and it is highly likely that our Red Deer road trip, later in the month, will also be cancelled.

Contacts

Contacts

Principal
Steven Kaplan
Associate PrincipalsTreena BradburyFrank McCallum
Academic CounsellorsJessica LuciukLoya De ClercqChristie Borle (Inclusive Ed.)
Adult Academic CounsellorsFrank McCallumTreena BradburySteven Kaplan
School Hours 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (teachers' hours are 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.)
Campus Location341 58 Ave. SE
Calgary, AB T2H 0P3
PhoneP: 1-855-974-5333VVS Support
x5317
School Websitevvschool.ca
School Emailvvsupport@pembinahills.cavvsadults@pembinahills.ca
We're OnlineTwitter
@VistaVirtualSch
Facebook
VistaVirtualSch
Website
vvschool.ca
Connect With Us
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on events and activities throughout the year. Our website is also a valuable source of information. Do you have a story to tell, or a typo to report? Email Ben Freeland. The newsletter is published monthly and sent to students, parents and guardians by email.