March 12, 2021
Dear UA Parents,
It is hard to believe that we are heading into the final week before Spring Break. In some ways it felt like the dark days of winter were never-ending, but at the same time with Spring Break approaching the second term feels like it just sped by. I think the longer days and nicer weather are helping with a sense of optimism that the challenges of the last year will be behind us soon.
I was excited to hear the news this week about a few Grade 8 students who will be participating in the virtual Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair. It is always nice for our UA students to have the opportunity to represent the school outside our community. A big thank you to Ms. Herman for making this possible for our students, especially in light of the challenges of preparing in the midst of a pandemic. I believe all the projects will be available for viewing at the link above from March 15 to 31. Good luck to Naya and Kaelen – Sunburnt Radishes, Imroz – Hidden Safe, and Hilo – The Leaf Disk Experiment.
The last few weeks prior to the break are traditionally very busy for administration as it is the time of year when we work to establish our staffing for the next school year. Ms. MacLeod and I have been busy interviewing teachers for some of the new roles we need to fill for our growing school. I am happy to announce that Ms. Khatereh Dadar will be joining the UA staff after Spring Break and will be teaching our French classes from Grades 5 to 8. Ms. Dadar is an experienced teacher and is very excited to be joining the UA team.
Over the last couple of weeks, we have had volunteer parents helping us with drop-off and pickup. Their efforts are greatly appreciated. On that note, we still need cooperation from the rest of our families, especially the ones who are parking in the neighbourhood. It is imperative that you all follow the parking rules that are posted. In recent days we have had people parking across driveways and in no parking zones. This makes it very difficult for us to keep the support of our closest neighbours. So please, take the extra minute or two when Rousseau is full to drive up the road and park on Major, Garrett, or Wilson. Thank you for your cooperation with this.
We would like to take this opportunity to remind you, if you drive your child(ren) to and from school and have not already done so, to please provide your vehicle make(s), model(s), colour(s), and license plate(s) in the following Google Form: https://forms.gle/YVZnWc6Cgcmi85nT9.
UA continues to be very fortunate in not having to issue any exposure letters due to COVID. We would like to continue this streak and this will require continued diligence from everyone in the community. While we heard good news from Dr. Bonnie Henry last night regarding being able to socialize with our close group of 10 outside, we still need to be diligent in our social interactions. We are all eager to get back to some sense of normalcy. Please be safe and follow the protocols that we have all become so accustomed to. Should you hear from Fraser Health or Vancouver Coastal Health due to an exposure event, you are reminded to please contact the school as soon as possible to let us know.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Yours in education,
Mr. Slinger
