Robert Service School

Student Support at RSS: In response to the recent tragedy in our community, which is impacting several students and staff, we have activated a variety of supports at the school. Our counsellors Angela Tremblay and Erin Peacock and TH Education Support Workers, Victoria McLeod and Jen Kehoe have been into classes from Grade 6-12 indicating their availability to speak with students if they have concerns. If as a parent/caregiver you have concerns about your child, please contact the school at 993-5435, where your call can be appropriately directed.

Call out to Recent RSS Grads!! Please join us this coming Wednesday, February 23rd at 11am (Yukon Time) for, Life After Graduation : A conversation with recent RSS Grads. We’d love to hear about your experiences and get your advice. Send a message and we’ll send you the Zoom link! OPEN to all Grade 11 & 12 students.

A recent grad is learning about great ways to track and become aware of litter. Congrats Emma for making it into your school newsletter! We're proud of you and the example you set for future generations. https://lethbridgecollege.ca//environmental-science-studen

MONSTER PROJECT: A reflection on the monsters around us. Art Exhibition at the front of RSS Feb 15 - 24, 2022. Students from Art 9/10, Tech Ed 8 and Art 8 have created a collection of Monsters. Students were asked to reflect on what monsters are; these are their creations. They represent a wide variety of themes including, politics, recycling issues, addictions and mental health. Come and take a look!

2021/2022 Yearbook Pre-Sale, $30/yearbook. Purchase by Friday, March 4th at the office. Yearbooks will be delivered Fall 2022. Mähsi Cho/Big Thanks to all the sponsors who contributed to this year's book!! Media Studies students have spent many hours (and continue to do so), to document memorable moments. Great work!

Candy Gram Sales! Another great fundraiser brought to you by the RSS Grads.

Hello Everyone Drin Hozo, I’d like to thank everyone for their ongoing support in our return to school from Christmas break. As anticipated, our numbers in K-7 are returning closer to normal with the warmer weather. We expect student attendance to continue to improve as the weather warms. The caution around COVID-19 remains very high and we encourage parents to monitor their child’s health closely, keep their child home if symptomatic and follow Yukon Government’s ‘Can Your...Continue reading

Hi Everyone Drin Hozo, Thanks everyone for your support this week in our return to school. Because of the concern around COVID-19 and the cold weather the numbers at school have been low (35-50 out of 240 students) and the staff absence has been high, on average 12 teachers/ EAs away per day. The majority of the staff absence is associated with illness, and recommendations staff remain away until symptom-free. We anticipate with the predicted warmer weather over the weekend..., we will see a significant increase in student attendance on Monday, but not a return, as yet, to normal levels. There will continue to be anxiety around attending school and we appreciate the source of this anxiety. It’s understandable. High School (Grades 8-12) are only required to attend school for their exams from Tuesday-Friday. The following Monday, January 17 is a territory-wide non-student day. I’d like to present a couple of scenarios. If the health situation of the community worsens, the CMO and YCDC have the authority to close the school, and we would immediately transition to distance learning. This has happened in two communities for longer periods of time. Several schools in the Yukon have made short-term moves to on-line learning. If we are faced with an operational demand for example, no one to cover Grades 2 & 3 for a week because staff members are self-isolating, we do have the authority with the support of School Council to shut down face-to-face learning for a grade or grades rather than shut down the school. We have the room to make these decisions. Our concern is that on Tuesday, January 18 with all students returning we may face operational demands because of staff absence. Teachers are now anticipating that this may become a reality and next week are beginning to introduce to students if they haven’t already methods that might be sued in a classroom needs to shift to distance. K-3 teachers will focus on hard-copy resources rather than electronic resources, and from K-12 there’ll be increased use of on-line platforms. If students do not have e-based access, alternative processes will be used. It’s important to note that students that have special learning needs typically those that work with Education Assistants will still be allowed access to school for instructional support during an operational shutdown. As well, there is provision for children of front-line workers justice, health and education to attend school, I believe on a case-by-case basis. We hope these scenarios do not become realities, but we need to anticipate their occurrence. Take care everyone Kanacha Brian Lewthwaite Principal

High School Exam Week: Tuesday January 11th - Friday, January 14th. No regular classes for Gr. 8-12. Students will receive a schedule of when their exams will take place. Individual teachers will be communicating to students/families if changes have been made for their exams given our current situation (ie. project-based, take home exam, etc). To reduce numbers - students should come to the school only when their exams are taking place. Social distancing measures will be in place where possible. If you have any further questions, please contact Vice-Principal, Ms. Edmunds at [email protected].

Hope you're all staying warm. Art Creation idea for this chilly Thursday afternoon - Yarn Creatures (Fuzzies). Here's a how-to video Ms. E created a few springs ago for her niece and nephew. Let's create a collection of warm Fuzzies to hang in the school office. Post images of your creations here! https://vimeo.com/403770064

Message from Transportation Officer: All school buses have been cancelled today (Thursday Jan 6th) due to the cold weather. Sorry for the late notice on our part.

Drin Hozo - An Update from RSS: Today we had 36 students attend school. We also had nine staff away, most because of the ‘stoplight’ measures. Considering the extreme cold and the heightened community concern around COVID-19, I was pleased to see evidence of the community’s cautious concern to return to school. Across the school, programming continued with teachers reviewing previously covered learning or extended learning opportunities. I noted a lot of activity in areas su...ch as applied design and creative work. The remainder of the week will not involve coverage of new material. High school students are starting revision of the first semester’s work in anticipation of the upcoming examinations next week. We anticipate that there will be very limited attendance for the remainder of the week. There has been significant discussion locally and across the territory around the return to school, and it’s important to understand that such a decision required Education Ministerial level approval and adds extra days to the end of the school year. Three schools, two rural and one urban, have now shifted to on-line learning. The reasons vary, but they are all COVID-19 related and are supported by data, such as community incidence and staffing absence. We are in a very vulnerable time as a community. The heightened concern and decision making around attending school is one I applaud. If your child is at school be assured we are taking greater attention to social distancing, sanitizing and inter-bubble contact. Teachers are encouraged to be in contact with you in regards to home learning, and likely many have been in contact with you already. Thanks everyone for your ongoing support. Take care - Kanacha Brian Lewthwaite

A Gift for Dawson a Robert Service School Christmas. Video Christmas Concert, Thursday, December 16th @ 7pm. A streaming link will be posted to the RSS website shortly before 7pm. http://rss.yukonschools.ca/ Happy Holidays from everyone here at the school!! YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/G3lNencGNME

If you are a family that needs assistance to afford recreation for your children, you should apply to this fund. Anonymous, inclusive and easy to access.

Best of luck to all RSS students writing exams this week. Here are a few tools to help you prepare (the best tool is attending classes regularly) from our Counsellor, Paula Chisholm:

Despite COVID-19 protocols, our wonderful students and The Dave Rawlings Trio have a show for you !! Listen Friday, Dec 18th, or Saturday, Dec 19th at cfyt.ca/player . Have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful Holiday Season!!!

FORMAL WEAR ON THURSDAY!! (whatever feels special!!)

Bring a clean mask to school every day!!