“In everything we do, we believe that together, we can make a difference.”
Welcome to Sea to Sky Alternative School, part of Howe Sound Secondary School.
If we prioritize the growth of a safe learning culture at our school, then our influence on readiness (attendance & engagement) will increase.
Sea to Sky Alternative School includes: Day Program (located behind Howe Sound Secondary School) and Squamish Outreach.
End of Year Message: Have a Great Summer!
Dear Parents & Guardians,
I am just beginning to reflect on what a long and productive year 2018/19 it has been at the Sea to Sky Alternative School. In many ways the school year passed by in a wink, and in other ways it has felt glacial in advancing upon arrival to this point.
Although it was a long and challenging process to build rapport as one of the ‘new guys’ at SSA, there were highlights this year that helped support that growth:
- The School Garden Upgrade Project was fantastic. Many hands resurrected a bountiful space, which we will be able to harvest in the fall. It was great to have an alternative to classwork for many of our students and staff.
- The Tofino Camping Trip was amazing. So many great memories together on our 4-day adventure. Equally impressive was the way in which students raised money all year to do the trip, and how the Breakfast Club of Squamish was willing to match our funds raised to support our students. As a group, our students raised over $1700.00 to make this happen. That is no small amount of change.
- Other memories of note were the MANY field trips into the community and into the city, Whistler for a winter skate, UBC for a museum tour. We asked our students to represent our school as ambassadors on these field trips, and they did. It made us all proud…
Staffing Changes:
Regarding staffing for next year, below are the following changes to the staffing roster:
Saying Goodbye:
Cory McRae (Humanities Et al.)
Jenya Draganov (Learning Support Teacher)
Saying Hello:
Raviv Boudain (Humanities Et al.)
Program/Principal Changes:
We are excited to announce that the Sea to Sky Alternative School is moving from umbrella of Sea to Sky Learning Connections to Howe Sound Secondary School. This move reflects a paradigm shift in the Alternative school’s delivery model, to align more direct communication, supports and resources between schools. The Alternate school owes a debt of gratitude to our outgoing Principal, Brayden Gordon, for casting the best vision forward for both our students and the school that supports their learning. We welcome our incoming Principal, Nick Pascuzzi to the SSA family. We truly feel that 2019/20 is going to be a great year for our program, staff, and students!
School Start-up – September 2019:
There will be a couple of changes and adjustments to the September start up. We will send out communication nearing the end of the summer with a timeline of the first 2 weeks of school. A few items of note:
- The first day of school is Tuesday, September 3rd at 9am.
- The first week of school will be dedicated to student/parent intake meetings. This is an opportunity to get reacquainted, and set some learning targets for the year. The meetings are mandatory to attend.
- We are exploring a ‘start of year’ overnight trip the second week of school.
- We are exploring a supplemental field trip away from school to meet with students, and establish a positive tone for the year
…dates and more details to come…
I want to wish all the students and families of Sea to Sky Alternate School a safe and restful summer vacation.
See you in September!
Thank you,
Keith Gallant – Vice Principal
Welcome Back Message – August 28, 2018
Dear Sea to Sky Alternative & Northern Outreach Families,
This letter is to officially welcome your family to the 2018-2019 school year at Sea to Sky Alternative! We hope your summer has gone well and you are looking forward to the beginning of the new school year with us.
Personally, I am VERY excited to be Principal and feel honoured to work with our wonderful students, dedicated staff, and supportive families for another year. I look forward to our work together, as we support the entire Sea to Sky Learning Connections Learning Community.
Sincerely,
Brayden Gordon – Principal
Staff Announcements:
As you may know, we two new teachers this year and we are very excited about all our staff. Please see the full list of staff here:
Brayden Gordon – Principal
Keith Gallant (new) – Vice Principal (SSA site)
Elise Lambert – Clerical Assistant
Gayle Laurie – Clerical Assistant
Mark Willmot – STEM Teacher (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
Cory McRae (new) – Humanities & Collaborative Support Teacher
Zach De Jong (new) – Northern Outrreach Teacher
Larissa Parker – Counsellor, Learning Support, & Squamish Outreach Teacher
Iris Dineen – Youth Care Worker
Marnee Watson – Youth Care Worker
Important First Day(s) of School Information:
Sea to Sky Alternative (Squamish):
Tuesday, September 4th: 9am-11:00am (Student & Parent “Drop-in”)
Wednesday, September 5th: 9:00am-2:30pm (regular school hours are 9:00am to 2:30pm)
Northern Outreach Program (new Tz’sil Learning Center):
Wednesday, September 5th (9am-12pm drop-in)
Class Assignments:
Class lists and schedules will be provided to students by the end of the first week.
First Day Package:
Your child will be receiving a thick First Day Package that they will be bringing home for you to go through. There will be many signatures required! Please do this on the first day and have your child return it to their teacher the second day.
School Supplies:
No need to go school supplies shopping this year, as we made a bulk purchase of school supplies for all students, and we will be asking all families to provide $30 per student for the use of these supplies. This money will be collected on the second day of school by classroom teachers and can be paid by cash or cheque made out to “Sea to Sky Learning Connections”.
PAC & Parent Volunteers:
Please know that you are always welcome in our buildings and consider joining us as a volunteer if you are able. Research clearly supports that when parents/guardians participate and are involved in their child’s education, there is a greater likelihood of success for their child. With that in mind, we invite you to become an active participant in our schools by volunteering, joining our Parent Advisory Council (PAC), and attending school events. Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm in the Learning Expeditions classroom at Stawamus (except Dec & June). There will be a sign-up form in the opening package that your child will bring home on the first day of school if you are interested.
The first opportunity parents/guardians to meet with staff will be the first day of school from 9-11am in a “drop-in” manner. We will be providing light refreshments and a chance for families to connect or reconnect after the summer, and to let us know if you are interested in joining out PAC. We look forward to seeing all parents and guardians who are able to join us!
Communication:
We are committed to using a variety of ways to communicate with families throughout the year including our “Weekly Principal Updates” on our school website seatoskylearningconnections.com, learning updates from teachers, our facebook page Sea to Sky Learning Connections and our twitter feed @S2SLearnConnect. We will also be sending a variety of surveys home this year to gather input and/or feedback on school and learning items.
School Calendar:
Please click here for all of our 2018/19 School Calendars.
Dates to Remember:
Monday August 27, 2018: School Office open for new registrations
Tuesday September 4, 2018: First Day of School 9am-11am for student & parent “Drop-in”
Wednesday September 5, 2018: 1st “Full-Day” of school. Start-Up Forms & School Supplies Fee Due
September 12, 2018: PAC Meeting at Stawamus at 6:30pm
September 20, 2018: Welcome Back BBQ at SSA at 5:00pm
September 26, 2018: Collaboration Day Early Dismissal at 11:55am
September 27, 2018: Terry Fox Run at Stawamus
September 28, 2018: Orange Shirt Day
Sea to Sky Alternative School 