The Vavenby Strong Start program is held at the school on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m and is open to children up to 5-years-old and their parents or guardians.
There’s a lot of free time for the children to learn to share and play together, a big craft, a healthy snack, and the morning ends with playing in the gym or outside, depending on the weather.
This past Easter week the craft came after the healthy snack. Blueberries were included in the food choices and were a big hit.
After cleaning up, the children were given several hard boiled eggs with bowls of food colouring to dip their eggs in.
First, though, the children used a crayon to colour bits of the eggs so the dye would not cover those parts; the parents were a big help in the whole process.
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The elementary students did a couple of Easter art projects throughout the week, making baskets and a few eggs to put in them, all out of paper.
On Easter Sunday, April 21, there was an Easter egg hunt and Easter bonnet contest at the community hall starting at 10 a.m. A large number of children showed up.
They were divided into two age groups: up to 5-years-old, who searched on the baseball field, and 6-years-old and older, who ran all over the rest of the hall property searching for the elusive candy.
It was a beautiful sunny day, but cold.
The bonnet judging came after the hunt. All those with a decorated hat—Cate-Lin Tourond, Courtney Prince, Kylie Prince, Gavin Prince, and Kelsey Rexin, received a large basket full of goodies. The rest of the children got a smaller one.
Organizer Barb Pennell also had free hot dogs, barbecued hamburgers, chips, cupcakes, juice, water, and coffee available. The kids loved the hot dogs and hamburgers. Pennell does get help with donations.
She said, “I appreciate all the generous donations.” You did a great job again this year, Barb.
Sponsors and judges of the Easter colouring contest, Val Bellows and Kathy Cederholm, decided that everyone who turned in a picture was a winner. The prizes are at the Vavenby General Store, individually bagged with the pictures in them. Winners can pick their bags up now.
On April 20 there was a Celebration of Life for Wendy Pollard at the community hall. The hall was packed. There were several tables reserved for the approximately 35 members of the Pollard family present.
Pastor Ian Moilliet started the service by saying a few words about Wendy. A song was played next. Then Wendy’s younger sister Melanie gave the eulogy. Another song was played, one that was used at Charlie and Wendy’s wedding.
Wendy’s daughter Lori got up next to sing She’s Somebody’s Hero with her friend. The words were very fitting. Moilliet said a few more words then members of a sorority that Wendy belonged to, the Beta Sigma Phi, stood and said a prayer.
To end the service everyone sang Amazing Grace.
A reception, organized by the Vavenby Trails and Recreation Society, followed. The food was brought by the community and the sorority.
The leader of Strong Start, Jody Phillips, is putting on a program for next fall’s kindergarten children. It is called SPARK, meaning Strong, Prepared, and Ready for Kindergarten. It is a one-hour in-depth program for getting them ready for going to school. The next session will be on Apr. 29 at Vavenby Elementary School
The Lost Creek Birch Island Road is in really rough shape. It needs to be graded before someone has an accident.
There is a community meeting at Vavenby Hall on May 1 at 6:30 p.m. Carol Schaffer, TNRD director of Area A, said, “It is to review the official community plan. It is concerning the zoning of everyone’s property.”
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