School Year at Saint Vasilije of Ostrog Serbian School in Vancouver Successfully Completed

Article by school coordinator Ljiljana Toljevic

“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 19:14)

In recent weeks, the school year at the Saint Vasilije of Ostrog Serbian School at the Saint Michael the Archangel Serbian Orthodox Church in Burnaby (Vancouver) has successfully ended. Since its foundation, our school has been helping our holy church in every possible way. Every child, with the grace of God and regular participation in the Holy Liturgy and Holy Communion, spends his childhood and youth in the Church, primarily through liturgical life and development, as well as through missionary and educational work, which is an integral part of our Church and School Congregation, and through the participation of students in all church events, performances and academies. Our children also get involved and contribute with their voluntary work in the organization of church celebrations and events.

Enrolling a child in a Serbian church school actually means turning to the Lord for blessings and help in the child's development because through liturgical life in the Church, a child develops as a complete psychosomatic being, as only with Christ can a person grow into the fullness of life that God has given him.

By coming regularly to church school on time every week, children also learn responsibility and acquire various necessary virtues that they need in life: punctuality, time organization and, above all, interaction, tolerance, love and harmony with other children. Children make friends, children learn about their faith and their origins, and remain rooted in the love of Christ and the grace of God that strengthens them for the upcoming feats in life. Also, almost all children of the Serbian school also dance folklore, thus making a double contribution to their family and community.

It should be noted that the Saint Vasilije of Ostrog Serbian School also helps its church financially. The school pays all school bills itself. A few years ago, the school donated $10,000 for fresco painting and, whenever needed, the school is there to help its church financially. During the pandemic, when the church could not completely open its doors to the faithful and when Canadian schools were closed, our Serbian school and the children and youth of the Serbian community got on their feet and, with the involvement of a significant number of older members of our Mlada Srbadija folklore group, they helped all those months by organizing children’s camps for the learning and well-being of children and for the survival of the church community.

This year we went on a school trip to the Aquarium and to Granville Island. We had traditional school camps for Saint Luke and Vrbica, as well as a children's workshop on Holy Saturday.

On this occasion, we would like to thank all the parents and all the volunteers who constantly help in the missionary and educational work of our school. We would also like to thank all the teachers who helped the school progress with their selfless volunteer work. The teachers Ksenija Petrovic Robinson, Kristijan Oljaca, Snezana Jesic, Aleksandar Nenadic, Slavka Gasovic-Varga, Milica Radosavljevic, Filip Jesic, Zeljko Cosovic, Dragan Jesic, Nenad Miletic, Ljiljana Toljevic, Zorica Kotur, auxiliary volunteers Radojka Gordic and Hrista Nenadic, as well as the school director, Fr. Sinisa Milutinovic, worked hard to make this year a success.

Enrollment for the new 2026–27 school year will be from August 15 to September 13, when regular school classes begin. Enroll your child in a Serbian school to learn the Serbian language and gain knowledge about their religion, history, tradition, and culture.