General News

Good Friday morning everyone as we bring to a close another week of instruction at John Calvin School.  We thank our Heavenly Father for once again providing for the needs of students and staff.  We pray for His blessing during the last week of teaching and learning leading up to the Christmas Break.

May the Lord continue to be near to those in our community and the broader community who need Him in a special way.  We think especially of our Grade 6B teacher, Mrs. Inge deVisser, who is scheduled for a single mastectomy next week Monday.  We pray that the Lord will bless the hands of the surgeon and that the surgery will achieve its desired outcome.  May the Lord bless Mrs. deVisser’s recovery and continue to be near to her and her family in the days and weeks ahead.  We welcome Mrs. Simone Oosterhoff who will be teaching Grade 6B for the next couple of months or so.  May our Heavenly Father continue to be near the Pierotti family as they continue to grieve the recent passing away of Mrs. Pierotti’s brother.  We are thankful that some improvement has been noted in her father’s condition.

This week, Mrs. Rachel Tesfaye could spend a couple of mornings in Grade 4B getting to know the routines and familiarize herself a bit with the children she will be teaching in January.

Parents, grandparents, and other supporters of John Calvin School are invited to join us for the Christmas assembly planned for next week Friday morning, December 21 beginning at 11:00.

Ontario Education Survey:  The Ministry of Education of Ontario is consulting the public regarding education in Ontario.  There is an online submission form found at www.fortheparents.ca to fill in and submit.  There is information on this website for telephone submissions as well.  Please participate.  You have until tomorrow (December 15) to fill in the form or survey and make a change in the education system in Ontario.  Further to this request, I have re-attached a form letter from the League of Canadian Reformed Schools and a document for submission suggestions from Edvance Christian Schools to assist in completing the survey as well as any additional communication you may wish to pursue with the Ministry of Education.   Contributions from 20,000 Christian parents and individuals are needed to make an impact! Thanks for your participation.

A few items for your attention:

*Thank you Ladies Auxiliary for the delicious Pizza Lunch and the accompanying treats we could enjoy today.  It was very much appreciated by the students, teachers, and parents.

*We are down to the last three boxes of chocolate bar money that needs to come in.  Those who still owe, please get the money next week so we can close the books on the fundraiser before year’s end.

*The students had lots of fun skating and playing hockey the last number of Wednesday afternoons.  We are thankful for this extra-curricular activity.  We thank the bus drivers for transporting the grades to and from the arena and the parents/grandparents who joined the students and teachers and helped where and when necessary.

*It was great to see a good-sized crowd on Wednesday evening at the Post-Confession/JCS lecture to listen to André Schutten speak to us about, No Neutral Ground- A Christian Critique of the Secular Onslaught in Provincial Education Systems.  It was good to hear André identify some key issues that our schools, homes, and churches have to deal with when it comes to educating our covenantal children in a secular and, often, hostile to Christians society.  We were encouraged to draw a line in the sand, stand firm in our beliefs, and not compromise our values.  Knowing that we are in the hand of Jesus helps us to move forward and continue to teach our children about God, His Word, and His world.  To Him be the glory!

*Parents, if your son or daughter is not feeling well, please don’t send him/her to school in the morning even if they have been medicated.  Often times the medication wears off before lunch time and he/she is not feeling well again and the home needs to be called.  Please keep your child at home.  It is better for him/her, the whole class, and the teacher.  Thanks for your cooperation in this matter.

*Lost and Found:  Our lost and found box is filling up.  If you are at the school at some point and time during the next three weeks, please check through the bin to see if any of your child(ren)’s missing paraphernalia is in it.  Whatever is left in the box on December 21 will be taken to the GBF or Bibles for Mission.

Reminders:

*Please continue to collect tabs for cans for Jude VanVeen so he and his family can get a wheelchair for his sister Anna.

*News and Views will be distributed on Sunday.

*Friday, December 21 is a 2/3 day of school.  Students will be dismissed at 12:00 and the buses will be leaving at 12:10.  The Christmas Break is scheduled for December 24 to January 4.  The first day back in January in Monday, January 7.

Have a great weekend and a blessed Sunday.  We’ll touch base again next week Friday, D.V.      G. Hofsink

Classroom News

Kindergarten

We began last week with the story of our Saviour’s birth. As Christmas draws near we also look forward to having some time off spent with our families. It is hard to believe that this is the last week of school before the Christmas break; although all of the students (and teachers) are ready for a break! In math we started our next unit focusing on numbers 6-10. Please remember to practice these numbers at home as they do prove difficult for many children. This week we will be focusing on review which means more hands on learning centers. Please continue to read the sight word books that are sent home. We wish you all a blessed week! NR

Letter of the Week: Review

Sight Word: Review

Memory Work: Hymn 21: 1,6 & Matthew 1:21

Grade 1

Well another week is done and hopefully we are almost all done with these sick germs. We are happy to see children come back after a long time of being sick and pray for those who are still sick, including Mrs. Vanbrederode. This week we had a Bible test and started our new unit of Joshua leading the Israelites into the promised land. We continue in math on our unit on time and money. You can help your child by practicing the different coins at home. Next week Tuesday we hope to have a science test on our unit in Investigating Living Things. Children will need to know what makes things living. Have a great weekend and stay healthy.

Memory Work: Hymn 56:2, John 3:16 for Friday December 21

Spelling words: about, other, out, will, up

Grade 2

This week in Church History,  the students started learning about the 2 Sacraments that we celebrate.  On Monday we will look at Lord’s Supper. After that we will look at the tasks of elders and deacons. On Thursday we will complete the unit with a quiz.  In Social Studies we are studying the Inuit in Iqaluit,  Nunavut. The students are fascinated by the entirely different weather and culture! They are also enjoying all the map work that accompanies this unit.  Have a wonderful weekend! BB/RG

Memory Work: Hymn 62:1

No Spelling words

Grade 3

It is hard to believe, but we have almost finished the first 4 months of school and are heading toward Christmas. What a special time as we may celebrate Christ’s birth. We hope to spend some time on this important event next Friday. The children are very engaged and enthusiastic when working on their penguin posters; excellent effort boys and girls! In Bible, we heard about Jacob coming and staying with his uncle Laban. God shows us that He uses weak and sinful people to go about His plan. Remember to work on your drill and bring it back to school, boys and girls. Thank you, Ladies Auxiliary, for the delicious pizza lunch and treat. We all loved it! We wish you a wonderful weekend and a blessed Sunday.

Memory work: Ps. 103:1

Text: The Ten Plagues (see agenda) two weeks

Spelling words: terrible, trouble, won’t, wouldn’t

PE clothes on Monday, Library on Tuesday, Mission $ on Friday

Grade 4

We can not believe that it is the last teaching week of December – this 2018 year has flown by! We wish Mrs. Lemstra all of the best as she and her husband prepare for their new baby. We will miss her and we thank her for the work that she has done. At the same time, we welcome Mrs. Tesfaye to the Grade 4B classroom. We hope that she will soon feel at home here at JCS! Here are a few things to note for the upcoming (and busy!) week:

Grade 4A (Miss Hoeksema) Bible Test on Wednesday, December 19

Grade 4B (Mrs. Lemstra) Science Test on Urinary System Tuesday December 18, Math Test on multiplication (unit 5) Wednesday December 19.

Spelling: rubbing, twenty, downstairs, cherry, pink, sorry, raining, lucky, drink, stopped, sitting, sunny, rainy, again, (4B only: obligation, panic, lofty, dawdle)

Memory Work: Psalm 35:1 (December 21), Psalm 13:1 (January 11) Isaiah 40:28-29 (January 11)

Grade 5

In Grade 5 we have been learning more about the work of Jesus during His time here on earth, teaching and healing the people.  We will have a mid-unit test on Thursday. We have recently begun a unit on cells and are amazed at the complexity with which God has created all things!

5A devotions: M. William, Tu. Rebekah, W. Lani, Th. Rylee

5B: M. Kaden, Tu. Tabitha, W. Nate, Th. Theo

Grade 6

Only one week of school left. That is great, because the students have worked really hard this semester. We finalized chapter 3 in Math. We finalized some stories in Literacy, one even from the world famous story writer Leo Tolstoy! We are working hard on our Bird project and also some art projects have to be finalized before we can take a break. In Bible History we have been following Jacob through his life. The many challenges he faced have taught us how unbelievably faithful the Lord was to him. This message means a lot to us who live today. We may trust Him too and we are looking forward to seeing the Lord’s plan being realized as we celebrate Christmas. During the coming week we will tell stories of the New Testament. We will also pay attention to the songs that Mary and Zachariah sang when they realized that the Messiah was going to be born. A great message! We hope to see many of you at the Christmas Assembly to sing His praises.

Grade 7A

In Math we’ll move from number sense and numeration to algebra as we work with equations and expressions in Chapter 4. After choosing an Independent Study topic, we’ve reported on a book about it and reviewed a documentary about it. Next using Google Scholar, we’ll review a journal article about an aspect of our topic. Ask your child what article they’ve chosen and from which journal. Before the Christmas break we hope to wrap up our King David unit in Bible History; next year we’ll start with our next Church History unit dealing with Ulrich Zwingli and the Reformation in the Swiss Confederation. There have been rumors circulating within Grade Seven about, “Secret Santa”. While not an officially sanctioned class event, please ask your child about their possible involvement and the expectations that go along with it. Enjoy your weekend.

Grade 7B

As we move into the Christmas break, there will be a lot of wrap up in a lot of different subject areas. In Bible History, we will be moving toward the end of David’s reign and how the LORD establishes a kingdom of peace for David’s son, Solomon. In Geography, we are coming to the end of our climate unit and will be having a test on Thursday. In History, we have come to the end of our United Empire Loyalist unit and are finishing up with a creative writing assignment. Devotions – Selena VO. Have a great weekend!

Grade 8A

As we sit one week away from the break, our conclusion to the week was a flurry of activity (pun intended). A few more quizzes and wrap up activities to go and we can enjoy a much needed break! Students are well aware of the deadline they have for their novel study activities (Friday). Next Friday is also a half-day finishing with a school assembly @ 11:00. You are most welcome to join us! Have a blessed weekend! Cheers, Mr. J (Yes Mr. Z, I am still cheerful 😊).

Grade 8B

Students have been working hard on various projects. Church History and History tests were returned this week. These are pretty good indicators of how your child is doing. Please ask them to show you the results. Geography chapter 4 will be tested next week Wednesday. Students should have checked with you about what they are contributing to the class Christmas breakfast.

Memory work:  Psalm 58:1  Romans 8:37-39

Devotions:  Elyse, Liam, Evan, Ilse