General News

Celebrate1517: Sola Scriptura – During the months of September and October in our classrooms, we focused our attention on the first pillar of the Reformation: By Scripture Alone. The Bible is exceptional and unique because it is God’s own project from beginning to end. This is the foundational teaching of the Reformation, for it is through Scripture alone that God reveals his salvation plan. The difference between the Bible and other collections of wisdom across the ages and around the world is that those collections are inspired by human wisdom. The Bible, the apostle Paul writes, is divinely inspired. The term he uses to describe this inspiration is “God-breathed.” (2 Timothy 3:16,17) How the Bible is God-breathed is truly a mystery. God the Holy Spirit has spoken universal truth throughout history in all kinds of circumstances. Despite a vast array of personalities with all of their individual gifts, quirks, strengths, and shortcomings, the Holy Spirit has spoken in and through the many writers of the Bible to his people in the past as well as today. Because the words of the Bible are “God-breathed,” or inspired, they are wholly trustworthy, giving us all we need for faith and for living a life that pleases God. May God’s Word continue to be the bedrock of our daily life, nourishing, challenging, and leading us in pleasing God and loving our neighbour.

Hello again from the school as we bring this abbreviated week of learning and teaching at JCS to a close. Even though it was short, there were a lot of things happening both inside and outside of the classroom. Just check out the classroom news.

We congratulate Mike and Heather Werkman with the birth of their fourth daughter, Naomi. She is a new sister for Lauren in Grade KA. All is well with mom and daughter, and the rest of the family too. (“Our children all are gifts of God, our sons and daughter his reward—each one a blessing from the LORD, as heritage on us bestowed. Psalm 127:3, BoP). May our Heavenly Father provide Mike and Heather with all they need as they raise their children in the fear of His Name.

We wish Mrs. Inge deVisser (Grade 6B) and Miss Danielle Aalbers (E.A. in Special Ed and Special Needs) all the best and the Lord’s blessing for their respective tasks at John Calvin School.

A few items for your attention:

*This afternoon a Blood Donor Clinic is taking place in our school gym. If you are able to give blood, please consider heading to the school sometime between 3:00 and 8:00 and make your donation. It would be much appreciated.

*The due date of picture orders is past. Retakes are scheduled for Wednesday, November 8.

*Final reminder via the Chronicle: Most of the money from the chocolate bar fundraiser is in; however, there is still some that needs to be returned. Let’s get that in by the end of next week. Thank you! Also, we still have two boxes of chocolate remaining to be sold so if there are any enterprising young men or women who would still like to sell a box or two, please stop by the office and pick one up.

*Fire Prevention Week runs from October 8th – 15th with the theme being, “Every second counts – plan two ways out”. It is a reminder for families to have a home escape plan that includes two different ways to exit your home in the event of a fire. Earlier this week, the West Lincoln Fire and Emergency Services conducted a fire drill at the school. The students and staff did a great job exiting the building in a quiet and timely fashion. An inspection will take place later this month.

*This year our Grade 4 students once again participated in the “Fire Chief for a Day” contest. Participants drew a home escape plan showing two ways out of the home. Contest forms and escape planning sheets were provided by the Fire Department. All the best students!

*Good effort last week Friday cross-country runners! The girls’ and boys’ teams each finished third in their races. The top finisher for the boys’ team was Simon Heemskerk (8th place), and the top finisher for the girls’ team was Norah Jonker (4th place). Thank you again Mrs. Groen and Mrs. Heemskerk for coaching the runners. Next on the tournament schedule for the Grade 8 students is volleyball.

*With Remembrance Day not being too far off, the students will soon begin work on the Royal Canadian Legion Poster, Poem, and Essay contest. Entries need to be in by Friday, November 3.

Reminders:

*The October issue of the News and Views will be distributed on Sunday.

*The Calvin Chronicle will not publish the week of October 23 because of the short week.

*As you know, we are hosting the CRTA Teachers’ Convention later this month. The convention is scheduled for October 26 & 27 and the staff of JCS has been given Wednesday, October 25 as a prep day for the convention in order to get the school ready for the event. The students (and parents) may enjoy a five-day long weekend.

*The annual ANCHOR WORK DAY is coming up in two week’s time. The usual information about the event was sent home with your son or daughter last week on an orange or yellow sheet. The confirmation slip needs to be returned on or by Monday, October 23. It is good for the students in Grades 7 & 8 to be involved in this community service for one of our Reformed institutions.

Have a good weekend and a blessed day of worship, and we’ll communicate via the pages of the Chronicle again next week, D.V.   GH

Classroom News

Kindergarten

It was good to be refreshed with a long Thanksgiving weekend! But it was also great to come back to school! Next week will be a review week in Language. Please review the names, sounds, songs, and printing of all the letters learned so far (yes, we have learned a lot already!). In Math, we will wrap up our unit on Patterns and move on to Counting. In Bible, we will learn how Jacob takes the birthright by deceit. The highlight next week will be our fall trip to the Great Pumpkin Patch on Thursday! Please dress for the weather, and review the October newsletter for all other details which you need to know (bag, loonie, etc). Please note that KB will also be coming on Thursday instead of Friday, so make sure transportation to and from school is arranged. Our new memory work is Psalm 81:1, but we are also singing several theme songs related to the Reformation. FV/NR

Grade 1

We have completed our Funny Surprises Reader and hopefully, you will be able to listen to your child read the stories to you over the weekend. A package of completed reading work will come home as well. With the first unit, we always try to give the students lots of support and help in completing the assignments. We will continue to offer support, but from now on, they will be asked to become more and more independent when completing the reading activities. The students are ready for this next step. We are coming to the end of our current Bible unit as well. We hope to have finished the stories about Jacob on Friday. We’ll review on Monday and have a test the following Tuesday (Oct. 17). We continue to review ten of our spelling words. Students will have a practice test on Thursday and a final test on Friday. As the weather becomes cooler more and more often, we ask that you remind your child to wear a jacket to school. Especially on those drizzly days, it is good if they wear something that repels water (a jacket rather than a sweater). Please remember to label all clothes and belongings that come to school.

Memory Work: Psalm 81:2   (Begin learning the sons of Jacob)

Spelling words: a, and, in, is, it, of, that, the, to, you

Sight words: kittens, bears, mother, big, little, in, mew, for, box, you, play

Grade 2

The students in Grade 2 had lots of stories to share after their long weekend. We heard about camping trips, house boat adventures, family dinners, and airplane rides. In Science class, we continued to learn about involuntary muscles. God is gracious to us in creating our bodies so that they are able to run themselves with muscles that we don’t need to control! On Tuesday, students will have a Bible test. Once again, the duotangs will come home on Monday. The students will also receive new math facts on Monday. Be sure to continue to practice with your child!

Have a great weekend! RG & JA

Spelling: our, really, whom, line, what

Memory Work: Hymn 41:1; Isaiah 9:2

Grade 3

A few more days, and then? Pioneer Day! On Monday October 16, we plan go to Ireland House in Burlington, dressed as Pioneers. We are looking forward to this exciting event. Remember not to pack a microwave lunch, but use your imagination and pack a pioneer’s lunch (not a must). Don’t forget to bring a loonie for the bus. Spelling words will be the same as last week’s. Great effort was seen when the children worked on their Church History and Pioneer unit quizzes. Ask your child how he/she did. Our next Church History unit will be about Thomas Cranmer, one of the reformers some 500 years ago. It is very appropriate this time of year to study a great reformer as we hope to celebrate 1517 as well. The children are having a colouring contest in Grade 3. The picture is about the five solas; ask your child about it. In art we are working on our Kadinsky’s concentric circles in squares. In due time this colourful art will be displayed in the hall. Have a blessed and restful weekend. MP/JB

Memory work: Ps 8:4,5; Text: Gen 12:1-3

Spelling words: pretty, prettier, prettiest, getting, laughed

Grade 4

We will have a Church History Test Wednesday, October 18th. It is on the church family. Science Test will be next Tuesday October 24. This is quite a big unit with a lot of vocabulary. It would be beneficial to study with your children.

Grade 4A: Math Test Friday October 20 (addition)

Grade 4B: Math Test Tuesday October 24 (addition)

Spelling: Lesson 7: rode, cabin, sail, throat, camp, rope, said, know, boats, blow, alone, float, own, closed, Word of the Day: precious, sluggish, discussion, advance

Memory Work: Hymn 76:3 (Oct. 20) Hymn 60:1,4 (Oct. 24)   Text: Psalm 100:1-3 (Oct. 24) Mrs. Lemstra and Miss Hoeksema

Grade 5

What a wonderful extended weekend we had to celebrate Thanksgiving.   It was lovely to have that break but also lovely to get back into our regular schedule. Parents, you have seen the Bible reviews that came home for your signatures. This is not our usual way of doing things but we wanted you to see how well, or not so well, your child did in their regular school work. We have both had quite serious discussions with our students about using their talents in all their work. Some have really taken this to heart, yet others continue to struggle to give us their best effort. Please continue to encourage your child to” give it their all” In ALL their school work. With the tests in Bible, Social Studies, and Math we have begun new units in these subjects. The students are very excited that we will now be learning about the Roman Armies and are looking forward to the project they get to complete on this topic. It was nice to see all the students in their Phys. Ed. clothes this week. Keep it up! Have a wonderful weekend and a blessed Sunday. SO/KV

Memory Work: Psalm 38:1,10; Text: Luke 2:10-14

Devotions: 5A: M. Violet, Tu. Madelyn,W. Carter, Th. Dane, Fr. Josiah

5B: M. Noah, Tu. Beth, W. Wesley, Th. Kathryn, Fr. Janaye

Grade 6

We completed our various units this week. Next week we plan to start studying Genesis, a novel, Number the Stars, and Canada and its trading partners. The students enjoyed making a variety of paper airplanes and tested them to see which one flew the farthest, had the fanciest acrobatics and could land closest to the landing strip. We welcome Mrs. deVisser and wish her the LORD’s blessing as she starts her work. Have a blessed weekend.

Grade 7A

Our Bible History stories for the next while follow two plots; the death of King Saul at the hands of the Philistines and the salvation of the LORD to David at Ziklag. Our study of “Saul: King After People’s Heart” will come to an end soon; look for a test next week. Next up will be a study of the Great Reformation and Martin Luther. We continue with public speaking in L.A. We’ll evaluate our current speaking skills and use table talk and impromptu to think and speak on our feet. Our Science unit, “Structural Strength and Stability” is coming to an end soon, we’ll wrap up Chapter 5 “Stability and Centre of Gravity” with a unit ending project involving bridging the gap. Enjoy your weekend.

Grade 7B

A short week has flown by here in Grade 7B. We have wrapped up our Bible History unit on Samuel and Saul and will be finishing it off with a test on Monday. We will move on to our next chapter in History as well talk about fur traders and missionaries. We will also be moving on to session 3 of our Public Speaking Unit where we will be participating in table talks, working on our impromptu speaking abilities. Devotions – Natasha D. Have a great weekend!

Grade 8A

It was a short but busy week in Grade 8. As a class we took the time to reflect on the first 5 weeks of the year and to set some class goals moving forward. They are as follows: 1. To be more mature. 2. To take ownership of our work. 3. To be more responsible in the classroom and around the school. All of these goals come from some patterns we have noticed so far this year, especially the first two. The conclusion? To do all things to the praise of glory of our Heavenly Father and to the best of our ability. Might be the cause for some good discussion. Have a blessed weekend. Cheers, Mr. J