General News

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The purpose of John Calvin School is to assist and support parents in the education of their covenant children to the glory of God.  In accomplishing this mission, the vision of John Calvin School is to provide excellent Christ-centered education in service to God and our neighbour.

Greetings from the school everyone, on this chilly and windy last day of winter, as we bring another week of learning and teaching to a close. We thank and praise the Lord for all that he has once again done for us during this past week, and we pray for his continued blessing and guidance as we go about our respective tasks from day-to-day and week-to-week.     

May the Lord continue to provide for those in our community who need Him in a special way; be it those who are sick, who are impacted by the virus, who are dealing with difficult family situations, or those who are grieving the death of a loved one.  

A few matters for your attention:

*One more reminder regarding morning parent drop-offs:  Several parents have expressed concern about safety during morning drop-offs.  When dropping off children, please keep in mind the queue behind as you drop them off; we’ve had it that there was a half-dozen vehicles in the queue on the driveway.  If you anticipate the drop-off taking longer or you have several children that you are dropping off, please pull into a parking spot.  We need to keep the line moving.  Also, please use the lanes when entering and exiting the parking lot (rather than cutting across parking spots), stick to the right, and be mindful of children.  Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

*Student Teachers:  Next week Monday, three student teachers from the CCRTC will begin their final practicum at our school.  Mr. Adrian VanGameren (he is in year one of the Diploma of Education program) will be teaching with Miss Buist in Grade 1A.  Miss Tarissa Tenhage, a former student at JCS and in her final year at the College, will be teaching with Mrs. Poort in Grade 3B.  Miss Hailey Jongbloed, in her final year at the College, will be teaching with Miss VanderLaan in Grade 5B.  We wish them all the best and the Lord’s blessing during their practicums at JCS.

*The Spring Food Drive in support of West Lincoln Community Care began this week and will continue until Friday, April 9.  Thanks to all who have contributed so far.

*We thank the Ladies Auxiliary for organizing a hot chocolate and cookies treat for next week Thursday, March 25.  To follow protocols, serving stations will be set up outside from where the student cohorts will be served. 

*An invitation from River’s Edge Haven of Hope:  River’s Edge is hosting free family tours during the April break to experience the farm/horses, etc. 

*Spring begins officially tomorrow morning at 5:37.

*Included with today’s Chronicle is the Protocol for Class Re-distribution.  Class lists will be developed in June from the considerations, criteria, and procedures included in the document.  Please add it as an appendix to your copy of the Parent Handbook.  FYI, it remains unchanged from the one that was sent last year around this time.  The protocol has been reviewed by the education committee and the board.

*For your reading pleasure, the ASC (Assisting the Special Child) spring newsletter is included with today’s Chronicle. 

*The annual “Toonies for Anchor” campaign to raise awareness for the needs of the Anchor Association and to learn more about the Anchor Homes, is scheduled for next week and the following week (March 22 – April 1).  The little envelopes will be coming home on Monday and we encourage all the students to donate their toonie (or more) in support of our special needs brothers and sisters.  The children will have until Thursday, April 1 to return their envelopes.  Thank you in advance, students, for participating in this fundraising activity.

Have a good weekend everyone and we’ll touch base again next week Friday, D.V.                           G. Hofsink

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Classroom News

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Kindergarten

We had another short but great week in kindergarten. The students absolutely loved having both classes here on Wednesday. It is so fun as a teacher to watch each student make new friendships. Perhaps we will have to do it again before the school year is done! A special thank you to Mrs deBoersap who partnered with Miss Broersma to teach both classes on Wednesday. The students enjoy it so much when Mrs deBoersap reads to them from her very special story book! The warmer weather outside also has the students more excited and energized; new toys to play with and a new area of the school to explore.  This week we will be learning the last letter for the year which is the letter Qq. The students have worked very hard learning all of the letter names and sounds. The next step in learning is the concept of reading. The excited looks on the students’ faces each time they successfully read a word brings such joy to the classroom and teachers! Keep up the great work, kindergarten!  Have a blessed weekend everyone.  JB/NV

Grade 1

We are coming to the end of another Math unit; this time about measurement. Students can expect a test in the coming week. Check in the agendas for an exact date. The Bible unit is a short one this time as well. Again, check the agendas for the testing day. We always send the Bible notes home the day prior to the test. It is helpful to read those pages over with your children. While the weather has been lovely for outdoor recesses, please remember that the school grounds tend to stay wet for a long time. It may still be a better idea for the children to wear boots for play time. The students will be taking home some pages that have the text of our reader stories on them. Please listen to your child read. The repeated reading is so good for building reading confidence and fluency.

Memory Work:  Hymn 36:1,  Isaiah 9:2

Spelling Words:  after, am, play, ride, where

Sight Words:  Review:  father, mother, some, come, two, water, were, earth, nothing, also, because, before, ocean, beautiful, down, each, month, through, though, Mr.

Grade 2

What an exciting day we’ve had in Grade 2! From top secret files, to police taped doors, to fingerprint art, and a delicious pancake lunch, our detective day was a hit! Novel studies are always more fun when you can celebrate with theme related activities! Hopefully we’ve also introduced the students to a new genre of reading. In our Church History lessons this week, we learned about Martin Luther’s work as a translator. The students were surprised to realize that the people of Germany did not have the Bible in their own language prior to Luther’s work. Next week we will study Augustine’s work as a writer in defending the truth of God’s Word against the lies of Pelagius. That’s all for now! Have a good weekend! BV/RG

Memory work: Hymn 32:1

Spelling: wanted, here, sale, went, brother

Church History quiz: Friday

Grade 3

Hello again, parents and supporters. The children (and teachers) enjoyed their long weekend and were ready to take up their task again. In Bible History, we could marvel at the LORD’s greatness as He has shown in the ten plagues as well as parting the Red Sea. In Science, we learned about convection (and explosion in 3B). We are busy making Barbara Reid tactile art; what a fun project! In Reading class, we are enjoying the novel “Mr. Popper’s Penguins”. Ask us about Captain Cook. We have turned to geometry in Math class. In writing class, we are learning to use adjectives to make stories sparkle. This coming Monday, we hope to have a student teacher in class. Welcome Miss T. Tenhage. We pray you will have a great time with us in 3B.  Wishing you a wonderful weekend and a blessed Sunday.

Memory work: Ps. 47:2   Text: Ex. 20:7-11

Spelling REVIEW: by, buy, didn’t, doesn’t, general, governor, something, sometimes, one, unhappiness, winner, won, your, you’re

Thursday: bring library books in a bag

Friday: Mission $

Grade 4

Grade 4 is wrapping up a novel study about the book “From Anna” by Jean Little. We have enjoyed reading about Anna’s life as she adjusted to a new school and new friends and we have had good discussions about how Anna’s character has developed throughout the book. In Science, we have been discussing the digestive and urinary systems. We have learned how the many organs in our body work together and we have also learned about ways that we can take care of our bodies. In Bible, we are learning about the kings of Judah. We see that while the people continue to turn away from God, He continues to show His mercy to His people by sending prophets and kings to point their attention back to their true God and King.

For next week:

Animal Projects: Grade 4A should have the research part of their project completed by the end of the week as well as the rough draft of their Google Slides presentation (March 26).

Spelling Words: ready, build, weather, wouldn’t, dead, built, full, they’re, early, heaven, we’ll, warm, war, course, should

Memory Work: Hymn 42: 2, 3

Upcoming Memory Work: Hymn 35:4/Matthew 6:19-21

Grade 5

This past week we began a new theme in World of Literature about growing and changing. We hope to see how the characters in the story mature through life experiences. Our lessons about Ancient Egypt continue, and we plan to have a quiz on lessons 5-7 on Tuesday (5B) and Wednesday (5A). 5B will be having a student teacher for the next 5 weeks! Her name is Miss Jongbloed, and she is in her last year at the Teachers’ College.  She will also have an induction week, where she will teach 100% of every day for one week. We look forward to having her join us!

Wishing you all a restful weekend!  RK/KVL  

Devotions for next week:  5A M. MacKenna, Tu. Kayden, W.  Jackson, Th. Katie, F. Jacob.  And for 5B: M. Chelsea, Tu. Connor, W. Mikenna, Th. Kingston, F. Sarina

Grade 6

Grade 6 has been enjoying the warm weather outside! They have also been able to utilize the gym this week for some hockey and gymnastics at recess. Grade 6B is working through a poetry unit and analyzing metaphor and simile while Grade 6A finishes off their unit on Underground to Canada. Have a great weekend!

CV/AF

Grade 7A

By God’s grace we continue our work in Grade 7A in class. We remember last year at this time when the same material was being taught via at home learning. Students are putting their finishing touches on their interactive battle maps. Next week they will add their American and British “troops” and show how the battle they chose to research unfolded. After completing their annotated bibliographies in Independent Study, students will learn about professionals, experts and networking as they prepare to interview with regards to their chosen topic. We’re learning about Solomon in Bible History and how his kingdom of peace foreshadows that of one of his descendants. In L.A. the company of fourteen is slowly but surely making their way to the Lonely Mountain, unaware of who their enemy may really be. Enjoy your weekend.

Grade 7B

We have wrapped up our unit on the Swiss Reformation and are now moving on to Solomon and his Kingdom of Peace. Next week we will spend some time on his preparation for building God’s house. In Math, we have moved to an exciting unit on Financial Literacy where we will be going through the home-school curriculum set up by Dave Ramsey. It should lead to some interesting conversations! In History, we have begun our construction of our interactive battle maps, which is the final phase of our project! Have a great weekend!

Grade 8

Another week of beautiful weather, what a blessing! The time change has come and gone (another blessing) and we hope to be adjusted to the new schedule soon. In Gr. 8 this week we’ve almost wrapped up our Reformation in Scotland unit – students compared and contrasted the Presbyterian church order to our own. We started new units in LA and Science and learned about pressure, as well as the pressure of writing with simple short words. On Friday the regular math class completed a chapter 5 test, great work! Have a blessed weekend. Miss P and Mr. J

8A Devotions: DV, LV, NA, OB, DG

8B Devotions: VB KVI JK JL WD