General News

Hello again everyone on this second day of autumn. We have been blessed with wonderful weather this week as we transitioned from summer to fall. Thus far, a lot has taken place in and around the school. We thank the Lord for His blessings and guidance during September as we carried out our daily work of learning and teaching in addition to participating in various special activities and events, including Bullying Awareness Week which is scheduled for next week.

A few items for your attention:

The annual fall food drive for the West Lincoln Community Care Food Bank continues until Friday, October 7 at which time the food will be delivered to the Food Bank. Currently, the shelves at the bank are quite empty indicating that, once again, there is a real need in this community. Grade 7 students have been diligent in reminding us of the venture. Baskets have been set up in different locations in the school and are starting to fill up. That is great to see. Thank you very much everyone for your continuing participation in this act of service for the broader community.

Superb selling job students! There are no cases of chocolate left. For those who have sold or who are in the process of selling, it would be great if the money could be returned to the school as soon as possible. Please do not return unsold bars; thank you! Again, excellent work by all those who have participated in the fundraiser.

Thank you parents and grandparents for your cooperation in our request to refrain from using the driveway, and parking inside the “pyloned off” area; particularly before and after school when the buses are doing their thing. It has made for a much less congested and a much safer area.

Having parents and grand-parents check in at the main office to pick-up and drop-off children has also gone very smoothly. Thank you for your cooperation to this request as well.

Fire Prevention Week runs from October 9th – 15th with the theme being, “Don’t wait – check the date”. It is a reminder to replace smoke alarms every ten years. The West Lincoln Fire and Emergency Services will be conducting a fire drill and inspection of all schools, including John Calvin. No notice of the date and time of the inspection will be provided in advance. This year our Grade 4 students will be participating in the “Fire Chief for a Day” contest. Participants will be drawing a home escape plan showing two ways out of the home. Paper will be provided by the Fire Department. All the best students!

Earlier this week, the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams played an exhibition game again Covenant Christian School. In closely played games, both JCS teams ended up on the short end of the score but it helped them to identify what to practise on at their final after school practice on Thursday

The annual Canadian Reformed Schools Invitational Soccer Tournament will once again be hosted by our school. As in previous years, it will take place at two venues, West Lincoln Leisureplex (boys’ and girls’ divisions) and John Calvin School (co-ed division). We hope to see many of you there to cheer on the school’s teams. The schedules for the teams are as follows with all games taking place at Leisureplex.

Girls’ Team                              Boys’ Team

9:05 vs Covenant                                 8:00 vs Timothy

10:10 vs ACRES                                  10:10 vs DACS

1:25 vs Heritage                                   12:20 vs ACRES

If either or both of the teams make it that far, the semi-finals take place at 2:30 and the final is scheduled for 3:45.

Training continues for the cross country team next week Tuesday and Friday during lunch recess. The athletes are planning to run at Felkers Falls Conservation area next week Tuesday during the lunch hour. They will be taking a bus to the conservation area. Runners continue to be encouraged to train at home as well. The cross country meet is scheduled for Friday, October 7 at Dundas Valley Conservation Area.

The bus evacuation drill planned for this week has been rescheduled to next week.

School and Community Safety Plan: Attached to this week’s Chronicle is the School and Community Safety Plan. Please add it as an appendix to your Parent Handbook. All schools need to have a plan such as this in place in the event of the following situations: Lockdown, Hold and Secure, and Shelter in Place. As per page three of the document, parents and guardians must be informed of the existence of the plans for these three situations at the school and should reinforce with their children, their student responsibilities to follow directions during a crisis, and disclose any information they may have prior to or during a crisis situation. Thank you for your cooperation in this very important matter. The teachers will also be reviewing the document with the students. We are planning a lockdown/hold and secure drill towards the end of October or beginning of November.

Bullying Awareness Week: Attached to the June 24th edition of the Chronicle, was the Bullying Awareness Protocol which was to be included with your Parent Handbook as an appendix. If you do not have a copy of the document please contact the school. We developed this protocol as a follow-up activity to our staff book study on Virtuous Minds: Intellectual Character Development. As you read on the calendar of events in the News and Views, we are planning a Bullying Awareness week for September 26-30.

The theme for the week is The Golden Rule based on Luke 6:31, “Do to others as you would have them do to you”, which is the main theme text for the week. A secondary theme text is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” In most bullying situations there are three parties involved: the bully, the bystander, and the victim. During the week, teachers will be especially paying attention to the role of the Bystander. We have also selected two theme songs, The Servant Song and Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep. Some activities planned for the week are: an opening assembly on Monday morning (Grades 5-8 from 8:10-8:40 and Grades K-4 from 8:45-9:15) and a closing assembly on Friday afternoon (Grades K-4 from 1:00-1:30 and Grades 5-8 from 1:40-2:30); drawing activities, stories, poems, posters, skits (students will have an opportunity to share at the Friday afternoon assembly), a series of five devotions about the theme prepared by Mrs. deVisser, and in-class activities organized by the classroom teachers. Parents are invited to join us at the assemblies and are also invited to share their stories about bullying or read a trade book about bullying awareness to one or more grades. We are looking forward to an informative, interactive, and encouraging week as we deal with this sensitive but very important topic. In all situations and circumstances, we must always be ready to answer the question, What would Jesus want me to do?

Reminders:

Grade 1 is planning to visit Feenstra’s orchard on Tuesday, September 27.

Grade 4 is planning to do some investigating at St. John’s Conservation Area the same day.

You are welcome to join us for the Thanksgiving Assembly on Friday, October 7 at 1:45 p.m. in the school gym.

Once again, we are participating in the Scholastic Book Club. The flyers for the different grade levels went home earlier this week. If you decide to purchase books from different flyers, you just need to write one cheque, made payable to John Calvin School, not Scholastic. Thank you. Due date for orders is Friday, September 30. If parents do not wish for the flyers to be sent home, please let the school know and we will take your name off the list.

Enjoy the cooler weather this weekend. Have a blessed Sunday and we hope to communicate with you again next week.

G. Hofsink

Classroom News

Kindergarten

Another beautiful week of warm, sunny weather has flown by. We do love our nice classrooms in the cooler basement! Next week we look forward to Red Day at the end of the week, with a special snack to celebrate (thanks, moms!). In Bible, we will learn about Abraham and his sons, and in Math we will move on to Patterns. We will be learning all about the letter “T” in Language Arts, and we will be able to sing our second memory work by the end of the week (Hy. 46: 2). Have a blessed weekend! MD & FV

Grade 1

We have completed our unit about safety and were able to properly participate in the school fire drill on Wednesday. We also had a great trip to the Safety Village on Tuesday. Students wrote a small safety quiz on Thursday. Look for it in their agendas. On Monday we will begin our first Science unit about investigations. We hope to go to the Feenstra’s apple orchard on Tuesday. Please make sure that the children are dressed appropriately and once again, they need a portable lunch. We could probably use one or two parent helpers for that day. If you are able to help out, perhaps you could write a note in your child’s agenda. We will have a Bible quiz on Thursday. Unit 2 notes will go home on Wednesday. Please review them with your child. Please take a few minutes to practise the spelling words and sight words with your child each day.

Memory Work: Psalm 79:5, Gen. 1:1,31a

Spelling words: in, of, it, you, that (Friday….. pre-test Thursday)

Sight words: make, look, run, jumped at, new, a, fish, the (Friday)

Bible Quiz – Thursday

Grade 2

Grade 2 has been slowly improving on the speed and accuracy with which they complete their doubles Math drills. We will add the +1 facts into their bags on Monday. Please take the time to practice these facts with your child. The more familiar students are with their facts, the easier they will be able to complete their Math assignments. In Science, we will begin to talk about how to keep our bones healthy and strong. Students will be asked on Monday to bring in some empty food containers so that the nutritional values can be studied. Please remember to pack your child’s gym clothes on Tuesday (2B), Wednesday (2A) and Friday (2A and B).

Have a wonderful weekend! JB/HV

Memory Work – Psalm 86:4

Spelling – rain, school, house, does, people

Grade 3

Psalm 50:1; Text: The Ten Plagues(Two weeks)

Words: again, because, could, favourite, have, into, off, people, said, they, until, very, want, who

Bonjour! Au revoir! Ca va bien? Thanks for reading our grade three news! If you are having trouble with the French words, ask your child to translate! 🙂 Our pioneer trip is booked for Monday, October 17 (D.V.). Students need to dress up in pioneer clothes and bring a pioneer lunch too. If you need any help with this be sure to give us a note in the agenda. We would be pleased to be of assistance! This week we had a special visitor in our room. Mrs. H. Buikema came back! Yes, she was last year’s grade one teacher. She so missed John Calvin that she came in and showed us lots of pioneer items. What a cool collection! Thanks for coming, Mrs. Buikema! Come again! Just a reminder to bring in food for the food drive! It will be much appreciated! In Math, we are learning to read and write BIG numbers. Ask your child to say the number: 99,999.   Next week is anti- bullying week. We hope to do a number of different activities dealing with this important topic. That’s it for now. J.B./M.P.

Psalm 50:1; Text: The Ten Plagues(Two weeks)

Words: again, because, could, favourite, have, into, off, people, said, they, until, very, want, who

Grade 4A

Going to Kilean Lodge together was a real blessing. There were quite a few people there, and they enjoyed our singing and the short meditation. We sang for half an hour and a few of the songs were “Trust and obey” and also “Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to Thee.” How nice would it have been if you could have seen and heard the event. People were singing along and knew some of the songs by heart. Thank you to Mrs. Ravensbergen, (Damon’s mom) who accompanied us with her guitar. It was a beautiful experience for all of us. Next week Wednesday we will have a Bible unit test. Next week Tuesday we hope to go to St. John’s Conservation area. Thank you very much to all who have responded to our request to come along. We have enough volunteers to make a few smaller groups. We are looking forward to you being involved in the process of teaching about the amazing way living organisms live together in a pond! Please feel welcome to the assembly on Monday as start of the Bullying Awareness Week. We need each other at home and at school in the battle against bullying, so let us send out one united message to our children and students. Every day we will organize an activity that will help the students to live together in a real Christian manner, building each other up. Please ask your child what the specific of the day was.

Grade 4B

Another week has flown by! The students have a Bible test on Wednesday September 28th. It will be on 1 Samuel 7-15. They will be given a review sheet on Monday. We will be going to St. John’s Conservation Area on Tuesday. We still need more parent volunteers. Have a good weekend! Miss H.

Spelling words Lesson 4: tea, cars, need, ocean, whale, net, clear, watch, deep, feel, hear, chest, sea, free

Memory Work: Hymn 25:1 (September 30) Text: 1 Samuel 15:22 (October 7)

Grade 5A

Another week has flown by! We have now, officially, entered Autumn, though we are still enjoying very summer like days. As a class we have been discussing how much we are looking forward to the crisp days of Fall, while still being thankful to our Heavenly Father for these beautiful summer days. In Bible we have heard the stories of Christ birth, his circumcision and his being presented in the temple. We have focussed on why these events are so important to us. For the first time we have listened/watched our French Story Le Jour Bizarre. While many of the students struggled to understand it, we are now learning our new vocabulary (gestures and words) which will make our story far more understandable and enjoyable. We have spent time this week learning about Roman roads and arches and how they revolutionized Rome, but also how they still affect us today. Remarkable indeed! Enjoy a wonderful weekend and a blessed Sunday. SO

Memory work: Psalm 26:2

Text: Luke 1 :46 -50

Devotions: M. Jordan, Tu. Justin, W. Julia, Th. John, Fr. Tristan

Grade 5B

Another week has gone by, week three already! We are back in the swing of things and ready to work! This past week Gr 5B has finished up their multimedia line-art project inspired by Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup. This collaboration is currently hanging in the hallway near the north doors by the grade 5 classroom. Please come and check it out! We are currently working on contoured gesture drawings inspired by Keith Haring’s Subway Drawings. Next week Monday marks the beginning of student lead lunchtime devotions. Students are expected to choose a Bible passage and to write a prayer. Monday – Stephen, Tuesday – Kiera, Wednesday – Arie, Thursday – Eli and Friday – Alayna. I wish you a blessed weekend and if you are up for a challenge, ask your child to help you solve the rebus.           KG

Grade 6

Our class trip to the Warplane Museum has been changed to Wed., Oct.5. Please bring a loonie for the bus. Next week our focus will be on bullying with a number of activities planned. This past week we looked at how Charlemagne used various means to force the Saxons to become Christians. This led to a discussion on the correct way to win others for Christ. We could feel the tension and sense the mood with the help of the way Lowry wrote her novel. We will be writing a letter to Papa and designing a postcard using the code language that we have read about. During Science we could see the effect of air in the various experiments we did. Our ‘get to know your students better’ glyphs are in the process of being hung up in the hall. Next week we will be working on a poster to tie in with our theme of bullying. Have a blessed weekend. MdB/CV

Devotions: 6A – T-Jordana, W-Angelina, Th-Rachel, F-Timera

6B – T-Myles, W-Zach, Th-Caleb, F=Avery

Ps.148:1, Hy.64:1 Fri.Sept.30 ( 6B)

Hy.64:1- Fri.Sept.30   (6A)

Text: both classes: Ps.8:6-9- Thurs. Sept.29

Vocab Quiz-Sept.29(6A) Sept.30(6B) Ch. H. Quiz- Sept.30

Grade 7A

The subjects intertwined this past week as we met our forefathers in faith, the Huguenots, in Canadian History. Not only did they possess the secret process for making felt hats, they also were keen businessmen. Above all they knew their citizenship was in heaven and were willing to disperse from France throughout the world, including Canada. In Bible History we learned what rebellion, divination, presumption and idolatry have in common; love of self. We’ve shared with each other the suspenseful situations we’ve found ourselves in Language Arts; looking at Deuteronomy 28 we learned how living in suspense was a curse for disobedience. Ask your child about their super strength straws. Please don’t forget your food donation for the West Lincoln Community Care Food Drive. Enjoy your weekend.

Grade 7B

We will be continuing with our Bible History Unit on Saul and how Israel rejects their heavenly King for an earthly one. We will be looking at mental math, inverse operations, and problem solving in Math. We are wrapping up our unit of soccer in Phys. Ed. with a tournament with Grade 7A. We will also be finishing our short stories on conflict this week. In History, we will be looking at how the fur trade led to the settlement of Canada. Have a good weekend!

Current Events – M–Matthew, Tuesday – Malachi H., Wednesday – Eliana G.,                                  Thursday – Liam F., Friday – Claire DeVries

Devotions – M – Meah, T- Matthew, W- Lydia, Th – Jordan, F – Nathaniel

Grade 8A

It was another warm week here in Gr. 8. We have wrapped up our study of the Maccabees and have moved on to the start of Christ’s ministry here on earth. We also covered the early developments of Confederation and move to understanding why confederation was needed. Tomorrow is our soccer tournament and our first major fundraiser for the Ottawa trip. See you all there! Cheers, Mr. J

Grade 8B

What a fantastic week! Who would have guessed that there is so much life in pond water? Students discovered that what often looks rather dirty actually contains a lot of very interesting and fascinating life. In Bible History we have just begun our lesson on the life of Christ, while in L.A. students are planning and writing stories. Tomorrow is the soccer tournament, so we hope to see many of you out at the Leisureplex and JCS. KB

Devotions week of September 26 – Benjamin

Devotions week of October 3 – Shelby

Monday – Spelling dictation

Thursday – Vocab. Quiz

Friday – MW – Psalm 14:2