General News

Celebrate1517: Solus Christus

During the months of November and December, we focused our attention on the second pillar of the Reformation: In Christ Alone.   Here is the final reflection as found in words of the well-known Getty’s song, In Christ Alone:

1. “In Christ alone my hope is found;                         2.  In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,

He is my light, my strength, my song;                        Fullness of God in helpless babe!

This Cornerstone, this solid ground,                          This gift of love and righteousness,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.             Scorned by the ones He came to save.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,             Till on that cross as Jesus died,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!           The wrath of God was satisfied;

My Comforter, my All in All—                                     For every sin on Him was laid—

Here in the love of Christ I stand.                               Here in the death of Christ I live.

3. There in the ground His body lay,                        4. No guilt of life, no fear in death—

Light of the world by darkness slain;                       This is the power of Christ in me;

Then bursting forth in glorious day,                         From life’s first cry to final breath,

Up from the grave He rose again!                           Jesus commands my destiny.

And as He stands in victory,                                    No power of hell, no scheme of man,

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me;                          Can ever pluck me from His hand;

For I am His and He is mine—                                Till He returns or calls me home—

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.               Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.”

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

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those who need the Lord in a special way, whether they are grieving, dealing with serious illness, or coping with difficult family situations.

Parents, grandparents and other supporters of John Calvin School are invited to join us for the Christmas assembly planned for Friday morning, December 22 beginning at 11:00 a.m.

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.

*The final skating session at the Smithville arena is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, December 20. Grade 8 will be skating/playing hockey from 1:15 – 2:15.   Those playing hockey are reminded that they must wear helmets.

*Grade 7 is planning to visit Kilean Lodge on Thursday morning, Dec. 21.

*Lost and Found: Our lost and found box is pretty much filled to the top. If you are in the school at some point and time during the next two weeks, please check through the bin to see if any of your child (ren)’s missing paraphernalia is in there. Whatever is left in the box on December 22 will be taken to the GBF or BFM so that we can start with an empty bin in January. Hopefully it will stay that way.

Reminders:

*News & Views will be distributed on Sunday.

*Friday, December 22 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 25 to January 5. The first day back in January is Monday, January 8.

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

G. Hofsink

Classroom News

Kindergarten

We start out next week with Green Day! Dress in green, bring green things, and eat a green snack provided by one of our wonderful class moms! Our letter of the week is Oo, and our new sight words are “go” and “purple”. In Bible class, we will learn about Simeon, Anna, and the wise men as we prepare to celebrate Christmas. In Math, we hope to finish our unit on the numbers 6-10. Since Friday is a part day, KB will do memory work and Library on Wednesday (if all goes well). Enjoy the last school week of 2017! NR & FVI

Grade 1

We have been working with the concept of money during the last number of days. We are using dimes to count by tens, nickels to count by fives. Even though we don’t use pennies anymore, we are still teaching about them to help the students count by ones. It is quite difficult for many of the students, but we are persevering. Our Bible lessons are on hold for the next week or so, in order for us to hear some Church History stories. If all went well, Rev. DenHollander will have visited our class to tell about his work as a minister. We also hope to take a tour of the church next week. Students have been enjoying the snow during the recesses. Sometimes mitts and socks are a little damp or wet when the students come in. Can you please send a few extra pairs of (labelled) socks in the school bags? (An extra pair of dry pants might also be helpful.)

Spelling words: do, how, it, she, their

Memory Work: Hymn 56:2, 3; John 3:16

Grade 2

The snowy wintry weather brought great delight to the students in Grade 2. There was much fun to be had in sledding down the hill, building forts, and tunneling through the snow. Thank you to the Ladies Auxiliary for the delicious pizza lunch, complete with treats! Next week we will be completing several activities before the break, and we look forward to some special activities too. Have a great weekend! RG/JA

Spelling: review

Memory work: Hymn 62:1

Grade 3

We will begin with some thank you’s from Grade 3. Thank you, Ladies Auxiliary, for a wonderful lunch and treat; what a special way to end this week. Thank you also to the many parents who came out to help us tie skates and oversee the arena filled with skating children. What a great way to show the communion of saints. In Science, we are enjoying learning about magnets and invisible force. Ask your child about it. We have begun our new novel “Mr. Popper’s Penguins”. The excitement is in the air as the children look forward to what is going to happen. Our Art matches the novel study; there are penguins everywhere. We are nearing the end of our unit on the patriarchs. We will finish this with a test on Thursday. Take the time to study at home; we will review the day before. Continue to practise the times tables diligently; this will help the students for life. Wishing you a blessed weekend. MP/JB

Memory work: Ps. 103:1   Text: Ps 23:4-6

Spelling words: hidden, our, right, terrible

Tuesday: Library   Monday and Thursday: P.E. Mission $: Friday

Grade 4

4A: We will have a Math Test on Tuesday, December 19. Bible Test on Solomon Wednesday December 20.

4B: John Hus Test Wednesday, December 19. We will study Albertus VanRaalte after that. We have a Math Test on Thursday, December 21.

Both: Spelling: rubbing, twenty, downstairs, cherry, pink, sorry, raining, lucky, drink, stopped, sitting, sunny, rainy, again (December 22)

Memory Work: Psalm 35;1 (December 22) John 3:16-18 (December 22)

Grade 5

It has been a wonderful week in Grade 5. The beautiful blankets of snow we have received have made for fun times at recess and even in a Phys. Ed class. On that note moms and dads, could you please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for outside playtime? Winter coat, snow pants, hats and gloves/mittens are a must. Not only does this make outdoor activities more fun, it also keeps the children dry so they can concentrate properly in the classroom as well. The first half of our Nutrition unit is complete and tests have been written and sent home for signatures. It is very evident that some students are still not taking their studying seriously. Please remind your child about the importance of doing their best in all subjects. We will be finishing off our Nutrition unit on Wednesday with another test. Duotangs can go home (and come back to school) as soon as Monday for study purposes. We will also hit the halfway mark in our Bible unit and we will be writing a mid-unit test on Thursday. Again, duotangs will go home (and come back to school) on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend and a blessed Sunday.

Memory Work: Psalm 84:3,6; Text: Matthew 5:7-12

Devotions: 5A – M. Kendra, Tu. Derek, W. Owen, Th. Thomas

5B – M. Natasha, Tu. Josh, W. Danya, Th. Lukas

Grade 6

The students of 6A were able to complete their bird displays and quilt art this week. Our grape experiment is complete and we could use our findings to compare what happened to the grapes to what happens to our skin. We enjoyed making some decorations for the festive season. Next week we will focus on the birth of Christ in our Bible lessons. The students had fun skating and playing in the snow this week. Please make sure that extra socks and mittens are in the backpacks. Have a blessed weekend.

Grade 7A

We’ve started our King David unit in Bible History and learned how the LORD keeps His promises. We’ll also learn how David keeps his promise to Jonathan. Our bridge building assignment has come to a close; we designed them, we built them, and then we destroyed them. Our next unit will be “Thermal Energy and Heat Technology”; cool stuff. Since this past Tuesday and throughout this week and next, students have been required to contact their expert/professional individual to request an interview. I will send an email outlining the interview format; the request has already been written out, an audio recorder/app will be required and the actual questions are already written. Enjoy your weekend.

Grade 7B

We have concluded our Church History Unit on Martin Luther and have moved on to our Bible History Unit on David and 2 Samuel. We will be finishing off our History projects next week with presentations to the class about what we have learned regarding the Habitant Home, the Seigneurial System, and the relationships between the Habitants and the Seigneurs. We have finished off our public speaking unit in Language Arts and will be going through a series of short stories. For our Independent Study projects, the students will be sending off their Interview Requests and hopefully will be scheduling an interview sometime over the Christmas holidays. An email will be coming home shortly with the expectations in regards to parental involvement! Devotions – Caleb VanIperen. Have a great weekend!

Grade 8A

Words are important! Crucially so. It is word choice which an author may use to set the mood for a chapter, scene, or story. This was one of our key questions this week in our novel study, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The mood in our classroom is one of excitement and energy. Snow has fallen! The field trip was great! And, Christmas is almost here! Have a blessed weekend. One more week to go! Cheers, Mr. J

Grade 8B

One week left until Christmas vacation! Next week will be a busy week as we try to finish up multiple units before the vacation. On Tuesday we have a Church History Test, on Thursday we have a Math Test. We are busy working on our Tom Sawyer unit and are painting different scenes on ceiling tiles. In Geography we are wrapping up our chapter on the impacts which settlements have on the environment. I hope you have a blessed weekend. KG