General News
Hello again everyone as we bring another week of learning and teaching to a close at John Calvin School. Guided by His Word and Spirit, let us continue to strive to glorify His Name in all that we do whether at home or at school.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those in our school community who need Him in a special way whether it is because of a serious illness, grieving over the passing away of a loved one, or dealing with difficult family circumstances. We continue to pray for Mrs. deVisser who was scheduled to receive her third chemotherapy treatment today but that has been changed to next week because her white blood cell count is too low. We hope and pray that she will be able to have treatment #3 next week.
We thank and praise the Lord that staffing for 2019-2020 is now fully in place. As mentioned previously, Mrs. Alanna Folkerts was hired to teach Grade 6B. Miss Jessica Broersma will be moving from Kindergarten TA to Kindergarten teacher and Miss Natalie VanLuik has been hired as the new Kindergaten TA. Mrs. Diane Feenstra, a former teacher at JCS, has been hired to teach the part-time (20%) Grade 2 position. The final pieces to the staffing puzzle fell into place with the hiring of Miss Keri Ludwig and Mrs. Kara Nichol as Educational Assistants in the Special Education department.
Parents, grandparents and other members of the JCS supporting community are invited to join us for the Easter assembly on Thursday afternoon, April 18 from 1:30-2:30. Miss Buist and Grade 8B will be leading the assembly.
The April issue of the News and Views will be distributed this coming Sunday as will the packages for the Spring Membership meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 24.
A few items for your attention:
*West Lincoln Community Care came by on Wednesday and picked up the tubs of non-perishable items. They were very grateful for the donation from the school. Thanks again to everyone who participated in this drive by sharing of their blessings.
*Thank you Mrs. Marlene DeBoersap for building the Armour of God display in the display cabinet in the lobby by the staff room. Check it out when you are in the school.
*On Thursday, three students from Grades 7&8 (Luke A., Evan P., and Brody H.) participated in the annual LCRSS chess tournament at Maranatha Christian School in Fergus. John Calvin School placed fourth out of ten participating schools. Brody H. was the top individual player from JCS, finishing in a tie for third place. Well done boys! Thanks for coaching the team Mr. Witten, and parents for accompanying the team to the tournament.
*Reminder: At the end of the day, when parents or grandparents come to the school to pick up their children they are reminded not to park their vehicles on the school side of the walkway. That also includes the graveled area along the driveway. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
*We know that most of you do this so what follows is a reminder for those who have good intentions but forget. Parents are requested to inform their child(ren)’s teachers when they are going to be away from home for a few days and what the arrangements are going to be for their children. This will be helpful for the teachers if they notice that your son or daughter might be a little bit “off” when you are away. Thanks for your consideration in this matter.
*As soon as field conditions improve (hopefully by next week Thursday), baseball tryouts and practices will start in preparation for the tournament scheduled for Saturday, May 25.
Reminders:
*Please continue to collect tabs for cans for Jude V. so he and his family can get a wheelchair for his sister Anna.
*Good Friday is on April 19 and Easter Monday is on April 22.
*The Open House for parents and grandparents/seniors is scheduled to take place on Friday morning, May 3 from 8:00-12:00. Lunch for the grandparents/seniors will be provided for and served by the Ladies’ Auxiliary. The same afternoon, the school is planning to participate in the community fundraiser walk (Hike for Hospice) in support of McNally House. At an assembly this past Tuesday, Ms. Amanda Black (by means of a touching video) gave us more information about the hospice and provided the students with pledge forms at the same time. We encourage all participants that the pledge sheets be filled, and don’t hesitate to seek out the support of your neighbours—they are often quite willing to give to such a cause and in this way it doesn’t always come out of the same pockets. Parents and grandparents are also welcome to join us on the hike, but no pets please. The John Calvin School community has raised substantial sums for this cause over the past number of years and hopes to do so again.
*The ASC committee is organizing its annual spring meeting for Monday, May 6th at Covenant Canadian Reformed Church in Grassie beginning at 7:30 p.m.. The topic for the evening is a continuation of the theme, Belongingness, and the speaker once again will be Mrs. Sara Pot.
Enjoy your weekend and have a blessed Sunday. The Lord willing, we’ll touch base again next week Thursday.
G. Hofsink
Classroom News
Kindergarten
Again another week flew by! The students continue to work hard recognizing and printing the numbers 10-20. We are also working on reinforcing the concept of left and right. In Bible we have begun our small series of Easter stories. Next week we will complete it looking at Jesus’s crucifixion and His resurrection. Hosanna in the Highest! We continue to practice our concert songs throughout the school day and the progress is definitely heard in the voices of the students. Thank you to everyone who has been practicing these at home as well! A BIG thank you goes out to all of the parents for bringing in empty containers for our Grocery Store Center! If you are ever in the school building, come take a peak in the activity room! A couple of parent volunteers put together an amazing “Kid-Mart”! Next week we look forward to a four day week where we hope to celebrate TWO birthdays! Have a blessed weekend! NR&JB
Blends of the week: ai, oa
Words of the week: she, brown
Memory work: Wonderful Merciful Saviour
Grade 1
Another week has flown by and a lot of work has been completed in Grade One. The students have written their Bible test and they should be in the back packs today. In our new unit we will see how the LORD gives a kingdom of peace during Solomon’s reign. The students are doing well with their Spelling words. Keep up the good work at home. Please continue to review the agenda words as well. We have wrapped up the factions unit with a test today. They will be coming home soon. We continue to have fun with our mapping unit and have learned a lot. We will write a spelling test on Thursday because of the short week. However, we plan to have two weeks to learn our memory work. Have a great weekend and a blessed Sunday.
Memory Work for Friday, April 26 – Ps. 99:1 &2; Rev. 7:17
Spelling Words: give, me, over, want, saw (April 19)
Grade 2
In Science this week we learned about some liquids can be thick, thin, sticky or slippery. It was fascinating for the students to test how fast a marble would move through a liquid. Molasses was particularly fun! We also talked about unsafe liquids and the symbols that represent their danger. A sheet went home to check what materials are in our houses. In Church History, we will complete our learning in the last character for this unit (John Calvin) with a test on Tuesday. The students have been enjoying this unit and have done very well on all the quizzes! Have a great weekend! BV/RG
Memory work: Hymn 45:1
Spelling: mail, nice, knew, new
Grade 3
We are heading toward remembering the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. What a blessing to know our sins are forgiven because of His precious sacrifice. May we always stand in awe of God’s immeasurable love for His people. We hope to spend some time in devotions talking and reading about Easter. In Bible we are going to spend time learning about God as He wants to dwell with His people Israel. In LA we are reading and writing poetry. The children are very enthusiastic about this unit. Our textured monsters are hanging; come and see. Remember to practise your memory work, text, spelling words and times tables diligently. This is a good way to learn to become more independent as well as becoming responsible for the work to be done. Have a wonderful weekend and a blessed Sunday. JB/MP
Memory work: Ps. 61:1; Text: Ex. 20: 12-17 (two weeks)
Spelling words: almost, also, always, hole, whole
Monday/Thursday: gym, Tuesday: Library, Friday: mission $
Grade 4
Grade 4 had another busy and productive week. In Bible, we are working on the second half of the Kings of Judah unit. We continue to see that while His people do not deserve His mercy, the LORD remains faithful to His promises and preserves the line of David. We also heard about how the prophet Isaiah prophesied about the coming of Jesus Christ, the perfect King of kings. In Science, Grade 4A is learning all about sound and Grade 4B is learning all about light. In Math, we continue to work on multiplication. In Reading, we are nearing the end of our second novel study, “From Anna”, by Jean Little.
Spelling Lesson 28 Words: building, wonder, different, except, does, couple, answer, interesting, enough, computer, purple, kitchen, uncle, goes, able (4B extra words: gregarious, docile, dexterity, fickle)
Tuesday: 4A Math Quiz: Long Multiplication, Factor Trees, Multiples of 10, 100. 1 000
Friday: 4A/B: Song: Psalm 6:6
Next Memory Work: Hymn 22:2/2 Timothy 3: 16-17
Grade 5
Another busy week of school is complete! Our studies of Ancient Egypt concluded with a test. We will now begin the exciting unit about space! We will move from Bible into Church History after learning about the death and resurrection of our Savior. We would love for you to check out our art project displayed in the hallways! Come and see our large scale comic strips inspired by the art of Roy Lichtenstein. It is also included in the upcoming issue of News and Views. Devotions for the week: 5A M. Leanne, T. Vanessa, W. William, Th. Rebekah. 5B M. Mya, T. Isaac, W. Kelty, Th. Morgan. Have a blessed weekend! RK/KVL
Grade 6
Hello again from Grade 6. Life in our classrooms has been very busy. We are or should be getting to the finishing stages of our state projects. These will be handed in by Thursday. If it is possible, could your child please print off a colour picture or two at home for this project? We will also be finishing our unit on matter, in Science, with a test near the end of the week, most likely on Thursday. Math has seen us working with positive and negative integers and we will be looking at working with perimeter, area and volume next week. We are really looking forward to beginning our next novel study on Lost in the Barrens. Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the forecasted sunshine. SO/CV
Grade 7A
We’ve followed the life of John Calvin up to his second return to Geneva. Next we’ll learn what he does with the approval of city council and why he isn’t indictable concerning the death of Michael Servetus. “Foundations in Personal Finances” has introduced us to many new terms and concepts surrounding saving, credit, debt, budgeting and student loans; be sure to ask your child what they’ve learned. Our study of nonfiction continues with historical and adventure essays; the unit wraps up with an autobiography of a very famous American. Printmaking has gone well. We’re using the intaglio method with “speedball” tools and linoleum tiles. Enjoy your weekend.
Grade 7B
In Church History, we continue looking at John Calvin and his work in the Reformation. We will look at how his work back in the 1540s impacts us today and why our school is named after him. In Math, we look forward to a couple of guest speakers regarding our Foundations in Personal Finance unit. In LA, we continue to look at cybersecurity and internet safety. In History, we are coming to the end of our War of 1812 projects, and will be moving towards presentations over the next couple weeks. Independent study continues into the interview process. Please allow your children to send out the email requests that were signed as we look forward to the responses. We will next be looking at how to interview and how to come up with questions for the interview. Devotions – Victoria L. Have a great weekend!
Grade 8A
This week in Grade 8A meant a lot of work on projects and reports of different kinds. In History we continue to work on our CPR projects, some of our products are very exciting, there is a board game, a huge model and various skits. We are looking forward to our presentations near the end of the month. One theme that has come up, with some issues, is the topic of plagiarism. On Thursday we spent some time discussing and learning strategies to avoid. Please check out Mrs. Holtvluwer’s comments below. Have a blessed weekend. Cheers, Mr. J
Both Grade 8 classes are preparing to make presentations in Music Class about contemporary (late 20th and early 21st century) music selections they have chosen. In addition to researching the composer/writer of the piece as well as the genre it represents, the students are being asked to provide a Christian perspective on their selection. I encourage parents to take the time to discuss with their son or daughter the song they have chosen, ask why they have done so, and also help them reflect on this aspect of our culture vis à vis their faith in Christ and their witness of Him to the world. We look forward to some interesting and helpful sessions together! Mrs H.
Grade 8B
We seem to be coming to the end of a number of units so culminating assignments and tests are being written. Early in the coming week students will hand in a mid-unit review in Math on the topic of probability. We did not get to the Church History quiz this week. There are a lot of stories to tell about the Reformation in Scotland and connections to be made to the Reformation in France and England. We’ve been working on preparing an assembly for Good Friday and Easter. The whole class will have a hand in presenting it. Congratulations to Evan P. who represented our school on the chess team in Fergus on Wednesday.
Memory work: Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah (3, 4)
Devotions: Aidan, Lucas, Clarissa, Elyse
© 2015 Canadian Reformed School Society of Smithville and Surrounding District
