General News
Good Friday afternoon everyone as we bring to a close this short, busy week of learning and teaching at JCS. In only four week’s time from today, D.V., the 2018-2019 school year will come to an end. However, that does mean that there are still twenty school days remaining (at least for K-7) but not all of them necessarily spent in the classrooms. During this time, students will carry on with their regular classroom work, writing tests and quizzes, and completing projects; and, besides regular lesson planning, teachers will be busy finalizing marks and writing final report cards. May our Heavenly Father provide the students and teachers with all they need for their respective tasks during the last month of the school year.
We congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Elgersma with the birth of their third granddaughter, Lyla Jayne VanHengstum. We thank and praise the Lord that all is well.
Next week, D.V., the students are planning to perform their Ascension/Pentecost concert, The Return of the King. After a rehearsal in the Smithville church on Tuesday morning, the school will put on a matinee performance on Thursday afternoon, May 30 (Ascension Day) beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the Smithville Canadian Reformed church. The concert will be completed in time for the students to take the buses home. For this performance, we would like all the students to wear their JCS t-shirt. If they do not have one, e.g. K students, perhaps they could wear a similar coloured t-shirt. The second concert is on Friday evening, May 31 beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the same church building. We look forward to seeing you either on Thursday afternoon or Friday evening. May the Lord bless the efforts of the children, director, and the accompanists/musicians as they prepare for the performances.
For the Friday evening concert, parents need to bring their children to the school by 7:20 p.m., and pick them up again from their respective classrooms immediately after the concert. It would also be good for students to wear short-sleeved shirts for the evening concert as it will be quite warm at the front of the church. We also have a request for Grades 6-8 dads to help bring the risers from the church into the school gym after Friday evening’s concert. The students will look after putting them away in the storage room on the Monday thereafter. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in these matters.
A few items for your attention:
*Final call: There are still some outstanding pledges that need to come in from the Hike for Hospice. Please bring them in to the school as soon as possible. .
*This week once again, several grades enjoyed field trips to various destinations in the Golden Horseshoe. Please read the classroom news for trip details.
*The baseball teams had their final practices this week. Weather permitting, they are planning to leave from the school by bus early tomorrow morning. Students need to be at the school by 6:10 a.m. so we can leave at 6:15 for Dorchester, the same venue as last year. The boys’ and girls’ schedules are as follows:
Girls Boys
9:30 JCS vs Covenant 8:30 JCS vs DACS
12:50 JCS vs Grace 10:30 JCS vs ACRES
3:50 JCS vs Rehoboth 1:50 JCS vs Covenant
4:50 Finals
The return time to the school will depend on the level of success achieved by the teams. The parents of the students involved will receive an email to let them know when the bus is expected to arrive back at school.
*Kindergarten Day: In two week’s time, on Wednesday, June 5, is Kindergarten Day. The new Kindergarten students will be coming to school either in the morning from 8:30-10:30 (KA) or the afternoon from 12:30-2:30 (KB) based on the class lists that were sent home earlier this month.
*Year End Trips: Soon, D.V., it will be the month of June and all of what that month represents on the school calendar. One of the exciting events is the annual year end trips. This year, Grade 7 is once again planning on an overnight stay at Fort George on Thursday, June 13 before heading off to Niagara Falls the next day (a letter will be coming home for Grade 7 parents with details about Fort George and the cost for that part of their trip). Grades K-6 are planning to visit Marineland on Tuesday, June 18. For both venues, there are enough complimentary passes to cover teachers only. Therefore, all parents (including class moms and classroom volunteers) will need to pay the group rate which is $29.00 for the Grade 7 trip (Niagara Falls only) and $16.00 for Marineland. Payment for all trips must be sent to the JCS office, clearly marked with your name on the envelope. Parents need to email the office (office@johncalvinschool.com) to book their spot on the trips. Please do not contact your child’s/children’s teacher(s). The last date to sign up for the Marineland trip is Friday, June 7. The final day to sign up for the Grade 7 trip is May 30.
As per usual, the Student Fund kicks in a significant portion of the cost of the K-6 trip but cannot carry it all. Thus we ask that each child contribute $10.00 to a maximum of $30.00 per family for Grades K-6 (this cost is the same as last year). The contribution should be brought to the school on or by June 14th. Beyond that, there is no need for students to bring any spending money. This year we would again ask that all students wear JCS t-shirts while on the trip.
Parents are reminded of the protocol for class trip volunteers (for those who may have missed it last week, it’s included with this edition of the Chronicle). Parents who wish to join the trips may not take along their pre-school children. All parents who come along will be assigned a group of students to chaperon for the grade they wish to accompany. If there is no room for parents on the buses, they will have to car pool to the venue.
For the Marineland trip, the buses are scheduled to return at around 5:00. Parents are requested to pick-up their children from the school at that time.
*Included with today’s Chronicle is the latest version of the League of Canadian Reformed Schools Newsletter.
*Lost and Found: The tables are filled up again so when you are in the school please take a look on the tables in the short hallway of the 2016 addition. All remaining items will be taken to the GBF or Value Village at the end of the month.
Reminders:
*Please continue to collect tabs for cans for Jude V. so he and his family can get a wheelchair for his sister Anna.
*Teachers College graduation this evening. The Lord willing, one of the graduating students will be teaching at John Calvin School next year—Mrs. Alanna Folkerts (Grade 6B).
*It’s that time of year again, so please continue to be wary of ticks and mosquitoes. This week, ticks were found on several students.
*Dental screening for KA and KB is scheduled for the afternoon of Tuesday, May 28. Reminder: Parents do have the option to opt out. Please contact Niagara Health and let them know if you choose to opt out of the program.
*Regional Track and Field Meet in Hamilton on Friday, June 7.
*News and Views materials are due on Monday, June 10.
*Grade 7 overnight trip at Fort George and their Niagara Falls tour are on June 13&14.
*Local field day on Friday, June 14.
*Grades K-6 year end trip to Marineland is on Tuesday, June 18.
*Grade 8 trip is from June 17-21.
Have an enjoyable weekend everyone and a blessed Sunday. We’ll be in touch again in a week’s time, the Lord willing. G. Hofsink
Classroom News
Kindergarten
This week was definitely an exciting one for kindergarten! On Thursday, KA made their way to Happy Rolphs’s petting zoo and got caught in the rain. Since it was clear that the rain wasn’t about to stop any time soon, we made our way to Zippy Zoom’s indoor playground! The students had a blast there. Friday was a little less eventful but still fun! KB had a beautiful sunny day and a picnic lunch at the park. Next week both KA and KB are coming to school on Tuesday and Thursday for concert practices and the matinee. In Math class we continue learning the concept of subtraction or as kindergarten will say…”take away”. We will continue to work through this unit over the next few weeks. During Bible lessons we were able to learn about another miracle that Jesus performed and the parable of the Good Samaritan. Next week as mentioned has combined days and two days off. Please check your emails for updates! Have a blessed week! NR&JB
Memory Work: Concert Songs
Words of the Week: Pink, Grey
Grade 1
In Bible we are covering the stories of Daniel and we see how God keeps His promises by keeping a remnant of Judah. We will be wrapping up our Mapping and Graph unit in Math on Monday with a test. In the next unit we will review all the concepts we have learned this year. We will also have completed our Phonics books this week and will spend the remainder of the year in review. We are working hard to memorize all our songs for the program and we hope to see all of you there. Please jot a note in your child’s agenda if they are to go home out of routine. Have a wonderful weekend and a blessed Sunday.
Memory Work for Friday, May 31: Hymn 72:1
Spelling Words: brother, children, sister, won’t, kick
Grade 2
After a long weekend, we began this week with another trip to Ball’s Falls. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and we had a wonderful time. We were able to find many creatures such as frogs, tadpoles, larvae, snakes, salamanders, and countless insects. Thank you again, to all our parent volunteers and our bus driver too! Next week we will have a mid-unit test in Bible. We will send the notes home again so the students can prepare. Please remember that we will need these notes back to complete the remainder of the unit. Have a wonderful weekend! BV/RG
Memory work: Hymn 75:1
Spelling: find, always, also, great, don’t
Wednesday: Bible test
Grade 3
We could praise the Lord while visiting the Bird Kingdom, Niagara Greenhouse and Dufferin Island. The children were awed by the many colourful birds and flowers, and enjoyed the hike tremendously. Thank you to Mrs. Schulenberg, Mrs. VanderHoeven and Mrs. Vis for keeping a watchful eye. We thank the Lord for blessing Mrs. Vis as she drove us to and fro. We have read many passages about birds, and learned a lot about this topic through activities. Next week we hope to begin our last novel “Stone Fox”. In Math we continue with fractions, a tasty topic (ask us why). We are beginning to practise for Track and Field. In Art we focus on emphasis. We are looking forward to the concert next week Thursday and Friday. Have a wonderful weekend and a blessed Sunday. MP/JB
Hymn 82:1; Text: Ps 32 : 1, 2
Spelling words: Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Toronto, it’s, its
Library on Tuesday, PE on Monday and Thursday, Mission $ on Friday
Grade 4
Plans and preparations continue for Medieval Day. By now, you should have received the memo regarding food donations and volunteering for June 6. Hopefully students are working on having the costume ready to go as well. We also look forward to the Ascension and Pentecost Program (Matinee on Thursday and Evening Program on Friday).
Spelling Lesson 34 — Spelling words are: standing, married, wrong, decided, driving, ghost, easy, tonight, number, tired, island, living, frightened, waited, pew (4B extra words barricade, betray, complement, defiant)
Memory work: Hymn 68: 1 & 8, Revelation 21: 1 & 2, next week, Psalm 27:1
Grade 5
This week Wednesday evening we enjoyed our annual Stargazing Party! Unfortunately, it was a cloudy night and we were unable to see the moon or stars. However, we were entertained by members of the Royal Astronomical Society with “magic tricks” made possible by science, math, and physics! We are ready for the concert and look forward to sharing our talents with you in the coming week!. We will be having a Science quiz on Wednesday. Devotions: 5A: M. Leanne, Tu. Vanessa, W. William, Th. Rebekah, F. Lani. 5B: M. Parker, Tu. Amanda, W. Declan, Th. Kaden, F. Tabitha. Have an enjoyable weekend! RK/KVL
Grade 6
We are thankful to the LORD for preserving His Church throughout the ages. It was very important for the forerunners of the Reformation to prepare the people for a need for change. This was quite obvious since the Roman Catholic Church had so many false doctrines. Ask the students how Waldo and his followers spread the gospel, what they called it, and why they had to be so secretive. The students are completing their Haida pattern and once they are done they will be hanging in the hall. A reminder for students to wear their phys. ed shirts for the afternoon concert on Thursday. Have an enjoyable weekend and a blessed Sunday. SO/CVA
Grade 7A
This morning the midget, junior and senior categories of students competed for a spot on the J.C.S. track and field team. The results will be made known next week. For those not attending the L.C.R.S.S. Track and Field Meet on June 7, it will be a normal day at school. Thursday had us traversing the peninsula as we visited the Niagara Recycling Center, the Welland Canal visitor center and the Walker Industries quarry on Fly Road. The trips were in connection with what we learned in History and Physical Geography. In our Independent Study work we sent a “thank you” to our interviewee and listened to each other’s interviews. Next week our study of measurement in Math will include mass and volume and we’ll learn more about the divided kingdom and Elijah/Elisha. Enjoy your weekend.
Grade 7B
In Bible History, we are coming to the end of the Divided Kingdom and will be having a test later on this week. In Math, we have come back to “regular” math and will be working through converting measurements. We continue to work our way through “The Hobbit” in LA. In Geography, we are looking at different types of resources and how we use them. Next week we have the Ascension/Pentecost Concert. Please make sure your child(ren) wear their JCS blue shirt for the matinee performance on Thursday. Devotions – Avery. Have a great weekend!
Grade 8
We certainly picked the best day this week to do our mini-Meet. It was a really good day. We continue to work on getting the regular work finished…. a bit harder when the weather gets nicer. We’ve turned our attention to the book of Acts in our Bible lessons. We will continue for one more week working on program songs. After that we’ll go back to our regular Memory Work list. Hope you will come to see the fruit of our labours on the concert afternoon or evening.
© 2015 Canadian Reformed School Society of Smithville and Surrounding District
