General News

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Greetings from the school everyone as we bring the second last week of the school year to an end. We thank the Lord for the nice, sunny day that we were blessed with today for the annual John Calvin School track and field day. The fields, however, are very wet and squishy but we are thankful that we were able to go ahead with our event. It was great that so many parents and grandparents could come out and enjoy the event with us. We thank the grade eight students for assisting the staff at the various events. Thank you Miss Vanderlaan and Mrs. Poort for organizing the day, and thank you very much Ladies’ Auxiliary for the hot dog lunch everyone could enjoy.

The last week of school is just around the corner.  May our Heavenly Father provide the students and staff with all they need for the remaining days of instruction, and the administration days for the staff during the week following. 

                Next week, Mr. Joosse and Mr. Hofsink will be away with the Grade 8 classes in Gatineau and Ottawa.  In their absence, Miss Buist and Mrs. Elgersma will be taking care of administrative matters.

                We thank the Lord that Dane G. could recover well from his appendix surgery and be at school for most of this week.

                We congratulate Rev. Rolf and Liz DenHollander with the birth of their son, Jonah Gary. He is a brother to Jakob (Grade 2A) and Micah (Grade KB). All is well with mom and baby (he was Micah’s show and tell on Tuesday), and the rest of the family too. (Our children all are gifts of God—each one a blessing from the LORD, as heritage on us bestowed.  Psalm 127:3, BoP).  May the Lord provide the DenHollanders with all that they need as they raise their children in the fear of His Name.

                Reminder: Mrs. VanLuik’s bus will not be running in the afternoons of next week. Once again, we apologize for the inconvenience.

                Reason for thanksgiving: Over $15 000 was raised for tuition reduction at the inaugural JCS Golf Tournament last week Saturday. Very nice! Thank you to all who organized and participated. 

A few items for your attention:

*The June issue of the News and Views will be distributed this Sunday.

*Last week Friday, the track and field athletes had a good day at the Regional Track and Field meet at Mohawk Sports Part in Hamilton. They did their best in their events and had an enjoyable day with each other and their peers from other schools.  We congratulate the ribbon winners (24 in total) listed below:

Midget Girls – Susanna H.- 1st in shot put, Victoria L.- 3rd in the 200m, Karlee J.-  4th in high jump

Midget Boys – Eli D.- 1st in the 400m, 1st in the 800m, 2nd in the 200m – Tristan W.- 3rd in the 200m, Braedyn V.- 3rd in the 100m, Levi V.- 3rd in triple jump, John S.- 4th in the 200m

Junior Girls – Avery B.- 3rd in high jump, 3rd in the 200m, Ava D.- 4th in the 100m, Melissa D.- 4th in shot put

Junior Boys – Kade V.- 1st in the 400m, 4th in the 100m

Senior Girls – Rachel T.- 2nd in triple jump, 3rd in high jump, 3rd in long jump, Paige K.- 2nd in shot put, Ilse R.- 3rd in shot put, Timera T.- 4th in shot put

Senior Boys – Aidan D.- 3rd in the 800m, Zach T.- 4th in long jump,

Relay Results – Girls’ 4 x 100m- 3rd place, Boys’ 4 x 400m- 4th place

Thank you coaches (Miss Buist, Mr. Breukelman, Mr. Joosse, and Mr. Witten) for preparing the athletes for this competition.

*After some convincing with the West Lincoln recreation department, the re-played boys’ championship baseball game between Rehoboth Christian School and JCS took place this past Monday, June 10.  Sadly, the JCS boys were defeated by Rehoboth.  Nevertheless, great job at this year’s tournament boys.  It was good to see a sizable group of fans came out to cheer on the boys.  Thank you!

*On Tuesday, at the annual staff vs grade eight baseball game (played on the soccer field because the outfield of the ball diamond was more swamp than field), the staff once again prevailed; this time 7-5.  Great game Grade 8 but unfortunately your efforts fell just a wee bit short.

*Year End Trips:  Yesterday and today, Grade 7 could enjoy learning more about the War of 1812 at Fort George and then touring Niagara Falls, which included an excursion on the Niagara River to get a close-up of the Falls.

Bright and early on Monday morning, Grade 8 students and their teachers, chaperons, cooks, and bus driver will be heading out for their end destination of Gatineau Park in Québec.  We wish them a safe and enjoyable trip under the Lord’s blessing and guidance.

Students from Grades K-6, staff and chaperons are looking forward to their year trip to Marineland on Tuesday, June 18.  Please note that the deadline for payment was today.  This year we would again ask that all students wear JCS t-shirts while on the trip.  Parents are reminded to wear a JCS t-shirt/jersey.  Group leaders are also reminded not take your group on any activity that is outside of the planned itinerary. Parents are also reminded not to use their cell phones during the trip unless it is an emergency.   Thank you in advance for your cooperation in these matters.  Finally, teachers will let the students know what groups they are in, along with their group leaders, on Monday.

Some parents have been asking about the Polar Bear water park, a new feature at Marineland.  It does not open until the July 1st weekend.

                For the Marineland trip, the buses are scheduled to leave from the school at approximately 8:30 and return at around 5:00 p.m..  Parents are requested to pick-up their children from the school at that time.

*Concert CDs:  For those who wish to purchase a concert CD, there will be a number available at the school next week.  The cost is $5.00 per CD.  The matinee concert is also up on YouTube.  The link is https://youtu.be/7DNuGXcpz_A

*Library Books:  Students in Grades K-7 had until today to return their library books so please check your shelves, children’s bedrooms, and other places a stray library book may be found.  We would like our year-end inventory to be complete.  The librarians thank you for your cooperation.

*Calling For More Library Volunteers:  Because of the retirement of a couple of librarians, we will be in need of at least two librarians for the 2019-2020 school year.  If you are interested in becoming involved with the new JCS Library program or if you have any questions, please give the school a call and/or speak to one of the committee members (Miss Pat VanderZwaag, Mrs. Daniëlle Ravensbergen, Mrs. Annette Tenhage or Mr. George Hofsink)

*Lost and Found:  This is the last call for finding lost items.  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.  The large container in the foyer is almost full again.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed throughout the school year.

*Please continue to be wary of ticks and mosquitoes.  

*Grades K-6 year end trip to Marineland is on Tuesday, June 18.

*Grade 8 trip is from June 17-21.

*The last day of school, June 21, is a 2/3 day.  You are invited to the year-end assembly planned for 11:15 in the gym.  Buses will be leaving from the school at 12:10 p.m.

*Graduation on Monday, June 24 beginning at 7:45 in the Smithville Canadian Reformed Church.  There will be a social in the school gym immediately following the ceremony. 

Have a great weekend everyone and enjoy Father’s Day on Sunday.  The Lord willing, we will touch base again one more time next week Friday.                G. Hofsink

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Classroom News

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Kindergarten

This past week we could enjoy the volunteer luncheon on Wednesday. Thank you to all of our volunteers who have helped us with photocopying, assessments and library. Our classroom could not run as smooth without you! It is hard to believe that there is only one more week of school. Next week kindergarten does not have school on Monday because of the combined day on Tuesday for our year end trip to Marineland! If your child has a birthday during the summer we will be celebrating those birthdays on Wednesday and Thursday. We hope to have an enjoyable last week of school reviewing what we have learned and having a year-end party. Have a lovely weekend! NR&JB

Grade 1

We enjoyed the presentations that the Grade 8 PBL teams presented to us. Thanks for sharing your work with us. Good job!  We are enjoying the stories about the people in Church History.  Ask us about it. We have started a problem solving unit in Math, which is our last unit this year.  Hopefully everyone enjoyed field day today.  We are looking forward to our school trip on Tuesday.  Apparently the splash pad will not be open until July 1.  Have a great weekend and a blessed Sunday.

Grade 2

The excitement is high for track and field day! We’re very thankful to have this opportunity for the games and physical activities. This week in Grade 2 we continued our studies on Investigating Animals. The students learned about instincts and learned behaviours. Next week we look forward to our Marineland trip. Thank you to all our volunteers for coming along.  We’re glad to have you! Please note that with so many adults driving to the park that day, it can be confusing at the end of the day. If you plan to take your child home, please speak to us directly to let us know. That’s all for now! Have a good weekend! BV/RG

Grade 3

First of all, we would like to thank our faithful class moms for all the time and energy they spent helping us all in grade three.  What a blessing to be part of the communion of saints.  Thank you: Mrs. M.J. Porter, Mrs. C. Schulenberg and Mrs. K. VanderHoeven for all your love support. May God continue to bless you richly. We hope you enjoyed the cards and volunteer luncheon. In our Bible classes we heard of the conquest of Canaan. We are thankful the LORD kept His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  He kept His covenant, despite the unfaithfulness of His people. On Tuesday, we could welcome Mrs. Roze Ravensbergen into our classroom. She entertained us with her guitar, drum, and beautiful voice. Thank you for  participating with us! We can’t wait for track and field on Friday.  Stay tuned for all the details in the next Chronicle. We had a couple of PBL presentations again this week. Thank you, grade eight! Your knowledge and leadership skills were noted with admiration! Don’t forget to bring in your Marineland monies. Thanks to those who did so already! We are looking forward to going there on Tuesday. The students need to wear their JCS t-shirt. We have completed our memory work selections for the year!  Thanks to Mr. And Mrs. Bee for entertaining us with the harmonica and book reading! Praise the LORD! That’s it for now. Have a blessed weekend! J.B./M.P.

Last chance to bring your library books!!!

Gym clothes on Tuesday and Thursday.

Mission $ on Friday.

Grade 4

It has been an exciting year, with many changes. We hope that you all have a blessed, restful summer with some extra time to recharge and spend with family and friends. Please continue to review times tables facts and read as much as possible. Thank you to all the parent volunteers who are coming along on Tuesday. Please make sure your child is wearing the blue JCS shirt and think about sending along sunscreen and water. It will be a lot of walking, so please plan accordingly for footwear.

Grade 5

We had a visitor in Grade 5 this week! Mayor Gibson from Wainfleet came to answer a persuasive letter he received from one of our students, and he talked with us for an hour, answering all kinds of questions that we had! Thank you to everyone involved in making Field Day a success today; it’s always so much fun! We also look forward to Marineland next week! Make sure to bring sun screen and lots of water! As we head into the last week of school, we do still have some work to do as we wrap things up. Have a great weekend! RK/KV

Devotions – 5A: M. Jude, W. Jacob, Th. Leanne

5B: M. Reuben, W. Trinity, Th. Parker

Grade 6

What a busy week we’ve had.  The mixture of sun and rain has led to many conversations and debates over whether  or not we will have recess.  Thankfully, for students and teachers alike, we have been blessed with breaks so that most recesses were spent outside.  Much of the work in the classroom is wrapping up…we still have one reformer, William Tyndale, to learn about in Church History, while we are still discussing Christopher Columbus, John Cabot and Jacques Cartier in our Social Studies class.  The students continue to do their independent study on Island of the Blue Dolphins in Literature class and Math has us working with measurement. We are thankful that the weather held off and we could once again enjoy Field Day. Our thoughts now turn to our trip to Marineland.  Please remember to slip, slap, and slop your child and make sure they have enough to drink (and eat) for the day. Phys. Ed. shirts are a must for Marineland (this goes for the volunteers as well. Please visit the office for an appropriate shirt). Have a wonderful weekend and a blessed Sunday SO/CV

Grade 7

“Two nations warring in the bosom of a single state”, that’s the phrase used by Lord Durham to describe the situation he witnesses in Lower Canada after the Rebellions. Next we’ll find out what his son in law, Lord Elgin, will do about the Rebellion Losses Bill. Benjamin Franklin has established himself in business in colonial Pennsylvania. We’ll learn about the Junto club and how he learns from others and how iron sharpens iron. In Science we’ll learn about super saturation and dissolving. We trust our Niagara/Ft. George trip went well. Next we plan to have a Grade 7 BBQ and baseball game next week Tuesday. Enjoy your weekend.

Grade 8

We are (nearly) done! What rich blessings we have received from our heavenly Father. He has guided us through this year and if He wills we can look forward to an exciting week in Ottawa! Yesterday we gave the 8’s a surprise and boy what powerful moments. Mrs. Boersma came back and spent some time with us to celebrate. You will have to ask them all about it! Have a great weekend! Cheers, Mr. J