General News

---

Hello again everyone as we bring another week, albeit a shorter one, of learning and teaching to an end at John Calvin School.  Tempus fugit!  Next week brings the month of November to a close and then it’s time to flip the calendar page to December.  We thank and praise the Lord for His many blessings and we pray that He will continue to provide for the needs of the students and staff during the next few weeks leading up to the Christmas break.

Tomorrow, the teachers will be professionally developing themselves as they work with and incorporate information/material they received from the workshops they attended at the Teachers’ Convention, along with other PD activities they are currently working on.  Students (and parents) may enjoy a three-day long weekend.

Reminder:  The Fall Membership meeting is scheduled for next week Wednesday, November 28.  The membership packages along with the Mission, Vision, and Pillars document were placed in your church mailboxes this past Sunday, November 17.  We hope to see you all next week.

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with all who need the Lord in a special way, whether they are grieving the recent death of a loved one, coping with serious illness or are dealing with difficult family circumstances.  

                Excitement for one of our Educational Assistants!  We congratulate Miss Jansema who, last night, became engaged to be married to Mr. Mitchell Jonker.  May the Lord bless you with your wedding plans.

                 Last week Saturday dawned cold but clear with a few clouds and stayed that way for the remainder of Winterfest.  Thankfully there was no rain or snow.  Once again the school was a bustle of activity with many hundreds of people coming out to participate in the event, whether it was eating breakfast or lunch or dinner (or all three), purchasing plants, produce or products from the many different rooms, bidding on items at the silent or live auction, playing laser tag, or just enjoying fellowship with people you hadn’t seen sing last year’s Winterfest.  The parking lot was filled to capacity so once again we had to make use of the Turkstra parking lot and a couple of side streets.  The school was given the green light from the Winterfest committee to share with the community that $59 165.48 was raised for the school.  Phenomenal! Amazing! Plus a few more interjections describes that record amount.  We humbly thank the Lord for this wonderful blessing. Thank you to everyone for participating in this event and making it such a big success. We especially thank the committee members for the many hours they put into making Winterfest the success that it was. We also thank the volunteers who helped out during the day in various capacities. Once again the school program will benefit greatly with much thankfulness. 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!! We have raised $59,165.48 at Winterfest this year. Yes, you read that right! We have blown our record out of the water and we could not have done it without all the help of the volunteers, sponsors, and donors. Many hands make light work.  We are truly blessed! 

From the Winterfest Committee

A few items for your attention:

*With much thankfulness we can report that $3027.05 was raised in support of the Anchor Association. Excellent job all participating students! We extend a big thank you to all those in our community who “hired” the students to work for them.

*Triple Ball practices for all three teams continue after school on Monday and Thursday of next week.  The tournament, hosted by Guido De Bres Christian high school, takes place next week Friday, November 29 at the Arcelor-Mittal Dofasco Center located on First Road East in Stoney Creek. A bus will be bringing the athletes to the tournament but parents will need to pick up their children from the venue at the end of the tournament which will be determined by the success of the team.  Players will be receiving a tournament schedule today or on Monday. All the best at the tournament athletes and coaches (Mrs. Nikki VanBrederode, Miss Linde, Mr. Breukelman, and Mr. Hofsink).

*The fourth skating session at the Smithville arena is scheduled for Wednesday, November 27. Grades KA and 1A will skate from 12:15-1:15, and Grade 7 will skate from 1:15-2:15.  In the interest of safety and concussion prevention, students in Grades K-4 must wear helmets when on the ice. They can be either hockey helmets or bicycle helmets. Students in Grades 5-8 are encouraged to wear them. Those playing hockey must wear them.

*Grade KA is scheduled to visit Anchor Home on Wednesday, November 27.

*Grade 5A is scheduled to visit Kilean Lodge on Thursday, November 28.

*Grade 1B is scheduled to visit Shalom Manor on Friday, November 29.

Reminders:

*The fifth and final skating session at the Smithville arena is scheduled for Wednesday, December 4.  Grade 8 will skate from 12:15-1:15, and Grade 8 will skate from 1:15-2:15.  In the interest of safety and concussion prevention, students in Grades K-4 must wear helmets when on the ice.  They can be either hockey helmets or bicycle helmets.  Students in Grades 5-8 are encouraged to wear them.  Those playing hockey must wear them.

*Scholastic orders are due by December 6th so that the order can be received before the Christmas holidays.  Please make sure your cheques are payable to John Calvin School.

*An EA and TA conference is scheduled for Friday, December 6th.

*The Ladies Auxiliary is planning a Pizza Lunch (which also includes a drink, fruit, and snack) for Friday, December 13.  Yippee!  No lunches to make.  For those children with allergies, the Ladies Auxiliary will look after heating up/preparing the food that they bring for lunch that day.  Thank you very much Ladies Auxiliary!

                May our Heavenly Father continue to refresh us physically and spiritually over the course of the weekend.  We hope to touch base again next week Friday. 

G. Hofsink

Classroom News

---

Kindergarten

We had a short but great week in kindergarten this week.  The KB students enjoyed having a different teacher on Tuesday!  Thanks again Mrs. DeBoersap for coming in to teach on Tuesday! KB also went skating this week! Some were very experienced skaters and they used their talents to help others who struggled!  Next week Wednesday, KA will be going skating in the morning slot!  Parents, please let me know if you are able to come and help with tying skates. The dental hygienists were also here this past week to check the kindergarten students’ teeth and apply fluoride if needed. In math the students are working very hard to learn the numbers 0-10.Keep up the great work, kindergarten!  Have a blessed weekend! JB and NV

Grade 1

The Grade 1B class could enjoy a skating session at the arena this week. Thanks to all who came out to skate and tie skates.  Grade 1A will be going this Wednesday from 12:15 to 1:15 (note time change).  Please ensure that your child has helmets, mitts, etc.  If you would like to join us, please meet us at the arena just after 12pm.  On Monday we will have finished our Bible unit with a test to follow on Tuesday.  Look for notes in your child’s bag.  We have begun our new unit in Math on time and money.  Students are doing well with telling the time to the hour and half hour.  We have also finished our Transportation unit and have written a test yesterday.  Enjoy the weekend.

Memory Work – Friday, Nov. 29 – Hy. 16:1,2;  John 3:16 (Dec. 6)

Spelling Words:  do, how, if, she, their

Grade 2

This week, Grade 2 completed their Science unit on Investigating Health and Safety. We learned about safety rules, and talked about how following the safety rules can also help us love our neighbour. When we act safely, we don’t cause harm to others.  Before completing the unit with a test on Thursday, we enjoyed a trip to the Grand Oak Culinary Market on Wednesday.  Chef Jan-Willen Stulp wowed the students by showing them the large ovens and oversized baking/cooking implements that are used in his kitchen. Each student also decorated a cookie with M&Ms. At the end of our tour, we enjoyed our cookies with a nice cup of warm cider.  A great big thanks to Chef! Next week we will turn our attention to Social Studies, beginning with studying the cold climate of Nunavut. That’s all for this week! Have a great weekend! BV/RG

Memory work: Psalm 150:1

Spelling: shook, about, once, goes, many

Bible test: Wednesday

Grade 3

Hello again!  Comment ca va?  Bien! Winterfest 2019 is a thing of the past and we thank ALL the organizers of the day.  What a blessing to see the communion of saints in action and be a salt and light to our neighborhood. To God be the glory. On Wednesday, we could welcome Rev. C. Swaving who spoke to us about his task as minister of the WORD. Thank you for taking the time to teach us about the richness of the gospel. May the Lord continue to bless you here in Smithville! Next week is a BIG spelling dictation. Please take the time to review the words with your child. Thank you. In Math, we continue to work on regrouping the tens and hundreds in subtraction.  We also started making multiplication cards. Remember to practise them too, grade three. J.B./M.P

Words: beautiful, before, discover, enough, first, hopeless, journal, let’s, recycle, their, there, they’re, went, when

Concert Song:  Joy Has Dawned

Gym clothes on Monday and Thursday.

Library books on Thursday.

Mission $ on Friday.

.

Grade 4

We only have 4 more weeks until Christmas program. Students will be practicing their songs regularly. This is a reminder that violins will be practicing every Wednesday. Students should be continuing with their regular 20 minutes of reading daily. They can also continue reviewing the times tables at home. Spelling list 10 (dream, rest, please, friend, they, sleeping, chief, creek, piece, meet, believe, teach, yard, leave — 4B extra words — purchase, igneous).

Fri: French Quiz Descriptions,

Memory work Psalm 5:1, Isaiah 9: 6 + 7

Next memory work is Psalm 54:1

Grade 5

Thank you to everyone who came skating with us and/or helped tie skates! Next week we will be finishing up Unit 3 in Math, and we’ll be moving on to Unit 4, Division. Students are still encouraged to practice multiplication tables at home, because knowing them makes multiplication and division much easier! Please also continue to encourage your child to practice their recorder at home. The songs are really starting to sound like something, and extra practice at home will continue to help that along! After our test today, we will be starting Unit 3 in Bible on Monday, which continues through Jesus’ Ministry. We hope to see many of you at the Membership meeting Wednesday! Have a wonderful long weekend and a blessed Sunday. RK/KV

Devotions: 5A – M. Sierra, Tu. Linden, W. Laura, Th. Olivia, F. Angelina

5B – M. Taylor, Tu. Abigayle, W. Reuben, Th. Ryeanne, F. Daeton

Grade 6

The students are busy planning a refreshment stand with treats as part of a mini PBL. They have surveyed their potential consumers to decide on what the demand will be for their products. A reasonable price was then calculated based on the cost to provide the product as well as a profit. If you haven’t noticed yet, this ties in very closely with the terms that we have been studying during our Social Studies classes. Stay tuned for more information on this exciting project. Have a blessed weekend. AF/CV

Grade 7A

The past week was an eventful one in Grade 7A. On Thursday we ventured into downtown Toronto and cultured ourselves at the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario. The day was enjoyed by all. Thank you to the parents who came along. Please note that there was an assignment that the students had to complete in connection with the trip; be sure to ask your child what that assignment entailed. In Math next week the focus will be triangles, quadrilaterals and polygons. Next week we’ll also visit Martin Luther in his, “abode among the birds” in the Wartburg Castle. The work on projects in History class continues as students portray everyday life in New France through models of seigneurial systems, habitant homes and interviews and brochures. In connection with their Independent Study topic, students are to find a documentary to watch. They are to forward the link to me at theodore.witten@johncalvinschool.com and receive approval. Enjoy your weekend.

Grade 7B

In Church History, we have come to Martin Luther realizing that he has no choice but to break with Rome and Roman Catholic Church. In Math, we have moved into plane geometry and will be looking at angles and classification of shapes. In Language Arts, we have begun our public speaking unit. We begin this unit by evaluating each other’s public speaking ability and set goals for what we need to improve. Next week the students will be watching their own documentary. A parental consent form will be coming home next week with the documentary they have chosen to watch.  Memory Work – Lift High the Name of Jesus. Devotions – Davis T. Have a great weekend.

Grade 8A

Today we head to the ROM and AGO in Toronto. This semi-annual trip is a highlight of the year and we look forward to seeing what the students were able to take away from their experiences. On Friday, students have the day off as the teachers gather to do some professional development. This week we were also able to finish our history presentations. Next week we will take some time to assess each others backboards. Have a blessed weekend! Cheers, Mr. J

Grade 8B

Hopefully the students and their chaperones had an excellent trip to the AGO and ROM today.  Next week we will FOR SURE finally have our Science test (on Tuesday). We will also be finishing our Bible unit about the middle part of Christ’s ministry and hope to have our unit test on Friday morning. History presentations also continue this week, and  a test will happen on Thursday afternoon. We are practising the songs for the Christmas program on a daily basis. Because of the special activities planned for this week, students were not tested on The Redeemer will Come Unto Zion.  However, they are still expected to know it.  We will test “Lift High the Name of Jesus” next Friday.