General News

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Good Friday morning everyone as we bring to an end the second week of instruction at John Calvin School.  May our Heavenly Father continue to bless the teaching and learning that takes place at school and at home on a daily basis, and that we may continue to be a support for one another in teaching His covenant children about His world and His Word.

                Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those who need the Lord in a special way.  In particular, we think of Mr. Herman Poort who, thankfully, is making progress as he recuperates at Trillium Hospital in Mississauga from his stroke.

Mr. Hofsink is planning to attend the National Principals’ Conference in Sumas, Washington from September 23-25.  He hopes to return to school on Friday, September 27.  In his absence, Mrs. Elgersma will continue to look after matters in the office, and Miss Buist and Mr. Joosse will look after admin team matters.

                We congratulate Willem and Jocelyn Bijlsma with the birth of their daughter, Esmee Kate.  She is a sister to Tahlia (Grade 4B) and Michaela (Grade 2B).  All is well with mom and baby 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 Bijlsmas with all that they need as they raise their children in the fear of His Name.         

A few items for your attention:

*Last week, our Grades 4&5 Spelling Bee team participated in the annual West Niagara Fair Spelling Bee and achieved a second place finish.  Well done Tahlia B. (Grade 4), Reuben V. (Grade 4), Daeton H. (Grade 5), Angelina H. (Grade 5), and Madison L. (Grade 5)!   

*The annual food drive for the West Lincoln Community Care Food bank will begin next week Monday and continue until Friday, October 11.  At that time, the goods will be delivered to, or picked up by Community Care located on Industrial Drive in Smithville.  Currently, the shelves at the bank are in need of replenishing, indicating that there is a need in this community.  Baskets have been set up in different locations in the school to collect non-perishable food items and other goods, e.g. disposable diapers, baby formula.  Thank you very much in advance everyone for your consideration and participation in this act of service for the broader community.

*A final reminder about pick-ups and drop-offs:  Parents and grandparents are reminded that there is no parking by the kitchen and the storage room during the day.  Once again, we request that when you come to school to pick-up or drop-off your child(ren) that you refrain from parking inside the “pyloned off” area, particularly during recess times and at the end of the day.  There is an additional exit on the north side of the school (Special Needs wing) from where parents can pick-up their children.  Thank you again for your cooperation.

*Also with respect to drop-offs and pick-ups, we remind parents to come to the main office so that office staff can inform the classroom teacher via intercom of a pick-up or drop-off, and the parent can then proceed to pick-up her child(ren) or bring him to his classroom (more so in the case of younger children).  We also thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

*A lot of students have sold a lot of chocolate bars in one week’s time; in fact, we only have 16 boxes left in the school to be sold.  Great job so far students.  Thank you to all the children in Grades 4-8 who sold chocolate, for your hard work in this fundraising venture for your field/class trips. 

*Service opportunity:  Students in Grades 7&8 are invited to help at Anchor Home as they are holding a garage sale to raise money for the Lincoln Church construction.  The garage sale is scheduled for tomorrow.  Student help is needed at Anchor Home for after school today and on Saturday morning from 7:00-12:00.

*While on the topic, when you have a moment tomorrow, check out the massive yard sale!  Furniture, books, clothing, household items, décor table, games and baby areas!  Pick up your Sunday baking while you are here.  Stop by for a coffee first thing in the morning while you are browsing, or join us for a BBQ lunch from 10-12.  We are located at 361 Thirty Road and are looking forward to seeing you here!  All proceeds to benefit the Vineyard Church renovation effort.

*The soccer players and their coaches continue with their practices leading up to the tournament scheduled for Saturday, September 28.  All of the games for the JCS boys’ and girls’ teams will take place at West Lincoln Leisureplex.  Yesterday, the boys’ and girls’ teams had an exhibition game against Cairn Christian School to help prepare them for the tournament.  Both teams had a successful outing.

*Training continues next week Tuesday and Friday at lunch recess for the annual cross country run.  Mrs. Heemskerk and Mrs. Kelly are training the athletes in preparation for the annual meet scheduled for Friday, October 11.

*We now have enough volunteers for the Library program.  Thank you to all who have given of their time, interest, and expertise to help students with finding books, checking out books, and re-shelving books, as well as helping out with the library lessons where and when possible.

Reminders:

*Please note that the volunteer/class mom forms needed to be returned today.

*Picture Day is scheduled for Tuesday, September 17.  The parents of children in KA are requested to bring their son or daughter to the Kindergarten picture taking time slot scheduled for 8:15 a.m.

*The first Fire Drill is planned for Wednesday, September 18.

*Once again, we are participating in the Scholastic Book Club.  If you decide to purchase books from different flyers, you just need to write one cheque, made payable to John Calvin School, not Scholastic.  Thank you.  If parents do not wish for the flyers to be sent home, please let the school know and we will take your name of the list.

*If your child has music lessons in the school or in the church, please ensure that they are aware of when the lesson takes place.  Even though they may have written a permanent note on the board, it is not the teacher’s responsibility to remind the student of their lesson.  Music lessons are conducted by Mrs. Rianna Slaa each Tuesday (church) and Thursday (school), Mrs. Rebecca Bosscher each Tuesday in the school, and Mrs. Kathryn Cushing(in lieu of Mrs. Kara North) each Monday in the church.  Miss Kathryn VanAmerongen is teaching violin to several students in the church each Wednesday.

*Please have the Emergency Medical Treatment form and any other forms returned to the school by Monday.  The school has purchased student accident insurance which covers the students only on school days and school hours.  This does not include any other school or Saturday events.  We strongly encourage you, if you do not already have insurance, to check out the flyer and the FAQ`s that you received from Reliable Life and pay a small amount to get 24/7, 365 day coverage.

*We would like to remind parents that if they have any questions or concerns about the procedures and routines of the school to please contact the school either by telephone or by email as opposed to discussing questions and concerns via other means of communication, e.g. social media.  In this way, we can keep each other better informed about what is happening in and around the school.

*All medication, e.g. puffers, epi-pens, needs to be properly labelled.  For those students who require oral prescription medication, Tylenol or Aspirin, the school has a form that parents will need to fill out so that the medication can be administered by the classroom teacher.

Have a good weekend everyone and a blessed day of rest and, the Lord willing, we’ll touch base again next week.  

G. Hofsink

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Classroom News

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Kindergarten

It was another week of settling into routines here in the kindergarten room!  The students are quickly learning the routines and I couldn’t be more proud of them!  In Bible this week, we learned how loving our God is.  Adam and Eve broke the relationship they had with God and God promised that He would send His Son to make the relationship whole again!  Next week, we will be learning more about Adam and Eve’s family as well as Noah.  We continue to practise learning positional words in math like above, below, left and right.  Ask your child if he/she knows which hand is his/her left or right hand!  Next week we will begin learning about sorting and making patterns.  A quick reminder to check SeeSaw for pictures of your child learning and playing in kindergarten!  It is updated daily!  Hope you have a great weekend!

Grade 1

Another week has flown by in Grade One!  We finished our Bible unit and completed a test today.  This test was completed together to teach the students how to write a test on their own.  We have written a Social Studies and Spelling test this week. We are finished with our Safety unit and are moving on to Scientific Investigations. Keep practising your spelling and sight words from your agendas. We do practice tests on Thursdays and Spelling tests on Friday if needed. This week your child was given a large plastic bag with their name on it. This bag is to be used to take Library books to and from school. Please make sure all your P.E. clothes are labeled and your child has their own set of clothes. If you have not sent in your volunteer forms please do that by Monday, Sept. 16.

Memory Work:  Ps. 105:3; Gen. 1: 1,31a

Spelling Words:  it, is, it, that, you

Grade 2

This week, the Grade 2 classes have been busy studying the bones in the human body.  We learned about the amazing way that God has created our bones to support and protect us. The students were quite pleased to learn that they have more bones than their teachers. Ask your child how that can be possible! In Bible class, we have completed our first quiz. These were quite well done! Great listening, Grade 2!  We will finish this unit with a second quiz on Thursday.  Once again we will send the notes home. Next week we also plan to add more facts to our math fact bags. Keep practising! We are still looking for paint shirts to use in our art lessons, and would appreciate any donations! Have a blessed weekend. BV/RG

Spelling words: are, like, colour, baby, make

Memory work: Psalm 119:40

Text: Books of the NT

Grade 3

The children are beginning to get the ‘hang of’ routines in class.

Singing memory work, practising spelling words, getting physically fit when doing our fitness course in P.E.; yes, we are a busy class. It is good to see the students challenging themselves to use Grade 3 letters; ask your child about it. In Art, we focus on line and shape and have learned there are many artists who became famous for creating such art. One such artist is Joan Miro. The students have great fun creating people using his style of art. In Social Studies, we are learning about the hard times for the Pioneers as they moved from one country to another. Our first Bible test we will do together. We hope to model how to answer a question with details and what to do when we don’t know an answer. Thank you for your help in practising memory work and spelling words at home; this is much appreciated. Have a blessed weekend and Sunday. MP/JB

Memory work: Ps 17:3   Text: OT books (two weeks)

Spelling words: have, into, off, people, said

PE on Tuesday and Friday    Library on Thursday  

Mission $ on Friday

Grade 4

As we move into the third week of school, Grade 4 is settling into the routines and various subject areas. In Science, we have begun learning about light and sound. In Math, we continue to work on place value to the millions. In Bible, we continue to discuss the life of Samuel. Here are a few things to note for the coming week:

Tuesday: Bible Quiz on Lessons 1-6 (The students will take their folders home on Monday so that they can prepare for the quiz).

Wednesday: Math Quiz on Place Value

Friday: Spelling Test Lesson 2: hop, mud, there, hunt, frog, buzz, their, rocks, such, swam, clock, shop, bug, cup

Friday: Psalm 66:1/Text: Psalm 32:1-2

Next Week’s Memory Work: Hymn 25:1l

Grade 5

Another week has passed by quickly and Grade Five has covered much ground!  We continue to read selections from our World of Literature textbook that show the importance of doing one’s work well.  Our study of Ancient Rome meshes well with our Bible unit about the birth of Jesus Christ.  We can see how the Lord used the Romans to prepare the world for the coming Messiah.  Please return the Owl magazine forms, whether you decide to subscribe or not.  Our class can receive prizes for having all forms returned. Have a great weekend! RK/KVL              

Devotions:

5A – M. Logan, Tu. Brooke, W. Brianna, Th. Madison, F. Morgan L.

5B, M. Mattheus, Tu. Carson, W. Olivia, Th. Nate, F. Russell. 

Grade 6

We had a great second week in Grade 6. The students are settling in well, and getting used to routines.  In Science, we were able to learn more about Gods amazing creation as we studied the flying patterns of creatures such as flying squirrels, dragonflies, flying fish, and many more! In Language Arts, we focused on personification, alliteration, and point of view. The students had an engineering challenge to design, using the materials they were given, a safe place for Harry (a little puff ball) to sit safely where he could also see the entire classroom. The students worked hard and built him a safe perch! 😊 If you have not done so yet, please remind your child to bring in leaves, flowers, and other plants that we can use in our upcoming flight experiment. Have a great weekend! AF/CV

Grade 7A

Greetings from Grade 7A! This past week the students finalized their topics for their Independent Study; a wide range from coral reefs to Dundern Castle to architecture to skateboarding. Students will now have to find, borrow and read a “real” book on their topic. Parents, this may prove challenging since smaller libraries are found in our communities and because of a cut in services, the Inter Library Loans program has been terminated. Your efforts in helping your child borrow a quality book are appreciated. In Bible History we’ll see how God’s people got exactly what they asked for, a king like the other nations, and why the LORD granted that request. The Father of New France will have our attention in History and in LA we’ll learn what makes a good short story. Enjoy your weekend.

Grade 7B

In Bible History, we continue to look at how Israel rejects their Heavenly King and asks for an earthly king. In Language Arts, we are going through the characteristics of a good story, where we will be looking at the development of characters. In History, we look at the beginning of the History of Canada, studying Jacque Cartier and Samuel de Champlain. Independent Study is well underway, and we are now at the stage where we will be looking for an adult non-fiction book to read about our individual topics. Please do make yourself available to bring your child to the library to find a book. Have a great weekend!

Devotions – Thomas B.

Grade 8A

Our first full week has come and gone. The students have settled nicely into class routines, units are progressing well and we had our first quiz today (Friday). Next week, we will be digging into more about microscopes and the parts of the cell. In History, we will watch a film on John A. Macdonald and in the Intertestamentary Period we will see how the Lord still calls men and directs history even when He chooses not to send prophecies. Have a blessed weekend. Cheers, Mr. J

Grade 8B

We have been studying the time between the testaments in our Bible lessons.  I hope to give a little quiz on that topic on Wednesday.  Later in the week, the students will be asked to complete a mid-unit review for Math.  This will be handed-in and marked.  Otherwise in Math, we check our work together and review as needed.  A History quiz on Chapter 1 will be written on Thursday.  Students have been reminded that they are to wear JCS t-shirts and shorts for gym (Mondays and Thursdays).  All students have written a lunch time devotion and we’ve compiled them into a little booklet that can be used each lunch hour.  We’ve certainly gotten into the swing of Grade 8, even though both students and teacher need to regularly check our timetable to know what is coming next. 

Memory Work:  Psalm 10:7

Devotions:  Abbey, Jordan, Jazmin, Leah, John