General News

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The purpose of John Calvin School is to assist and support parents in the education of their covenant children to the glory of God.  In accomplishing this mission, the vision of John Calvin School is to provide excellent Christ-centered education in service to God and our neighbour.

Greetings and salutations school community on this wet, windy, warm Friday morning. Today officially brings us to the end of another school year; another COVID-19 school year.  We thank the Lord for all that he has provided the school community during the course of another school year.  Thanks again, parents, for all your work in teaching your children during the last two months of remote learning, especially the moms.  Thanks for rising to the challenge of instructing your children at home, whether it was your daughter in Kindergarten or your son in Grade 8.  May our Heavenly Father continue to bless the work we do together in providing instruction for His covenant children.  We hope to see most of you at some point and time today during the final pick-up and drop-off.  We thank the school board and Ladies Auxiliary for arranging a treat to be enjoyed by the children.

Yesterday, after a brief technical glitch, we could have our virtual Year End Assembly. During the livestream portion of the assembly, Mr. Nordeman, Mr. Hofsink, and Miss Buist spoke a few words of reflection on the year that was, another COVID-19 disrupted school year. It was good to hear and reflect on these words, Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.  We can say this even during difficult and challenging times because we know that our God is faithful and he always does what he says. When giving thanks becomes an integral part of our lives, we will find that having an attitude of gratitude will cause our attitude towards life to change. We will become more positive, more gracious, more loving and more humble. It is encouraging, comforting, and reassuring knowing that as we move forward God is good all the time and all the time God is good.

At the assembly, we said farewell to the Grade 8 students who are graduating, and to the students who are leaving JCS- Breanne and Kaylee VanElberg, Lily, Rebekah, Victoria, and Abigail VanEs who along with their families are moving or have already moved out of the JCS catchment area and so they will be attending ACRES in the fall. We also bade farewell to Travis Scholtens who will be attending another school in September.  We wish the students all the best and the Lord’s blessing in their new learning environment.  We also said farewell to several staff members:  Mrs. Jacqueline Jonker who is going on maternity leave, Miss Avery Linde who is working at Rivers Edge, Mrs. Jo-anne vanBrederode and Miss Pat VanderZwaag who are re-retiring, Mrs. Deb Bouwman who is retiring from Grade 8 v-p relief, Mrs. Simone Oosterhoff who is re-re-retiring from Grade 6B, Miss Natalie VanLuik who is planning to attend the CCRTC in September to pursue a career in teaching, and Mr. Tim Breukelman who is going to be working in a different profession.  We wish the departing staff members all the best and the Lord’s blessing as they move on from JCS. 

This summer two of our teachers are getting married.  Miss Michaela Pilon and her fiancé, Mr. Colin VanAmerongen, are getting married on July 2, D.V.; and Miss Yolanda Hoeksema and her fiancé, Mr. Brad Fledderus, are getting married on August 13, D.V..  We pray for the Lord’s blessing on both of their special days.

Staffing update:  We are still in need of a Grade 6B teacher and a part-time (67%) EA position.

Today, during drop-off and pick-up, the students will be receiving their term two report cards. The grades on the report cards reflect the marks gathered by the teachers during the second term from February to the April break. They also reflect input from parents, and assignments and tests graded during remote learning 3.0.

Parents whose oldest child will be going to kindergarten in September can pick up the K welcome package from the table in the main foyer during today’s drop-off and pick-up. 

Please note:  Later today, the 2021-2022 class lists will be emailed to the parents. Putting the students in these classes was not an arbitrary matter. There are many factors to consider when putting these lists together and teachers have put much thought and time in coming to the final product. The Class Re-Distribution Protocol, shared with you on a couple of occasions earlier this term, gives further explanation as to the considerations, criteria, and procedures followed by the teachers for the 2021-2022 class lists.  

May our Heavenly Father continue to provide for those in our community who need Him in a special way; be it those who are sick, who are impacted by COVID-19, who are dealing with difficult family situations, or those who are grieving the death of a loved one. 

Reminders:

*Please continue to be wary of ticks and mosquitoes.

*The News and Views will be distributed on Sunday, June 27.

*The first official day of summer is Sunday, June 20, beginning at 11:32 p.m. EDT.

*The staff will be in the school from Monday to lunch time on Wednesday of next week.  Some may still be at school on Thursday and Friday as well.

*The JCS golf tournament fundraiser takes place on Saturday, June 26 at Peninsula Lakes Golf Club.  We pray for good weather for the event.

*Hike for Hospice:  Thank you again to all the families who participated in the hike to raise money for McNally House.  The final tally as of this morning is $10 969.75, exceeding our goal of $10 000.00.  Just a reminder that t-shirts will be available in September. 

*Library Books and Lost and Found:  If you have any school library books at home, please return them today when you return textbooks, workbooks, and chrome books.   When you are in the school today, please check the table under the overhang by the main entrance for lost and found items.  All remaining items will be taken to the GBF or Value Village.

*School Cleaning:  Please stay tuned to your local church bulletin or church social for the plan for this summer.

*Graduation is planned for Monday, June 28, D.V..  The parent committee continues to be busy with the logistics of the event.  An email will be forthcoming next week with event particulars. 

*Thankfully restrictions continue to be lifted on what can/cannot be done in the province so it looks like there will be more things that families will be able to do during the summer months.  

Have a great weekend everyone and enjoy Father’s Day on Sunday.  May our good and gracious God grant everyone an enjoyable and safe summer and, D.V., we’ll touch base again via the pages of the Chronicle on Friday, September 10.  I leave you with these words from the apostle Paul as found in 2 Corinthians 13:14, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”  

G. Hofsink

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Classroom News

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Kindergarten

Another year completed in the kindergarten classroom.  It was not the way that any of us would have imagined or have wanted. Thankfully, we can rest in the knowledge that our days are planned by our great and awesome God.  He knew what our school year would look like as He designs all the days for us.  Not only did He plan our days for us, He walked each day with us guiding and protecting us through this pandemic!  God is good all the time and all the time, God is good! Miss Vanluik and I would like to express our gratitude to each of the students for all of the hard work that they did this year, for all the joy, laughter and learning that we were able to witness and take part in with our students this year. Thank you also to all the parents for their hard work and support especially through at home learning! We couldn’t have done it without you. We wish you the Lord’s blessing as you enter into summer holidays. It is our prayer for you that you experience a time of rest and relaxation.  We pray that the Lord watches over you and keeps you safe.  JB/NV

Grade 1

We would like to say what a pleasure it was to work with our grade one classes this year! We want to thank you, parents, for all of your support and kindness to us over the course of the school year, but especially in the months that we had to learn and teach remotely.  We were blessed by your words of encouragement, especially when you told us that our (unprofessionally made) YouTube videos helped you or that a zoom support was helpful even when we had internet or other problems while zooming. That was really helpful when we spent a lot of time teaching to a camera instead of our lively and engaging students.   We really really missed the children when they were not at school and so we really enjoyed it when you sent pictures or videos of them when they were doing their school work or when they joined us on zoom.  We wish you and the children a wonderful summer and the LORD’s blessing as our grade ones make the transition to grade 2.  AB,JVE, JdB, SB, CJ

Grade 2

At the end of this school year, we can stand in awe of all that the Lord has done for us.  It can be easy for us to be disappointed in all that we’ve missed, yet we can rejoice instead in all that was accomplished and given. The students have completed a year with many changes and challenges. Kudos to them for rising to the occasion time and time again! We thank the Lord for his continued care, strength, and guidance! To Him be the glory! Thank you students and parents for this year. We have certainly been held up in your prayers and have experienced your support. At this point we will also be saying goodbye to a number of Grade 2 students. Jace, Breanne, Rebecca, and Norah, we will miss you and pray that God will bless you in your new schools! We pray that you will all be blessed this summer. Have a wonderful time with loved ones!

Grade 3

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope;  The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  Lamentations 3:21-23

Miss B. and family could attest to God’s love as well as they laid to rest their loved one a couple of weeks ago. Our God has been faithful to them, as well as to us this past year. We thank the Lord that He has guided us through this year. Thank you parents and students for all your hard work.  Thank you for showing great love for Reformed education. Thank you for your many prayers, your encouragement, letting us come ‘into your homes’ via videos, and working alongside your child to complete the many assignments.  It is much, much appreciated. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We will certainly miss you, miss the messages and chats. Grade 3B is saying Goodbye to Isaac Helder, as he is moving onto Guido de Bres Christian High School. We will miss you, Isaac! Have a safe and blessed summer. God be with you, till we meet again. Mrs. Poort and Miss Breukelman

Grade 4

We would like to express our sincere gratitude for the support that we received from home over the past few weeks of at home learning. We wish you all a blessed summer! Please keep working at your times tables over the summer and read whenever you have a chance. We look forward to seeing you in the Grade 5 hallway next school year. We wish Kaylee VanElberg and Callie Linde all the best as they transfer to new schools for Grade 5! We thank Mrs. Tesfaye for her work in Grade 4B these past few years and we wish her all the best as she transitions to teaching Grade 8 next year. Thank you and have a great summer!

Grade 5

Throughout the past school year, the students of Grade 5 showed themselves to be capable of handling the various challenges they faced.  In September, they quickly accustomed themselves to the separate playground areas, school entrances, and bathroom schedules.  They followed the new procedures patiently and cheerfully.  It was difficult for them to be apart after the Christmas break, but they faithfully worked on their online assignments to the best of their ability.  After some time together again, they were saddened to hear they would be learning from home once again.  Through it all, the Lord has provided us with what we needed, even if it may not necessarily have been the way we would have liked the school year to go.  Thank you parents, for your help in encouraging, teaching, and supporting both the students and teachers alike during this past school year.  Although our time together was somewhat limited, and we didn’t do all the activities we would have loved to do, we as teachers are thankful for the time we could get to know the children and parents of this grade.  We wish you a restful and enjoyable Summer holidays!  Hope to see you, God willing, in September! Mrs. Kelly & Miss VanderLaan

Grade 6

As we come to the close of another year I am thankful that the LORD provided us once again with strength and wisdom to continue with the education of His covenant children. We could do this together with the support of the school board, the administrators, and the parents. Despite our shortcomings and the extra challenges we can look back and reflect on many positive things. I want to thank everyone again for their support and continuous encouragement. May the LORD provide you with a safe and happy vacation. We say farewell to Abby and wish her all the best as she continues her education at Acres.  CV

Grade 7A

As we reflect on the year 7A, we’re so very thankful for the work we could do in class together and at home remotely. What a comfort that this year went exactly the way our Heavenly Father wanted it to go. The students showed maturity as they progressed through the academic year, this maturity was evident in class and also through the virtual classroom. May they be blessed with an enjoyable summer as they prepare for their final year at J.C.S. Enjoy your summer vacation.

Grade 7B

As we come to the end of this year, I would like to thank everyone for their hard work. Thank you to the students for their effort with at home learning! It is not easy to stay motivated, but students did remarkably well with their work! Thank you to parents as well for their hard work keeping the home and school work going! I wish you all the best for the summer and the LORD’s blessing next year!

Grade 8A

Finita est! We had a great week @ Notawa! Can’t wait to see you all at graduation. Have a great summer. Lord’s blessings. Cheers, Mr. J

Grade 8B

Grade Eight finished the year off in a very busy and enriching way, which has been a wonderful way to wrap up this crazy year. It has been a blessing to teach and learn along side you this year, Grade 8 students. Wishing you a great summer and the Lord’s blessings as you begin the next task God has assigned to you, Guido. – Miss Pilon