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General News

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Hello again everyone as we bring to an end another week of learning and teaching at John Calvin School   It was a rainy week with some indoor recesses but it ended in a beautiful way, sunshine and 20+ degrees.  Our Heavenly Father has richly blessed us in that we could, once again, educate His covenant children in freedom in our Reformed, Christian school to learn more about Him, His Word, and His world; freedom that we are so thankful for and can reflect upon at this time of year.

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those who need the Lord in a special way.  We think especially of Mrs. A. Folkerts as she continues to receive treatment for her colitis.  We pray that she may return to her teaching task in Grade 6B in due time. 

A few items for your attention:

*Veggie Chop-Chop:  Wow!  The fundraiser raised over $9000.00 for the Grade 8 year end trip.  Thank you everyone for your participation in this event.  By the way, there are still veggie packs available at the school.  So, if you forgot to order or need some more, swing by the school and pick up a bag of veggie packs.

*Next week Monday, JCS will be welcoming a student teacher from Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers College.  Miss Kendra Schuurman will be teaching with Miss Hoeksema in Grade 4A.  She is in her first year at the college.  We wish her all the best and the Lord’s blessing for her practicum at John Calvin School.

*Mrs. Oosterhoff and Mrs. VanAndel are preparing a Reformation Day presentation/assembly for Thursday, October 29.

*Friday, October 30 is a PD Day.  The staff is planning to participate in a presentation on Executive Functions, and the students get to enjoy a day at home.

*Winterfest:  More and more items are becoming available for purchase on the Winterfest website.  Check them out at www.johncalvinfundraising.ca and then place your order.  Today, a note went home with each student regarding Winterfest Loot Bags.  Please check it out for details.  As the note concludes, “We can’t wait to give you the fun of JCS Winterfest in a bag!  If we can’t go to Winterfest, let Winterfest come to us!  Thank you again Winterfest committee for all the work that you have done in organizing the various fundraising activities for this year’s virtual version of the annual event.

Reminders:

*The News and Views will be distributed by email later today or on the weekend.

*Picture retakes are tentatively scheduled for November 4.

*Please continue to collect pop can tabs to help support children who are in need of a wheelchair.  Our bucket is located in the foyer by the offices.

*The annual Anchor Work Day is coming up next week.  The usual information about the event was sent home with your son or daughter last week.  When considering job opportunities with your son or daughter, please keep in mind COVID-19 protocols.  It is good for the students in Grades 7&8 to be involved in this community service for one of our Reformed institutions.

*We hope to receive confirmation from the Royal Canadian Legion early next week that at least a couple of grades will be able to attend the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Smithville cenotaph. There will be a Remembrance Day assembly/ presentation at the school on Wednesday, November 11.

Have a good weekend and a blessed day of rest and worship on Sunday.  We’ll be in touch again in about a week’s time, D.V.

G. Hofsink

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Classroom News

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Kindergarten

Pumpkins galore this week! The students were so excited to begin learning about pumpkins during our science classes.  They wanted to know how pumpkins grow, why are pumpkins orange and how do the pumpkins get the lines? We have begun to answer some of the questions. Ask your child how a pumpkin grows. In language arts, we are practicing the letter Nn.  I will be sending home a ring with the alphabet on it.  Please practice the letters that we have learned every day with your child. Knowing the letter names and sounds is the foundation for beginning to read. We are a little bit behind in the learning of our sight words.  The students have learned the words the, see.  Please have your child show you these words while you are reading to them.  Kindergarten students love to share what they have learned with everyone! Have a great weekend! JB/NV

Grade 1

Wow! The month of October is just flying by. We continue to tell the stories about Joseph in Egypt. In Social Studies we are learning about all kinds of famous Canadians. We have finished our unit about the consonant sounds in phonics and are beginning to work on the short vowel sounds. Math is proving to be a bit challenging for many students this year. If you have an opportunity, try having your children read or write  numbers up to 30 or 50  (100 if they can really meet that challenge.) Memory work, word wall words and sight words will all be tested on THURSDAY of next week because Friday is a PD day.

Memory Work: Ps. 24:1(Thurs. Oct.29); Exodus 20:2,3 (Nov. 5)

Word Wall Words (Spelling):  all, but, not, were, what

Sight words:  to, into, very, want, was

Grade 2

We have had a terrific week so far.  We have started a new Bible unit on Jesus’ Ministry. Ask your child about the Parable of the Sower. What kind of seed are we? We have also started a new science unit on Health and Safety. We’re focusing on all the amazing food choices that God has provided for us. We are so blessed to live in our fruitful Niagara Region!  Please set aside time to read with your child as we’re noticing some of the students are struggling with their reading which extends to all areas of the curriculum.  Also, don’t forget those math facts! LS/BV

Reminder  – short week next week due to PD Day on Friday.

Spelling – review words in agenda

Memory Work – Psalm 95:3

Grade 3

Welcome once again to Grade 3. The children are getting very excited for our upcoming Pioneer Day. If all has gone well, you should have received an email with regards to this event. In Bible History, we marvel at God’s mercy and grace as He teaches Abraham and Sarah to wait on Him. In Art, we are learning about organic shapes ‘using’ the work of the artist Henri Matisse. Soccer dribbling and passing is keeping us busy in gym class. We have another big spelling test coming up, study, study, study, boys and girls. The winners of the colouring contest for Grade 3A are Macen deBoer, Holden Kingma and Caleb Mans, and for Grade 3B: Colton Muis, Leena Schulenberg and Arli VandenOever. A note to the parents; please let your child bring their library books in a plastic bag. This is to preserve the books! That’s it for now. Have a good weekend and a blessed Sunday.

Memory work: Hymn 52:1 and Gen. 12:1-3 (please practise daily)

Thursday: Library, and Friday: Mission $

Spelling Review Words: city, community, countries, exciting, getting, laughed, pretty, prettier, prettiest, schools, to, too, two, was

Grade 4

Just like that, we are in the last week of October.  We are now beginning our unit on Rocks and Minerals. In math we are full force into subtraction, and in Bible, we are learning about King David’s life as king of Israel (2 Samuel). This coming Friday is a PD day, so count on memory work and the spelling test on Thursday. Please continue to work on the math facts at home as preparation for daily math drills, and students are encouraged to read at least 20 minutes daily. 

Lesson 8 Spelling words: cry, close, surprise, off, spy, too, nineteen, closer, smile, bigger, lying, write, stranger, trying. 

Wed: Bible Test 4B Saul and David

Thurs: Spelling Test 8

Memory work Psalm 100: 1-3,  Hymn 60: 1, 4

Next week Memory Work is Psalm 20:1. 

Grade 5

As we wrap up another week, we can be thankful for the good health of our students, allowing us to continue our studies uninterrupted by absences. Our Bible stories are about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry as He reveals Himself as the Messiah.  We are nearing the end of the math unit about adding and subtracting decimal numbers and hope to move onto Chapter 3 next week – multiplying whole numbers.  The students have enjoyed hearing about the Punic Wars in our Social Studies Unit.  We will be making a booklet on this topic next week. 

Devotions for 5B: M. Gavin, Tu. Lucas, W. Jenna, Th. McKenna

Enjoy the weekend! RK/KVL

Grade 6

Wow, things were sure flying around in Grade 6 this week. As one of the culminating events for our unit on flight, the students competed against each other to see who could make the plane that had the best accuracy, the best speed and the best length of flight. What fun they had. In this same vein…we are very excited to announce that our field trip to the War Plane Heritage Museum is able to happen! Wahoo! The museum has taken COVID precautions and they are doing school trips on Mondays and Tuesdays with the museum closed to the public on those days. So we will be the only people there on November 2nd. There are a few protocols we must follow; the major one being that the students and teachers MUST wear a mask for the day.  This is non-negotiable. The school will be providing masks for the students. As much as we know you love (and we certainly appreciate it) volunteering, there will be no extra adults permitted on this trip. Have a wonderful weekend and a blessed Sunday. SO/CV

Grade 7A

This past week, in Science, the students tested their cardboard tables. Their challenge was to construct a table 30 cm high with table top side lengths of at least 30 cm. Considering shear, torsion, compression and tension in their design, the table had to hold textbooks for at least one minute. Ask your child how they did. Students have been reading their Independent Study books; thank you parents for assisting your child in acquiring a book. They will now complete a book report about their book and then complete an author profile. In connection with the short story element of setting, in Language Arts, the students will select a time period, choose a time travel method and write a short story outlining their adventures and describing setting. Foxes have dens and birds have nests but for the anointed David there is but a step between him and death as Saul continues to hunt for him. Please encourage your child to find employment in connection with Anchor Work Day and the October 30 P.D. Day. Enjoy your weekend.

Grade 7B

In Bible History, we near the end of Saul’s reign and the start of David’s reign. In LA, we are writing historical fiction and are looking forward to hearing them next week. In History, we are looking at what everyday life was like in New France. We will be starting a project on this chapter next week. Have a great weekend!

Grade 8

It was a classic Fall week in JCS. The rain poured, the temperature fluctuated between warm and cold and the mornings remained dark until nearly 730 a.m. Nevertheless, it was a productive week in Grade 8. After the busyness of the ‘Soup Green’ fundraiser it was nice to settle back into routine this week. Speaking of Soup Greens, we are very thankful to report a record breaking profit of over $9000 toward our trip! Much thanks to our organizers and countless volunteers and customers! We are humbled by this outpouring of support for our Ottawa Trip! In Science, students reviewed the parts of cells and the different appearance of these cells. In History, we began to analyze the different provinces of Canada prior to Confederation. In Geography we started to look at the impact Physical Processes have on human settlements. On Monday, Gr. 8 students will have a Science Unit Test and at some point we will have an LA Quiz on Characterization. Have a blessed weekend.

Cheers, Mr. J & Ms. P