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General News

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Good Friday morning on Thursday school community, as we bring another week and another month of instruction to a close at JCS.  In a blink of an eye, 20% of the school year is completed.  May our Heavenly Father continue to provide students, staff, and parents with all they need as they carry out the tasks that He has given them to do in service to Him and the neighbour.

Today, we gave special attention to the events of the Great Reformation that “officially” began on October 31, 503 years ago.  Thank you, Mrs. Oosterhoff and Mrs. VanAndel, for organizing the Reformation Day presentation and providing the links to the Reformation videos.  At this time, it’s always good to reflect on the five themes of the Reformation:  Sola Christus, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Sola Scriptura and Soli deo Gloria; and along with this a quote from Martin Luther shared with us by our Reformation Day presenters,“God doesn’t love us because of our worth, we are of worth because God loves us.”

A few items for your attention:

*Earlier this week we could welcome one student teacher from Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers College.  Miss Kendra Schuurman is teaching with Miss Hoeksema in Grade 4A.  She is in her first year at the college.  We hope she had a good first week and wish her all the best and the Lord’s blessing for the duration of her practicum at John Calvin School.

*FYI:  Niagara Public Health is not planning school-based immunization clinics at this time.  Parents of students requiring immunizations are encouraged to follow-up with a health care provider.  Updates will appear on the immunization webpage:  https://niagararegion.ca/health/vaccinations/children/school.aspx

This means that the Grade 7 HB, Meningococcal and HPV vaccine scheduled for November will not be offered at the school.

*As you know, tomorrow is a PD Day.  The staff will be participating in a presentation on Executive Functions, and the students get to enjoy the 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.   Also, just a reminder that that the loot bags are one per child.

*Mission Money:  We continue to encourage students to contribute what they can (usually about a loonie per week), so that we can maintain the support of three children through CRWRF and two children through Word and Deed.  We encourage the students to give spontaneously and joyfully.  Let us share generously from our abundance.

*Triple Ball:  Guido de Bres Christian high school is planning to host a modified Triple-Ball tournament.  The tournament will involve Guido Feeder Schools and take place at two venues, one for girls’ teams and one for boys’ teams.  Participation on the JCS teams will be exclusive to the Grade 8 class/cohort.  Try-outs/practices will take place on Monday and Thursday next week after school from 2:45 – 4:00.  The tournament is scheduled for November 25. 

Reminders:

*Time changes this weekend.  Enjoy the extra hour of sleep.

*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 planned for tomorrow.  The usual information about the event was sent home with your son or daughter earlier this month.  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.

*Earlier this week, we received confirmation from the Royal Canadian Legion that the Grades 7&8 classes will be able to attend the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Smithville cenotaph.  The Royal Canadian Legion will reserve an area for the school, and those attending from JCS will need to wear a face mask/covering.  There will be a Remembrance Day assembly/presentation for Grades K-6 at the school on Wednesday, November 11.

*The Fall Membership Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 25.

 Enjoy your weekend and have a blessed Lord’s Day.  We hope to touch base again next week Friday.   

G. Hofsink

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Classroom News

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Kindergarten

It’s hard to believe that October is already finished.  The year is going by so quickly.  Kindergarten worked very hard this week learning two new letters.  They learned the letters Cc and Kk.  This week, KA received the letter rings.  Parents, please practice these letters at least once a day with your child.  The letter sounds are the foundations for reading and it is so important that the students know these sounds.  Please continue also to practice the sight words that we have learned so far in kindergarten.  These words are: the, see, can.  In Bible, the students loved learning about the stories of Jacob and Esau and how the Lord worked in the heart of Esau to make him not hate Jacob anymore. 

Grade 1

We have embarked on a brief review of basic number theory in Grade 1.  We are practising writing our numbers and determining which represent greater or lesser amounts.  In Bible lessons, we will soon be wrapping up our stories about Jacob and Joseph.  Look in the agendas for notice of a test date. Now that the weather is getting a little cooler, we are reminding the children to be sure to wear their jackets and sweaters outdoors.  Many of you make a point of jotting a note in the agenda when your child is being picked up after school.  That is really helpful for us and for the children.  

Memory Work:  Psalm 93:1, Exodus 20: 2-3

Word Wall Words: can, said, we, when, your

Sight Words: what, would, should, could, where

Grade 2

We have come to the end of another short week.  We hope you enjoy the PD day on Friday! Next week we will finish our Bible unit on Jesus’ Ministry. We will have a bible test on Wednesday. In science, we continue to explore Health and Safety. We have learned about the food groups and how to keep our bodies healthy by what we put into them. We will now focus on hygiene and the importance of keeping clean. Please continue to read with your child. Just a few minutes a day will help! Also, don’t forget to practice math facts!  LS/BV

Wednesday – Bible Test

Friday – Mission $, Psalm 71:3, Isaiah 9:6

Grade 3

Here we are again!! Our PIONEER DAY was a success indeed!  Thank you PARENTS for all the work you did in helping us celebrate this day.  Your children looked beautiful and their lunches were very authentic and creative!  Well done!!!!! What did we do? Well, we did our “rithmatic” on slates using chalk.  We read pioneer stories.  We made cozy lanterns!  Butter, butter, butter!  This took a lot of effort but it was worth it; and we ate the butter on CORNBREAD.  Yum! We played with a pioneer toy.  Ask us what it is?  We enjoyed sugar cookies and jam, and also some yummy dried fruit.  Oh yes, and we made a quilt.  Sorry, it won’t fit on your beds.  Our guest speaker, Mrs. Buikema, did a show and tell of the many pioneer items that she has collected throughout the years.  Ask us about the toilets in those days.  Thank you Mrs. Buikema, for taking the time to tell us all your stories.  We loved them!!!! All in all, it was a day to be remembered.

Next week there will be two tests.  There will be a pioneer test on Wednesday and a Bible test on Friday.  Remember to study hard, grade three. That’s it for now.

Have a blessed weekend. 

Words:  beautiful, before, discover, enough

Psalm 23:1

Text:  Genesis 15:5,6 (two weeks)

Library books in a LIBRARY BAG on Thursday.

Mission $ on Friday.

$3.00 for the LOOT BAGS for WINTERFEST

J.B./M.P.

Grade 4

The work continues in Grade 4 as we roll into a new calendar month. Grade 4A, welcomed Miss Kendra Schuurman from CCRTC this past week and she is taking over a few teaching duties in the Grade 4A classroom until November 13, DV.

Memory Work: Psalm 20:1/Text: Psalm 100:4-5

Upcoming Memory Work: Psalm 21:1,2

Spelling Words: art, master, smart, sisters, bar, finger, bark, paper, part, barrel, sand, says, matter, because

Grade 5

Our Punic War booklets are looking really good and nearing completion. We hope to wrap up our unit on Ancient Rome next week, and we will look at our first Science unit, Investigating Nutrition, after that. As we study multiplication in Chapter 3 in Math, it is becoming clear how important it is to know our times tables. If students are struggling, we encourage them to practise them at home as well. In Bible, we continue to study Jesus’ ministry. We will see Jesus’ power in the miracles He does, and we will look at His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. Have a wonderful weekend and a blessed Sunday. RK/KV

Devotions 5B: M. Tanya, Tu. Keagan, W. Blake, Th. Kali, F. Liam          

Grade 6

Hello, once again from Grade 6.  Things in Grade 6 keep moving along and that means we continue to finish units and begin new ones.  We are setting aside Church History, for now, and are turning our studies to our first unit in Bible which deals with the stories from Creation and the accounts of Adam and Noah and his sons.  In Math we are diving into our new unit dealing with factors and multiplication.  Now that we have completed our unit on Flight, we are moving to Social Studies and our unit on Canada and its Trading Partners.  But the highlight of Grade 6, after the long weekend is Monday, our scheduled trip to the Warplane Heritage Museum.  Since this is an all day trip, please make sure to send a lunch that does NOT need to be microwaved.  Have a wonderful long weekend and a blessed Sunday. SO/CV

Grade 7A

We ended the month of October with an introduction to our History Unit 1 project. Students have an opportunity to act, design, develop and present an aspect of New France. Ask your child what they are doing. We’ll change our focus in Math from fractions to decimals and see the connection between the two. In time for Reformation Day we learned more about Felix Mendelssohn and his Symphony No. 5, the “Reformation Symphony”, students will present what they learned using Google Slides. We’re under a bit of stress and experiencing failure in Science as we finish up Unit 1, “Structural Strength and Stability” with Chapter 15, “Stability and Centre of Gravity”.  Enjoy your weekend.

Grade 7B

In Bible History, we have come to the end of our Samuel, Saul and David unit. We will finish off with the death of Saul next week and move into Church History, looking at Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. In LA, the students will be sharing their Historical fiction stories that they have written. In Geography, we have finished our chapter on Landforms and will be looking at what factors impact our climate and climate patterns around the world. Independent study continues to go well. Students have a “book report” due on Tuesday, where we then will be moving on to creating an author profile. Have a great long weekend!

Grade 8

October is almost in the past! We are done with two complete months of school (great job!). Friday, is Anchor Day for Grade 8 students – please remind your children to find some work to do to contribute! Grade 8B, is considering getting a class pet, which would bring another level of responsibility to the children. If you have any questions, please let us know. We are learning about body systems in Science and will be starting group projects next week. In Language Arts we are continuing with “How to Build a Fire” and writing/editing our short stories. A lot of stuff is on the go, life is getting busy for you Grade 8! Have a great weekend! M. Joosse & M. Pilon