General News
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.
O God, you show the earth your favour,
You crown the year, O Fount of blessing,
The bounty of your hand,
With gifts to cheer the land;
For filled with water is your river,
Your goodness fills the earth, expressing
Enriching all the land.
The wonders of your hand.
You soften furrows with your showers
The hills rejoice. The meadows teeming
And bless the spouting grain.
With flocks that skip and spring,
How great, O God, your love and power
The golden grain, in valleys gleaming—
Throughout all your domain!
They shout for joy and sing!
Good Friday morning everyone as we bring another week—the first full week of October—of learning and teaching to a close. It has been a bit of a damp and foggy week yet we were still able to carry out our activities like the mini-soccer tourney, field trips, a cross-country meet, and only one missed outdoor recess. Aside from Saturday, the weekend weather is looking good for those going camping or cottaging. May our Heavenly Father continue to provide us with all we need as we go about our daily work whether it is at school or at home.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those in our community who need the Lord in a special way. We thank the Lord that Mrs. Elgersma could recover from a heart procedure done earlier this week and could be at school again today. We also thank and praise the Lord that Mr. John VanIperen accepted his appointment to be the next principal of John Calvin School, taking up his position in August of 2022, D.V..
Mrs. deVisser led the interactive Thanksgiving assembly yesterday afternoon during which we sang several psalms, hymns and songs including our theme song, the Jason Silver version Psalm 124- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uthnt6A-D5E ; perhaps some of your children have been singing it at home already. She also shared with us a Thanksgiving story, the story of Majella; ask your son or daughter about it. Thank you Mrs. deVisser for reminding us that, indeed, we have much for which to be thankful. It was good that once again several parents and grandparents could join us for an assembly.
Today is Mrs. Taylor Ludwig’s last day at JCS before she goes on maternity leave. We thank her for all her work as an E.A. in the Learning Resource department. We wish her all the best and the Lord’s blessing as she and her husband anticipate the birth of their first born later this month. We pray that all may go well. We welcome Mrs. Emily Breukelman who will be taking over from Mrs. Ludwig as E.A. in the department.
A few items for your attention:
*Here’s another installment of service tasks for the JCS Service Teams. This week it is the turn for the Card Making Team (Grades 3-5). The students in these grades make cards for people in the community on a needs basis. For example, making a card for when a baby is born or when someone’s grandparent is sick. The home-made cards are always appreciated by those who receive them. This activity, too, is a wonderful service opportunity for these students.
*The government’s return-to-school policy allows for the resumption of field trips. The JCS policy includes the same. Several grades have gone on or are planning field trips to various locations. One of the stipulations at many field trip destinations is that students and adults need to wear a face mask. Even though many students are exempt from wearing a mask at school, they will have to wear one at the field trip venue (if it is required). If they are exempt for a medical reason, then a note explaining the reason needs to accompany the student to the field trip venue. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
*Today, the goods collected from our food drive were picked up by West Lincoln Community Care. May the Lord continue to bless the work that is being done to provide for the needy in West Lincoln and the surrounding communities. Thanks again everyone for your participation in this act of service for the broader community.
*Almost all of the chocolate money is in. This is one more reminder to those who still need to bring in money to do so as soon as possible.
*Veggie Chop-Chop: The grade eight students along with their parents and teachers have already solicited many of you to buy chopped veggie packs and jars of red pepper jelly to help raise funds for their year-end Grade 8 trip. Once again, we have been given permission to use the facilities at Niagara Christian Gleaners in order to chop veggies. The students and parent volunteers will be chopping on Wednesday of next week and the veggies will be bagged at and distributed from the school on Thursday. Veggie pick-up will take place after that. We are again very thankful to the Niagara Christian Gleaners for the opportunity to use their facility.
*In spite of soggy, muddy fields, a bit of rain and some fog, the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams had a successful mini-tourney this past Monday. The girls came away with the trophy in their division defeating ACRES in the final, and the boys came in second, losing to Hope in the final. Well done teams! We thank the coaches (Miss VanderLaan, Mrs. VanAmerongen, Mrs. Groen, and Mr. Witten) for their time and effort in preparing the teams for the tourney.
*Today, the JCS Grades 7&8 Cross Country team participated in the annual Guido De Bres invitational cross-country meet for LCRSS elementary schools. At the time of writing, the meet is still to take place so we will share with you the results in next week’s Chronicle. All the best cross country team! The Grades 5-8 cross country team continues to train for the Golden Horseshoe Invitational Cross Country meet scheduled for Thursday, October 14 at Southward Park.
*Horse Week: We are planning our first theme week from October 13-15. We are looking forward to a fun-filled week learning more about this popular animal. Here are some of our plans for the three days:
• We have arranged for students from Grades 5&6 to visit River’s Edge in Dunnville on Thursday afternoon.
• Presentation by Mr. J.W. Jonker, a horse farmer and a brother to Mrs. Gansekoele, on the Friday.
• Doing a Bible search for passages about horses.
• Dress-up as a cowboy, cowgirl, rancher, or a horse on the Friday.
• Learning more about the history of horses, care for horses, etc.
• If anyone has any horse paraphernalia that we can borrow for the week, please drop it off at the school anytime between now and October 13.
• Read a good horse book during the week, e.g. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, War Horse by Michael Morpurgo, Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry, The Black Stallion by Walter Farley.
Reminders:
*Thanksgiving Day on Monday and Curriculum PD Day on Tuesday. The students can enjoy an extra-long weekend.
*Anchor Work Day: The annual Grades 7&8 Anchor Work Day is coming up in three weeks’ time (October 29). The usual information about the event will be sent home with your son or daughter next week. The confirmation slip needs to be returned on or by Monday, October 18. When considering job opportunities with your son or daughter, please keep in mind covid protocols. It is good for the students in Grades 7&8 to be involved in this community service for one of our Reformed institutions.
*Due date for News and Views contributions is Monday, October 18.
*The due date for picture orders is Friday, October 15 with picture retake day scheduled for the first week of November.
Enjoy the long weekend everyone whether you are spending it at home, camping or at a cottage. Have a blessed Sunday and Thanksgiving Monday. The Lord willing, we will touch base again in a week’s time. G. Hofsink
Classroom News
Kindergarten
We had another busy week in the kindergarten classroom. The students enjoyed their very first field trip. We went to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Waterdown where we spent the entire morning exploring God’s creation using our senses. Thanks so much to the Mrs. den Hollander, Mrs. Poort, Mrs. VanIperen and Mrs. VanLuik who came along as parent volunteers. We couldn’t have done it without you! The KA class also had their very first assembly this week. Thank you to Mrs. DeVisser for leading the Thanksgiving assembly and for teaching us a new verse to a very familiar psalm! In Bible class the students are continuing to learn about the life of Abraham and this week, the students heard the story of Abraham being tested. Many of the students had a difficult time listening to the story of how Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac to show his love for the Lord. Perhaps as parents, you can have a discussion with your child about this story. In language arts we finished learning all the different lines used to form letters which means we can start learning letter names and sounds. We will be learning 2 letters every week rather than the usual one letter a week! I am so excited to learn these letters with the students! Next week we only have 3 days of school as Monday is Thanksgiving and Tuesday is a PD (professional development) Day. We wish you all a very blessed Thanksgiving weekend. JB/SV
Grade 1
By the time you are reading this, we will have been to the Safety Village. We will post some pictures in our google classrooms. This week we started working with our Spelling words. Everyday, we practise clapping and chanting our words and we complete several exercises to help us practice writing them. Please also practise them at home too. On Thursday, we hope to write a Bible test about the stories of Isaac and Jacob and Esau. Student notes will go home on Wednesday night. Please read them over with your child. They love to retell the stories. Once again, a reminder to label your child’s belongings (also the lunch kit items and the lunch kits themselves.) Elsewhere in this Chronicle you will see the itinerary for Horse week. (Dress up day is Friday.) We are reminding children that they have to stick to the warm up day schedule. Your children went home with picture proof packages. Picture re-takes will take place in early November. Please email the office or write a note in the agenda if re-takes are required. Children who missed picture day will have their photos taken that day.
MW.: Psalm 116:1, Genesis: 17:7
Spelling and Sight words: in, it, is, that, you
Grade 2
This week was another busy week in Grade 2! In Science we focused on voluntary and involuntary muscles. We learned how we choose to move some of our muscles and how God created other muscles to move without us even thinking about them! We are continuing with our Bible unit on Jesus’ ministry and the work He is doing in Galilee. We are looking forward to Horse Week next week! Friday is a dress-up day! So come dressed as a cowboy, cowgirl, rancher or horse! Have a great Thanksgiving weekend with your families! RG/BV
Grade 3
Thank you, Mrs. DeVisser, for leading the Thanksgiving Assembly. We have so much to be thankful for; especially the gift of grace in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Our Church History unit was finished with a quiz. We hope to begin our next Bible History unit called ‘From Abram to Isaac’. In our pioneer unit we had a quiz as well. Keep up the great effort, boys and girls. We are looking forward to Pioneer Day; Grade 3A on Tuesday Oct. 26, Grade 3B will have it the next day. Remember to sign your child’s agenda as this is a great tool to see what has been added to the week. We will be sending messages and homework via Google Classroom only, so please make sure you have signed in and accepted the invite. Thank you for your ongoing support at home, as well as your prayers. Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Memory work: Ps. 19:1 Text: Gen. 15:5,6 (two weeks)
Spelling words: getting, pretty, prettier, prettiest, laughed
Thursday is Library day~bring your books in a bag, Friday is Mission $ Day
Grade 4
Friday: Grade 4A/B Math Quiz, Unit 2; Spelling Quiz: their, were, wait, holes, takes, there, autumn, such, hear, watch, cried, apple
Memory Work: Psalm 130:2/ 1 Samuel 15:22
Upcoming Memory Work: Hymn 76:3
Grade 5
We have concluded our first units in both Bible and math! Students are continuing to learn about the ancient Romans and will soon be reviewing what we have learned so far. After spending the month of September improving our soccer skills, we are now focussing on various forms of fitness! This short week will include several horse related activities, including a Visit to River’s Edge for the grades 5 & 6 students who are not away at the cross country meet. This should be an enjoyable afternoon! We also wish the runners all the best in their competition on Thursday! The devotions schedule is as follows: For 5A – W. Teagen, Th. Audrey, F. Judy. And for Grade 5B – W. Dayna, Th. Austin, F. Trevin. Have an enjoyable long weekend thanking the Lord for His continuous blessing! RK/KVL
Grade 6
Grade 6 is moving very fast. The unit of FLIGHT in science is soon coming to an end. We really enjoyed learning lots about how a heavy plane can take off in the air and also make 400 passengers land safely on the ground. Of course it is the Lord’s goodness that all goes well, but there are also natural laws in place! All very interesting. The tests will be coming soo. Also the unit of Church History is coming to an end. This week we learned about Hildebrand who became pope under a different name: Gregory V11. We are also learning the beautiful passage of Genesis 9: 12-16 This is so worthwhile to know by heart: when the Lord sees the rainbow He thinks of His Covenant! How many times is He showing us His Love! We are all so thankful that we can be back to learning in school. We have so many opportunities to see God’s goodness towards us. May you all have blessed Thanksgiving time! Grade 6 A and B, CVA IdeV
Grade 7A
Several of our students were involved in extracurricular activities this past week, representing J.C.S. on the pitch and on the trail; some of the benefits that the Intermediate grades offer. We’re changing our focus from the king after the people’s heart to the king after God’s own heart in 1 Samuel and Saul’s reaction to David’s anointing. In Math, we’re being sure to understand primes, composites and factors before moving on with number theory. We are all done with soccer in P.E. and are now learning about spirals and pass patterns in our new Flag Football unit. The students enjoy the strategy and competition involved in the game. Thank you to all who brought in food drive donations for West Lincoln Community Care. Enjoy your long weekend
Grade 7B
Happy Thanksgiving! With much thankfulness our Heavenly Father has already brought us through the first month of school in relatively good health and strength. This was also the first week for major assessments in Geography and in History. Overall, well done students! In Art students worked to incorporate linear perspective, space, form, and more into their oil pastel Still Life work. In preparation for the Reformation Assembly at the end of the month students have also been practicing a play and this week final roles could be decided. Finally, we enjoyed a successful soccer tournament this past Monday and it was so great to be back in friendly competition after nearly two years without. Have a blessed long weekend! Cheers, Mr. J & Mrs. Ludwig
Grade 8
We hope and pray that everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving weekend. We are so thankful to have been able to participate in both cross-country and soccer tournaments this past week. Great job to all who participated and thank you to those parents who helped out in any way! Next week Wednesday is a Veggie Chop Chop afternoon and we intend to bag all chopped veggies on Thursday. Plan ahead with a change of clothes. Have a great weekend! MVA and RT
Memory work: John 1: 8-14, Psalm 28 v 5
Ladies Auxiliary Value Village Fundraiser
The first drop off date for The Ladies Auxiliary Value Village fundraiser is October 22nd not October 15th like you may have been hearing! More details to follow!
Cross Country
The Golden Horseshoe XC Invitational will take place on Thursday, October 14, 2021 at Southward Community Park, Grimsby.
There are washrooms available and plenty of parking. We are gathering in school cohorts – each school will pick a single designated spot and stick to it when not running, warming up, or cheering. We are assuming that all participants (student-athletes, coaches, volunteers, and spectators) have pre-screened themselves for COVID symptoms. Masks are required at all times except when in your school gathering spot and competing in a race. This applies to all athletes, volunteers, and spectators. Yes, this is an outdoor event, but the potential for crowding or gathering is too great. Please model this practice for others. Where possible, please keep a 2m distance from others.
While there is a concession stand available, we have decided NOT to participate as all items need to be preordered. Students are to ensure they bring their own lunches and enough water for the event as the water at the park is not potable.
© 2015 Canadian Reformed School Society of Smithville and Surrounding District
