General News
“Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.” Job 28:28
We had an extended long weekend thanks to the added snow day. Staff members engaged in various professional development (PD) opportunities today at ACRES, Grace, and here at JCCS. At ACRES, staff are learning about and working with the Music and Math Conceptual Frameworks. At Grace, the EAs are learning about behaviour management and creating positive learning environments. Here at JCCS, a dedicated team of early adopters is working on implementing the PowerSchool SIS.
A reminder that we will have a soup day on Wednesday. We thank the Ladies Auxiliary for this welcome change for lunch. It is always appreciated.
The Geography Challenge finals will be held next Thursday, February 20, in the gym. Everyone is welcome to come and watch and test their own geography knowledge! We’ll have forms available so you can see how you fare. The Grade 4-6 finalists will compete at 10:35 a.m., and the Grade 7-8 finalists will compete at 1:00 p.m. The Grade 4-6 finalists are Taryn, Eden, Gabriel, Edwin, Oliver H., Macrae, Oliver R., Mason, Corban, Liam, Denver, and Cason. The Grade 7-8 finalists are John, Zachary, Eddie, Holden, Leena, Geneva, Grayden, Cedric, Jakob, Austin, Nolan, and Joshua. Come cheer them on!
We have some staffing announcements. Mrs. S. Oosterhoff, Mrs. Van Egmond, and Mrs. Vanderee have informed us that they will not be returning next year. We thank them for their tireless work and dedication to JCCS. They have been an immense blessing and have contributed significantly to the school community. We wish them all the best as they conclude their time here in June.
These departures have created some vacancies. Mrs. Kelly will be moving from Grade 5 to Grade 7, and she is looking forward to this new opportunity. To fill some of the openings, we have hired Mr. Ben Kampen to teach Grade 6 and Ms. Claire DeVries to teach Grade 5. Both Ben and Claire are currently completing their studies at the CCRTC. We are excited to welcome them to the JCCS family and hope they will feel at home here. Claire will also be joining us for a practicum in Grade 3 starting next week. Please make her feel welcome! We are still looking to fill the Grade 2 teaching position and some EA positions, and we pray that God will provide. Sarah Kingma will be going on maternity leave shortly, and Meghan Spoelstra will be leaving us to focus on other commitments. We wish them well in their future endeavours.
That’s all for this week. May God strengthen and bless us in the week ahead.
JVI
Week at a glance:
Monday: Family Day
Tuesday: P/T Conferences
Wednesday – Skating – K @12:15, Gr 8 @1:15, Soup Day
Thursday – Geography Challenge – 4 – 6 @ 10:30am, 7-8 @ 1:00pm
Basketball Coach
We are looking for a coach for our girls basketball team. Are you interested? We plan to have practices Monday and Thursdays after school from 2:45 – 4:00. If you are interested contact the school at 905-957-2341 or office@johncalvinschool.com
Annie Tickets
Annie tickets are on sale. Here are the links
Friday, February 28th, 7:00pm
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1215363748689?aff=oddtdtcreator
Saturday, March 1st, 1:00pm
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1230696870469?aff=oddtdtcreator
Saturday, March 1st, 7:00pm
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1230700982769?aff=oddtdtcreator
Classroom News
Kindergarten
It was a fun week in Kindergarten! Both classes were able to enjoy the sleds on Mount Calvin which is always a highlight of their day. We had an exciting day on Wednesday, celebrating Valentine’s Day. The children were quite pleased with all the goodies they got to take home. We have continued to learn some simple number addition in Math, the students have shown excitement in their knowledge. It was a pleasure to meet with all the parents for interviews this week, thanks for your continued support. A reminder to practice our Easter program songs with your children. We hope you enjoy an extra-long weekend with all the snow coming our way. Have a wonderful Family Day! MV/DV
Grade 1
It was good to meet with you and speak about the academic growth of your children. May our heavenly Father continue to bless you as you raise your children in the fear of His Name. It was a short and sweet week for grade 1. We learned about Samuel being called by the LORD in Bible history. In math we learned about capacity. In our reader we read about Gran and the children going to a ranch in the west. The children always look forward to a new story. On Wednesday, we celebrated Valentine’s Day with lots of sweets and treats for the children to share with one another. To close the week, we had another snow day. Enjoy the extra-long weekend, including Family Day on Monday. We are looking forward to celebrating 100 day on Tuesday, February 18, DV.
Grade 2
This week we enjoyed another snow day! We plan to hand out our Valentines on Tuesday, February 18, when we come back to school. We are continuing to learn about Zimbabwe in Social Studies. So far, we’ve learned about the weather, land, plants, and animals. In Church History, we’ve heard the first few stories of John Chrysostom, a preacher in Antioch. Have a great Family Day long weekend! MB & BV
Grade 3
It was a pleasure discussing your child’s progress this week. Thank you for taking the time to meet. May the Lord continue to bless you as we work together in nurturing and educating your covenant children. In Church History, we are hearing stories about a minister named Rev. deCock. Ask your child how the Lord used Him to reform His Church in The Netherlands. We continue to explore communities and their characteristics.
Psalm 84:1
Text: Joshua 24:15 (two weeks)
Please check your child’s agenda for the spelling words and take the time to study them, grade three!
Grade 4
An extra short week thanks to another snow/ice day! Students will be able to exchange Valentines on Tuesday now. Thursday is the finals for the Great Canadian Geography Challenge. Finalists from Grade 4 are: Taryn D., Eden R., Gabriel S. and Edwin V. Parents are welcome to join us, starting at 10:30 in the gym. Our Medieval Day plans are starting to come together. Volunteers for the necessary food items and time slots are almost complete. Once we have finalized all arrangements, a package will go home to all parents. Spelling words are: Mr., Mrs. Ms., Mars, stairs, upstairs, Canada, May, running, church, having, Friday, remember, stone
4A Devos: Gabriel K (T), Levi (W), John Paul (Th), Eden (F)
4B Devos: Malachi (T), Reid (W), Lily (Th), Aleah (F)
Grade 5
The students have been enjoying reading “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, and we will soon begin our shoebox dioramas! If you have any shoeboxes you’re willing to part with, please send them to school. We do have several boxes in storage for those who are unable to bring one. On Wednesday, don’t forget a spoon and a mug or bowl for soup lunch! On Thursday, students will be watching the geography challenge finals in the gym. We will be cheering for Oliver H. and Mason from 5A, and Oliver R. and Macrae from 5B. Congratulations on placing first and second in the in-class challenge! Parents, we would love to see you there as well!
Devotions for the week are as follows: 5A – Maddison (W), Thomas (Th), Waverly (F) 5B – Macrae (Tu), Abigail (W), Rayna (Th), Oliver (F). Enjoy your weekend! RK/KVL
Grade 6A
The students have started to research a disease. They will be using their computer classes to work on this project. On Tuesday the students will be responsible for all of Thursday’s items. This includes knowing Ps.50:6, prepared to write French quiz and spelling quiz. Late next week students can also expect a Science assessment on electricity. Have a blessed weekend. CVA MJ
Grade 6B
It was nice to have the opportunity to meet with the parents and reflect on the progress of each student. It is much appreciated that we have the support of the parents and can work together to provide the best learning environment for the students. This week we finished our geometry unit and will begin our study on integers. Tuesday will come with a church history test on the crusades – students, please take a bit of time away from the snow to review your notes. In our language arts studies, students are learning how a story is constructed and will be given an opportunity to plot out their own. Enjoy your extra long weekend!
SO/EV
Memory Work: Psalm 74:1, 12
Devotions: Tu. Joey, Wed. Nadia, Thurs. Seth, Fri. Jodine
Tuesday: Church History test
Wednesday: Soup day – please bring your own spoon and bowl
Grade 7A
Another eventful week passed in our class… Great Canadian Geography Challenge classroom contest, chess club, musical practices, basketball tryouts and a hockey tournament. We also managed to squeeze in a look at the global climate factors of latitude and ocean currents. Math had us stay positive as we explored integers. Some of us had the opportunity to appreciate the classic film, “The Black Stallion”. In history we’ll learn about Loyalists and revolutions, and in science we’ll examine the processing of underground mixtures. The parent/teacher interviews were a great opportunity to discuss the education and growth of the students… what a blessing that Church, Home and Work are all united and standing on the same foundation. Enjoy your long weekend.
Grade 7B
Grade 7 has been busy this week with the play and the geography challenge. Looking forward to seeing our three winners compete in the geography challenge finals next week! The students have been working through poetry and are currently writing their own poems about something they love, I’m excited to read everyone’s work! They’ve also been practicing their French writing skills this week by writing directions to different locations in French. Our hallway has been slightly smelly lately, please remind your children to bring home their P.E clothes/shoes to be washed. Wishing everyone a wonderful long weekend!
Grade 8
It has been a very different week in Grade 8 with a lot of extra curricular activities and a snow day! Grade 9 day was a success as students got a look at the next stage of their educational journey and we could end the day enjoying God’s creation with a wintery hike. Congratulations to the JCCS Ice Hockey Team as they took home the trophy on Wednesday. It was an exciting day for sure! Next week begins with a full-day “Annie Jr.” practice, which will empty out the Grade 8 classroom for another day. On Thursday, we look forward to the Great Canadian Geography Challenge Finals. Feel free to stop by at 1PM for the Level 2 finals. Enjoy your Family Day weekend! TB/RT