Here it is:
“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” Eph 6:11
What a week at JCCS! From our grade 8s getting a taste of high school life at Guido to the impressive public speaking contest, our students have been busy. Between the energy on the ice at Wednesday’s hockey tournament and the geography prowess shown at Thursday’s Geography Challenge, there hasn’t been a dull moment. On top of this we had the wonderful opportunity to meet many of you at parent-teacher conferences. Tomorrow we will again switch gears to a PD Day where our staff will head to Cornerstone in Guelph for curriculum development on Social Studies, while our support staff will head to Grace in Millgrove to learn about fostering positive mental health. We are blessed to continue to grow and develop as we seek to serve Him.
A special congratulations goes out to Evan Baartman for his winning speech on the rivalry between Ancient Rome and Ancient Egypt, John Bosscher for his second place speech on “Brain Rot,” Leena Schulenberg for her first place recitation of the poem “Footprints,” and Holden Kingma for his second place performance of “Peanut Butter Sandwich.” These four talented individuals will be moving on to represent JCCS at the ACRES regional competition next Thursday. We wish them the very best of luck as they compete against other local schools!
On Wednesday we look forward to being treated to a lovely Soup Day. To properly tackle this delicious lunch, students must come armed with two very important tools: a mug and a spoon. I know our students are creative when it comes to getting soup, but please not in the pockets, pencil case, backpack, or shoes.
On the staffing front we do have some news. Mrs. McKenzie has let us know that for joyful reasons she will not be returning next year. We have loved her positive approach and will miss her in the next year. This means that we had to fill a position in the resource department. We’re excited to welcome Miss Taryn Diek to the role in August.
Mrs. VanAndel has also informed us that she will be retiring at the end of the year. All good things must come to an end and we wish her the LORD’s blessings in retirement. Miss VanderLaan came to school this past Monday with a smile as bright as the ring on the fourth finger of her left hand. We congratulate her and wish her blessings as she plans for a wedding. This means that we will also lose her as she plans to move to Owen Sound. While there are still some pieces that are being put into place I can share with you that we have hired Miss Clarissa Lof and Miss Megan Van Iperen. Both are graduating from CCRTC in the spring. Clarissa is a member of the Grassie congregation, while Megan is a member of the Cornerstone congregation in Hamilton. We warmly welcome them into the JCCS family.
I believe that is all, may God grant you a blessed long weekend!
JVI
Mon – Family Day
Wed –Soup Day
Thurs –Basketball Practice (Men & Co-Ed), Ed Comm Meeting
Classroom News
Kindergarten
We wrapped up the week with beautiful sunny weather and slightly warmer temperatures. The children enjoyed playing outside in the snow! It was especially fun to see all the red and pink outfits in kindergarten on Wednesday as we celebrated an early Valentine’s Day together. Thank you to all the parents who attended parent-teacher interviews. It was nice to see you all again and discuss your child’s progress in kindergarten. We have now finished reviewing our 16 letters and will begin learning a new letter next week. In math, we completed our unit on 2D and 3D shapes and will be starting a new unit on addition. A reminder that next Wednesday is Soup Day; please bring a spoon and a mug/ bowl. Enjoy your Family Day weekend! Have a blessed Sunday. DV/MV
Grade 1
Thank you for coming to speak with us about your child’s progress in school. What a blessing it is to know that you are raising your children in the fear of the Lord, and that we may assist alongside you in their learning and academic journey. May we continue to work together to the glory of God. We have begun our Bible unit on Samuel, focusing on his birth, his calling, and the taking of the Ark of the Covenant. In addition, we continue to enjoy reading many stories in our reader while learning the mechanics of reading through phonics instruction. It has been wonderful to see the progress the children have already made. Please continue to practice those tricky words at home so they will become automatic for your child to read. Looking ahead, next Wednesday, February 18, is our 100th Day of School, DV! The children are very excited and are looking forward to coming to school dressed as 100-year-olds. Each day we hear, “Only three more days!” or “Two more days!” We will also enjoy a soup lunch that day—lots of fun to look forward to!
Grade 2
Grade 2 enjoyed a fun, short week this week. The students were counting down the days to hand out their Valentine cards and treats! We have finished up our unit on Nunavut, and are looking forward to learning about Zimbabwe in Social Studies. In Church History we’ve started with the stories of John Chrysostom and how he became the bishop of Constantinople. Looking forward to Soup Day on Wednesday! Have a great Family Day long weekend.
Grade 3
Looking into the next week of February: with Monday being Family Day, we will have a shorter week at school. Please see your child’s agenda to take note of the date for an upcoming Bible Test covering the life of Joseph. In the agenda, you will also be able to find the weekly spelling words. Please practice these at home. In math, we switch back to multiplication. We look forward to soup day on Wednesday: be sure to pack a mug and a spoon.
Memory Work: Psalm 84: 1; Deuteronomy 18:18 (two weeks)
Grade 4
It has been a delightful week of learning! We are grateful for the extra time off this upcoming weekend and look forward to exploring new things in the week ahead. In Math, we will begin exploring measurement concepts such as length, width, area, perimeter, weight, and other related topics. In Bible, we will be wrapping up our unit on the Kings of Israel and studying the life of William Carey and his work in India. Through this, we will learn that sometimes things do not always go as planned. On Wednesday, we are excited for another skate here in Smithville from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. Feel free to come out and join us! In Art, we will begin a lesson on Illuminations and will try creating one ourselves. In Science, we will continue exploring the theory of sound. So far, we have discovered that sound is a form of energy created by vibrations.
Lastly, we would like to thank all the parents who came out for interviews. It is always wonderful to take time to talk about the learning happening here at school. We truly appreciate any feedback, positive or constructive — it helps us grow.
Have a splendid Family Day, everyone! Let’s go, Team Canada!
— FR / JB
Grade 5
Another busy week has come and gone in grade 5! Students enjoyed the geography challenge on Thursday. A big congratulations to Macy who placed third! Next week we look forward to soup lunch on Wednesday. A reminder to students to bring a mug/bowl and a spoon. 5A will have a mid-unit 4 Bible quiz on Wednesday; this was moved from last Thursday due to the geography challenge. Both classes continue to enjoy The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and look forward to reading more about the magical world of Narnia next week. Devotions for next week are as follows:
5A: Megan (Tu), Jasper (W), Gabe (Th), Autumn (F)
5B: Elias (Tu), Phoenix (W), Hailey (Th), Macy (F)
Enjoy your Family Day weekend! CDV/KV
Grade 6
What a blessing to experience longer days, brilliant sunshine and some warmer temperatures! It’s good for the soul, especially during such a busy time! Through all the extra-curriculars the students remain busy in the classroom. Recently the students have started to research a disease as part of a crossover between science and language arts. They will be using their computer classes to work on this project and make a slide presentation of their results. Next week, in Math, we will start working with fractions. In church history we have been introduced to Islam and the false prophet Muhammad. We now turn our attention to the schism of 1054 and the start of the crusades. We finished our week with the annual geography challenge. Well done to Oliver, Adelaide, Rayna and Ezra who represented grade 6 at the school finals! It was also a blessing to meet with you as parents to discuss the term 1 reports. Have a blessed weekend! CVA BK MJ
Grade 7A
It was an eventful week in grade seven. The JCCS finals were held for the public speaking and poetry declamation contest. Some of us participated in a hockey tournament. The Geography Challenge also took place. We also managed to continue with the work set before us. We began a new unit in geography, our world’s natural resources; use and sustainability. We learned about the tannery districts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, as well as about fair trade coffee in South America. We’ll transition back to Church history and the Reformation in the Swiss Confederation. In science we’ll design and create our own energy transfer system. Next week we’ll welcome Miss. I. Ravensbergen from the CCRTC to our classroom for the next month. Enjoy your long weekend.
Grade 7B
The past week was a busy one! Between the hockey tournament, the geography and public speaking finals in the gym, and an upcoming PD day, we managed to squeeze in some learning about ratios and percent, as well as a Bible review. We hope to finish the unit next week and move on to a new church history unit. Have an enjoyable long weekend! RK
Grade 8
We had an interesting week when it came to extra-curricular activities; Grade 9 day was a success with a fun (albeit cold) hike afterwards. Our hockey season came to an end with our final tournament, and the school public speaking contest and geography challenge also coming to an end. Good luck next week to Leena Schulenberg, Holden Kingma, and John Bosscher from Grade 8 as they move on to the regional finals in ACRES on Thursday.
Next week we look forward to another shortened work week, and we should be back to our regular programming. Students should be prepared for a math quiz on Wednesday, looking at the first 5 lessons of Chapter 7.
Enjoy your long weekend!