General News
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2
The annual Soccer Tournament is tomorrow! The complete tournament schedule is available here. Come on over, watch a few games, and grab a bite to eat in support of our Grade 8 Ottawa trip fundraiser.
This coming week we look forward to a theme week entitled “Fish of Ontario.” For some reason, a few of our staff already have an extra bounce in their step when we start talking about fish! We hope to have some presentations, learn about salmon, and hopefully watch the salmon run. We will also have a fish dress-up School Spirit Day, where we hope to see students and staff dress up as a fish or fisher(wo)man. I am sure that this week will be very exciting.
On Wednesday, we will be treated to a hot dog day from the Ladies Auxiliary—thank you in advance!
We wrap up the week on Friday with our Cross Country team heading out to Dundas Valley for the first of its meets, running on a beautiful course in the Grade 7–8 competition. You are invited to watch, but please be respectful of the premises. There is a parking fee if you are planning to head out there, so carpooling is a good “Dutch” option, and you can have a lekker klets while you are on the way!
Finally, we will close out our Friday with a Thanksgiving assembly at 1:45 in the gym. You are all welcome to attend.
May the Lord richly bless and sustain your families in the week ahead!
JVI
Monday – Salmon Life Cycle (Theme Week Learning)
Tuesday – Presentation from Mark Penner @1:30 – (Theme Week Learning)
Wednesday – School Spirit Day – Fish/Fisher/man/woman, Hotdog Day, K to Mountainview Orchards
Thursday – Salmon Walk
Friday – Cross Country Run, Thanksgiving Assembly
IT Committee Member
Ever solve a problem by turning it off and on again and feel like a wizard? We need you. The JCCS IT Committee has an open slot. If you love tech, know your way around cables and Wi-Fi, or just want to help keep our school’s tech stack running smooth, come join the party.
Ready to connect? Send a ping to the Principal at principal@johncalvinschool.com
Classroom News
Kindergarten
Another week finished in Kindergarten. October is a busy month so please make sure to look over the calendar that was sent home. We are excited to start a new Math unit next week, exploring patterns. In Science, we looked closely at our sense of smell and touch this week with a few investigations. We will hear about Isaac and how God continues to keep His promises to Abraham’s family next week. We have some exciting field trips coming up. On Wednesday we will be heading to Mountain View orchard. The ladies Auxiliary will also be serving us hotdogs for lunch this day! A reminder if you have not yet sent in a 1.5” binder for your child, please do so as we have started filling them with special work. Also, we are still collecting cereal boxes for the community food drive, thank you to everyone who has already sent one in. We hope you have a wonderful weekend! MV/DV
Grade 1
This week we completed our Social Studies unit on Safety. Next week, we will begin a Science unit investigating Living Things.
In Bible class, we heard about the birth of Isaac, the promised son, and then the difficult instruction God gave Abraham to sacrifice his beloved, long-awaited child. What a beautiful picture of God’s mercy in providing a ram to take Isaac’s place!
In Language Arts, we are excited to begin our core program, CKLA. The students are especially eager to begin putting sounds together and starting to read! Kudos to those who are already reading—they have been very patient during our letter-review lessons!
A reminder that library is on Mondays. It can be a little tricky to remember at the beginning of the week, but it is disappointing for students when they are unable to choose a new book because they still have books at home.
We are looking forward to our Fish Species of Ontario theme week next week! We have some great activities planned and are particularly excited about our hike along the Twenty Mile Creek in Jordan on Thursday. Perhaps we’ll get enough rain to get the salmon run started here in Niagara! If not, we’ll enjoy a good hike regardless. We’re looking forward to a fun week of learning together!
Grade 2
We come again to the end of another week in grade 2. On Tuesday morning, we could start the day by enjoying a performance from the Greijdanus choir! Lots of fun!! In math, we have started a unit on addition and subtraction. There are also regular drills to help students master these facts. In language, we have finished reading all of the stories about the cat bandit and the students are sad to say goodbye to him. We continued talking about solids and liquids in science class, examining how they go from one state to another and what happens if you combine them. Don’t forget to bring in something for the Community Care Food Drive if you haven’t already. Wishing everyone a lovely weekend! MB/LS/BS
Grade 3
Fall is officially here, and we are excited for another busy and fun-filled week in Grade 3!
This week, we started our Church History unit by learning about John Eliot and the work he did as a missionary. We have been talking about his desire to share God’s Word with others and the work he did among the Indigenous people in New England.
We were able to wrap up our Sarah, Plain and Tall novel study! After finishing the book, we enjoyed watching the movie together. It was fun for the students to see the story come to life and notice some of the similarities and differences between the book and movie.
We are excited to begin our first CKLA unit on Classic Tales! We will be reading and discussing a variety of classic stories while continuing to build our reading comprehension, vocabulary, and writing skills.
Hymn 53:2
Text: Genesis 3:15
Please check your child’s agenda for this week’s spelling words and encourage them to practice throughout the week.
Thank you so much to everyone who brought in items for our Fallfest basket. Your contributions are greatly appreciated! We are also continuing to collect cereal boxes for the food drive, so please send them in with your child.
Have a blessed weekend!
Miss A/Miss B
Grade 4
And just like that, we are into October and really in the swing of things! We have already completed some of our first tests and have been enjoying wonderful science experiments. Additionally, we’ve been busy collecting cereal boxes, practicing cross-country, and preparing for an upcoming teachers’ conference hosted here at J.C.C.S.
The learning continues next week with our theme week focusing on Fish Species of Ontario. Believe it or not, Mr. Reinink had no influence on this choice, though he is very excited! Each day, we will be doing something extra “fishy.” Our grade gets to study the Walleye—and perhaps Mr. Reinink might even bring some in for us to try!
In Bible, we are learning about how “The Lord is our shepherd,” inspired by Psalm 23, written by King David. We are exploring how David had to be patient, trust in the Lord, and lean not on his own understanding.
In Math, we are revisiting Unit 1 to focus on finding order and patterns in numbers, with a specific focus on place value and how understanding base ten deepens overall number sense.
For some students, these math concepts come naturally; for others, they take a bit more practice. When students are proficient with their basic math facts, many other concepts become much easier. If you have any games at home that encourage math fact practice, we strongly recommend using them! Some excellent resources can be found at www.tvolearn.ca, or you can ask your child about Prodigy Math.
That’s all for now. Have an amazing weekend!
Miss Jes & Mr. Reinink
Grade 5
Like that, September is over and we have entered our second month of school.
Grade five did very well on their Social Studies and Math tests this week. Excellent work!
We have completed the first half of our Ancient Rome unit in Social Studies, and have shifted over to talking about the Punic Wars. In Language Arts we have completed Theme 1, which focused on what it looks like to do a good job. We are now about to begin Theme 2: North American Voices.
Looking ahead to next week, grade 5B will have a French quiz on Tuesday covering the days of the week and the alphabet. 5B will have their Bible Unit 1 Test on Wednesday, and 5A will have their test on Thursday.
We are looking forward to seeing you all dressed up as fish or fishermen/women on Wednesday, when we will also enjoy a hot dog lunch!
Devotions Schedule
5A: William (M), Abigail (Tu), Eddy (W), Bradley (Th), Kensie (F)
5B: Laura (M), Grayson G. (Tu), Corbin (W), Gabby (Th), Avery (F)
Have a blessed weekend! CDV/CL
Grade 6A
What beautiful it has been! Thank you for all your donations to our grade 6 BBQ basket for Fall Fest, it is looking quite full!
Bible: Students should begin studying for a Bible test on October 8! See your notes for details.
Science: We have finished our first “quest” on our Flight unit, which students will have gotten back on Friday. Well done! Please review and sign these tests with your children so that you can see your progress. Some time has been spent talking about expectations for tests and quality of answers. Overall great work!
French: We are completing our review unit in French with all things weather next week, students have done an excellent job on all of our quizzes!
Memory Work: Hymn 74:1, 4; Psalm 8:6-9 (text)
Devotions: Landon, Quinn, Gabriel, Payton
Have a blessed weekend!
MD & MVA
Grade 6B
Bible/Church History: We’ve begun to study the generations after Adam, right up to the Flood.
L.A.: Students have been working in groups to create presentations on different disabilities. They plan to share what they have learned to the rest of the class on Monday!
Science/Social Studies: Our unit on flight has brought us to an exploration of the forces that make flight possible, and the parts of an airplane that affect these forces!
French: Students have been reviewing what they know about weather, and can expect a quiz about this topic at the end of the week.
Phys. Ed.: We will begin to develop our soccer skills this week. Feel free to bring soccer equipment to school. Students are also reminded to bring their Phys. Ed. uniforms every Monday and Thursday!
Devotions: Gabriel, Jasper, Megan, Hailey F
Have a great weekend!
BK
Grade 7
Just like that we welcome the beginning of October. It promises to be a busy month: the annual soccer tournament on Saturday, a fishing theme week next week, cross country runs, and on and on it will go!
Students should have a few things on their radar for next week, including a Bible test on Tuesday which covers 1 Samuel chapters 1–15. Our first writing assignment is also due that day. Memory work for Friday is Psalm 7:1.
We plan to deliver flyers to the community, inviting them to our upcoming Fall Fest. You are welcome to join us on Friday for a walk through the neighbourhoods of Smithville.
The cross country run is also happening on Friday! This has always been an enjoyable day and a great way to kick off the Thanksgiving long weekend. We wish our team a great day!
Have a great week! MJ/RK/MVA/MVI
Grade 8
A busy week has come to a close. Math test, Bible test, music project, Bible presentations, personal essays — it’s been a tough week! This week we also enjoyed some extra presentations from the Dutch choir and Rev. Attalah from MERF.
Next week we hope to slow things down a bit as we continue into new chapters. That said, there are still a couple of quizzes and tests to be aware of. Students will have a reading comprehension quiz on Tuesday and a geography test toward the end of the week.
Tomorrow is the soccer tournament, which also means our first Ottawa fundraiser. The weather forecast shows a beautiful day tomorrow, so be sure to invite everyone down to enjoy a delicious lunch at the Leisureplex! A big thank you to all those who have volunteered their time for this fundraiser!
Enjoy your weekend!
TB/RT