General News
“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” Eph 6:11
Even though this was a short week, it was an intense one for student learning. As I write this edition of the Chronicle, students are rehearsing speeches in classrooms throughout the school. This much-needed practice gives them invaluable feedback on their readiness to perform in front of an audience.
We have also been preparing for the big Geography Challenge. Giant maps have been on display in the gym, allowing students to trace Canada’s watersheds. These maps are fascinating because of their detail; imagine a map that covers half the gym floor and is large enough to find Smithville on it!
Further, basketball and hockey practices are underway. Preparation for the Chess Tournament is also in full swing, with individual games being played during lunch.
We look forward to more hard work in the upcoming week, which is a blessing. We seek to armor ourselves with the Word, truth, and knowledge so that we can serve Him.
On Friday, Term Reports go home. Please take the time to review them with your children so that we can partner together in the education of covenant children. We look forward to seeing you at the Parent-Teacher Interviews.
Finally, Mrs. Visser will be celebrating her birthday this Saturday. We wish her God’s continued blessing and guidance in the upcoming year.
Wishing you all God’s continued blessings.
JVI
Mon – Basketball Tryouts, Hockey Game vs CAIRN @ 3:00
Tues – Gr. 7 & 8 In-class Public Speaking Contest
Wed – Skating- gr 2 @12:15, gr 5 @ 1:15
Thurs – Basketball Tryouts, Cairn Hockey Tournament
Fri – Report Cards go home, Hockey Practice
Sat – Mrs. Visser’s Birthday
Classroom News
Kindergarten
It was great to return to our school routines after an extra-long weekend! Everyone was excited to share stories about sledding, building igloos, sleepovers at grandparents houses, and swimming at a water park. On Wednesday we enjoyed our last skating time at the arena. Thank you to all the parents and grade 8 class who joined us, it was great to see how confident they were on the ice. We are finishing up our current language arts unit, and the students now know 16 letters; way to go! Next week, we will begin a new reader, which is always an exciting milestone in kindergarten. Our upcoming Bible stories will focus on the ten commandments and the golden calf. We are in need of packages of wipes for both classrooms. If you are able to send some in, it would be greatly appreciated. Have a great weekend! DV/MV
Grade 1
Snow, and more snow! The children are having so much fun playing in the snow during recess. Thank you so much for sending along all the necessary snow gear, as it has been quite cold outside. In Bible class, we learned that the Israelites had forsaken the LORD, and as a result, the LORD allowed other nations to punish His people. In His grace and mercy, God sent judges when the people cried out to Him. We have learned about Gideon and Samson as the judges the LORD sent. In reading class, we are working on long and short vowel sounds, which ties in nicely with our phonics lessons. In math, we have begun a measuring unit. There is a buzz of excitement in the classroom as we count down to our 100th day of school! The children are eagerly talking about it and can’t wait to celebrate this special milestone together. If all goes well, we will be marking the occasion with a fun celebration when the day arrives. Stay tuned!
Grade 2
A little reminder to double check that your child has all their snow gear with them so they can stay warm and be bundled up at recess time. Next Wednesday February 4th, we will be skating again. Please remember to send skates and helmets! ~ we would love the extra help tying skates 🙂 This week we continued learning about Nunavut in Social Studies. We talked about the Inuit people and what things were like for them living in the Arctic in the past and compared it to what it’s like today. The students also loved that Mrs. Elgersma showed up with some items straight from Nunavut for them to inspect. Thanks, Mrs. Elgersma! Please remember that Friday is library day. We have a few students who keep forgetting to bring books back and we would love for them to pick out new books each week too. Have a great weekend!
Grade 3
Grade 3 is loving the snow at recess time. Please be sure to remember all your winter gear so that everyone stays warm this season! Hats and mitts are needed!! Students are working hard on their division facts and will have a test on Friday covering the facts and division strategies, including pictures, arrays, and fact families. In Bible, we continue to see how the Lord has a plan to save his people through the life of Joseph, despite all of the trials he faced: hated by his brothers, sold to Egypt, and being thrown into prison. Through all of this, the Lord is with Joseph. He is with us all through whatever troubles we face. For an upcoming art project, we are in search of empty CD cases. If you have any that you don’t need any more, we would love to take them off of your hands.
Memory Work: Hymn 11: 2, 3; Exodus 20: 12 – 17 (two weeks)
See agenda for spelling words
Grade 4
A short week for everyone and from the accounts from students the extra days were welcomed days off. On Wednesday many of the students finished their very own jigsaw puzzle complete with a box to hold all the pieces. Thursday the students’ knowledge of geography was put to the challenge. Congratulations to Gavin Jonker, Madilyn den Hollander, Colton Schuller and Caroline Vis who finished in the top 4. These finalists will compete in the Grade 4-6 Geography Challenge in the gym. Read the Chronicle to find out the specific date and times. Please make sure that you are reading your child’s agenda for any tests of quizzes coming up in Grade 4. Have a great weekend. FR/JB
Grade 5
We have enjoyed the bright and beautiful sunshine that has been streaming through our windows this past week! Both classes enjoyed a morning of sledding for Phys. Ed class on Thursday, despite the cold. We are both working through unit 4 in Bible, learning more about the life and ministry of Jesus. Both 5A and 5B have been learning about the amazing way God made our bodies with the different life systems. We look forward to skating again this coming Wednesday, from 1:15 till 2:15. Please remember to bring your skates and keep in mind that a helmet is required for any student wishing to play hockey. Parents, you are more than welcome to join us and to help tie skates!
Devotions for next week are as follows:
5A: Quinn (M), Noa (Tu), Edwin (W), Julia (Th), Hailey (F)
5B: Veda (M), Gabriel (Tu), Ivan (W), Payton (Th), Malachi (F)
Enjoy your weekend! CDV/KV
Grade 6
We’ve come to the end of another week in gr. 6! We continue to build our math skills, discover more about electricity, and dig into the book of Genesis. We will be ‘turning the page’ to a different focus in our Language studies now that we have finished Number the Stars. We’ve also begun to build an understanding of symmetry and one-point perspective in our art classes. Feel free to quiz your child(ren) on any of the things they are learning at school! We look forward to getting back to a full week of learning next week, and we hope you enjoy your weekend!
BK, MJ, CVA
Grade 7A
Next week our big event will be the Public Speaking and Poetry Declamation in-class contest on Tuesday. An invitation, presentation list and further details were shared earlier in the week. We’ll be sure not to forget the spatial significance of Madagascar, as well as ratios, proportions and percentages. While the students have found aspects of the “set shot” to be a challenge, our basketball unit will continue with the “lay up”. Although the LORD has delivered David from his treasonous son and restored his kingdom, we’ll learn next how David puts his trust in his numbers. Enjoy your weekend.
Grade 7B
We are looking forward to the in-class public speaking and poetry recitation contest to be held this week Tuesday. Some students still need to spend time this weekend memorizing their speech. They are allowed to make use of index cards for prompts but they should not contain more than the key words to help them if they get stuck. They are also encouraged to record themselves and watch their facial expressions and hand movements. Thanks, parents, for your help with this! The math lessons have been challenging for the students but they are slowly coming to understand how to write and graph inequalities. We hope to finish the chapter this week. We are continuing to study 2 Samuel, and hear about the Lord’s faithfulness to King David. There is a “Dans le Salon” French quiz scheduled for Monday. Have a great week! RK
Grade 8
After a long weekend and a short, relatively uneventful work week in Grade 8, hold onto your shorts as we have a crazy week ahead;
- Monday: Ice Hockey game vs. Heritage
- Tuesday: In-class Public Speaking Contest
- Wednesday: Chapter 7 Lessons 1-3 Math Quiz; French Test – Chapter 11
- Thursday: CAIRN Ice Hockey Tournament
- Friday: Church History Quiz; Report Cards sent home; Ice Hockey game vs. Bellstone
Ongoing during the week: Geography Research Assignment – Quality of Life; Introduction to the novel study Shattered by Eric Walters
Week after: Grade 9 Day (bring good hiking shoes/boots for our walk after Guido); School-wide Great Canadian Geography Challenge