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
I write this on a morning as clear and bright as the one twenty-five years ago when the Twin Towers were struck. That day, while on the way from a portable classroom here at JCCS, our secretary shared the devastating news. It was a sobering reminder that earthly safety and security are never things we can take for granted. Over the past quarter-century, our world has not drawn closer to God; if anything, it has turned further away. How deeply thankful we must be that we can still freely operate our school, educating covenant children in the fear of His holy name.
We opened our school assembly this week by turning to Ephesians 5:1–2, where the Lord calls us to be imitators of Him and to walk in love just as Christ loved us. It is a grounding message for the months ahead. Scripture provides the perfect blueprint for our lives and learning, and we pray that God will grant us wisdom, unity, and strength throughout this new academic year.
Soccer and cross-country practices are officially underway. For many years, these programs were faithfully led by Miss VanderLaan and Mr. Witten. Following their departures, we had big shoes to fill, and we are deeply grateful to the volunteers and staff members who stepped forward to ensure our teams have full coaching support this season.
Please continue encouraging your children in Grades 4–8 to sell chocolate bars. This initiative covers the bulk of our field trip expenses throughout the year. We already have a few exceptional salespeople who managed to sell multiple boxes in a single evening! Be sure to check the tracker in the foyer to see which grade is currently leading the pack.
As we settle into the routine of a new school year, parents and students are asked to review the school dress code. Please remember that bike shorts, short shorts, and standalone leggings are not permitted as regular school attire. The full dress code policy can be viewed here.
Our annual bus safety drill will take place this Wednesday. Please take a few moments at home to review our bus guidelines with your children so we can maintain an orderly, safe commute every day. Every student will participate in the drill—we have designated a sixth bus specifically for non-regular riders, ensuring everyone learns proper emergency protocols for field trips and off-campus events. Please review the protocols here.
Wishing you all God’s richest blessings in the week ahead.
Warmly,
JVI
Classroom News
Kindergarten
Our first week of Kindergarten is done! The students have already learned so many new things about school in just our first two days. Since school is a brand-new experience for many of our children, we have spent lots of time learning and practicing classroom routines, making new friends, and learning how to work together (ask your child about how they can be a bucket filler). Our Bible stories this week have focused on God’s awesome creation and all that He created on days 1–5. The students especially enjoyed talking about the many different colours and types of fish and birds God created. As we settle into our routines and become more comfortable at school, we are looking forward to beginning our first Math and Language units next week. Have a great weekend. DV/MV
Grade 1
Our first week is already behind us — wow! We had a wonderful week getting to know each other and settling into our grade 1 routines. The children shared stories of their summer holidays, learned to sit and work at their desks, practiced waiting their turn when someone was speaking, and sang our memory work with enthusiasm. It keeps both students and teachers busy, but oh, it is so much fun. We were awed by the Bible stories about God’s beautiful and perfect creation. He spoke, and it came into being — our God is truly amazing. In Social Studies, we spent time learning about playground safety and even had the chance to practice it — a highlight for many. Have a blessed weekend.
Grade 2
We’ve had a good first week here in grade 2! The students are settling in well, getting to know their teachers, their classmates and their routines. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about what is expected of the students while also learning lots. In Bible history, our first unit is about the birth and early life of Jesus. We heard about the angel Gabriel and the messages he had to bring to Zechariah and Mary. Our first science unit is about solids and liquids. We’ve talked about the differences between them and are able to give LOTS of examples of each. The students have learned some new vocabulary in these lessons such as matter, volume and atoms. Wishing everyone a relaxing weekend and blessed Sunday! MB/LS/BS
Grade 3
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
This will be our school theme text. May the Lord bless our work for his glory!
The first week has flown by! Routines are coming along nicely! We have a lovely group of students!
Just a reminder to bring in the forms that were on your child’s desk on the Open House. Thank you.
In the Bible, we are hearing the stories of Genesis. God in his good pleasure chose to create heaven and earth so that all things in it would praise, serve and glorify him.
Social Studies is all about learning about communities in Canada from 1780-1850.
Hymn 63:4
Text: Ephesians 5:1,2
Please check your child’s agenda for the spelling words.
D.A/J.B.
Grade 4
Hello, and welcome back! We hope everyone has enjoyed transitioning back into the daily rhythm of school this week—getting up early, getting to bed early, and settling into a regular routine. Daily routines have been sent home with all students, and they will soon become second nature.
This week, we focused on our theme text about being imitators of God and walking in love just as Christ loved us. This simple wisdom guides how we treat one another both inside and outside the classroom, and we pray our students grow in this truth throughout the year.
Looking ahead, our first Spelling Test will take place next Friday. In Science, we had a blast making crystals this week while exploring God’s incredible creation, and next week we will keep the momentum going by studying volcanoes as we continue our unit on rocks and minerals. Miss Jes is also busy booking a field trip to Rock Point, so keep an eye out for details on that soon.
In sports news, our Grade 4 students have been invited to participate in Cross Country for the first time, and many eagerly signed up! It promises to be a fun day away from school for Grades 4 through 6. Practices will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during lunch.
Finally, thank you so much for your support with our chocolate bar sales. If your child would like to sell more, please send a note in their agenda.
Have a blessed week!
Miss Jes / Mr. Reinink
Grade 5
Just like that, the first week of school is over! The week has flown by and students are getting used to the new routines and expectations. Our Bible units this year will be working through the birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. This week was spent learning about what went on between the Old and New Testaments, as well as taking a quick look at the genealogy of Jesus. These units fit perfectly with our Social Studies unit on Ancient Rome since the Romans were in power during Christ’s time on earth. In Math we are beginning with a unit on place value, and in Language Arts we will be reading a variety of stories that teach us what it means to do a “good job”. 5A will begin with student-lead lunchtime devotions next week. Please assist your child in preparing a Bible passage and prayer if necessary and sign the bottom of the page. The schedule for next week is as follows:
5A: Matthew (M), William (Tu), Abigail (W), Edison (Th), Bradley (F)
Have a wonderful weekend! CDV/CL
Grade 6A
Welcome back to another year of school! In 6A we are starting at the beginning in Bible with a look through the book of Genesis. In L.A we are exploring perspective and will be having a quiz on Wednesday morning. In French students should expect a quiz on Tuesday on French numbers 1-20 and colours. Please bring recorders for Wednesday and gym clothes for Monday and Thursday. Student lead lunch devotions will begin on Wednesday, please review and sign the day before. Thank you for a great first week and enjoy the weekend!
MD and MVA
Grade 6B
Welcome to a new year in 6B! We’ve had lots of excitement in the classroom, and I can’t wait to see what the year brings!
Bible/Church History: We start our year by exploring the book of Genesis. We’ve already begun to learn about the seven days of creation and the beautiful poetry that we find in Genesis 1.
Math: To kick off the year, students will be warming up with adding and subtracting whole numbers and decimals.
L.A.: Our first Language Arts unit is titled “My Floor is Somebody’s Ceiling.” Students have pondered what this might mean, and we will begin to read poems and stories that are related to this theme.
Science/Social Studies: Students have already begun to exercise their engineering skills by building a phone holder for Mr. Kampen, and will soon glide into the rest of our unit on flight!
Phys. Ed.: We will soon be starting with developing our soccer skills. Please make sure to bring Phys. Ed. uniforms every Monday and Thursday!
Devotions: Avery, Reid, Hailey VP, Edwin
Have a great weekend!
BK
Grade 7
As we launched into the new school year, we hit the ground running! We are excited to welcome Miss VanIperen as a new teacher to Grade 7A, and we are also happy to have Mrs. VanAmerongen share her expertise in Science class. Several students have previously been part of Mr. Joosse’s and Mrs. Kelly’s Grade 5 and 6 classes, so the teachers are excited to see many familiar faces once again. We have also begun our rotary teaching schedule, and the students have adjusted well to the new routines of having different teachers throughout the day and moving classrooms for some subjects.
In Science class we have started out with a Christian perspective on science and engineering – starting with God’s attributes revealed through science. Please review and sign their worksheet, as answering this question will build a firm foundation for this subject. MVA
This coming Wednesday, students are expected to be able to answer the question, “Est-ce que tu peux épeler ton nom?” They should have this memorized and be able to recite it fluently. RK
We wish you all the best for the school year and look forward to a great year together! MJ/RK/MVI/MVA
Grade 8
It is always amazing how fast things settle back into a regular routine. School started on Tuesday, and by Friday everything was up and running as if we’d never stopped. It has been a great first week, and we pray that the Lord will give us a good year together as our students enter their final year at JCCS.
Looking ahead to next week, we have a few things on the calendar. On Tuesday, students will have a simple microscope labelling quiz. On Thursday, we look forward to our first memory work and vocabulary quizzes. On Friday, we already have our first mid-chapter math test, along with our first reading comprehension test on the short stories we’ve read.
Soccer practice continues next week on Monday and Thursday, and cross-country will begin as well.
It’s amazing how fast we go from nothing to everything in just a couple of weeks! Enjoy your weekend! TB/RT