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 pungent aroma of soup greens is wafting through my office, along with hints of vanilla, as we bravely try to mask the scent!
The grade 8 students have worked hard and diligently assembled this project alongside a wonderful host of parent volunteers. Together with the soccer tournament concession stand, this fundraiser has helped secure the bulk of the funds for their upcoming Ottawa trip.
You may have noticed a few new faces in our classrooms! We warmly welcome Miss Carmen Blokker to grade 8, where she is student teaching alongside Mrs. Tesfaye, as well as Miss Kara Jonker to grade 1 with Mrs. Gansekoele. We pray they have a richly rewarding experience as they teach and learn with our staff and students here at JCCS.
November has arrived, and so has Book Month! Our theme this year is “Dive into a Good Book.” The school will be decorated and ready to welcome the students back on Monday. Each child will bring home a reading log, and we encourage them to record their daily reading—with a little help from parents or older siblings if needed—as a fun way to celebrate reading together at home.
Our first theme day is this Friday: “Read Under the Sea!” Students may wear their pajamas and bring a stuffie, a blanket, and a flashlight for a cozy day of reading.
Later in the month, on Thursday, November 26, we will host our Book Character Dress-Up Day. Have fun choosing a favourite book character and putting together a creative costume! We look forward to an enriching month filled with great books, fun activities, and an enduring love for reading.
A few important notes for the coming week: Monday is Picture Retake Day, and we also hope to have skating for grades 2 and 3 on Wednesday.
On Friday, we bid farewell to Mrs. Lis Vis as she begins her maternity leave. We thank her warmly for her dedicated service and pray for God’s richest blessings upon her and Cole as they prepare to raise another covenant child in the fear of His Name.
Finally, we wish Mr. Joosse and Mr. Reinink a very happy birthday on November 6 and 7, respectively. May the Lord continue to guide, provide for, and sustain them in the year ahead.
May God continue to bless and uphold our school community in the coming week
JVI
Mon – Volleyball
Tues –
Wed – Skating – grade 2@12:15, grade 3 @1:!5
Thurs – Early Years Morning, Volleyball,
Fri – Happy birthday, Mr. Joosse
Sat – Happy birthday, Mr. Reinink
Classroom News
Kindergarten
October flew by! It was so nice to be back at school for a full three-day week and enjoy some beautiful fall weather. This week, we spent time learning about the letters “m” and “a,” focusing on their sounds and how to print each letter. Everyone enjoyed creating a fun letter art craft to go along with our learning. We also wrapped up our Five Senses unit with a fun pumpkin exploration, using all five of our senses! Our next unit will focus on weather and the seasons. In Bible, we will be hearing stories about Joseph and his dreams. November is Reading Month! We encourage you to spend a little extra time reading with your child and tracking it on the calendar throughout the month. We’re kicking off the month with a fun pajama day on Friday. Come dressed for a cozy day at school and bring an ocean-themed stuffie. Have a great weekend! DV/MV
Grade 1
The teachers had two wonderful days of learning last week! The speeches were interesting, our workshops were engaging, and the food and care we received were fantastic. We are thankful for these opportunities to learn and grow together!
This week, Grade 1A welcomed a student teacher, Miss K. Jonker. We wish her much strength and joy as she learns the ropes in Mrs. Gansekoele’s classroom.
The children have been very engaged as we listen to the Bible stories about Joseph. Although we know his story well, we are reminded that Joseph faced many difficult challenges. Through it all, God remained near to him and continued to care for him. What a wonderful reminder of God’s faithfulness!
In Science, we stood in awe of the unique characteristics of all living things and were reminded that the Lord reigns over all His creation.
In reading class, the children are learning to track words with their fingers and tap out the sounds as they read. They are so enthusiastic when they discover that they can read these short stories on their own! It is a joy to see their confidence growing as they develop their reading skills. Please continue to practice the tricky words at home. These words will help them in their reading journey.
On Monday, the children will be introduced to their first set of spelling words. This is a new concept for them, so a little practice at home, just as you do with memory work, would be greatly appreciated.
Book Month also begins this coming week, and many fun activities are planned to celebrate the joy of reading. We look forward to an exciting month filled with stories, learning, and a growing love for books!
Grade 2
The highlight of the week for Grade 2 was our trip to the St. Catharines Museum and Lock 3 on the Welland Canal. It was lots of fun learning about the history of the canal and how the ships move through the locks! We want to say a big thank you to our parent volunteers and bus driver for making this outing such a success! By the time you read this, we will have had our Reformation Day assembly and heard about the work of William Tyndale. Reminders for next week: library is on Tuesday and our first skating session is on Wednesday at 12:15. Helmets are required and we would love to have lots of parent volunteers to help us tie skates, please
Grade 3
Hello again!
Bonjour!
It’s been a normal week! Well, sort of…
On Tuesday, we visited Westfield Heritage Village. What a glorious day it was!! We travelled back in time and we looked great! Thank you, parents, for your help in this! Ask us about the schoolhouse, the inn, the barn, and what we all did!
We now move on to a science unit dealing with Forces and Motion.
In mathematics, we are subtracting. Ask us about some strategies to make this easier.
Alice in Wonderland is entertaining us in our reading classes.
On Wednesday we are skating from 1.15-2.15 and parents are encouraged to come along!
That’s it for now.
Have a blessed weekend.
Psalm 23:1
Text: Genesis 15:5,6
Please check your child’s agenda for the spelling words.
Miss A/Miss B
Grade 4
Here we are, and here we go! We’re heading into the next stretch toward Christmas. We hope everyone had a lovely time off and enjoyed spending time with family and friends.
We had a wonderful time connecting with colleagues from other schools and attending workshops at the convention. It was a fantastic experience, with great speakers, engaging workshops, and seeing so many members of our community involved in different capacities.
Speaking of community involvement, next week we hope to begin something new that we may continue to build on in the future. Our goal is to develop relationships within our community by spending time volunteering at our local Gleaners. Students will have the opportunity to chop vegetables, bag produce, and help out wherever they are needed.
- Grade 4A (Miss Jes): Tuesday
- Grade 4B (Mr. Reinink): Wednesday
An email has been sent out asking for drivers and helpers for each of these days. Thank you in advance to everyone who is able to support us!
In Social Studies, we have begun a unit on Canada. Students will be learning the provinces and territories, along with their capitals, and there will be quizzes over the next little while. Our goal is for students to become confident in identifying and remembering each province and territory and its capital.
Lastly, this Friday, Mr. Reinink will celebrate turning 21 for the 21st time! Students in Grade 4B are welcome to bring some snacks to share with the class as we watch Shipwrecked, the movie based on the book Mr. Reinink has been reading aloud to the class.
Have blessed weekend everyone!
Miss Jes / F. Reinink
Grade 5
After a couple of short weeks we jumped right back into things here in grade 5! It was a busy week, full of tests, and starting new things. I’m sure that if you were to ask any of our grade 5 students they would excitedly tell you all about their Ancient Rome building projects that they have started. The classroom is chaotic and messy but the smiles on the students’ faces makes up for it.
The busyness doesn’t stop with this week however! We look forward to starting reading month next week and are excited to dive into some good books. On Friday we will have a cozy day in our pajamas, with our stuffies and blankets. Please bring a flashlight for reading that day!
5B will be starting recorder next week. 5A will start the week after. Parents, if you have not already done so, please send your child’s recorder along with them so that they can participate. 5B will also be having a French quiz on les prépositions et les numéros après 20 on Tuesday.
Devotions for next week are as follows:
5A: Abigail (M), Eddy (Tu), Bradley (W), Kensie (Th), Merri (F)
5B: Colton (M), JJ (Tu), Thatcher (W), Grayson (Th), Dan (F)
Enjoy the beautiful fall weather this weekend! CDV/CL
Grade 6A
After so many busy and abnormal weeks, we enjoyed settling into another full week in school in our normal routine. The month of November marks Book Month – please encourage your child to spend time reading, stretching their mind with books that challenge them. We are enjoying listening to Journey Through the Night in class, and some quiet reading time each week.
LA: Unit Test (Fri)
French: Avoir Quiz (Thurs)
Math: Decimal Test (Fri)
Music: Quiz (L4 Treble Clef Middle C – G); Recorder Quiz Pease Pudding Hot
Science: Final Paper Airplane Project (Tues)
Memory Work: Psalm 23:2; Gen 22:15-18 (Nov 13)
Devotions: Phoenix (M), Macy (T), Kenzie (W), Avalon (Th)
Have a blessed weekend,
MD & MVA
Grade 6B
Bible/Church History: We’ve begun a new unit where we will explore the call and life of Abram, a patriarch of the Israelite nation.
Math: Our second unit of mathematics begins to wrap up, and students can expect a test on Friday!
L.A.: Students have been having good conversations about what it means to care for and show love to others. We will wrap up our unit shortly, and will continue on the same themes as we begin our first novel study.
Science/Social Studies: With our Paper Airplane Challenge behind us and awards handed out, students will be tested on their knowledge of the principles of flight on Tuesday.
French: New vocabulary and themes have been introduced, and we will continue to explore Ma Famille!
Art: Students have shown an understanding of line, one of the principles of art, and we will soon turn our attention to colour!
Phys. Ed.: The three whistles have blown on our soccer unit, and we will head back indoors to spend some time playing some cooperative games before beginning a unit on volleyball.
Devotions: Edwin, Veda, Noa, Jackson
Have a great weekend!
BK
Grade 7A
Hello, Grade 7 families! This week, students in 7A will be writing a Church History test on Tuesday, covering the first six lessons on the life of Martin Luther and how, through His providence, God used Luther’s life and work to help spark the Reformation.
In Geography, we will also be starting an exciting new project where students will create their own islands and use the different climate factors we have been learning about to determine the climates of their islands. I’m looking forward to seeing the creativity and geographical knowledge they bring to this project. Have a wonderful week! – MVI
Grade 7B
The Reformation Day Assembly has come and gone! Many thanks to the grade 7B students who were so eager to participate in our narrative presentation. Perhaps this gave them a little taste of what’s to come with the upcoming school play. The sign-up sheet has been posted, and parents can expect an email with more information.
We are looking forward to the Reading Month activities, including “Drop Everything and Read.” (D.E.A.R.) A trip to the library to pick up a few books might be a good idea to ensure the students have enough reading material for the D.E.A.R. activities and 30-minute reading sessions.
7B will be writing the usual vocab test on Tuesday, as well as a Church History test on Wednesday. – RK / MJ
Grade 8
It was great to see so many parents and relatives come out to support our Grade 8 class at the Soup Veggie fundraiser! It’s always amazing to see the communion of saints at work and the connection between home and school. Thank you to all those who helped out and made our fundraiser a great success, especially those who spearheaded the organization. In case you were tired of fundraising, the next fundraiser should be coming home today!
Next week should be a full week of regular programming. Some things to make note of: on Tuesday, we have a reading comprehension quiz on the first five chapters of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. We have also begun our Science Fair projects. Groups or individuals should have their research question worked out by next Friday. Other than that, we should be good to go!
Enjoy your weekend!
TB/RT