Wednesday, December 19, 2012
School’s email address: immanuel@amtelecom.net
Principal’s email address: icsprincipal@amtelecom.net
ICS Website:
www.immanuelchristianschool.net 519-773-8476
Check us out on Facebook and Twitter
LDCSS Website: www.ldcss.on.ca 519-455-4360
Christian
Education Foundation (endowment fund): www.ldcef.org
Upcoming Events
Dec 19
Christmas Program 7:00 p.m.
20 Carolling
in the p.m. LDCSS Concert
21
Last Day of classes; Skating 1:45 – 2:45
Jan. 7
classes resume
9 8:55 Chapel; Skating 2-3 p.m.
18 Electives; New family info night
21 P.A. Day – curriculum review
23 Parent Education Night
25 Dinner and Auction – Looking for donations!
From the
Principal's Desk::
A
recent release from the OACS Axoim New (http://www.oacs.org/Axiom/News)
declares that ‘We need to positively re-articulate the vision of Christian
education for new generations.’ Professor James Smith (a favourite author
of mine) is quoted as stating that:
I think the other crossroad we’re at is
realizing education isn’t just about information; it’s about formation.
It’s not just about the dissemination of ideas and knowledge; it’s
actually about making persons and building character. And once you
realize that, what’s at stake in education is ramped up,
because now you realize that even education that pretends to be neutral or
secular is always going to be formative and is fostering
some vision of character. The
question is which.
This
same theme featured at our most recent board meeting. We had an excellent
discussion about what we're about in Christian education. The Board
vision for the upcoming years is re-confirmed as:
Immanuel
Christian School Board proclaims the necessity of a Christian, innovative
and exceptional educational program for our children. We endeavour to effectively
utilize all of our resources to provide a model, which establishes a balance
between a committed investment and an affordable
tuition for as many families/children as possible.
It
is exciting for our board members, teachers and parents to be wrestling with
who we are, and re-telling that story, for ourselves and for Christian parents
whose children are not in Christian education. Our focus as staff is on
character formation, a formation that may occur slowly over 10 years, but
one which will be strengthened and directed by our curriculum (what
we do) and by our school routines (how we do it). Over this Christmas
holiday, may you be caused to reflect God's promise to "give us a hope and
a future" (Jeremiah 29:11), and may we praise our Lord for his gift of his
son Jesus whom we lift up at this school!
in Christ,
in Christ,
Keith
Cameron, Principal
A Note About the Christmas Program:
A Note About the Christmas Program:
·
please
have your children at ICS for 6:30 pm (note that children are your
responsibility before that time)
·
following
the program, the Ladies Auxiliary will serve refreshments. Children will
return to their classes to change, and will be served juice and cookies in the
hall before returning to the gym. Children are your responsibility after
that time, and are asked not to return to the classroom halls and to avoid
playing on the stage. Please take care in leaving as the parking lot is
quite dark this time of year.
·
Living
Books display set out by kitchen: All
adult fiction and non fiction. A table
is set up for $10 books and a table for $5 or less books. Parents and other adults – purchase reading
materials for the Christmas holidays!
All proceeds to the ICS Library.
A Note on School Security: We were all shocked
and saddened by the tragic events on Friday in Newtown , Connecticut Newtown Newtown Newtown Aylmer
Praying for our Families: Last week Thursday we prayed for Andy &
Esther Kroondyk and Andrew & Keli-Lyn Lockyer.
Praying for our Staff: This week we will pray for Mrs. VanderHoek and
continued healing for Mr. TenBruggencate.
New Bus Driver: Beginning this Friday, Dec. 21st, Mr.
Doug Walters will be taking over Mrs. de Dreu's bus route. The route will
remain the same for now. Mr. Walters’s home phone number is 226-785-2020
(same as Mrs. Walters). His cell phone #
will be made available shortly. Please
use their home phone as much as possible, since their cell phones don’t always
get reception where they live.
We
want to welcome Mr. Walters even though he is no stranger to our
community. He has been a previous bus driver
over 10 years ago. At that time he drove
for Immanuel for 18 years. Welcome back
Doug!
At
this time we would also like to thank Mrs. de Dreu for her 5 ½ years of bus
driving service to the school!
ICS
Speakfest Coming in January. Our annual Speakfest will be coming quickly once we
return in January. Please discuss ideas with your son / daughter.
Grades 1-3 re-tell a story, grade 4 recites a poem, grades 5-7 give a
short speech, while grade 8 may choose one of the three options at a more
advanced level. Our Speakfest will be on Wednesday January 30, in advance
of the Legion public speaking contest in early February.
Reminders: Samko Toy Sale
Meat &
Baked Goods order
pick up is tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 20 from 2:30-4.
Looking for a
volunteer: If anyone is interested in joining
the meat and baked goods team please call Irene Versteegen-Buis 765-4766. The time involved is 1 part day and 1 full
day 4X a year. It’s great for volunteer
hours and its kinda fun.
January Cheese Order: If you have
not yet sent in your order, you
can call or e-mail Keli-Lyn by Jan. 2nd. (519-765-1026, keli.lockyer@hotmail.com). Delivery is January 9th.
School
Skate: This
Friday, December 21 from 1:45 – 2:45.
JK’s are invited to with their parents.
Students are welcome to dress up in red and green for the day. Please note:
JK to gr. 2 skaters must wear helmets, and all students are encouraged
to wear mitts to protect their fingers.
Parents are invited to come and help out.
Our
next school skate will be on Wednesday, January 9th
from 2-3 p.m. JK’s are invited to come with their parents. JK’s to gr. 2 skaters must wear helmets, and
all students are encouraged to wear mitts to protect their fingers. Parents are invited to come and help out.
New Parent
Information Evening: Our Open House is on Friday
January 18th, 2013! Please
spread the word and mark it on your calendars.
This information evening is for all new JK/SK students and also for those who are
interested in ICS for all grades for the new school year starting September
2013. We will start at 5:30 with
refreshments. Dinner will be served at 6:00. You and your child can meet our
Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Groeneweg.
Tours start at 6:45 and babysitting is available while you tour and listen to
our information session. Please contact
Sheri Weesjes
226-234-7564 for more details.
Parent Education Night - as parents, keep on top
of what your children are doing. Mark your calendars for the evening of Wed Jan
23rd from 7:30 to 9 p.m. This year's focus is on some of the
technology being used for literacy and communication. Choose a workshop
on Accelerating Parents (use of the Accelerated Reader program) or An Evening
at the Docs (use of Google Docs).
Chess Club: Sign up forms are posted in the hall for all
students in grades 3-8 who are interested in joining the chess club starting on
Monday, January 7 during the lunch hours.
All interested students will take their lunch to the board room and play
chess while they eat their lunch. Our
Grade by Grade Chess Tournament in London
Upcoming in January: The Auxiliary is looking for willing volunteers to
do “a good old fashioned kitchen cleaning” on
Saturday, Jan. 12 from 9 till noon. We need lots of women as well as men
(to help move the stoves and fridges).
Hopefully with many workers we can get the job done quickly. A great opportunity to get in some required
volunteers hours!
Dinner
Extravaganza and Trivia Bonanza – Friday, Jan. 25th at ICS: Roast Beef & Chicken
Dinner with all the fixins (catered by Belmont Caterers) Guest MC and trivia night, followed by a live
auction (hosted by Jesse Vannoord) – an elegant evening of great food and
entertainment! Tickets are $40 per
person or $300 per table of 8. Are you
(or your table) smarter than a fifth grader?
Looking for a great Christmas gift idea? Or for a unique company holiday dinner
idea? Reserve your tickets by calling or
emailing the school office.
Already have a donation for the auction? Drop it off at the school – labelled with
your name, phone # and value of the item(s).
(No used items please) THANK YOU!
– ICS Fundraising Committee
Boys basketball coach will be Ms. Jones,
with Mr Cameron as assistant. Practices
are Monday at lunch and Wednesday after school from 3:30 – 5.
Senior
Girls' Basketball: practices Wednesday and Fridays at lunch.
LDCSS Annual Curing Bonspiel, Feb. 9. It’s now time to begin planning! Start selecting sponsors and members for your
team. The cost is $500 per team. Prior experience is not necessary. It will be a day of fellowship and
learning. For further information,
please contact Albert Weesjes at 519-773-3238, or e-mail at agweesjes@gmail.com. Further details and sponsor sheets are
available on the LDCSS website at www.ldcss.on.ca
FROM THE CLASSROOMS:
JUNIOR / SENIOR
KINDERGARTEN – Mrs. Groeneweg
Wishing
you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.
GRADES 1 and
2 - Ms. Pieters
May the glory of Christmas
bring joy to your heart.
A blessed Christmas to you
all. Ms. Pieters
Spelling: Spelling Dictation words
for Friday, December 21
Grade
1: review words from lists 8 to 14
Grade
2: review words from lists 8 to 14
The angel talked to Mary
and the angel talked to Joseph. Mary had
a baby named Jesus. Joseph was a
carpenter.
Jesus
is the King. Jesus has no sin. Jesus died on the cross for our sin.
Markus
Abell, gr. 1
Mary
and Joseph had a baby boy named Jesus.
And Mary and Joseph took care of the baby boy Jesus. Jesus was the Saviour.
Xavier
Bergen, gr. 1
Zechariah
was in the temple. An Angel came to
Zechariah to tell him he was going to get a son named John. Mary had a little baby named Jesus. I like that Jesus has no sin.
Marcel
Guenther, gr. 1
In
the field there where shepherds taking care of sheep. Gabriel the angel said, “There’s a baby born
in Bethlehem Bethlehem
On
the 8th day Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus to the temple. Anna and Simeon were in the temple. They were very old. Simeon got to hold baby Jesus and then Simeon
said, “I am ready to die.”
Sarah
Janssens, gr. 1
Mary
and Joseph had a baby. He name was
Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and
the life. Naomi Poortinga, gr.
1
The
shepherds were in the fields until this bright light came and scared them. An angel started talking, “Do not be
afraid! I bring you good news. A baby was born in Bethlehem
Gracie
Bergen, gr. 2
Mary
and Joseph went to Bethlehem
The
angel said to Joseph that Mary was going to have a baby and the baby was going
to be the Son of God. Mary and Joseph
had the Son of God. When baby Jesus was
born he was born in a manger. When baby
Jesus was a little bit older he died on the cross for our sins. Selena
Kroondyk, gr. 2
Jesus is the Son of God
Jesus Mary
and Joseph had a baby names Jesus.
Even we sin sometimes
Even he died on the cross for
our sins Jesus was the
Son of God.
Saviour will forgive our
sins So He came to earth Jesus
was a very special boy.
Us – are His sheep Unexpected
God’s Son was born in a stable Jesus
was a very smart boy.
Soon He will be coming again Saviour
Jesus
was the greatest boy on earth.
Will Mantel, gr. 2 Allie Weesjes, gr. 2 Jesus
died for our sins.
He
is our Saviour.
Mariah Rempel, gr. 2
Mary was happy when she knew
she was going to have a baby. There
were shepherds in the field keeping watch over
All the shepherds ran to Bethlehem
Rejoice in the Lord and all
rejoice to the Lord. them. They were
terrified. The angel said to them,
Yes the Saviour is born. “Do not be afraid for I bring
you tidings of great joy, that
Claire
Vording, gr. 2 a Saviour is born tonight. And
he will rule over the
world.” They whispered to each other,
“What was this
Baby Jesus is the Saviour miraculous thing that happened in Bethlehem
Everyone worshipped him. they walked to Bethlehem and they found Jesus lying
The Saviour is born. in a manger. And they bowed down to Jesus
He is the best King they
ever had. worshipped him. Caleb
Poortinga, gr. 2
Let us worship Him.
Each heart is sinful.
Heavenly host sing
hallelujah. The
wisemen came to see Jesus in the manger by
Eagerly the shepherds came
to the stable to see baby Jesus. following the
star from God into the desert to find baby
Mary and Joseph had the
baby. Jesus. They had
three gifts to give to Jesus. Mary and
Joseph were very happy for what the wisemen gave to
Joshua Vannoord,
gr. 2 their special Son.
The names of the gifts were gold,
frankincense and myrrh.
Lily
Sinke, gr. 2
GRADES 3 and
4 – Ms. Buma
Thurs. Dec. 20 – Please remember to bring
due books back for tomorrow’s Library class, and sign out some good stories for
your Christmas holiday reading, girls and boys!
Fri. Dec. 21 – Spelling Dictation:
(Review List) Grade 3 words
are: children, teacher, whole, together,
think, sunshine, today, become, myself, everybody, someone, ourselves, awful,
small, drawing, song, enough
Grade 4 words are: cousin, purchase, alone, listen, heaven,
they’re, shouldn’t, you’re, aren’t, couldn’t, you’ll, haven’t, they’ve, we’re,
who’s, chalkboard, nobody, downstairs, breakfast, keyboard
Student of the Week: This week’s Student of the Week is Seth
Klassen. From: Jan. 7 – 11, Daniel
Abell.
Swim to Survive Program: Students in Grade 3 will be participating in the
Lifesaving Society’s Canadian Swim to Survive Program in January and February
of 2013, while students in Grades 4 – 8 attend their Electives sessions.
Swim
to Survive is about teaching basic survival skills in the water. The program is
not meant to replace traditional swimming lessons, but rather to teach the
basic fundamental skills necessary to survive an unexpected fall into water –
an important first step to being safe around water. School boards and schools who do not have
their own pools, partner with municipal recreation departments or Y’s to
provide Swim to Survive, training during school hours.
*Lesson dates are each Friday afternoon from
January 18 to February 15.
*We would like to thank Mrs. Ann Walters for
taking us to the St. Thomas YMCA on January 18, 2013. We will be leaving ICS at 1:00 PM. Our lessons are from 1:40 PM – 2:40 PM. We will be returning to school at
approximately 3:15 PM.
We
are looking for a few more bus drivers and an adult volunteer to accompany
us on one or more of our five Swim to Survive learning excursions. Please
notify the school office if you are able to assist us in this way. Further details will be provided in upcoming
ICS Journals in early January. Thank you.
Christmas Thoughts:
Happy
Birthday, Jesus!
Christmas
is a time to celebrate Jesus, when he was born.
That is what our family likes to do!
We also give presents. We drink
hot chocolate and we eat chocolate cake.
We have our Christmas tree up, and there is a white star on the
top. At Christmas, we like eating
chicken meals.
There
are many ways to enjoy Christmas. Santa
is one of those ways too, but he is not real.
Christmas
is about Jesus. Happy Birthday,
Jesus! By:
Seth Klassen, Gr. 4
What I Like
About Christmas
Every
year at Christmas we give presents to each other as way of remembering the
greatest gift of all, Jesus, God’s son.
My
favourite part of Christmas is when we decorate the tree. We put a star on the top to remind us of the
star that shone the night Jesus was born.
My
favourite Christmas carol is “Angels We Have heard on High” because it tells of
the night the angels sang to the shepherds.
Merry Christmas, everyone! By: Holly Cameron, Gr. 4
When Jesus
was Born
When
Gabriel, the angel, told Mary that she was to have a baby, Mary did not know
how she would tell Joseph so she decided not to tell him. She walked from Nazareth Elizabeth that she was to have a baby, for Elizabeth
Back
at the workshop, Joseph thought that Mary was with someone else, but then he
knew that Mary was to have a baby. It
was upsetting. He didn’t know how to
leave Mary, so he decided to leave her silently and not tell anyone, but in the
night an angel appeared to him in a dream.
The
angel said to Joseph, “Do not be afraid to marry Mary, for she is to have a
baby and you are to name him Jesus. He
will be the Saviour, the one who is able to save anyone from their sins.
Awhile
later, Mary and Joseph got married. Then
the baby was to come soon, right around the time when Joseph had to go to Bethlehem Bethlehem
There
was a barn out back and they found a feeding trough for animals so Mary had
baby Jesus and they placed him gently in the trough.
Then,
shepherds came, and later, wisemen following a certain star across the sands.
And
these are some of the details that show when Jesus was born.
Merry
Christmas!
By: Kaylynn Mantel. Gr. 4
What is
Christmas really about?
Christmas
is NOT about Santa. Where did he land
anyway? Must have crashed his sled, poor
guy!
Christmas
is about the baby who came to save us.
Can you guess what his name was? Yes!
His name is Jesus. He came out of
heaven. He was born to the virgin,
Mary. He was placed in a manger. A normal king would be placed in a fancy
crib.
Anyway…Herod
heard this, and he was furious. He
wanted to kill Jesus. What was his
problem? How can a little baby be such a
threat?
What
is God’s plan? God’s plan is to have
this little baby to one day be the Saviour of the world.
Merry
Christmas!
By:
Micah Schuurman, Gr. 4
What We Do
For Christmas
This
is what we do for Christmas. We get out
the Christmas tree and then we decorate it.
My Mom goes Christmas shopping.
I
have some favourite Christmas carols that I like to sing. They are:
Go, Tell it on the Mountain, Feliz Navidad and The Little Drummer
Boy. I like The Little Drummer Boy,
because of the pa-rum pump um pum.
I
think the best part of Christmas is baby Jesus, who is my Saviour. By: Daniel Abell, Gr. 3
Our Family
Christmas
On
Christmas, when we get up, the first thing that we do is run to the table. There are boxes of treats and we each have
our own box.
At
night on Christmas Eve, we have a chocolate fountain. We dip all kinds of berries into the
chocolate. It is really good!
On
Christmas Day our cousins come to our place.
They live in Windsor
How My Family
Celebrates Christmas
At Christmas time, we hang up the beautiful lights
on our house. Then we put up our
Christmas tree and decorate it with pretty ornaments. Days pass and the Christmas tree starts
filling up with presents. But that’s not
really what Christmas is all about.
I
mean, it’s fun and all, but what Christmas is truly about is Jesus Christ, our
Saviour, who came to earth to help us move closer to God. He also came here to die on the cross for our
sins. And for that, we should praise
him.
Christmas
is my favourite holiday because in the morning when I look out of our window at
the snow, I realize it is Christmas morning!
I
jump out of bed and wake up the others except for my Mom and Dad who seem to
take centuries to get out of bed!
And
finally, everyone gathers around in the living room and someone in our family
hands out their gifts, but you know who gives the greatest and most valuable
gifts of all? God does!
He
gives us gifts like grace, courage, wisdom and love.
Merry
Christmas! May God bless you all!
By: Megan Friesen, Gr. 3
GRADE 5 and 6 – Mrs Drop
Christmas Program: Grade 5:
Please bring sandals. Grade 6: Please wear your Sunday
clothes to the performance.
Spelling: Dictation will be on
Fri., Dec. 21. Please have your spelling exercises completed for Fri. as
well.
Science: We will begin a new unit
on electricity after Christmas, exploring God's design in this area of
creation!
Have
a blessed Christmas celebrating Jesus' birth with your family and friends!
Christmas Writing from
grade 5/6
Christmas
Every
year the 12th month
December
is Advent,
Lots
of things happen
Like
parties and events.
Find
the Christmas lights,
Hang
up decorations,
Plan
family gatherings,
Make
preparations.
Shopping
and looking
for
the perfect gifts
Or
working long hour
Christmas
shifts.
Having
weeks off because
Of
Christmas holidays
Or
going to school to
watch
a Christmas play.
But
Christmas is about the
baby
born on Christmas night,
The
only son of God,
Is
the best delight
Merry Christmas!
Luke Schuurman, Grade 6
C - is for the children.
Jesus said, “Let the children come to me.”
H- is for Heaven. Jesus came
from Heaven.
R – is for royalty. Jesus
was descended from a royal family.
I – is for Immanuel. Jesus is Immanuel.
S – is for shepherds. The
shepherds were the first people to see
Jesus.
T – is for thanks. Thanks to
Jesus for dying on the cross for our
sins.
M – is for Mary. Mary, the
mother of Jesus.
A – is for awesome. Jesus is
awesome.
S – is for sin. We sin.
Matthew Ypma, Grade 5
A Christmas Story
A
long time ago in Bethlehem
Mary,
His mother, and Joseph, his father,
Were
expecting Him on that morn.
But
they couldn't find a place to stay.
So
they laid Him in a manger of hay.
People
came with gifts to bring,
They
all heard the angels sing.
Wisemen
gave gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Shepherds
came with their sheep and gave their fur.
Villages
came and gave them love.
Even
the animals, cows, donkeys and a dove.
Now
you know the story of Christmas.
It's
all about the birth of Jesus.
God's
love is the reason for the season.
Victoria Krahn, Grade 5
Mary,
the virgin, who gave birth to Jesus.
Everyone
shall celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Representing
all who love him.
Run
from Satan and go to Jesus.
Yell
for joy and God will answer.
Christ,
our Saviour King
Heaven,
if you love God and believe in Him you will go there.
Righteousness
is something Jesus wants you to have.
In
love, is what you should be with Jesus because He loves you.
Saves
us when He died on the cross.
Trinity,
the God the Father, Jesus, His Son
Majestic
is what Jesus and God are to me
Armour
is what God uses to protect us everyday.
Snow
– It comes at the time when we remember what He did for us.
Dylan Vandersleen, Grade 6
GRADE
7 and 8 – Mr. TenBruggencate / Ms. Jones
Over
the holidays think of ideas for: Science
Fair
Grade 7 – speeches and Grade 8 your choice of
speech, story of poetry.
Have
a blessed Christmas from the Grade 7/8 class and Ms. Jones.
Art: Printmaking -
We used stone that has been given to us and carving Christmas designs to apply
printmaking techniques to make cards.
