Wednesday 27 May 2015

May 27th 2015 Journal

Wednesday, May 27th, 2015


Mission:  The mission of Immanuel Christian School is to prepare students to meet the challenge of the world and culture they live in as young and growing Christians.  Thus, students are taught the skill of discernment in the light of God’s Word, the practice of stewardship for creation, the required commitment to a life of Christian service, and the beauty of witness through modeling God’s love in a broken world.

Upcoming Events

May 31 - Christian Education Sunday @ Grace Community
June 3 - WDCS Track & Field- Strathroy (raindate June 4th)
                (no regularly scheduled classes, only one bus to LDCSS)
        10 - Chapel (5/6)
         11 - Gr 1-4 Field trip to Lion Safari (Mrs Walters’ pm route cancelled)
        12 - AR goals due, term 3 ends
                 Gr 7/ 8 to Wonderland (Mr Vannoord’s pm route cancelled)
         15 - PA Day -report card writing
         16 - Awards Assembly with music celebration - 2 pm
                 Grade 1/2 final trip to Chartwell 11:30 -1 pm
          17 -  AR sundaes
          20 - Clovermead Family night
         22 - Graduation at 7:30pm (whole-school event)
          23 - Last day of School, Summer Carnival       
75 Caverly Rd, Aylmer, N5H 2P6
Telephone: 519-773-8476
Facebook: facebook.com/ICSAylmer       
Twitter:  twitter.com/ICSAylmer

LDCSS:  www.ldcss.on.ca   519-455-4360
Foundation (endowment): www.ldcef.org  

From the Principal’s Desk:

At our last Board meeting we discussed our school's recent growth and how we sustain our school financially. We are blessed by God, and he does call us to work hard in ensuring that we help the next generation tell the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord. Christian education does not exist on tuition payments alone - and if it did, those payments would be much higher! We really require a Christian community to sustain a school. The bursary of up to $900 is only one part, with the overall subsidy from donations and fundraising coming closer to $3000 per family!

You will have received a drive letter by now. As a new parent to ICS in 2005, I was initially surprised by the Drive, and participated in the drive before I really understood the community aspect. We want to give you an opportunity to support ICS beyond your regular tuition, as God has blessed you, and no amount is too small. Building an attitude of giving together is really important.

We recognize that parents may have much more limited funds, though. As a board, we want to encourage you to speak with your extended family - siblings, and especially your parents (your children's grandparents), and ask them to consider blessing ICS with a special gift at our Spring Drive. We are a charitable organization, and all donations are fully tax receiptable. It can be a great blessing to have wider family partner with you in the Christian education of your children, as we help teach "so that your children and their children after them may fear the Lord" (Deut 6:2). Can you help in this?

in Christ, Keith Cameron

New families needed for the 2015/2016 budget: 5 of 8. We had 10 children attend our Kindergarten orientation on Monday, and not all are registered. Pray for parents as they decide.

Praying for our families: Please join our staff as we pray for Kelly & Theressa DeJong as well as Katherine DeKraker and Jeff DeKraker
Praying for our staff: Please pray for Mr. Cameron

REMINDERS:
T.R.I.P: Last order of the year will be send out on June 3rd, due June 11th and delivery on June 18th
G.I.F.T.S Forms: Deadline to hand in form is May 29th to qualify for universal bursary
Portuguese chocolate milkCheese orders: Due by today with delivery on June 3rd.

Meat & Baked Goods:Due by May 28th and pickup on June 11th between 2-4pm. 

Coolers with names on them can be dropped off ahead of time.

A big thank-you! - goes out to the Elgin County Dairy Producers for donating the 

delicious chocolate milk we all enjoyed for track and field day.

In need a fax machine? You can be the owner of a Brother Fax-2820 machine. This fax machine acts as a copier as well. In great condition (users manual included). Price is by donation. Please contact the office if interested.

Universal Bursary Deadline: The bursary registration deadline for all families for 2015-2016 is due by Friday, May 29. Bursary applications will not be accepted after that date. Full-time tuition is set at $12,900 for next year - if you apply for the bursary, the tuition will be reduced to $12,000! The “New to Christian Schooling” and “Pastoral” tuition discounts are not eligible for the bursary. These discounts are already subsidized with a view to growing new families!
In order to ensure that you will qualify for the bursary, there are 3 things that you must do:
1. Go to https://goo.gl/TaEque and register. Even if you are not applying for (or you don't qualify) the bursary, please register your children for the next school year.
2. Send in your post-dated cheques by Monday, June 15. You will receive an invoice in the next few weeks with details.
3. Send in your completed GIFTS form by Friday, May 29 (forms are available from the office).
* Failure to complete any of these steps may result in a disqualification for the bursary.

15TH ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT:
Dear Golf Tournament Team, Impressive, $39,000!  Congratulations on your successful event and the blessings from above. Thank you so much, on behalf of the ICS school board, for your efforts and hard work organizing all the little and big details of this annual tournament. The photos on Facebook looked great, and smiling people in them looked like they were really enjoying themselves. Thanks for finding the players and the donors and your time invested.  I know many of you sponsored it directly and I want to thank you for your generosity. These funds make a a huge difference in the school’s budget, but more importantly in lives of the children who attend ICS. The fun day makes a huge difference in building our school’s community of supporters. I wish I could have golfed and enjoyed the day, next year will be the year I can get back. Please enjoy your success and celebrate with the rest of the school community.
Peace in our Lord, Chris Hiemstra

SCHOOL’S OUT for the SUMMER!  Looking for an excellent way to reward your kids for a job well done?  Treat them to the CLOVERMEAD FAMILY NIGHT on Sat Jun 20 from 4-9pm.  Cost is $10/person (incl. tax, cash only) and gets you unlimited access to the whole adventure farm – even after it is closed to the public!  Snacks, drinks and dinner options will be available on site and the event is open to all ages – even grandparents! By invitation only.  All proceeds go to Immanuel Christian School Fundraising.  So pack up the family, invite a few friends and bring your camera – make some great end of school memories!  More info available at: https://www.facebook.com/events/923781104326954/

Meet Our New Board! At our May board meeting, board members voted for the executive positions and we assigned board members to committees. An intentional effort was made to allow everyone’s gifts to be employed, and to provide for succession planning. Our board is:
Chair: Cliff Janssens Vice-Chair, Membership: Janine Shelton
Treasurer: Jim Vording Secretary: Carrie Vis
Finance: Suzie Guenther Transport: Keith Sinke
Promotions: Helen Friesen
Fundraising: Chris Hiemstra, Keith Sinke, Tina Hiebert
We thank our outgoing board members Jane Weverink, Jacklyn Versnick, and Chris Bakker. We also thank Chris Hiemstra for his second term of service as board chair! It was his idea to ensure leadership continuity by transferring to Fundraising, and allowing Cliff to serve as chair, before the completion of his third year on board.  As a school, we have been very blessed by all our board members’ faithful service!

Hiring for a Custodian(s). We are now accepting applications, until June 3. Keeping our school clean involves about 30 hours a week in the afternoons, as well as more extensive cleaning once weekly, and over the summer. The position starts at $15/hr. In a position to influence our students, you must be able to meet the staff lifestyle policy. An ability to conduct minor repairs is an asset. Applicants must demonstrate: an ability to work independently; an ability to work in a small team; an ability to make purchases within a budget; an ability to perform minor, unskilled maintenance; physical ability to complete mopping, shovelling and lifting tasks; an eye for detail; and, a high standard of cleanliness. Interested applicants should submit a resume, 2 references and an example of similar work performed to a high standard, to Mr Cameron by Jun 3. A full job description may be obtained at the ICS office.                                                                                                                           
bicycle to e-bike.
Bike Fair in St. Thomas: On Saturday June 6th the Downtown Bike Festival will be held from 9am-12pm at the L&PS Corridor, which is located at Moore St and Talbot St. There will be a 2km and 5km fun run/walk, live music, dance classes, community booths, and an opportunity to check out some of the local businesses.There will also be a bike parade, bike skills training, helmet fitting, free bike check-ups, chalk drawings station, bike decorating and more. So come by bike or bring it with you. For a schedule of events or more information on the event check out www.bit.do/ga2015

Our current educational system is not the only one possible! Interested in thoughts on alternate models of schooling in Ontario? Google “Globe and Mail Michael VanPelt How to Break Ontario’s Monopoly on Education” or go to: http://goo.gl/8txSWa.

Bus Interruptions Due to Field Trips. Because of late-returning field trips, and no spare buses, we need to cancel two afternoon routes. On Thu Jun 11, Mrs Walters’ afternoon bus route will be cancelled. On Fri Jun 12, Mr Vannoord’s afternoon route will be cancelled. Parents, we acknowledge it may be an inconvenience, but we ask for your cooperation in arranging transportation for your child(ren) as required.

Busing 2015-2016. The Transportation Committee will be working on the bus schedules for the 2015/16 School Year over the summer. We  need to know any address changes that you may have. Also please let us know if you require busing for your high school students next year so we can arrange them on our routes. Please e-mail jeff_vannoord@forestcitystaffing.com of any necessary changes that need to be made. Thanks - Transportation Committee.
Schoolbus, Kuning, Penggerak
Spare Drivers: We are (still!) in  need of Spare Bus Drivers to be available as required to fill in on routes. A valid B License is required. We will assist anyone interested in obtaining their license. Anyone interested in this, please contact the office.

LDCSS is planning to host the 4th annual Summer Smash Volleyball Camp this year August 17-21. Registration forms can be found on the LDCSS.ca website and will cost $160 per person. Registration is limited to 30 individuals so register early. Please email Steven Wassing at swassing@ldcss.ca if you are considering the camp and have any questions.

Woodstock District Track & Field Wednesday June 3rd:
  • We have 50 students competing! Parental letters have been sent home with participating students with full details for the day’s events. Please check the event times carefully - we suggest being 1 hour in advance in case events run early! If your child is unable to participate, or if there are any other problems, please speak to Mr Cameron by Friday at noon.
  • Note that, as planned, due to the numbers of siblings participating, and the numbers of supervising staff, there is no school for SK or grade 1 on June 3.
  • Only Mrs Tesselaar’s bus to LDCSS will run that day.
  • We are in need of volunteers for the Ladies Auxiliary food stand! This is a great fundraiser for the Auxiliary (last year Auxiliary purchased half of the replacement seats needed for the gym, we’d hope for the other half this year!). Shifts will be about 1 hr in length starting at 9am, with lots of help needed between 11 and 1. There is flexibility to work around your child's events. Please contact Emily Schuurman or Amanda Cameron.

Library News:
  • Thank you to the Aylmer Police Association for their recent cash donation to our library. Books purchased with these funds will be marked with an Aylmer Police Association sticker. Watch for them.
  • Since we missed Library last week due to T&F, most library books are due back this week. Please hunt for them, and send them to school.
  • Coming up: In order to have time to inventory the collection, we close the library before the end of classes. All books will need to be returned by June 11, and no further books will be checked out. Students should explore other libraries to make sure they have something to read during silent reading times.
  • INVENTORY - If you can help, let me know (n.robinson@immanuelchristianschool.net)
Thursday, June 11 (9-4) Monday, June 15 (9-3) Wednesday, June 17 (9-4)
Thursday, June 18 (9-3)

Graduation 2015: We have some graduation traditions here at ICS. We do a whole-school Awards Assembly and Celebration, including class music presentations, on Tuesday June 16 at 2 pm. Our graduation is on Monday June 22, with a 5 pm dinner for grade 8 grads, parents and teachers, followed by the 7:30 pm ceremony at Aylmer CRC. SK students also “graduate” to gr 1, and the ceremony is a whole-school event with all students participating in the mass choir.  Grade 7 parents are asked to help Ladies Auxiliary with preparing dinner, serving dinner, or the strawberry social at the end of the evening (your turn to be served comes next year!). Gr 8 students are given the Monday afternoon off to get ready for graduation, and do not need to return to school for the last day on Tuesday Jun 23. We will run a “summer carnival” on the last afternoon, with grade 7 student leadership.

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FROM THE CLASSROOMS:

JR / SR KINDERGARTEN – Mrs. Groeneweg (i.groeneweg@immanuelchristianschool.net)

Some of the things we have done in Kindergarten...
Bible: Peter Escapes from Prison
         Philip and the Ethiopian
Printing Practice    
Beginning and Ending Sounds
Number Words
Addition and Subtraction Activities
Show and Tell: SK - Monday, June 1
                       JK - Tuesday, June 2

GRADES 1 and 2 - Ms. Pieters  (m.pieters@immanuelchristianschool.net)

Memory Work: for June 3 or 4
Be completely humble and gentle;
be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:2-3

Spelling: Dictation test for unit 30 will be Friday, May 29
Words for Gr. 1: book, good, look, wood, took, take, stood, stand
Words for Gr. 2: which, where, there, before, after, over, again, inside, outside, under
Scholastic Book Club: June Book Club flyers were sent home today. Orders for this month are due June 4. Thank you!
Accelerated Reader: A.R. reports were sent out today. The students are recognizing many new words. Please continue to have your child read aloud to you at home for 10 to 15 minutes each day. This will help strengthen their oral expression and fluency.

Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4: Students in Grades 1-4 will be going to the African Lion Safari on Thursday, June 11. A big thank-you to our bus driver, Mrs. Ann Walters for her willingness to drive us to the Safari. We will need some adult helpers to accompany us on this day. Grades 1/2 will require 3 adult helpers and Grades 3/4 will also require 3 adult helpers. Please let your child’s teacher know if you are able to help out by next week Monday, June 1. Due to limited seating on the Safari bus, and in the event that we have more helpers than are required, we will make use of the “volunteer draw” system. We are hoping for a sun shiny day!

GRADES 3 and 4 – Ms. Buma (t.buma@immanuelchristianschool.:

Congratulations: We would like to wish Victor Hiebert a very happy birthday. Victor will be turning 10 years old on Monday, June 1.  Happy Birthday, Victor! May God richly bless you in your new year of life.
Accelerated Reader - An increasing number of students have achieved their 3rd Term AR goal already. Goal due date is Fri. June 12. Remember to bring library books that are due, back to Library Class tomorrow, everyone! *Students are still able to sign out library books for two more weeks.
(All library books should be returned to the library by Thursday, June 11.)
Memory Work: Wed, June 3. Father I Adore You (In French), Pere, Je T’Adore  (All 3 verses)
  1. Pere, je t’adore. Je te donne ma vie. Je t’aime tant.
  2. Jesus, je t’adore. Je te donne ma vie. Je t’aime tant.
  3. Saint-Esprit, je t’adore. Je te donne ma vie, Je t’aime tant.
Spelling Dictation - Unit 29 - Fri. May 29 - Grade 3 - they’re, there, their, soup, night, knight, right, write, weight, wait, piece, peace, hour, our, wrote, deer, dear
Grade 4 -  disappear, disappoint, disagree, dishonest, unable, uncertain, unbeaten, uncomfortable, unkind, unknown, rewrite, review, rebuild, recall, misbehave, misuse, misunderstand, misspell, mismatch, disconnect.
Science Projects: Wow! What a wonderful learning effort and focus on an amazing variety of birds! Projects were returned today, along with a separate assessment page. Well done, Grades 3 and 4!  Tomorrow, (Thursday, May 28) we will have our in class Project Share time. *Please bring your Projects back to school tomorrow for Project Share, girls and boys! You may leave your yellow assessment page at home.
Science: Why are birds so amazing? From some of our Grades 3 and 4  projects…(Next week, more!)
  • With their colours of blue, green, yellow and red, male Painted Buntings seem to have flown straight out of a child’s colouring book. (Mariah R.)
  • While the Puffin is underwater, it swims by using its wings.
           It’s like the Puffin is flying under water! (Lily S.)
  • Barn Swallow foods are: mosquitoes, wasps, flies, bees and dragonflies.
           Its favourite food is a fly. (Aiden B.)
  • Some scientists believe that parrots are as smart as dolphins and chimpanzees.
           Some parrots can live for over 80 years! (Josh V.)
  • Girl Eagles are bigger than boy Eagles. After their eggs hatch, both parents guard them. (Xavier B.)
  • A single Blue Jay can store as many as 3 000 nuts a month! (Sharon K.)
Health: There will be a test on Monday, June 1 on “Looking at Your Body” pp. 4 - 28 in Healthy Living.
Tues. June 2 - French Quiz - Les Parties du Corps - (Parts of the Body) Read and review your notes in your duotangs, girls and boys.
Scholastic Book Club: June Book Orders were sent home today. Please return any completed Order Forms by Friday, June 5. Thank you.
Student of the Week: Our Student of the Week this week is Caleb Poortinga.
Next week: Naomi Poortinga.
Music: Students are working on playing pieces with boom whackers. We are currently working on a piece called “Surrounded”.

GRADE 5 and 6 – Ms. Jones (k.jones@immanuelchristianschool.net)

Memory Work: For Thursday 28th: John 12: 23-26
art-artist-paint-painting-painter-landscape-gja0206_low.jpgNext Memory Work: due on Wednesday or Thursday June 10/11, students are to find verses of their choosing to memorize. Must have minimum of 4 verses.
Art: Weather permitting, we will be going to the Park to paint “en plein air” (a French term that literally means, "in the open air"). Please join us if you are able. I do need at least one parent to help supervise (no art ability required). We will be leaving at 9:00 am and returning by 10:45.
Math: Unit test next Friday, June 5th
L.A.: Ch 4 & 15 Literature circle roles due Friday for discussion. Read Chapters 16 b& 17 only for next Thursday, June 4th.
Spelling: List 28 quiz on Friday, May 29. - binocular, bicentennial, bilingual, bipedal, triceps, triathlon, triad, triplicate, unicorn, unify, union, unique, semicircle, semicolon, semiannual, centipede, century, centennial.
Bible: Complete worksheet “It is Finished” worksheet
French: French Unit 6 test Thursday, May 14.  Use your review sheet to study.
Music: Students are working on a three-part recorder piece, called 1812 Overture. Please advise your child(ren) to practice O Canada at home.

GRADE 7 and 8 – Mr. TenBruggencate (e.tenbruggencate@immanuelchristianschool.net)

Please see our class wiki page (linked from the ICS website, https://immanuelchristianschool.wikispaces.com)

Memory Work: none
Science: Let’s Build! Please bring in materials to work on your Heat Project on Friday morning (pop cooler, pool heater or greenhouse). Projects are due in class on Mon Jun 8.
L.A. : Grammar test on Section 4 - Pronouns, next Thursday, May 28th.
Art: Have supplies/equipment for class to work on final art project.
Canada’s Wonderland Trip:  All fees must be submitted by this Friday so that parent chaperones can be selected.
Graduation 2015: We have some graduation traditions here at ICS. We do a whole-school Awards Assembly and Celebration, including class music presentations, on Tuesday June 16 at 2 pm. Our graduation is on Monday June 22, with a 5 pm dinner for grade 8 grads, parents and teachers, followed by the 7:30 pm ceremony at Aylmer CRC. SK students also “graduate” to gr 1, and the ceremony is a whole-school event with all students participating in the mass choir.  Grade 7 parents are asked to help Ladies Auxiliary with preparing dinner, serving dinner, or the strawberry social at the end of the evening (your turn to be served comes next year!). Gr 8 students are given the Monday afternoon off to get ready for graduation, and do not need to return to school for the last day on Tuesday Jun 23. We will run a “summer carnival” on the last afternoon, with grade 7 student leadership.