Wednesday 21 June 2017

June 21st Journal, 2017

logo-school.jpg

Wednesday, June 21st, 2017

Mission:  Immanuel Christian School assists parents in raising children to follow Christ with an excellent elementary program and a focus on Christian character growth.
June   21st - 7:30 Graduation Aylmer CRC
          22nd - Last day of school (JK & Gr.1-7)
          23, 26 & 27 - Teacher work days
          24th - Retirement for Jerry Roukema 2-4pm at LDCSS
          28th - LDCSS Graduation
Aug    week of the 21st - ICS Re-Connection sent out
          25-27th - school camping at Golden Pond RV
Sept    5th - school resumes
75 Caverly Rd, Aylmer, N5H 2P6
Telephone: 519-773-8476
LDCSS:  www.ldcss.on.ca   519-455-4360
Christian Schools Foundation (endowment): www.christianschoolfoundation.ca

ICS Spirit Wear: check out the possibilities on:  www.immanuelchristianschool.wikispaces.com/ICS+Spirit+Wear.
From the Principal’s Desk:
“Come follow me.” Those words  of Jesus from Matthew 4 were our theme at school this year.
Come.” As a partner with home  and church,  we explore,  wonder and learn about God and his creation  -  nature, culture, numbers, language, music, sport, art, character and beauty. The pages of this yearbook show so many interesting things we have learned about this year! Be amazed as you look at the pictures!
Follow.” Our teaching materials, methods, habits, culture, and the personal examples of our teachers all call us to follow. Jesus’ first disciples learned to follow by living with him daily. School is a big part of our lives as we grow up.  Is God visible in you and in our school each and every day?
Me.”   As friends, supporters, grandparents, parents, and teachers, our hope and prayer is that each of you, our students, grows in Jesus,  the author and sustainer of all things. We are not perfect, but with God’s help and forgiveness, we seek to be more and more like Jesus at school, at home, in church, everywhere. We’re never too old to grow!
Whether you are a graduate moving on to high school, or a student returning to Immanuel next year, may you keep growing in God’s grace! Enjoy your summer!
In Christian education, Keith Cameron, Principal and Chief Operating Officer
Praying for our parents: Please join us as we pray for all of our school families over the summer holidays. We wish you a restful break from our daily routines and the chance to replenish our minds, bodies and souls.  
Thanks and Prayer for families considering ICS: Praise God!
  • We are pleased to welcome Lydia Loewen, of Aylmer, to ICS, with Riley joining our SK class in the Fall! Lydia is a single Mom, with a younger child still at home. She was encouraged to enrol after our presentation at Aylmer Full Gospel Church. Welcome!
  • We are also pleased to welcome Chad and Amanda Lapadat, with Maddi entering gr 3 and Anna entering gr 2! The Lapadats live in Aylmer and are transferring from McGregor PS. They are new to Christian schooling, and are congratulated on Chad’s, Maddi’s and Anna’s baptism last Sunday at Aylmer CRC! Welcome!
  • We have a number of other serious enquiries too - please keep those in prayer! We are still looking for more JK students, and we have room in other grades too, especially 5-8.

Staff Recognition: At Graduation , we recognize staff on departure, and after every five years of service. We are recognizing:
  • Teresa Janssen, retiring after 18 years’ service as bookkeeper, making sure our figures and numbers were in line!
  • Justina Bergen, moving on after 4 years’ service as custodial assistant, making sure our Green Wing was cleaned every night when no one was around to appreciate the labour of keeping our school beautiful!
  • Katrina Farrow-Jones, having completed 5 years’ teaching with us, as gr 7/8 teacher on short notice when Evert TenBruggencate was injured, as our artist-in-residence, and as grade 5/6 teacher.
  • Ann Walters, having completed 10 years’ keeping our children safe on the roads in all sorts of weather!
  • Rita Tesselaar, having completed 15 years’ keeping our children safe on the roads to both ICS and LDCSS!
  • Nancy Robinson, having completed 35 years’ service in so many areas including as teacher, interim principal, and top-notch librarian!

Welcome to: Mrs Sara Loewen as our new janitorial assistant!

REMINDERS:  
Tuition Reduction Incentive Plan (T.R.I.P): Cards we have in stock will be available throughout the summer from Annette (519) 860-6332, Janina (519) 709-6620, Clovermead or Roszell’s. Clovermead Adventure Farm passes are also available through Annette & Janina, or from Roszell’s. Save the tax and help the school, we get 100% profit from the sale of the passes. The next order form will go out with our back to school re-connection letter in August.   
Meat & Baked Goods Fundraiser: Thank you to to all who ordered from our June order. The amount raised was $491.23.
Thank you very much to Cally, Katherine and Irene for all of your hard work this year!

Thank You Daisies Free Stock Photo - Public Domain PicturesThank you! To all of the many volunteers who have shared their time and talents with us,whether it be reading to students, distributing our Journal, preparing breakfast snacks, supervising yard duty, helping in the library, decorating our front entrance, assisting on field trips, etc, etc. Volunteers are vital to the successful operation of our school and its programs. God has richly blessed Immanuel Christian School, and the dedication and enthusiasm our volunteers display on a continual basis, is a reflection of this. You're such an important part of our school community. We're so happy you shared your time and talents with us!

Summer School Improvements: Over the summer, Mrs Angie Bergen and Mrs Sara Loewen will empty and clean each class thoroughly. We also try and get some building improvements accomplished:
  • LED Light Upgrade. Using the hydro retrofit incentives, we hope to reduce our $1000/month hydro bill with LED upgrades over the next year. With a private offer of a no-interest loan to cover initial purchase costs until our Fall Drive, this summer, Mr Jim Vording will lead a crew doing replacement of exterior and gym lights, plus a few classes. Remainder of work in Fall 2017. If you are qualified to help in this area, please contact him!
  • Washroom cosmetic painting. All our washrooms, especially our primary ones, require a complete renewal. However, careful paint and some replacement of tiles can make them a lot more pleasant in the meantime!
  • Install art room sink and pump for janitorial sink. The lack of sink access is a serious impediment both for classes and for our janitor with a mopping machine.
  • Complete cosmetic painting of insulation on gym HVAC unit.
  • Depending on receipt of a Canada 150 grant, possible landscaping and installation of two primary climbers, an outdoor classroom and reseeding of the soccer goal areas.
Can you help on any of these over July or early August? Please contact our Maint Chair, Andy Kroondyk, or Keith Cameron.

Busing 2017-18: We need to know of any address changes that you may have or will make over the summer.. Also please let us know if you require busing for you high school students next year so we can arrange them on our routes. Please email jeff_vannoord@forestcitystaffing.com of any necessary changes that need to be made. Thanks.

Classes 2017-2018: We will be letting parents know about next year’s class assignments in August with the ICS Re-Connection. We still have some enrolments pending, and may still get some over the summer too. Based on student numbers so far, we’re looking at:
SK & JK - Mrs Penner
Gr 1/2 - Ms Pieters
Gr 2/3 - Miss Loewen
Gr 4/5 - Ms Buma
Gr 5/6 - Ms Farrow-Jones
Gr 7/8 - Mr Bierman
 Camera » drawings » SketchPort
Photos for sale: The promotions committee is selling the current 11x14 photos that are displayed in the school hallway by the gym. Cost is only $10 per photo (zero profit made). With the sales of the current photos we are able to print new pictures which help promote what our school has to offer to visitors that travel our halls. What a great way to highlight what we've been blessed with at ICS!
We hope to have the remaining photos for sale during the strawberry social after graduation. First come first served!

Fundraising.jpg'Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands-all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you.' -Luke 6:38 (GNT)
Your 2016/17 'FUN' Committee would like to thank YOU- our generous community of staff, parents, extended families, donors and supporters for helping us exceed our fundraising goal of $81,000! What an incredible year it has been...our students have been eyeballing our jar all year long and begging for a taste! Tomorrow, their wait will be over and they can celebrate with big bubble smiles! Stay tuned for photos and a final 2016/17 fundraising update from our bookkeeper!

Our second annual ICS Slowpitch baseball tournament will be held when school resumes in the fall. Once we have a date confirmed it will be announced on Facebook as well as the first Journal in September. Please keep this in event in mind and start to organize your team. The tournament will take place at the Malahide community complex, (the diamonds in Springfield). Registration cost is $300/team and the team must have three girls on the field, must be 15 years or older, guaranteed three games. To register a team contact Janina Dykxhoorn at 519-709-6620 or at janina.dykxhoorn@gmail.com.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped out with the last Friday Family Fun Night of the season!  It was a beautiful evening for families to eat dinner, socialize and play all while bringing in $798.43 in profits.  Thank you to Sara's Sausage Express for supplying all the meat and buns (look for her sausage cart at Tillsonburg Canadian Tire) and Belmont Town Catering for the fresh salads.  A big shout out to our chef's Helen Friesen, Janine Shelton, Frank Fehr and Keith Cameron, and our setup + cleanup crew: Amanda Cameron, Rose Fehr, Aiden Jones Dean Mantel, Jenn Smith, Margaret Voth, Gr 7+8's, Matthew Cameron and Holly Cameron.  Having all the field trip families join in at 6p made things even more special - thank you!  Happy 'summer family fun' everyone!


FROM THE CLASSROOMS…

LIBRARY NEWS: (n.robinson@immanuelchristianschool.net) THANK-YOU to everyone who stopped in to help with Inventory last week. It is always disappointing to see a number of books are not accounted for (see the attached list).. Over the summer, keep an eye open for ICS Library books and send in any that you find (no questions asked!!)
Students may sign out up to 10 books from our library for Summer Sign-out. A note of permission is needed if a child wants to participate by checking out books tomorrow.
SRC - Most public libraries run Summer Reading Clubs, with lots of fun activities, prizes and book selections. Connect with your local branch to help keep your reading skills sharp over the summer! The attached slip highlights programs at the Aylmer Library - free to families, whether or not you are registered for the SRC.
I’d love to hear about any great books you read this summer!

SK-4 Field Trip: A huge THANK YOU to all the parent volunteers and bus drives (Mr. and Mrs. Walters)! We enjoyed wonderful weather, observed God’s amazing creatures, and loved spending time together. Students from SK-Grade 4 came away having learned something new! It was a pleasure to spend the day together. We praise God for His safety on our trip and for the blessings He showered on us.


JR / SR KINDERGARTEN - Mrs. Penner (s.penner@immanuelchristianschool.net)
THANK YOU! Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with me this year. I enjoyed learning with them throughout the year and it is always so neat to watch them grow and develop more of an understanding about our amazing God and His great love. I wish you all a safe and fun summer! Thank you to all of our wonderful parent volunteers this year. We appreciate your helping hands!
SK/Gr. 8  Graduation is at 7:30 tonight, wear your Sunday best. (June 21 is the last day of school for all SK)
SK grads, please meet Mrs. Penner at the church in the side classroom for 7:15pm.
I can’t wait to celebrate this very exciting night with you.
Happy Birthday to Felix Ward (June 18) who turned 5 years old on Sunday.
Summer Birthdays:
Happy 5th Birthday Ashlyn V. (July 8) Happy 5th Birthday to Beckham M. (July 16)
Happy 6th Birthday to Jaidyn D. (July 21) Happy 6th Birthday to Preston B. (July 24)
Happy 5th Birthday to Emma Z. (July 27) Happy 6th Birthday to Andrew S. (August 18)
We wish you all many blessings and a wonderful year.
I am so glad we were able to celebrate you during the last week of school.


Free stock photos of children's books · PexelsGRADE 1 - Ms. Pieters (m.pieters@immanuelchristianschool.net)
Blessings: Each student brought joy and delight to our classroom as we studied, explored, learned God’s truths and enriched our lives together. God’s blessings.
Last Day of School:  On the last day of school (Thursday, June 22), grades 1-2 will be having a picnic lunch and playing at the town parks. Gr 1 & 2 will be at the splash pad.  Students will need to bring their swim clothes, a towel, and sunscreen! We need 4 parent volunteers to make this happen. If you would like to join us, please send your child’s teacher an email or a note.  


GRADES 2 and 3 – Miss Loewen (a.loewen@immanuelchristianschool.net)
Related imageSummer Blessings: It was a pleasure to get to know each child and family this school year. So many times, your innocent questions helped me to study a subject more or find a unique way to explain a concept so that each of you could understand. I so appreciate working together with the many willing parents and for the opportunity to guide your children in God’s truths. May you all continue to follow Jesus throughout the summer and beyond.
Last Day of School:  On the last day of school (Thursday, June 22), grades 1-2 will be having a picnic lunch and playing at the town parks. Gr 1 & 2 will be at the splash pad.  Students will need to bring their swim clothes, a towel, and sunscreen! From Grades 3 through Grade 5, we are looking forward  to going to the town parks for an outdoor lunch and games. Please wear runners and long socks/pants. We will require some parent helpers to join us on this outing. Parents, please contact your son’s/daughter’s teacher, if you are able to join us on this last outing right here in our own ICS  neighbourhood. We need 2 parents to come along with the grade 2 class. Thank you!


  
GRADES 3 and 4 - Ms. Buma (t.buma@immanuelchristianschool.net
Thursday, June 22 -  Grades 3 - 5  are looking forward  to going to the town parks for a great outdoor time that will include our own picnic-packed lunches, followed by games. Please wear runners and long socks/pants. We have two parent volunteers to help us out, so far. *Parents, please contact your son’s/daughter’s teacher, if you are able to join us tomorrow from 11:30 - 3:30  for this last outing right here in our own ICS  neighbourhood. Thank you!
*Enjoy your summer girls and boys, playing in God’s beautiful creation! May you have many opportunities to have fun exploring God’s world. Read some good books, play some great games, and enjoy your time with family and friends. It has been a pleasure teaching you all this year! Ms. Buma


GRADE 5 and 6 – Ms. Farrow Jones (k.farrowjones@immanuelchristianschool.net)
Ontario Science Centre Field trip was a success, thank you for all the help!
Last day of school:
Grade 5: bring a bag lunch, we will be heading to the town parks for games. Please wear runners and long socks/pants.
Grade 6:  Last day of school = party with grade 7ers...We will be going to the park next Thursday for some fun at frisbee golf, and a BBQ. Kids will be asked to bring a goodie and a toonie. We need 2 parent volunteers to help with hanging out with the kids for the afternoon (Thursday, June 22). Contact Paul Bierman if you are interested.


GRADE 7 and 8 – Mr. Bierman (p.bierman@immanuelchristianschool.net)
Grade 7:  Last day of school = party...We will be going to the park next Thursday for some fun at frisbee golf, and a BBQ. Kids will be asked to bring a goodie and a toonie.  In addition.  We need 2 parent volunteers to help with hanging out with the kids for the afternoon (Thursday, June 22). Contact Paul Bierman if you are interested.



Are you ready for a fun family challenge?



Summer Prayer

Creator of all, thank You for summer!
Thank You for the warmth of the sun and the increased daylight.
Thank You for the beauty I see all around me and for the opportunity to be outside and enjoy Your creation.
Thank You for the increased time I have to be with my friends and family,
and for the more casual pace of the summer season.
Draw me closer to You this summer.
Teach me how I can pray no matter where I am or what I am doing.
Warm my soul with the awareness of Your presence,
and light my path with Your Word and Counsel.
As I enjoy Your creation, create in me a pure heart and a hunger and a thirst for You.

Amen