Our 2015-2016 school year at WCS is now in full swing. I've realized again what a great place WCS is, and how blessed I am to teach here. Some September highlights for me are: Seeing students giving it their all in classroom activities/assignments and soccer tryouts/practices, signing up to be school leaders, welcoming new students into our community, and fundraising (i.e. Terry Fox pledges for cancer research). I realize how fortunate I am to be teaching at a school that is united in Christian values, and that I'm allowed to encourage the Christian faith and talk about our wonderful God on a daily basis - there are many teachers who aren't allowed or supposed to do that. 
    I enjoy and appreciate the stories students tell me about home life, the prayer requests they make for people in our community, the creativity they are able to generate in their writing and art work, or the excitement they possess when they describe a novel they've been reading. As we move forward into October and the rest of the year, I pray that as a community we'll try to focus on our Christian mission: being servants: putting others first (as Jesus always did); and I pray that we'll all continue to see more great things happening here at WCS.

                            Mr. A. Hiemstra

We believe that every child can contribute to the community and make our WCS community a better place.  We teach leadership at Woodstock Christian School through the development and execution of our leadership teams. These teams participate in both classroom and school wide projects to serve the school body and community in a variety of ways. The teams are a unique opportunity to meet the primary objective of equipping the next generation of great Christian servers. Students discover God’s ultimate truth, their unique gifts, and their purpose in life. At our school we have over twenty leadership teams ranging from technology to morning announcement team.  These leadership teams also act as enrichment vehicles for every student in our school, giving them the opportunity to lead and excel beyond their academic or classroom scope. 

For example:

Photography Team:

Responsibilities: this team will assist in taking pictures throughout the school on daily/weekly basis. They will learn how to use the school digital cameras and take pictures within classroom, outside classroom environment and during special school events. They will have to be creative, take quality pictures, and must be detailed-oriented as some pictures will be used for the local newspapers, and other school publications such as the yearbook.

Time Commitment: The team will meet on an as needed basis and students may have to take 10-15 minutes of class time periodically to perform the picture taking duties.

Abilities Needed: willing to learn, creative, detail-oriented, dependable

Staff Support: D.Streutker

Grades: 5-8

COMMUNITY

    One of the Woodstock Christian School taglines is community. God has placed us here in this time and place to be community together. Showing care and concern for one another, laughing and celebrating together, helping out where needed and just spending time together builds community. Jean Vanier founder of the international movement of L’Arche communities and  acclaimed as “a Canadian who inspires the world” (Maclean's Magazine) and a “nation builder” (The Globe and Mail) says “There are three activities that are absolutely vital in the creation of a community. The first is eating together.... The second is praying together….. And the third is celebrating together.” Last Friday night, we held our annual Welcome Back dessert social and we did all three. What an awesome evening of community building!!
    To be community, I would like to encourage all families to get involved in the school life at WCS. One of the ways to do this is through volunteering. Today your child(ren) will be bringing home the G.I.F.T.S. survey. Prayerfully consider areas in which you are skilled and passionate, check off opportunities on the survey and return the form to school. We will build a database of volunteers from this list and call you when needed. However you don’t need to wait for that!! During a meeting that the WCS Fundraising Team held recently, they committed to further letting the school families know of opportunities to volunteer as they arise. Each week, we will include the following announcement on ParentLink that you are invited to respond to:
    "Whether you are new to WCS or a long time family, you are always welcome to get involved.  Volunteering is a great way to meet new parents, and contribute to your child's educational experience.  It is a valuable way to build a spirit of community and at WCS it is our goal to provide volunteer opportunities that match your gifts and talents.  There are many ways to help out and we encourage you to look for an area you can serve.   We invite everyone to participate on some level!  For more info and details on where YOU can get involved, please email adeboer@xplornet.ca"

                            Serving joyfully together in Christ’s service,
                            Bernice Huinink-Buiter (Principal)

Faith.  Learning.  Community.

    At Woodstock Christian School, we strive to have a warm, welcoming, Spirit-filled community that reaches beyond our students.
    Within our WCS community, we have many groups that make up their own smaller communities: families, students, parents, membership, committees, teachers, bus drivers -the list goes on. Each of these communities share common attitudes, interests and goals. We work together for the best interest of the school's students, but also for the long term sustainability of Christian Education.
It is our prayer that you take an active part in our WCS community's events, or drop by the school throughout the school year and enjoy the benefits of fellowshipping together.
    The first event planned for the year is our Back to School Dessert Social. Join us  Friday evening (with a -nut free- dessert to share) for a look into your child(ren)'s classroom and around the school. We will also take time to say a prayer for the school year together.
    We look forward to seeing you!
                                Dawn Streutker
                                Advancement & Communications

Telling God’s Story!  “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever. Le the redeemed of the Lord tell their story...” Psalm 107: 1,2. Today, the doors of our school opened for another exciting school year and students from Grades JK-8 were welcomed back for another year of learning. For 56 years, we have lived the story of God’s faithfulness, being blessed along the way to serve the Woodstock community with a Christ-centered education, and as we look forward to another school year, 2015-2016, we trust Him to guide us. Please pray that the Woodstock Christian School community - students, teachers, parents, friends, supporters - will grow in Faith, Learning, Community, as we enter another year of telling and living the story God has written for us.
                            Mrs. B. Huinink-Buiter, Principal

Telling God’s Story!  “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever. Le the redeemed of the Lord tell their story...” Psalm 107: 1,2. Today, the doors of our school opened for another exciting school year and students from Grades JK-8 were welcomed back for another year of learning. For 56 years, we have lived the story of God’s faithfulness, being blessed along the way to serve the Woodstock community with a Christ-centered education, and as we look forward to another school year, 2015-2016, we trust Him to guide us. Please pray that the Woodstock Christian School community - students, teachers, parents, friends, supporters - will grow in Faith, Learning, Community, as we enter another year of telling and living the story God has written for us.
                            Mrs. B. Huinink-Buiter, Principal

    Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6. This is the verse Grade 8 chose as their graduation verse and have painted on to the mural in the senior hall. Thank you for leaving that with us, graduates! It is my prayer that as the graduating students leave WCS and as the rest of us take a break from WCS for the summer, we will all take this verse with us, owning it as our profession. In our faith, learning and living this year, we declared that "The Whole Earth is filled with His glory!" God's thumb-print is on ALL creation! God promises to us all (His creations!) that he will never leave us or forsake us! Isn't that an awesome blessing!!!
    I wish you all a summer of rest, relaxation and refocusing. Go with God in His strength and joy.

                            Mrs. B. Huinink-Buiter

Woodstock District Track and Field Day

    Last Wednesday, June 3rd, WCS took 53 students to Strathroy to compete at the Woodstock District Track and Field Meet. We participated with 6 other schools in our district. We were blessed with the most beautiful weather! It was a great day of competition. The students were focussed and had a good attitude. They tried their best and encouraged others. We were very proud of our team. We heard many students say they achieved their personal best that day. Relay was very exciting at the end of the day. 4 out of the 6 WCS relay teams received 2nd! In the end we placed 4th over all. Huron took home the championship banner and London took home the runner up banner. Now it is time to clean up and put things away till next year. We are very encouraged by the student's commitment and positive attitude. We are thankful to God for blessing us and keeping us away from serious injuries. We are also thankful to the teachers of WCS who helped train and encourage the students to do their best.

                            Mrs. J. Hickey

God in our Transitions!

    This morning we welcomed students from JK-8 that are enrolled to begin at WCS in September. They joined their classes-to-be, were welcomed by their teachers and students, and had opportunity to get a taste of what school will be like for them in the fall. God is blessing WCS with many new enrollments for the school year 2015-2016 and we are so excited! We are thankful for all the new families and pray that as they prepare to come in September, God will lead them and bless the transition time.
    It is the last month for our Grade 8 students and as they prepare for graduation and for transitioning to high school, we also pray that they will 'be well'. What an exciting …and a bit scary… time for our graduates. It is so good to know that God goes with us wherever and whenever we go to new places and situations. The theme verse (Deuteronomy 31:6) that the graduates have chosen is one that we all can embrace, whether we are coming, going or staying: "Be strong and courageous, Do not be terrified…, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

                            Mrs. Bernice Huinink-Buiter

Grade 3 studies Magnetism in Creation Studies. We are taking apart old electronics to see if we can locate a magnet and discover its purpose.  We are able to use different skills as well as show the knowledge obtained during the Magnetism unit.  We have a lot of fun during this hands-on activity.