This week, educators from Christian Schools all over Ontario, will be meeting at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, for our Annual Edifide Convention. The theme for this year's convention is "Entering the Story". Sharing stories is a powerful way to deepen our learning. We, as educators, will be encouraged in our walk in God's story and how we might create spaces for the Holy Spirit to invite our students to find their purpose and place in His story, too. We will be hearing Professor Phil Teeuwsen and Pastor Chris Schoon address us on "People of the Book" and "Generations in Conversation". There are many different workshops to attend on topics from Assessment to Technology to Leadership to Mental Health to Ukuleles and everything in between. I am, personally, looking forward to reconnecting with other teachers and to growing and learning. Please pray for the staff of WCS this week that we may refreshed and rejuvenated from the convention.

N. VanAndel

We are called….

"We may not all be called to do great things that make the headlines, but we are all called to love and be loved, wherever we may be. We are called to be open and to grow in love and thus to communicate life to others, especially to those in need." These words by Jean Vanier, a well-known Canadian theologian, writer and founder of the L'Arche community speak to the WCS Community this week. I pray that each of us will follow God's calling to use our eyes to see, our ears to hear and our hearts to reach out to one another in love.

Bernice Huinink-Buiter

Psalm 100 is one of my favourite psalms. As I reread it this past weekend, it struck me how it is addressed to "all the earth." The whole earth is full of his glory, and all of creation owes and is commanded to offer praise and thanksgiving to God! This psalm also reminds me that God is good, and he is good all the time. Even in those difficult moments when it feels like God has abandoned me, I try to cling to the knowledge that He is a faithful God who loves me dearly. I am so grateful that he has made me, I am his, and his love for me will never end.

This Thursday morning we will have the opportunity as a school community to gather together to offer thanks to God at our Thanksgiving chapel. Thanksgiving is in integral part of our faith and is necessary to live a full life. I am thankful for all God has done and is continuing to do at WCS. God has blessed us richly, and as part of our response to God, we are asking students to bring in food items to donate to the Food Bank. If you are able, come join us as we worship our Lord with gladness, and come before him with joyful songs! Thank you, Lord!

T. Bulthuis

My favourite picture book is "The Clown of God", an old story retold and illustrated by Tomie DePaola. This French legend telling of the little juggler, Giovanni, who offers the gift of his talent and witnesses a miracle of the Sun (Son) of the heavens has always brought me closer to seeing God's glory in all I am called to do. At one point in the story, Giovanni meets two priests with whom he shares his lunch. When they tell him "Everything sings of the glory of God! Even your juggling," he laughs, replying, "I only juggle to make people laugh and applaud." To which the two Brothers reply, "It's the same thing. If you give happiness to people, you give glory to God as well."

I pray that in all we do this week, we also will give happiness to people…Everything sings of the glory of God!

Mrs. Huinink-Buiter

Do you think before you speak? Do you need reminders to complete tasks? Are you emotionally affected by little things, so that you are distracted from the tasks at hand? Are you a procrastinator? Can you focus on your work? Do you prioritize your assignments? Are you organized? Do you easily adjust to changes in plans?

All of the above questions come from an Executive Skills Questionnaire that teachers completed yesterday at the workshop by Peg Dawson, a New Hampshire psychologist, and author of various books, one of which is called "Smart But Scattered". Peg Dawson is an excellent speaker who challenged us to be aware of the weakest executive skills, and utilize strategies for managing executive skill weaknesses.

Executive skills refer to the brain-based, cognitive processes that help us to regulate our behaviour, make decisions, and set and achieve goals.

Whether we are 14 years old or 64, we can work at strengthening our weakest executive skills, skills we utilize our entire lives, and not just at the elementary school setting. By being informed, intentional, and utilizing various strategies, teachers can teach and motivate students to use the skills so that they become habits.

The website: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/15/health/20080915-brain-development.html?_r=0 indicates the development of the brain as it relates to executive functions. When Peg Dawson was showing us the above site, Psalm 139, a psalm that acknowledges God as Creator of human beings, came to mind:  For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! (Psalm 139:13-17)

 

G. Hiemstra

Together in WCS Community!

Last Friday evening we held our annual Welcome Dessert Evening… a great get-together for our whole school family! The buzz of excitement and the sound of laughter filled the school building! Children eagerly showed parents and siblings the way to their classrooms to meet their teachers and to show them all the wonderful things about their classes… their desks and everything in it, the  group learning areas, the bulletin boards with the units of studies, classmates in their class, class pets and so much more! A number of WCS (JKCS) alumni, students now in high school  took the opportunity to come back to check out the school, greet their former teachers and meet many of their former classmates. It felt  a bit like a school reunion! And new families in our school were welcomed as they made their way among the strange (but friendly!) new surroundings.

After an hour of class visits, everyone met together in classrooms to pray, dedicating the year to God - what a fitting way to begin our school year together, before our God whose glory fills the whole earth including WCS and all the learning that will happen this year.

No event at WCS is complete without food, and we all gathered in the beautifully decorated school gym to enjoy the delicious potluck desserts served so capably by Marlene Lendvay and our Community Relations Team. Thank you, Marlene and Team for all you did to make us feel special!

As I walked out of WCS later that evening, in the still and quiet, I was filled with the awesome realization that I had just experienced God's Glory in an amazing, holy way.

O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Bernice Huinink-Buiter (Principal)

Prayer is a way for us to commune with God. It is a time to reflect, request and rejoice. 

This past week I enjoyed meeting as a small group to pray over matters of the WCS community. We took time with God to reflect on our graduated class; we prayed for a smooth transition to high school. We reflected on our opening assembly where there were several missing faces. We prayed for them, their life changes, their school changes and thanked God for the time we had with them. We rejoiced with God for the new families joining our community and the large JK class. We rejoiced with God for the wonderful teaching staff, dynamic principal and bus drivers that work hard to keep our children safe. We requested that God protect the families in our community that are under attack. And we asked that he comfort families that are grieving. We thanked God for his faithfulness to sustain us through difficult times and the hope we have in him for the future. We have so much to request and rejoice about! 

It felt great to lay it all before the Lord and go from there with the comfort that he has the Whole World in His Hands!

D. Streutker, Advancement & Communications

The Whole Earth Is Filled With his Glory!

"LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens." (Psalm 8:1). 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 55 years, God has blessed us to serve the Woodstock community with a Christ-centred education, and as we look forward to another school year, 2014-2015, 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 'wonder' at God's glory in the creation around us and in the people with whom we spend time. Our awesome God has His fingerprints over everything!!

Mrs. Bernice Huinink-Buiter (Principal)