WCS Blog

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Monday, November 26, 2018

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Thank-you parents for the prompt and efficient way in which you signed up for PTCs this year! We at WCS are blessed to partner with you in the education of your child(ren). Research shows that students learn more, have higher grades, and have better school attendance when parents are involved in their child's education. That's why attending parent-teacher conferences is so important: it's a great way for parents to become involved and stay involved throughout the school year. By attending conferences, you also send a positive message to your child that school is important. These conferences are intended to by two-way conversations. If you have questions or observations, the conference is a good time to share those with the teacher. Share what you know about your child, their interests and how they spend their time outside of school. You may want to ask your child if there is anything they want you to share with the teacher at the conference. Your information helps the teacher better understand and teach your child. Some classrooms will have conferences in which the student is included. Typically these students will have a portfolio or collection of work which they will share. Students show and discuss their learning - not just the end product, but the learning process with their parents. Be sure to check out the book fair with Usborne and the Christian Book Supplier vendors. Looking forward to seeing you at the PTCs this week! (sources: Mrs. Verbeek, meachamparknia.org & kidshealth.org)

C. Verbeek

Posted by admin @ 01:49 pm

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Community

Monday, November 19, 2018

“Community”

Community ~ one the three words in our school’s tagline. Community has been recognized as one of school’s foundational pillars. God created us to need other people and to live in community. In the Bible, there are loads of examples of the importance of living in community. For example, Romans 12:5 states, “so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

Since I have started teaching at WCS, I have often been amazed at the strength of our school’s sense of community. It can be easily felt and observed at the numerous events and functions throughout the year including our back to school dessert social, golf tournament, chapels, Springfest, drama performances, track and field day, and graduation. It is not just current parents and students who show up to these events, but numerous grandparents, extended family members, alumni, and friends of WCS.

The Winterfest auction was held this past Friday evening, and it was another great example of community! Countless hours were spent by volunteers working over the past several months to pull off this event. Thank you! People packed into the gym for a night of talking, eating, laughing, good natured teasing, and spending thousands of dollars, all for the glory of God! It is humbling to be part of something so much larger than the sum of our individual parts. I am thankful to be member of a school community dedicated to providing excellent Christian education to the children in Oxford county.

Don’t miss out on one of our next community events, Angels Alert! Come join us in early December as we celebrate together the birth of Jesus Christ. Blessings on your week, WCS.

Mrs. T. Bulthuis

Posted by admin @ 03:01 pm

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Tree Planting

Monday, November 12, 2018

Tree Planting at Hodge's Pond
Last Friday, students and teachers from our seventh, sixth, and fourth grade classes put on their overalls, boots, warm
winter coats, toques and gloves and boarded the bus for some community earthkeeping work at Hodge's Pond, south of
Woodstock. Our bus driver, Gerry Huinink, remembers decades ago when Hodge's Pond was the site of summer
camps and outdoor recreation for families. In recent years, the former mill pond became warm and stagnant, so the
dam has been dismantled and the natural flow of Cedar Creek and accompanying wetlands restored. A partnership
between Ducks Unlimited, Oxford County, Stewardship Oxford, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority
(UTRCA) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has been established in order to re-naturalize this site.
WCS students have worked with the UTRCA frequently in the past eight years planting trees and shrubs throughout
the county. The latest phase at Hodge's Pond includes plans to plant 1200 native trees and shrubs. WCS students were
the first of many groups of local students who will work to expand the natural habitats for wildlife in this area. Our
Grade 7 group planted 120 deciduous trees and bushes, while the grades 4 and 6 group planted about 130 trees,
including maple, tamarack and others. Students were industrious, efficient, and enjoyed being given specific
instructions and tools to do the planting work. Students returned to school chilly, dirty, but pleased with having had the
opportunity to work outdoors, and to provide new habitats for wetlands wildlife such as herons, turtles, snakes, and
birds. Future plans for Hodge's Pond include opening the area for public use as a natural space for hiking and enjoying
wildlife. We are thankful for this opportunity to work with community partners to be keepers and restorers of creation.
C. Verbeek, Principal

Posted by admin @ 01:50 pm

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Community

Monday, November 05, 2018

Community

Community is a word we hear a lot of these days. Topics and trends come and go but one thing being paid a lot of attention to in our world today is the correlation between community and connectivity. Think about the ways technology has brought connectivity to people, but ironically studies have continued to indicate that currently there has never been a time as we have today in which so many people out there do not have “community.” They are genuinely lonely. The Christian periodical Relevant Magazine comments on community. It poses the following questions: “What about our relationships with other believers that God has placed into our lives? What about mentorship, discipleship and friendship? What about community?”

Read more at https://relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/10-unexpected-benefits-real-community.

The article continues by listing ten direct benefits of healthy community. It is a worthwhile read! Hopefully there are many different types of community we currently engage in. An example of a very functioning and helpful community was the one that met at the Membership Meeting held last Thursday evening. The community of people supporting the education of our children gathered and not only talked about the functioning of our school, but we also heard Pastor Martin Dam speak about guiding our children in experiencing and relating to secular culture and questioning how that fits with our Christian belief system. He spoke of the challenges of doing that in a culture in which many choices available do not lead to God. The community which gathered at this meeting received mentorship, discipling and of course support through friendship. We are all in this together, all traveling a road, following Jesus’ instruction and trying to honour Him in all that we do. Sometime we forget that actually the rituals or habits we participate in are there for our mutual blessing. We are blessed through community.

November 2018

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Community

Tree Planting

Community