April 24th – 28th — Mrs. Barton’s last week!

Hello Parents,

Thank you to all the parents who came out to parent teacher interviews last night and this morning.  It is always a pleasure to chat with you about your child’s progress.

As you know, this is my last week at GCS as I will be going on maternity leave.  Ms. Chloe Jenkins will be taking over as lead teacher.    Please take some time to come meet her and welcome her to GCS.    Ms. Jenkins’ email is cjenkins@gcspei.ca.  Please contact her with any questions or concerns after April 28th.

I have been truly blessed to have the opportunity to work with your child this year.  I will miss very much being the classroom each day and seeing all of my wonderful students.   However, I am very excited to meet our little boy.  Please pray for my husband and I as God leads us through this new adventure.  We will continue to pray for your child and students at GCS.

Monday’s Snack: 

Mrs.  Arthurs has kindly let us borrow her chocolate fountain for Monday’s snack time. Students are encouraged to take in a small amount of fruit to share with the class during this special snack time.  Fruits such as bananas and strawberries would be suitable to bring in.

Re-Enrollment Reminder:

We are now at the mid-point of April – this is a reminder that April is re-enrollment month.  If you have not already re-enrolled for next year, please be sure to submit payment to school office ($200) by April 30 to ensure your child(ren)’s place in their class for the 2017-18 school year.  Re-enrollment increases to $250 after April 30 and we cannot guarantee availability in classes after that point.

Family Fitness Week & Family Fun Run:

Family Fit Week starts on Monday with events happening daily leading up to Saturday’s Family Fun Run. Here is a heads up about the events happening next week.

Stop-Drop-and-Exercise will happen twice daily at 10:10 and 1:30. Grade 10 students have been assigned to lead at each of the classes happening at those times. They will arrive in your classrooms and lead the exercise for one minute. Please encourage your class to participate in these activities. Also, if you have a Grade 10 class during those times, please allow them to leave in order to complete these duties.

Healthy Tip of the Day – Our Family Fit Week coordinators will be announcing a healthy tip of the day at 9:00 every morning. Please encourage your class to listen to those. Gr. 10 students will circulate at lunch and reward a few students with snacks for remembering the healthy tip.

Teacher Pedometer Guess Challenge- 
Every day, one teacher has been asked to wear a pedometer to see how many steps they get in the day. Every morning, our fundraising coordinators will be at the entrance way to take students’ guesses about how many steps that teacher will walk. Guesses cost 10 cents a piece. This is open to the entire school. A prize will be given to the winner.

Hoops Competition – On Monday at 12:30, the Gr. 10 class will be leading a knockout competition in the gym. It is 10 cents to enter a game. This is open to the entire school. Everyone is encouraged to come out and participate or cheer on the competitors.

Elementary Station Day and Game Day: The Gr. 10 class will also be leading an educational station day for the elementary students on Tuesday from 2-3 p.m. and a game day on Wednesday from 2-3 p.m.This shouldn’t affect high school classes, but hope for good weather on Wednesday as most stations will be outside.

Elementary Pedometer Challenge – The elementary will again be competing across classes for the greatest average steps per student. A schedule for which day each class will be wearing pedometers as already gone out. Gr. 10 students will arrive in your classroom in the morning to drop off pedometers and remind students of the rules. Please no shaking the pedometers with your hands!

Thank you all for your participation and flexibility. We are looking forward to a great week of fitness fun, and the Gr. 10 class hopes to see you all on Saturday for the Fitness Fun Run! Registration begins at 10:00 am, warm-ups at 10:45, and the race at 11:00 am.

Bible Verse: 

Students have started learning a new Bible verse in Mrs. McGonnell’s Bible class.   The passage is longer, but they will have several weeks to learn it.

1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
² Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
³ For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
⁵ The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

⁶ Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
⁷ For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.

Psalm 95: 1-7

This week’s tests: 

Wednesday — Phonics test

Thursday — Math test

Friday — Spelling test ( List # 21 grade one, List # 25 grade two)

Important Dates:

April 29- Family Fun Run
May 5 – Professional Development Day (No Class)
May 22 – Victoria Day (No Class)
June 3 – GCS Golf Challenge
Jun 14 – Grade 6 Graduation (9:15 am)

Enjoy your weekend!

Mrs. Barton

April 18th – 21st

Happy Easter Everyone!

I hope you all have had a great weekend and got the chance to reflect on the death of Jesus, our Lord, and the miracle of His resurrection.  What an incredible measure of love, grace, and mercy!

Welcome Ms. Jenkins and Mrs. Wilting: 

As most of you know, I will be going on Maternity leave at the end of this month.  Ms. Chloe Jenkins will be taking over as lead teacher of Grade one and two.  She will be working with me over the next two weeks in preparation for assuming full teacher responsibilities on May 1.

Ms. Jenkins grew up in Souris, PEI, and is a recent graduate from Johnson University in Tennessee with a Bachelor of Education.  For the past year, she has worked within the education field on PEI.  She has a real heart for young children and is looking forward to sharing her passion for developing the young minds of tomorrow.

Here is a little bit more about Ms. Jenkins:

“From a young age reading and writing has always been a hobby of mine.  Through teachers who fostered my love of novels and poetry I began to see just how vital their role can be in creating a passionate student. I began seeing teaching as a career that could make a difference in a big way and that it was something I wanted to be a part of. I went to school in Knoxville, Tennessee, where I majored in both Middle School Education with an emphasis on literature and Bible. I knew coming on the end of my degree that I wanted to return to P.E.I. and today I am excited to see God’s purpose for me here. Mrs. Barton has created a wonderful atmosphere in her classroom and I can’t wait to continue watering the seeds she has planted.”

Mrs. Wilting will be assuming the responsibility of all elementary music in the next week.  As a certified teacher, she has been in the field of education for 25 years, with an emphasis on music.   She has experience with conducting concert bands, hand bell choirs, percussion ensembles, and teaching general classroom music. She is involved at her church with the worship team and with GEMS. She has many interests besides music such as art, floral design, and cooking. She has two children and her husband, Hans, grows potatoes in Meadowbank, Prince Edward Island.

Open Chapel Service: 

Everyone is invited to join us for our weekly Chapel service on April 19th from 9:00am – 10:00am. We will sing some of our favorite chapel songs. Grades 1-6 will have the opportunity to perform some of the songs they have learned in music throughout the year. Kindergarten will also preform a short musical which they having been working hard on in music with Mrs. Bouter. Please invite grandparents, aunts and uncles and other family members. All are welcome! We hope to see you there.

Re-Enrollment Month:

Over the years, the reputation of Grace Christian School has grown, attracting new families to our school, both locally and globally.  We have seen enormous growth in the student body throughout this school year and have already received numerous inquiries for the 2017-18 year.  Due to there being waiting lists already for a number of our classes, more than ever before, it is imperative that you re-enroll before the end of April to ensure your child(ren)’s spot for the next school year.  For more information, please visit the school office.

Parent Teacher Conferences:

Parent-teacher interviews are scheduled for this coming Thursday, April 20th, from 6:00-9:00 PM and on Friday, April 21st, from 10:00-12:00 AM. Sign-up sheets will be located in the lobby of the school early next week. Please sign-up for an appointment to discuss your child’s progress.  I look forward to chatting with you all!

Important Dates:

Keep up to date with all the GCS events at: http://www.gcspei.ca/current-families/monthly-calendar

Apr 14 – Good Friday (No Class)
Apr 17 – Easter Monday (No Class)
Apr 20 – Report cards
Apr 20 – Parent Teacher Conferences (pm)
Apr 21 – Parent Teacher Conferences (am)
Apr 29 – Family Fun Run

 

Enjoy your week!

Mrs. Barton

April 10th – 13th

Hello Parents,

Spring time is here.   In the coming weeks the playground  will likely be muddy with the melting snow. Please continue to send your children to school with boots and snow pants or splash pants as the weather warms.  A full set of extra clothes are also important to send with your child this time of year in the event your child gets wet on the playground.

Re-Enrollment Month:

Over the years, the reputation of Grace Christian School has grown, attracting new families to our school, both locally and globally.  We have seen enormous growth in the student body throughout this school year and have already received numerous inquiries for the 2017-18 year.  Due to there being waiting lists already for a number of our classes, more than ever before, it is imperative that you re-enroll before the end of April to ensure your child(ren)’s spot for the next school year.  For more information, please visit the school office.

Open Chapel – You’re Invited:  

Everyone is invited to join us for our weekly Chapel service on April 19th from 9:00am – 10:00am. We will sing some of our favourite chapel songs. Grades 1-6 will have the opportunity to perform some of the songs they have learned in music throughout the year. Kindergarten will also preform a short musical which they having been working hard on in music with Mrs. Bouter. Please invite grandparents, aunts and uncles and other family members. All are welcome! We hope to see you there.

Easter storybook Fun 

Mrs. McGonnell is asking that any grade 1-2 student interested in having their favourite Easter Bible story read in class, bring in their book anytime during the week of Monday April 10th – Thursday April 13th  We will sped Bible time together on Thursday April 13th sharing these meaningful books together as we celebrate Easter.

This Week’s Tests:

Thursday– spelling test (List  #20 grade one, list #24 Grade two)

Important Dates:

Apr 14 – Good Friday (No Class)
Apr 17 – Easter Monday (No Class)
Apr 20 – Report cards
Apr 20 – Parent Teacher Conferences (pm)
Apr 21 – Parent Teacher Conferences (am)
Apr 29 – Family Fun Run

Enjoy your week!

Mrs. Barton

Easter Storybook Fun

Hello Parents,

Mrs. McGonnell is asking that any grade 1-2 student interested in having their favourite Easter Bible story read in class, bring in their book anytime during the week of Monday April 10th – Thursday April 13th  We will sped Bible time together on Thursday April 13th sharing these meaningful books together as we celebrate Easter.

 

April 3rd – 7th

Hello Parents,

Here are a few things that are coming up this week and in the next couple of weeks.

Island Storm Game & GCS Fundraiser:

Have you purchased your tickets for the Island Storm Game on April 7th, featuring our Jr & Sr Cheer teams? Please return your money to your child’s homeroom teacher to receive your ticket vouchers before game day. You will need to cash in the vouchers for an actual seat before the game.

Cheerleaders:  We are pleased to be offering our Jr. & Sr. Cheerleaders a free student ticket to this game. That being said, each cheerleader is expected to purchased a minimum of 1 adult ticket. While this is a school-related event, students MUST be supervised by a parent.  Jr Cheerleaders who return their form to their homeroom teacher indicating the number of tickets they wish to purchase, as well as payment, will receive their student ticket voucher at that time. Mrs. Able has agreed to cash in the tickets for the senior girls cheer team, however each Sr cheerleader is expected to purchase a minimum of 1 adult ticket as well.

Any questions regarding tickets, please email Mrs. MacNeill at nmacneill@gcspei.ca.  We hope you will spread the word to family, friends, co-workers & neighbors. We’d be happy to have you all join us to cheer on our Island Storm.

Open Chapel – You’re Invited:  

Everyone is invited to join us for our weekly Chapel service on April 19th from 9:00am – 10:00am. We will sing some of our favourite chapel songs. Grades 1-6 will have the opportunity to perform some of the songs they have learned in music throughout the year. Kindergarten will also preform a short musical which they having been working hard on in music with Mrs. Bouter. Please invite grandparents, aunts and uncles and other family members. All are welcome! We hope to see you there.

Classroom supplies: 

Our class is in need  of a few more packages of Baby wipes to get us through to the end of the year.  If you are able, please send in one package of baby wipes with your child.   We use the wipes everyday for students to wipe their hands before lunch time.

This Week’s test: 

Wednesday — Phonics test

Thursday — Math test

Friday — Spelling test ( List # 19 grade one, List # 23 grade two)

Important Dates:

Apr 7- Island Storm Game
Apr 14 – Good Friday (No Class)
Apr 17 – Easter Monday (No Class)                                                                                                     Apr 19 — Elementary Open Chapel  9:00 – 10:00                                                                             Apr 20 – Report cards
Apr 20 – Parent Teacher Conferences (pm)
Apr 21 – Parent Teacher Conferences (am)
Apr 29 – Family Fun Run

The Storm players visited the Elementary last week:

Grade one practising their spelling words:

 

Enjoy your week!

Mrs. Barton

March 27th – 31st

Hello Parents,

I hope you have enjoyed your March Break!  Here are a few things to take note of for this week.

GCS & Island Storm Game:

Please look for an important announcement being sent home with your child on Monday regarding our upcoming Island Storm basketball game on Friday, April 7th.  This fundraiser allows for half the proceeds of our tickets sales to go right back to GCS. You simply buy a ticket at a reduced rate of $10, and come enjoy the game.

The Jr & Sr Cheer teams will be performing during the half-time show, and our Sr High Ladies Basketball Champions will be recognized as well.  Please send in your ticket forms and payment to your child’s homeroom teacher.  If friends, family, and/or coworkers would like to purchase tickets, please let me know and I will arrange to make that happen!

The Island Storm will also visit the elementary this coming Monday.

Mathletics  March Madness Competition: 

The students certainly rose to the challenge of keeping their math skills sharp! GCS is currently in tenth place in the March Madness Mathletics Competition! Only one more week to go!

Bible Verse: 

For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

This week’s tests: 

Wednesday — Phonics test

Thursday — Math test

Friday  — Spelling test. ( List # 18 grade one, List #22 grade two) 

Upcoming Dates:

April 7 – GCS Storm Basketball Game
April 14 – Good Friday (No school)
April 17 – Easter Monday (No school)

 

See you all tomorrow at 8:45!

Mrs. Barton

March 13th-17th — Winter Carnival

Hello Parents,

We have a full week ahead of us before we all enjoy a much deserved Spring Break. Please take note of the following:

Winter Carnival:

Grace Christian School WINTER CARNIVAL is March 13th to 17th.

Show your school spirit and join in the fun by participating in our theme days! Remember that modest, clean, neat and appropriate is always the rule! Winter Carnival is organized and sponsored by G.C.S. Student Council.

Monday: PAJAMA DAY – A student favorite! Wear your favorite pajamas to school but
don’t forget to wake up!

Tuesday: DECADE DAY – Dress up like people from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s or any
other decade from the past. Raid your parents’ closets!

Wednesday: RED CARPET / PRINCE & PRINCESS DAY – Dress up in formal celebration
clothes today. Wear a crown or a tiara if you want.

Thursday: DISNEY DAY – Have you got a costume? Great. Are you a creative mind who
can make one? Great. If not, join in the day by wearing a t-shirt or sweat-shirt, or carrying something with a Disney character motif.

Friday: SKIING at BROOKVALE (grades 3-12)                                    Green Day for Kindergarten and grades 1&2.

Library:

There has been a change in our library schedule.  We now have library on Wednesday.  Students are asked to return their book by Tuesday so they are able to take a book out each week on Wednesday.  students who do not return their books will not be able to take out a new book during the next class.

Kraft Hockeyville: PLEASE VOTE

O’Leary, P.E.I. has been named as one of 10 finalists for Hockey Night in Canada’s Kraft Hockeyville competition. This is the hometown of both Mrs. MacNeill & Mrs. Barton, both of whom have spent many hours with their friends and family over a good game of hockey. Even today, many of our students at GCS play hockey at the O’Leary Community Sports Centre.

The community is already guaranteed a $25,000 dollar prize to upgrade the O’Leary Community Sports Centre, just for making the top ten. It’s hoping to be in the top two, which would mean another $100,000 for rink upgrades and the top prize – the opportunity to host a preseason NHL game.

Residents of PEI are urged to showcase their Island-way of helping one another by going online to vote for O’Leary. At the same time, residents are asked to reach out to their family & friends, whether they are Islanders or not, to give O’Leary that little extra push towards the final line. Online voting begins on Sunday at 10 a.m., and runs until Monday at midnight. Please visit the Kraft Hockeyville Website to cast your multiple votes.

Mathletics March Madness Competition

Get your math brains on, students! The elementary classes have entered a national competition through Mathletics, an award winning interactive site that aims to improve maths skills through fun activities linked to the Canadian curriculum. Students earn points by completing activities and answering questions in Live Mathletics competitions. We are hoping the enthusiasm surrounding this competition grows and will help to increase our students’ math skills. And, who knows? We may even win a prize. We are currently 19th place out of over 700 schools!

 

Students can do Mathletics activities at home as well as in class. As long as they are connected to the internet and not using an offline Mathletics app, the points that they earn will count toward the competition.

Happy math-ing!
Mandarin Classes

GCS is proud to announce the beginning of Mandarin classes for all elementary students. We look forward to welcoming Mrs. Lin each Wednesday to help us learn a third language.

This week’s tests:

Wednesday — phonics

Thursday — Math test

Friday– Spelling ( List # 18 grade one, List #22 grade two) 

Important Dates:

March 13-17 – Winter Carnival (Details about dress up days will follow soon)
March 17 – Grades 3-12 Ski Trip
March 20-24 – March Break (No school)
April 7 – GCS Storm Basketball Game
April 14 – Good Friday (No school)
April 17 – Easter Monday (No school)

 

Enjoy your week!

Mrs. Barton