Principal’s Message:

As today is National Indigenous Day, I feel like I needed to re-use one of my old Principal’s messages. It is from October of this year, and it is a day I think of often when I think about our theme this year. Billy definitely has had an effect on my life, and I hope the story resonates with you even a little bit.  

…

Today’s message is one that has been incredibly difficult to formulate my thoughts on. As I mentioned earlier, last week I was in Winnipeg for the Christian Schools Canada conference. Rather than a keynote speaker, our keynote was the National Museum for Human Rights. The experience walking through was formative and memorable, yet the most impressionable takeaway from the conference was what occurred after our day-long tour of the museum. 

For those who do not know, the museum is not a typical museum. Rather than be loaded with artifacts, it is loaded with stories and experiences from a variety of human rights issues from Canada and the world. The building itself is designed specifically to journey the participant from darkness to light as you walk up through the building; beginning with the darkness of genocides, and ethnic cleansings in Canada and worldwide. From there (four floors worth), it slowly moves through the evolution, celebration, and future of human rights. It ends in the Tower of Hope, where I spent about 20 minutes simply praying while looking down on the city of Winnipeg.  As you can imagine, this was deeply difficult and reflective for many of us as Christian leaders. 

Once we finished our tour, we were invited outside, where our hosts asked us to get into two large (about 80 people) circles. In these circles, we were asked to give either a “Praise, Lament or Hope” about our day in the museum. Little did we know that in the circles, we would all end up sharing a big lament. 

You see, soon after we broke into circles and were given our task, a young indigenous man noticed our very large group break into the circles. For some reason, this irked him, and he came over. He broke into the first circle that I was a part of and did a lap, sizing up the people within the circle. He asked some expletive-coated questions of us, basically amounting to why we were there, and what we were doing. As educational leaders, who have dealt with students who have become agitated, we simply paused and waited. This strategy seemed to work for us, as after one lap of the circle, he left, moving to the other. In this circle, the educators tried the same tactic, some even welcomed him in, asking his name and if he would join us. This did not go to plan. He became more agitated, and the anger, resentment, and rage began to come out even more so. He increased his speed, and rounded over and over, getting into people’s faces and challenging them in different ways. His mouth began to froth as his vitriol grew greater. For minutes that seemed much longer, he screamed, challenged, and accosted those gathered. His words were filled with loathing and hate, and it would have been easy to be angry at him, and normally I would have been, yet for some reason (not in my control), I was saddened by the event.

Once we realized that the situation wasn’t going to solve itself, we decided that we should dissipate rather quickly, and many began moving to our next scheduled location. The man, feeling victorious, took this opportunity to bang his chest and verbally accost those leaving. I stuck around, giving a wide enough berth of this person, and ended up walking back with the last few left, who either arrived late and were not aware, or were too tired and taken aback of the events to move quickly

A quick aside, it is interesting to see how people react to such a situation. As I mentioned, some welcomed and asked him questions, others became quite afraid. Still, some others were in fight mode, ensuring that he knew what he was doing was not okay. I always seem to go into some sort of protector mode and was looking around for those in vulnerable positions. I have said quite often that I for some reason seem to think I am 6’4 and 250lbs because I think I can control those situations and stand up if needed. I’m not, and probably can’t – but have dealt with my illusions (mostly). 

Now, I tell you this story not to gossip, or for it to become some sort of cautionary tale, but specifically for the learning that happened after the fact. You see, I, like many others, did not feel great about how this finished and spent many hours in thought and prayer that evening trying to figure out if we could have done anything differently. What we came up with over evening discussions, was we couldn’t and what we witnessed was brokenness caused by what we earlier had seen in the museum. We got to experience firsthand how things that happened decades ago affect God’s people today. As we discussed it again that morning as a larger group, the theme that came from this experience was one of lament.

Just as we at CCS explore “The Stable Table” this year as a school community, this one experience, this one lament, rang through from my conference. The thought is that when we welcome people to our table, we also welcome the hurt, anger, brokenness, and experiences of lifetimes of our collective histories. We cannot fix something quickly (although we like to try), but as we gather together, as we fellowship together, and as we work together to build God’s Kingdom, it can be messy. Things can go not as planned. The table is not just a place for fun and happiness. It is a place of brokenness. The young gentleman’s name was Billy, and God brought him to us, not to scare us, but to teach us about every person in His Kingdom.  

I felt honoured that I could learn this in a way that books, papers, or museum tours could not. 

Announcements

Last Chronicle for this School Year!

It’s hard to believe, but another school year is quickly coming to a close! We are thankful for God’s provision and faithfulness throughout another year. Thank you for being a part of our community over the past 10 months and volunteering for events and in classrooms, supporting and encouraging our staff, and…….. We appreciate you and hope you enjoy a restful and rejuvenating summer break! We hope to see you back on Tuesday, August 29 at our Welcome Back BBQ! More details will come in the first Chronicle of 2023/2024 in late August. Have a great summer!!

Playground Grand Opening

On behalf of Covenant Christian School, we would like to welcome you to the “Grand Opening” of our brand-new playground! Please join us on June 27th at 1:00 pm to cut the ribbon introducing the new structure to our student body.  

We have had many changes over the last few years, but I truly believe this is the most anticipated one by our students, parents, and community! The number of questions regarding it shows the passion and interest of our families, and I look forward to this structure helping create flourishing learners, who delight in God, and who are inspired to serve in many different ways.

Pennies for Play (Right to Play) – 3J

Covenant students were excited to hear about a new playground addition planned for their own school in Leduc. But then they started asking themselves how they can seek justice and build community – both here in Canada and around the world. After learning about Concepcion’s desire for a new playground, Covenant students knew they could step up and support their fellow students around the world.

The Covenant students have written letters to Concepcion students, talked with EduDeo’s partners in Belize, and used their Science class to dream up and build playground models. They even met with students from Rocky Christian School who had helped begin the construction of a wall and fence for the new playground!

Now, the Covenant students need your help. Although they can’t fly to South America, they want to raise awareness about kids’ global right to play and raise funds to support Concepcion’s new playground. You can help make this a reality.

Please visit 3J’s donation page here to learn more about this project and make a donation! Students will be speaking in their various communities about the project until June 26th.

Freedom 8848 Fundraising Event – Support Mr. Drader!

Mr. Simmons prays, each day, that we would be flourishing learners who delight in God and are inspired to serve Him.  It’s time for me to actively live this out as an example for my own kids and the students that I teach.  I signed up for a hike that will take me to the equivalent elevation of Mt. Everest base camp (~5600 m), over the course of three days, in August.  I will be a flourishing learner as I find out more about the issue of human trafficking in Canada as I prepare to go.  I will have the opportunity to delight in God as I take in His creation while hiking the mountains and marveling at what the human body is capable of.  Finally, I am being inspired to serve the organizations that are trying to bring an end to human trafficking and are doing their best to support those affected by it, by asking for donations.  I don’t like using the word ‘hate,’ but I hate the fact that there are people in our world today that are being hurt and abused physically and emotionally.  It makes me sick when I think about it, and if it bothers you too, and you want to do something about it, please consider contributing something to the campaign.  Every little bit helps in the fight against the people that are committing these horrible acts.  Thank you for considering joining me in this Justice-Seeking venture.

You’re Invited!

As you just read, I am trying to raise money for organizations that are supporting victims of human trafficking. As such, you are invited to a ‘Canada Day Eve Family Fun Night’ at 6:30 pm at CCS. If it’s nice weather, we will be outside. If it’s not nice out, we can be in the gymnasium. The cost to attend is $10/person. The 10 bucks gets you two slices of pizza, a can of pop and an ice cream sandwich, and access to all sorts of games including 9 Square, Spikeball, Hantis, Pickleball, Basketball, Bocce, Ladder Golf, Disc Slam, Mölkky, Axe Throwing (but not real axes) and more! All of the proceeds will go to Freedom 8848. Bring your own favourite yard game (if you want), a lawn chair (if you’re more of a spectator), some cash, an appetite and be ready to have some fun competing with, and against, your family! RSVP here so we can get an idea of how many pizzas to order.

Learning Commons Year-End Information

All library books that students have out should have been returned last Friday. Any outstanding books will now be marked lost and the fee added to the student’s PowerSchool account. (If the book is returned by June 27, the fee will be removed) after June 27, no refunds will be issued. With the transition of the Learning Commons this year, we are asking for your patience with outstanding book notifications. If you receive any inaccurate notifications, please email Lucie at the address below.

Textbook returns will be June 22-27. Junior high students can return their textbooks prior to or following their final exam.

Emails will be sent out to students and parents for unreturned items.

If you receive an email and have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at: [email protected].

Exam Schedule

***ALL Div I and II students will remain at the school and continue with classes for the remainder of their day. Permission to leave after exams is only applicable to junior high students. While we understand that it is convenient to pick up all of your children if you are coming to school, all other K-6 classes are still doing important assessments and cumulative learning for the day.***

• Exams will begin at 9:00 am and Jr. High students must stay until 11:00 am. Students must bring a book to read while they wait. Phones/Gaming devices will not be permitted due to exam protocols. 
• At 11:00 am Jr. High students are free to leave provided they have completed all previously assigned assignments for the year and have the proper signed documentation (permission form completed) — A permission form is NOW AVAILABLE to complete on PowerSchool.
• Jr. High students without documentation will be in ‘study hall’ in their own classroom area. Once all exams have been completed teachers will go back to their homeroom to supervise students studying or to complete overdue work. 
• Beginning at 11:00 am there will be three check-out tables (7,8,9) in three areas around the foyer or just outside the main doors-if weather permits. At 11:00 am, once students have completed their exam they will go to their check-out area to wait for their ride.

** Students must take at least 60 minutes to write their exam. At 10:00 am (or 60 mins after you begin the exam), students who have completed the exam will make their way to the gymnasium to wait until all others are finished. While in the gymnasium, there will NOT be any athletics going on, it will simply be a large space for them to socialize/hang out until they are picked up or move to the study hall area for the afternoon. (No athletics is due to the large number of students in the gymnasium area). Phones are still not available for them at this time.  If the weather allows, Mr. Drader is willing to move to the fields to allow those willing to participate in athletics out there. If this occurs, someone will supervise the gymnasium area**

Grade 9 Graduation

We will be hosting our grade 9 graduation ceremony and celebration Friday, June 23 at 6:00 pm at Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church. All are welcome to attend the ceremony. There will be a standing reception to follow.

Grade 8 parents traditionally have cleaned the church after the ceremony. Please contact Mr. Schindel if you would be willing to volunteer: [email protected]

Staff Teaching Assignments for 2023/2024

Due to our enrolment numbers changing, we needed to make some teaching assignment changes. Below is the updated list.

• Kindergarten Monday/Wednesday – Mrs. Alice Vande Kraats
• Kindergarten Tuesday/Thursday – Mrs. Heather Luchak
• Grade 1B – Mrs. Leanne Briggs
• Grade 1G – Mrs. Laura Glesman
• Grade 2GM – Mrs. Joanne Gulley & Mrs. Ebony Matter
• Grade 2W – Mrs. Danielle Woloschuk
• Grade 3H – Mrs. Nicole Hennink
• Grade 3J – Mr. Andy Jenkins
• Grade 4CV – Mrs. Nicole Chapman & Mr. Jon Van Huis
• Grade 4LV – Mrs. Jennifer Lozeau & Mrs. Charlene Veldkamp
• Grade 5J – Mrs. Lynette Johnston
• Grade 5M – Ms. Robynn Moody
• Grade 6B – Mrs. Stacy Bruinsma
• Grade 7C – Mrs. Michelle Clark
• Grade 7/8H – Mr. Chris Hennink
• Grade 8W – Mr. Colin Ward
• Grade 9S – Mr. Jeremy Schindel
• Phys. Ed and Wellness – Mr. Philip Drader
• Phys. Ed and Wellness – Mr. Jon Van Huis
• Music – Mrs. Ann McDonald
• French – Madame Nicole McConville
• Grade 6 Support/Numeracy – Mrs. Caroline Clark
• Learning Support Teacher – Mrs. Charlene Veldkamp
• Counselor – Mrs. Jennifer Lozeau
• Assistant Principal – Mrs. Nicole Chapman
• Principal – Mr. Donavin Simmons

Year-End Celebrations

We are excited to be able to return to some of our year-end celebrations that have been traditions over the past years. For the last day of school, Tuesday, June 27, the itinerary will be as follows:

• 8:35 am – Classes Begin
• 11:30 am – Year-End Celebration (awards/scholarships, prayer for those leaving CCS, announcements for next year)
• 12:15 pm – Lunch (Year-end pizza lunch and Kona Ice-more details to follow/below)
• 12:45 pm – Junior Highs leave to go on Bowling field trip
• 1:00 pm – Ribbon Cutting/Grand Opening for the new playground
• 2:00 pm – Homerooms/cleanup etc.
• 3:15 pm – Staff wave goodbye as buses/students leave for the summer!

SCHOOL-WIDE PIZZA FAMILY PICNIC –  We will once again be doing a school-wide pizza lunch. This is not a hot lunch-sponsored event but will run similar to hot lunch. The pizza order form is now up on PowerSchool and ready to be completed. The deadline for orders (and payment-which MUST be made at the time of filling out the order form) is TOMORROW, at NOON. Any money that is made from this lunch will go to the Grade 3 Pennies for Play fundraiser. All parents and younger siblings etc are invited to join us! Our LSCE PR committee will also be providing a KONA ICE treat for all of our staff and kiddos! Visitors will be able to purchase their own Kona Ice treat if they choose as well.

Class Placements and Supply Lists

Class placements will be available next Tuesday with Report Cards. Please remember – much time, thought and prayer went into class placements, and were done in the best interest of all students and staff. Rather than take issue, please encourage your child that these are great opportunities to grow in their friendships, and then pray about these opportunities with your children.

Supply lists are posted on our website and a copy will be emailed out to parents along with their child’s class placement letter on June 27th.

Staples will be continuing their School Tools Package program where parents can order all of their child’s school supplies online and they will be delivered to your home address so you can skip the back-to-school supply shopping in the fall. Once you learn which class your child(ren) will be in, click on the link above, and then find your child’s grade/class. You can deselect items you don’t need/want and add them to your cart. Go to the checkout to make payment and add your home address for shipping and you’re done!

School Council

School Council wrapped up our last meeting for the 2022/23 school year on May 31st. I want to thank all the parents for faithfully coming to our meetings to hear about what’s going on in and around our school. Thank you to Mr. Simmons for taking the time to give us his Principal’s report, Leanne Simmons for her time as Vice-chair, and Candace Dreger for her time as Secretary. Have a great Summer! We hope to see you at the AGM in September!

Shauna Balehowsky, Chair

Lost & Found

We will post weekly pictures of our lost and found. If you see something that is your child’s, please have them stop by the table and pick it up or let the office know. All unclaimed items will be donated to a second-hand store at the end of the school year.

Athletics:

We look forward to another exciting year of sports next year!

LSCE News:

New Bus Driver

We would like to welcome Melody Habibulayev as our new bus driver for the 2023/2024 school year.  Melody is an alumni parent, who has a huge heart for CCS!

Fundraising Opportunities

Although we do a few special fundraising campaigns throughout the year, don’t forget about our ongoing fundraisers that you can take advantage of all year long.

Drop any of your Boston pizza receipts at the office for the school to receive 5% back on the total of your bill.

Purchase CO-OP gift cards from the office in $50, $100, and $500 denominations.

Social Media

Stay up-to-date on all the events and fundraising opportunities we have to offer.

You can find us on Instagram with the username “fundraising.lsce.”

https://www.facebook.com/covenantchristianschoolfundraisingpage

Calendar:

June:

• 23 – Grade 9 Graduation
• 27 – Last Day of School
• 28-29 – Teacher Workdays.

August:

• 28 & 29 – Teacher Workdays
• 29 – Welcome Back BBQ (4:30 pm -6:30 pm)
• 30 – First Day of School for Grades 1-9

Community Events:

Please click on the image below to learn more about community events in our area! Also found under our Parents menu on the website.

Library Summer Program

Leduc Arts Foundry

I’m very excited to share an exciting collaborative project between the Leduc Arts Foundry and Maclab Centre for the Performing Arts! We are looking for seniors and youths ages 16-22 to be a part of our new project, Me @18!! This project is intended to engage community members in storytelling and initiating an important dialogue between seniors and youth. Our aim is to break down misconceptions cast upon one another and to share stories that will shed light on the experiences of being 18 then and now, promoting empathy, enlightenment, and conversation. This project focuses on oral storytelling and will cover a broad range of topics, from politics and school to family life and love. If you or someone you know is interested in being a part of our project and sharing YOUR story, contact Brittany Snellen at [email protected]. **Participants must be willing to provide a video interview that will be published as a part of the Me @ 18 series.**

Connectivity Dance

Hello!
I hope you are doing well as we gear up for the end of the school year! My name is Amy Skinner and I am the Children’s Pastor at Journey Church and Camp Director for Sunnyside Kids Camp. I am reaching out to you with information about our camp running this summer from July 2-5, 2023 in Sylvan Lake for elementary-aged kids who have finished grade 1 until grade 4. This camp is supported by the Alberta Northwest Territories District of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) and kids from all denominations are welcome to attend!

Camp is an amazing time for kids to grow in their relationships with God, make friends with kids from across Alberta, and have fun participating in camp activities including crafts, games, and swimming!

You can register using this link: https://sunnysidekidscamp.campbrainregistration.com/

If you have any youth that are interested in developing their leadership experience, serving their community, making friends and having a blast, we are seeking amazing counselors who want to invest in the lives of children. Counselors must be 16+ and junior counselors must be 14+. They can apply using this link: https://sunnysidekidscamp.campbrainstaff.com/

Please pray for our camp that God would transform the lives of our children.

Odds & Ends:

Sign In/Out Form:

In an effort to reduce the amount of shared touched surfaces, we will be using a QR code that you will need to scan with your phone for signing in and out of the school. You can also use this link if you are in your vehicle and need to sign out a student but can’t scan the code. This means that students/parents/visitors can scan the QR code when entering or leaving the office/school to sign in or sign out on their own phone/device.

Parents will also be able to sign their kids out from their vehicle in the parking lot when they arrive to pick them up for appts. etc. please use the link above if you can’t scan the QR code. We do ask that parents pull into a spot (not bus lane) where they can contact the office to let them know you have arrived and we can make eye contact with you
from the staff/office door. Students must also stop by the office before leaving the school. At that point, once a connection is made, we are able to send students out to you.

Facebook Page: