CCS Plugged In

 

“Did the chicks hatch yet?” Every morning, for 21 days in April, the Kindergarteners would ask this question and run up to our incubator to find out. Mrs. Marybeth Esau, a former employee at the school and now enjoying retirement on her hobby farm, gave us 22 chicken eggs to put in our incubator. While we were patiently (or not so patiently waiting) for the eggs to hatch, we were finding out what chicks need to survive, what they look like when they are developing inside the egg, their life cycle, and other important information. We read some information books about them and some funny fictional stories about chickens and roosters, too. We also made predictions about how many eggs would hatch. Every day we would also pray for the chicks that were going to hatch.

On Monday, April 19, our first chick hatched and was named Flash Gordon by our special helper, Jackson. Over the next few days, 18 chicks would hatch in total (out of 22) which was wonderful. Every child and adult that works in the class got to name a chick. Over the next 2 weeks, we got to watch, hold, and pet the chicks. We loved when they were soft and quite small. We noticed that they grew quickly and that their talons and beaks were very sharp. We loved to hear their cute little cheeping sounds and found out that they were especially noisy when we were singing. Overall, the students enjoyed learning about the chicks and were in awe about how God created these little creatures so amazingly and different from us and other animals.

We love being creation enjoyers and look forward to more opportunities to continue to learn about how we need to care for God’s creation, including the animals that He created. We want to thank Mrs. Esau, and Mrs. Crystal Whitford, who is now taking care of our chicks on her farm and provided the brooder, heat lamp, food, bedding, and the dishes that we needed. Maybe one day, we can visit her farm and see how our chicks are doing.

In Applied, Design, Skills and Technologies this term we learned how to hand sew and use sewing machines. Mrs. Braam told us about a need for baby blankets in our community, so we decided to make quilts and donate them to the CDC for children and moms in need in Terrace.

To start off we split into pairs and planned out our quilt designs. It was hard work but still enjoyable. Once our designs were complete, we chose colourful fabrics and began to cut squares…. 49 in total. This took very long because the squares have to be exactly the same. A few squares had to be redone in the process.

After we cut our squares, we started to assemble our patterns and attach them with tape, until w

e were satisfied with the final design.

Before we could start using the machines, we had to learn how to properly thread the machines and use them. This proved to be an interesting process, we learned a lot!

Then we sewed….

We had to remember to put the “good” sides together, to keep the edges lined up with the foot, follow the pattern (sometimes the seam rippers were a popular tool), fill the bobbins and re-thread the machine.

We are relieved to be done, proud of the final result, and excited to have finished our first projects on a sewing machine, it was totally worth the effort.

 

  

Some people believe that the great questions of life can be solved by simply taking a walk. We tested this theory last month in Grade ⅘.

Our current unit in Social Studies is one that looks at the three levels of government: federal, provincial, and municipal. One of the key questions in the Grade five social studies curriculum is “What level of government has the most effect on your daily life?”. To answer this question, the Grade ⅘ class took to the streets of Terrace armed with clipboards and enough curiosity to seriously threaten a cat . We began our adventure in our own backyard, discussing the role of the provincial government in our educational system. We then took a route that brought us past the courthouse, medical buildings, Taylor Bachrach and Ellis Ross’s offices, BC liquor stores, bus stops, and many many more physical representations of the three different levels of government.

And of course a quick donut break was needed to sustain our strength and energy on our journey 😉

 

After returning to school, we spent some time discussing how we could answer the pressing question and writing down our thoughts. Here’s what some students had to say:

 

“I think the provincial government has the most impact because I go to school and I use electricity.” – Elizabeth

 

“The municipal government affects my life the most because I make garbage everyday, I use roads everyday, I make sewage everyday and lots of other things.” – Olivia

 

“Municipal government because the most things impact me under it like parks, garbage, crosswalks, fire hydrants, and recycling.” – Jayden

 

Our discussion about government and community also included questions such as “How can we be a positive influence in our communities?” “What does it look like to be justice seekers in our school, town, and country?”. Students demonstrated thoughtfulness in their answers as they considered their roles as community builders and God worshipers in a broken world.

Educational strategies need do evolve in order to stay relevant. Over the last few years teachers at CCS have been reviewing different Learning Protocols and FLEx activities. One protocol that we enjoy using is the “Gallery Walk”.

Recently the grade 11/12 Composition 11 class was given a technical assignment in writing instructions. A gallery walk was incorporated in the learning and assessment portion of the assignment. Students’ finished assignments were hung around the room and they were given a set of learning targets with which to assess each others’ work.

 

The benefits of using this strategy are numerous and include  :

• Students are moving! So much of the day is spent sitting at desks. With a gallery walk, students get to stretch their legs, get blood flow going and are actively engaged with the topic.
• Students learn to critique kindly yet effectively.
• Students learn to take critique constructively.
• It promotes skills like analysis, evaluation and synthesis.
• It is a great demonstration of “more heads are better than one” and that collaboration often leads to a stronger project outcome.

The Primary Cohort participated in a ‘FLEx’ (Formational Learning Experience) in January. FLEx learning projects ‘are opportunities for the learner to engage in “real work that meets a real need for real people”—opportunities to practice living the kingdom story. (Teaching for Transformation)

Word reached our ears that Front-Line workers could use some encouragement. The pressures they are under because of the Covid pandemic has made their work extra challenging. The primary staff agreed that students would be interested in helping. They were right.

To spread the word, Mrs. Rolleman lead the primary cohort in an assembly that introduced the idea of encouraging Terrace’s front-line workers.  The kindergarten, grade 1 & 2, and grade 2 & 3 classes embraced the challenge.

Each class approached their projects differently. The kindergarten class created colourful posters that included a message of thanks and student art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The grade 1 and 2 class made a stellar thank you banner with individually painted hearts.

 

 

The grade 2 and 3 class created a fantastic flag banner with all students involved in creating art and messages of thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These art projects made it to the Mills Memorial Hospital where they were placed in the hospital staffroom.

 

 

(Thank you Carin Henschel for the ‘on-location’ pictures.)

Students tried their hardest in creating these messages of support and were motivated by the amazing efforts of the front-line workers.

 

‘I felt generous because they are really hard-working people.’  – Emily

 

‘I feel kind of happy that they have been working for us during Covid even though they don’t even know us.’  – Titus

 

‘It was cool because it probably made the Frontline workers very happy!’  – Josephine and Grace

 

The positive energy and effort that was evident in each of the primary classrooms during this project was a strong reminder of the importance of linking student work to real needs and real people.

 

In Christ,

Tim Block

 

 

What do Pacific salmon and wolves have in common?

 

Give up?

 

Each of these animals are identified as a keystone species.  A keystone species is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as, ‘a species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.’

To see an impressive story about how wolves as keystone species transformed Yellowstone park in the US, click the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q

In the course of a science unit which included learning about cells and systems within organisms, the Grade 6-7 class also explored the different species of Pacific salmon and their ability to thrive in a diverse range of environments throughout their life cycle and migration.   Salmon have tremendous importance to the people and the entire Skeena river watershed.  It is hard to overstate the importance of salmon to our province!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Literally bringing the truth about the significance of salmon home was the recent appearance of a new species of yellow salmon seen on the streets of Terrace!  Here’s a link to an article in the Terrace Standard giving the background on the reasons for the yellow fish painted on streets this fall:

https://www.terracestandard.com/news/dead-salmon-fry-found-in-terrace-stream-prompts-response-from-city/

In connection with our unit on salmon, a key concept which was learned at the conclusion of the unit was biomagnification.  Stemming from human activities, harmful materials which can be introduced to waterways become absorbed in micro-organisms.  These harmful materials are magnified in concentration as the micro-organisms are eaten by smaller fish, then by larger fish and eventually by species at the top of the food chain where the concentration of harmful materials is greatest (eg. Orcas & humans).

The Grade 6-7 students wrote poems, created yellow fish and wrote a summary of key learning about salmon as a keystone species and the concept of biomagnification.

These, along with a short video by students, were shared with the school to help raise awareness of the importance of our whole community to be thinking and acting as Earth Keepers, literally right where we live.  How awesome to see the complexity and intricacy in what God has created and sustains in our world through the lives of salmon in the Skeena watershed.  We are called to be stewards of what He’s created!

 

 

This term in Grade 4/5, students have been studying God’s creation of Rocks and Minerals.    Though rocks may seem basic and dull, we have been looking at how God created Rocks and Minerals for a purpose and that because of this we can delight in this creation.

In the Bible it says that even though God’s people might not proclaim Him as they ought to sometimes, God’s rocks will cry out to proclaim His majesty and might. This means that when we look at and consider how complexly rocks are made we cannot help but know that only God could have created such a thing.

Rocks are needed for so many different things: such as for making homes and roads and jewelry but also to form the very ground we stand on. In the Bible it also says that Jesus is a Rock and Fortress for any who believe in Him. We have considered as a class how building our life on Jesus is the only way to have a fulfilling purpose, peace and hope in our lives.

Finally, after a few weeks of waiting for the bears in Terrace to find a better hang-out spot, the Grade 4/5s went to Ferry Island to delight in rocks. There were four stations that these students participated in: 1) The snack station where students made an edible sedimentary rock with prepackaged cookies, smarties and chocolate or vanilla icing; 2) A Rock Painting station where they used their hearts and hands to paint messages of encouragement on rocks to leave at Ferry Island for others to find; 3) A Rock and Roll station where they learned a fun rock cycle chant that had us moving and grooving with actions; and finally, 4) a Rock Balancing challenge where we competed to have the highest rock structure.

Here are a few pictures of us being Creation Enjoyers, Beauty Creators, and Community Builders: …

 

 

To say that Athletics at CCS looks a little different this year is a bit of an understatement! We began this year waiting to hear from BC School Sports (BCSS) about what stage we would be in. In the Spring of last year BCSS cancelled the entire spring season, meaning no Track and Field season for our students. This was quite a loss to our Senior Students who were looking forward to competing at provincials for the last time. We were really hoping that some form of Athletics would be allowed this year.

At the start of this year, BCSS stated that all schools were in stage 2. This meant that practicing with a learning group was possible, but no game play or events could be arranged between schools. This is one of the times that being a small school has its advantages. As the tagline for the Vinyl Café attests, “We may not be big, but we’re small!” High school learning groups can have up to 120 people in them, so for us that means that all our high school teams could practice.

The first sport to be affected by this was cross country. BCSS decided to run a virtual cross-country event that high school students across the province could participate in. Tim Block coached six students who braved the elements and ran 3K a few times, with their best time being entered into the race. It was great that BCSS created an event that the students could participate in! We will post results as soon as they come in! Thank you, Mr. Block!

 

Volleyball is a little different. How do you run a virtual volleyball game? You can’t! We did not want our students to miss an entire season, so we ran practices 2X a week for our Junior and Senior students. Because of our small size we were able to add alumni to our learning group and they joined in the senior practices. We are very thankful for alumni who saw the need and were willing to join the group and come to practices offering competition to our senior team. We were very impressed with our athletes’ commitment to hard work at practice, even when there were no games to work toward – Well done SeaHawks!

This past Saturday we wrapped up our Volleyball season with a game night at the old Thornhill Jr. Gym. The coaches planned an evening of different volleyball games, trying to give the athletes a taste of what game play is like. Luke Shimizu and Luke Block won the titles as “King of the Beach/Court”. Ben Carter and Sawyer Clunas won the serving game. And Luke Block was the last CCS player standing in a game of “tennis”, which included all the alumni as well. The evening ended with a best of three match in uniform. The senior team played the Alumni and Juniors played each other with their coaches, with the Northwest Zone COVID Cup Championship on the line.

 

 

Thank you to Jakob Kort and David Bakker for all the time and energy you put into our Junior team! Your Christian example is valued by our school and makes a positive impact on our athletes! Thank you also to Cole Nutma and Joel Ringma for your commitment to our Senior players. This could have been a total loss to our Seniors, but you challenged them to work hard and improve and made it a season that they will not forget!

Ella Ringma – Athletic Director

(Editor’s note: We also thank Ella Ringma for her tireless devotion to all things CCS, but especially to our athletics program. This volleyball season could easily have fallen victim to the pandemic, as it did in so many schools, but Ella and our coaches refused to let that happen and the students reaped the benefits of their determination. We are blessed to have you!)

What is FLEx?

When we talk about FLEx at CCS, we are referring to a Formational Learning Experience that connects to a lesson or unit. It is intended to connect learning with real life experiences and the teachers at CCS try to integrate FLEx into their planning.  For the last number of weeks, the Grade 2/3 class has been doing a unit on the topic of water. This unit has given us plenty of opportunity to connect what we learn in the classroom with the world around us. A couple of FLEx examples connected to water are described below. 

The book, “The Water Princess” led to a discussion about water distribution around the world. Daniel Talstra came to speak to our class about water issues as they relate to his work with the “Mennonite Central Committee” in Zambia. We learned that as North Americans we use 12 liters of water a day compared to 2 liters used by most people around the world! We also learned that for many people having access to clean water is difficult. Daniel’s visit got us thinking and talking about ways we can help others have access to clean water.

We decided to raise money for a water filter through the organization “World Renew”. Students are finding ways to earn extra money at home so we can reach our goal of $115.00. Not sure what a water filter is or does, students spent an afternoon making water filters.  This was so much fun, but it left us wondering about our own water and how it comes to us clean right out of the tap!  We look forward to a class visit from Rob Hoekstra who works for the City of Terrace to explain this to us! These FLExs (Formational Learning Experiences) help us discover ways we can be justice seekers, community builders and earth keepers!

(Anita Struyk)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Wet and Wonderful Field Trip to Furlong Bay 

On a wet and cloudy fall day in October, the 2/3 class of Centennial Christian School took time to be creation enjoyers and explorers by taking a field trip to Furlong Bay. This field trip was a perfect opportunity for the students to explore water in their local area. As their teachers, Anita and I were thrilled to see them learning in an “outdoor classroom” setting, where they could ask questions, be active, and observe God’s creation. It was great to have 3 BC Parks officers with us who could answer questions too.

After arriving at Furlong Bay, our class walked about 1 km of the Twin Spruce Trail, that ended at the Furlong Bay beach. Along the way, students observed water in small creeks and riverbeds. They were able to see some of the concepts they had learned about in the classroom, such as erosion, weathering, deposition, collection, and the water cycle, in a real-life context! When they had questions, the BC Parks officers were there to answer. 

Once our class arrived at the beach, they were given the task of creating a structure that had a waterway. The students practiced being Community Builders while working with a group of 2-3 students. It was awesome seeing each group in action, busy at the “work” of creating and playing together, sharing responsibilities and making plans together. At the end of the allotted time, each group shared what they had built with the rest of the class. As they poured water into their newly created waterways, the students saw and felt erosion, a key concept that our class learned in this unit. 

To culminate the field trip, the class took cover from the rain in a nearby shelter. There, each student had 15 minutes to write about the field trip in their “outdoor journal.” Each student got to work writing about the day’s events, the feelings they had about the day, and drawing pictures of their favorite memories. The lessons learned and memories made during our trip to Furlong Bay will not soon be forgotten! 

(Susan Lehman)    

 

 

On April 26, I made the trek to the CEBC Northern Teachers Convention which was hosted by Houston Christian School. Knowing that the focus would be to explore the gift of creation, I was thrilled to attend, and it did not disappoint! The staff led us to encounter God through worship, speakers, and time outdoors in a spectacular way.

Cheryl Bear spoke to us of the deep connection indigenous people have with the land. I found myself wondering if reconciliation is all about invitation. Is it about inviting our First Nations community members to speak to students, board members, and school communities about both hurting and moving forward together? There is a hunger to speak; is there a hunger to listen and to understand? As a result, my teaching partner and I contacted each indigenous parent in our class to speak to our students on topics such as family structure, faith, language, governance, storytelling, and the importance of being on the land.

Dr. Dezene Huber, a professor at UNBC, presented compelling and sobering data of how deeply creation is groaning. The statistics he shared with us brought me to tears as I thought about how our Father must feel about the current state of affairs on His planet. It stirred in me also a strong desire to rise up, speak out, and lead students on a path of restoration. This is the beautiful thing about our profession; we are able to share Dezene’s message with our students, together pondering and inquiring as to how we, God’s image reflectors, may have a shalom-making role in reversing the damage. Education is a powerful tool to bring about change.

My favourite part of the convention was the time I spent outdoors with Cindy Verbeek, a passionate advocate for environmental stewardship. She shared numerous helpful tips and activities in helping students engage with nature. I already take students to our “outdoor classroom” at a local park regularly, but found myself asking: Is creation a place where God wishes to reveal himself to me (and my students) in ways that I could never have dreamed? Have my students experienced God in an intimate way in His creation? Could spending time in nature, discovering the intricacies of His creation, draw students closer to Him and ignite in them a passion to make personal choices that will impact our world?

Thank you, staff at HCS, for a job well done! My head and heart were stirred by the speakers and workshop leaders as they engaged us in exploring creation on a deeper level. I feel more equipped to be a justice seeker and earth keeper.