LCES NEWS Langley Christian Elementary School

from the Vice-Principal’s Pen

The Mantle Elijah and Elisha. II Kings 2. I remember hearing the story as a child. Elijah’s task is done and as he is transported to glory he lets his mantle fall and Elisha picks it up. I even have a childhood picture in my mind of how it happened: a chariot, the cloak falling, Elisha

stooping to pick it up. The mantle is a rich velvety red in my version.

I’ve been thinking about that Bible story lately. Why? Because a mantle is quietly being handed over at LCS right now. Of course I am talking about the leadership transition that will take place when Susan Dick leaves her position as principal after 14 years. Susan took on this role all those years ago recogniz-ing and accepting both the authority and responsibility of the principal mantle. A principal is and does so many things, most behind the scenes, but also some that are visible every day. Our principal, Susan, is a very visible person. Susan signs up for morning opening-car-door duties, allowing

her to greet children by name at the beginning of their day. She knows your child by name.

Every Monday morning no matter the busyness of the week ahead Susan makes her way through the foyer welcoming children filing down for chapel and then joining whichever class might need a teacher to sit with them.

Every day she makes the rounds with basket and ribbons in hand, wishing children their happy birthday. That is some 500 birthdays times 14 years!

Lost a tooth? Susan congratulates each child who loses a tooth at school giving them a sticker and a small envelope to transport their tooth safely home for the tooth fairy.

Susan takes time at recess and lunch to sit with colleagues in the staff room to share conversation.

Susan’s mantle as I have experienced, is multi-coloured and dapples in the light. It is made of beautiful fabrics and is woven full of stories and rich memories and love. We do not talk about it much, but we are preparing for this transition in quiet ways. The mantle is being passed on bit by bit. The mantle is being picked up lovingly, holding hopes and dreams for a God-ordained future.

Issue 6 April 10, 2017

Calendar of Events

April 12 Parent Info Meeting

7pm @ Elementary campus

Track and Field Club begins

April 16 Online tickets sales for

HONK! Musical begin

April 17 Hot Lunch/Western Dress-up day

April 18 Reading Link Competition

April 19 Student Led Conferences

April 20-21 New Playground Installation

April 25 19 200 Relay @ Rotary Stadium

April 27 HONK! Online ticketing closes

All tickets must be paid for

May 1 Remaining HONK tickets

for sale at front office area

May 3 Children’s Hospital Jeans Day

Buy your $5 pin at the ES office

May 8 Ready, Set, Learn!

Register your 3 or 4 year olds

May 15 & 17 HONK! Musical @ 6:30 pm

Note: new ticketing procedures

The spring musical is just around the corner and this year we are excited to present Honk! the musical. Here are a few reminders for you regard-ing this special event:

Performances

There will two evening performances, May 15 and 17

at 6:30pm. Children are expected to attend both

nights. The chorus is an essential component of the

musical and even a small number of absent children

greatly impacts the quality of the performance.

Attendance at the performances is a part of the

learning outcomes for music this term.

A drive-thru/pick-up lane will be in use for both

performances to alleviate parking lot congestion. We

strongly encourage you to use these for any

performances that you are not attending.

Dress Code for Performances

Grade 3’s: they will be representing snow so we ask

that they wear white oversized shirts (no logo) and

dark bottoms

Grade 4’s: they will be representing geese so we ask

that they wear gray tops and bottoms

Grade 5’s: they will be representing farmers so we

ask that they wear jeans, overalls or jean skirts with

checked shirts

Ticketing Procedures!!

We appreciate your patience and understanding as

we undertake this new process!

A letter with detailed ticketing information will be sent

home on Tuesday, April 10th. Please read through it

carefully, taking note of important dates.

Of note:

On April 16th, an email will be sent out from our

development office with detailed instructions and

access to our new online ticketing system.

Each family will be able to reserve 2 tickets only

during this stage of release. Tickets can only be

reserved using the online system.

All reserved tickets will need to be picked up and paid

for by 3:30 on Friday, April 27th.

All remaining tickets (and unpaid tickets) will go on

sale on Tuesday, May 1st as first come, first serve at

the elementary campus. A maximum of 4 additional

tickets per family will be available at this time.

All ticket sales are final (no returns or exchanges un-

less you choose to donate them back to the school).

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer tickets to

volunteers, although you are greatly appreciated!!!

Ticket prices are $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for

children.

presents

(Available in the elementary office)

Comings and Goings You definitely know it is Spring when all the staffing changes start to fall into place. Here are some of the changes you can expect for next year. Many of you will know that Mrs. Lauren Green and her husband Randy, recently welcomed their first son, Ju-dah Green. With a last name of Green, it is very fitting that baby Judah was born on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. Their little family is doing well. Although we said goodbye to Lauren (for awhile), we are very happy to welcome Ms. Nard Lee into Grade One. The students and teacher have made the adjustments well. Mrs. Courtney Jansen Van Doorn, and her hus-band Micah, are also expecting in May. While baby JVD is doing well, the doctor wanted Courtney to start her maternity leave earlier than she had intended so Court-ney can get the rest she needs. Because of this, we are also excited to welcome Mrs. Kate Reimer into Kinder-garten. We are also very pleased to announce that Ms. Pam Marissen will be joining LCS Elementary next year as our new assistant principal. Pam previously worked at Surrey Christian Elementary School where she taught for many years. Most recently, Pam has worked the last three years as a faculty advisor for education students in their Professional Year Program at Trinity Western University. She will be great addition to the admin team next year, working alongside Jenny deGroot (Assistant Principal) and John van der Leek (Principal). Please welcome all these new teachers when you get a chance to meet them.

From the Athletics Dept.

The 19 200 m relay is coming up on the morning of Wednesday, April 25 at Rotary Stadium in Ab-botsford. We will be taking 32 grade four and five students. Further details will be coming home soon for those athletes involved in this event. Grade four students will be back at school in plenty of time to leave for their swim lesson.

The CESS track and field meet takes place on Wednesday, May 23 at Macleod Park in Langley. This is an all-day event for all of our grade four and five students. Many volunteers will be needed to help with this event which is hosted by LCS. Again, fur-ther details to follow.

We will be offering after school track and field prac-tices on Thursdays for those in grade four and five who would like to sign up. Practices are from 3:00-4:15 on April 12, 26 and May 3, 10. There is no practice on April 19 because of student-led con-ferences and no practice on May 17 because of the school musical. We are also looking for volunteers to help with the practices.

Thank you for your support of our emerging athletes!

Ready, Set, Learn! is a BC government spon-sored program for 3 and 4 year olds. RSL is all about providing good information about how to support a young child’s early learning and de-velopment. Families who attend this event take part in play-based activities while finding out about early learning programs and services.

This year we are holding the event on Tuesday, May 8th with sessions at 11:30-12:30 and 1:30-2:30 . P lease register your 3 or 4 year old child by Friday, May 4th. More information will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.

Grade 4 swim lessons have begun!

Student-Led Conferences

Student-led conferences are scheduled for Thursday, April 19 between 4:00-5:15 pm and 6:00-7:30 pm. You will receive a memo about these conferences next week.

For those of you who are new to our school this year, student-led conferences are an opportuni-ty for your child to share highlights of his/her learning and growth over the year. Each child will appreciate your undivided attention, so

please make arrangements to leave babies and preschoolers at home so you can concentrate on what your child is sharing with you. School aged children may sit in on the conferences of their siblings, or await their turn in the library where they may quietly read, draw, or work on homework. Students may only play outside on the playground if they are under the direct su-pervision of one of their parents. The gym and library will be closed.

In honour of the Humboldt Broncos and all who were affected by the horrific crash this week, we will be participating in Jersey Day on April 12th. We encourage families to have age-appropriate conversations about why we are wearing jerseys on Thursday.

New Playground Installation: Volunteers Needed

We are very excited that Langley Christian Elemen-tary's new playground will be delivered and installed this month. The planned installation date is April 20 and 21 and we need 6-12 volunteers. If you would be willing to assist with installation on either or both days, please let John van der Leek know.

Gondo Guests!

After months of eager anticipation the Gondo team arrived last Thursday evening. The team spent this past Monday at the elementary campus, beginning with chapel and then meeting children and teachers in their classrooms. Over the next two weeks they will immerse themselves in our school and in our west coast Canadian culture. The team is made up of two grade 10 and two grade 11 female students accompanied by a staff member and a pastor. Gon-dolikhethwa Christian School is located in northern South Africa and has been in a sister relationship with LCS since 2005. On alternate years teams visit here and South Africa.

A heartfelt thank you to all students, families and staff who have gone out their way to serve as hosts at school and in your homes.

Welcome to Margriet Ruurs Last Thursday was full day in the LCS library. Author Margriet Ruurs gave presentations to all the classes. This was a return visit as Margriet visited LCS in 1998. Margriet has authored 40 books and traveled to 52 countries for research and school visits. She spoke about what inspires her in writing both fiction and non-fiction. Whether telling us about Emma, the hen, inspired by her own flock of chickens, to the research involved for the Children Around the World series, a true story about a baby elephant adoption or a Syrian refugee family, all classes were attentive, polite and asked very thoughtful questions. Your child will certainly be able to share something with you about this special day. Reading Link On Wednesday, April 18, the winning LCS team, LCS Lightning Readers, will head over to Gordon Greenwood Elementary School to participate in the Langley district Reading Link challenge. The team is proud to represent our school and we know that they will do their best in their efforts to move on to the district level challenge. Way to go, Joanne, Isaac, Lavinia, Mackinley, Sam and Zachara!

Grade 4 students enjoyed a trip to William's Park to participate in a program called "Streaming Along". The workshop taught us how to determine if a stream is healthy and a good place for salmon to live and thrive. We measured the stream temperature, looked at water clarity and measured the pH. We also examined all the little critters living in the water. Our group leaders had scooped some water samples from the river and we looked for different bugs in the water. The presence of specific aquatic insects indicates the health of the stream as well as the availability of food for the salmon living in the stream. It was a great experience to learn about all the factors that are important to keep streams healthy and learn how we can be good stewards of God's creation.

It is with great excitement that the Kin-dergarten classes announce the arrival of 18 baby chick eggs! As part of our

Farm Unit, we will be anxiously counting the 21 days until "Hatch Day!"