Class Trip to Mrs. Van Dyke's Pondby Gr. 3/4/5

We had a spectacular time on our field trip to the pond! We had totrek through acres of brush and forest before we finally reachedthe pond. We began by using our five senses to investigate thispond community. It smelled swampy and like cedar trees, lookedreally cool, felt squishy and mucky, we heard crickets and needlessto say, we didn't taste it! We began hunting for creatures thatmade their home there. Using our pails and mason jars, wescooped water outof the pond to seewhat we could dis-cover.We saw a lot ofdifferent organ-isms that lived inand around thepond community.At the pond we sawlots of God'sunique creaturessuch as red bloodworms (which weput under the mi-croscope – sweet!), tadpoles and frogs, damselfly nymphs and water spiders. We saw a lot of plants that create homes forthese animals. We returned to school with some mini-habitats andseveral soakers!

TCS ContactFall 2013Timothy Christian Schooltcswilliamsburg.ca

Noah V and Aaron M findsomething from the pondvery interesting!

From the Board - Art PolSelling the Mission of our School

“Timothy Christian School is an independent elementary school that educates children throughChrist-centered, quality programs that combine faith and learning.”

The preceding statement indicates who we are, what we do, and how we do it. It is the foundationof the school. The mission of the school is central in all decisions that the board makes. It helps usto stay focused on what is important and why God has called us to do the work we are doing.

While most supporters and parents of TCS understand these things, it never hurts to do somereflection as to why these things are important. We need to develop a clear understanding inourselves why TCS exists, why it is important, and the role it plays in our children’s lives and inour community. When we ourselves understand these things we can better educate others.Hopefully they will also see the need for the existence of a Christian school in their communityand also the necessity of having their children attend it.

All good boards need to be governed by excellent, well thought out policies, so starting this year,led by Gary Postma, we are doing a complete review of all of our policies. As Gary continues to

grow into the role of COO and more away fromthe traditional principal model, it changes how weas board operate. Gary will be taking a muchmore active role in our board meetings such ashelping to set agendas, reporting on the day today operation of the school and taking the leadrole in marketing and recruiting on our behalf.We have been encouraged by his willingness togrow into this role and while there may be somestruggles along the way it will be better for us allin the end. We are also working on doing aCOO/Principal evaluation and an ad-hoccommittee was formed to carry out this task. Weare hoping this work will be completed inDecember.

We have been blessed again with an excellent staff that works hard every day instructing ourchildren, looking after our facilities, and making sure everything operates as smoothly as possiblefor both students and parents. Their hard work and love for their students and their dedication tohelp us fulfill our mission is a wonderful blessing. Please be sure to take some time to thank themfor all they do.Many people work together to ensure TCS continues to open its doors every day. We are verythankful for each and every one of you who has helped us in any way. God has blessed us bysurrounding us with strong Christian people full of love for our school and our students. Thegenerous way you give of your time, finances, and your prayers for us are greatly appreciated.Lastly, but most of all, we need to acknowledge how good God has been to us. Despite our manyweaknesses, He continues to bless us and nothing is possible without His blessing. Continue topray that we will faithfully serve Him in all we do and seek His will and desire for TCS.We invite all parents, members, and supporters to join us at our fall membership meeting onNovember 26. Come and learn more about what God is doing at TCS and share in ourthanksgiving to Him.

Teacher Interview: Phillip Craig

Mr. Postma (GP): So Mr. Craig, how do you like your first teaching job?Mr. Craig (PC): It's been a lot of fun so far. I've been very blessed having such a great class.It's pretty small, with a lot of really good kids. We've had a lot of fun so far, and hopefully thatcontinues.

GP: Anything unexpected in this first teaching job of yours, Phillip?PC: I think every day brings something unexpected. As much as you prepare for the day, thekids will say something or steer the conversation in unexpected ways. Every day brings its ownchallenges and it definitely keeps you on your toes. But that also keeps it exciting. It's good.

GP: Can you tell us a little aboutsome of your interests and hobbies?PC: Oh, I'm a big sports guy. I love tobe active. I have also worked at a lotof camps and I always love workingwith kids and trying to get somesmiles on their faces.

GP: You've done video voice-overs.What's that all about?PC: Well, when you develop a deepbass voice when you're in grade 7,you have a lot of opportunities. I'vedone a lot of radio work and I've donea couple of video game voice-overs.It's just something fun that I do thatgets my creative side out.

GP: You like having your kids exercise quite a bit before learning. Can you tell us what yourthinking is on that?PC: Studies have shown that when kids are active, their attention span increases. Just havingthe blood flowing a little more in the morning gets them more awake and ready to learn.

GP: Phillip, how did you like your first teachers' convention?PC: The convention was a really good time. There were a lot of ideas and it was really nice, es-pecially for a young teacher like myself, to go and learn from older teachers, people who havebeen around the block a couple of times and know the bumps in the road. So just being able togo there and get a lot of the resources that they can provide was a very rewarding experience.

GP: Your thoughts, Phillip, about the upcoming volleyball game between the 7/8 team and theteachers. Word on the street is that you're the captain of the teachers. How do you think it's go-ing to go?PC: I played some fairly competitive volleyball for a while, so even though I know Mr. Postmahas been really working the 7/8 team pretty hard, I'm looking forward to meeting them on thecourt and showing them how it's done.

GP: Thank you very much for your time, Mr. Craig.PC: Thank you.

From the Fundraising team - Christine VanDenBroek

School has started once again and so have our fundraisingefforts to keep tuition as low as possible. On September 21,Timothy Christian School held its biennial golf tournament.Despite the rainy weather, we had 54golfers join us for a day of golfing atCedar Glen and another group joinedafterwards for the dinner. The commit-tee that made this happen consistedof Bill Byker, Wes Douma, Art Pol,and Lambert Joldersma. We thankthem for putting this together onceagain. We had just over 30 business-es sponsor holes and door prizes. Bigthanks to them for supporting ourschool! At the end of the day, the to-tal amount raised for TCS was a littleover $20,500!

This year the apple pie selling took adifferent approach. The kids from TCS went and sold applepies to family and friends, boosting the sales quite a bit. Thetop selling class got to celebrate with a pie and ice creamsnack. (Yum!) There were 798 pies made this year. Manythanks to all who donated materials, made, bought, and soldthese pies. Every bit of fundraising helps our school.

Kindergarten Trip to the Apple Orchard

On Friday, September 20th, we went to Dentz's Apple Orchard. Mrs.Dentz took us for a walk through the orchard and we all got to picka yummy apple to eat. After, Mr. Dentz took us for a ride on awagon. We got to see lots of things - apple trees, strawberryplants, irrigation tubes, a big fan for protecting the apple treesfrom frost, and some big machinery. The Dentz's even gave us abag of apples to take back to the school. We made apple crisp withthem. We had a great time on our trip to the apple orchard.

The winning foursome: RalphDeKleine, Dave DeKleine, DerrickDon, Albert Zandbergen

Grade 7/8 represented the school at the annual soccer tournament held at the end of Sep-tember. The students were then given the task of writing about the day from different points ofview. The first is from the point of view of Mr. Postma, who coached the team, and the second is"written" by the ball!It was a sunny, beautiful day. I, Mr. Postma, had a long day ahead of myself. I agreed to come as a coach for theTimothy Christian School's grade 7/8 soccer team. I organized the team to the way I thought would produce the bestresults. My real mission, though, was because they train close to the tournament site in Ottawa, to gain intelligencefor JTFO (Canadian Navy Seals.) Because of word limits on this story and the obvious security concerns involved,you'll understand that I won't be able to include any specifics about that in this report.

I had woken up earlier that morning and was slightly tired as we neared Greely, where the tournament would takeplace. When we arrived, we unloaded the students from the vans and headed to the pavilion. There was still dew on theground as we started our first game. My team played hard yet lost 2-0. I kept my eyes on the game but every now andthen looked over to the treeline that I was keeping tabs on, but can't provide details. After the game we had an hourand a half break. I took out my phone and did some research on the Greely area. Unsupervised, most of the teamwandered into the treeline and struggled to remove a tire from a stream in there and bring it back to the pavilion.After they returned, I scolded them about going into the treeline unsupervised. I did not mention, though, the potentialdanger lurking in the forest.

I encouraged the team to practice on a nice open patch of grass. We practised for a while and then the second gamebegan. The team played better that game and we tied 2-2 against a toughopponent. A 40 minute break was long enough for me to investigate thetreeline.

The next game was about to start. The team played very well, but the otherteam kept scoring goals. In the end, we lost 5-0. After the game, Icontinued my investigation. My efforts failed to yield any usefulinformation and using the time before the next game, I contacted mysuperiors to report my findings. That ended that part of my day.

After some more practice, the last game of the day began. From the veryfirst minute of play, I could tell we would do well that game. We scored a goal early. Then we scored again and again.In the end it was 5-0; a victory for us! It was a great way to end the day. We loaded up and headed home. When wearrived at the school, the team was able to enjoy well earned Popsicles (except for one car load, which had stoppedfor Tim Horton’s ice caps.) Over all, it was a great day.

Aiden M, Jillian W, and Joshua P.

I was held by a ref. Suddenly I was dropped and kicked around in the wet grass. I was kicked past the keeper; the scorewas 1-0. I was kicked to the centre of the field. I had no clue what was going on! Suddenly, I was kicked to the otherside of the field. The player was kicking me faster and faster. I didn't know what would happen next. Saying I was get-ting dizzy would be an understatement! He took the shot and I went out of bounds. Next I was thrown on to the fieldand kicked again. Obviously, they had no respect for me and then again I was kicked to the other side of the field. Whenwere they going to give up? I was passed back to the keeper and then he caught me. It was comforting to be held fora little while, but then he, too, booted me down the field where players from both teams tried to get at me. I've beenbruised and bumped this whole game, but I'm a survivor, and without me, there is no game!Hope J, Josiah L, Reuben V.

From the Maintenance team - Jack Van GilstThe work of the maintenance committee includes both large projects like the renovation of thegym ceiling last December and small projects like repairing windows and changing door locks.Some of these repairs are covered by the annual budget. Some, like the playground, are paid forby special fund raising and still more are paid for by specific donations. The repairs and renova-tions are done by members of the maintenance team with help from others of the school society.This past summer two projects were done without any involvement of the maintenance team. Wewould like to thank Sim Berkelaar for making and installing the extra frames to display the gradu-ation class photos, and Margaret Ten Brink and Lydia Van Dyke for painting the accent walls inthe classrooms and the staff room. We would also like to thank Jonah Van Dyke for all the workhe did during the summer months in preparing the building for the next school year.The school building always needs some maintenance, just like our homes do. Currently we arelooking at replacing the windows in Room 4 and replacing the exterior doors in the south eastcorner of the school. In the long term we are looking at improving and enlarging the front en-trance and foyer of the school. If you have any ideas or suggestions for this renovation, pleasedirect them to the maintenance committee.Jack Van Gilst

Grade One Museum trip

We had a lot of fun at the Mu-seum of Science andTechnology!Our favourite partwas the red caboose becausewe got to go up into it, andclimb into the sleeping beds. An-other favourite place was theCrazy Kitchen. We got to seeourselves on TV, and we feltcrazy when we walked through!Some of us even fell down!We got to watch science experi-ments, and our favourite onewas when the man caused anexplosion by putting hot waterinto liquid nitrogen. It went KA-BOOM, and even hit the ceiling!We also liked to climb the digitallight maze, and we got to godown the slides. We also ran ina giant hamster wheel. It cre-ated energy that made the lightsgo on. We had a great day!

Lydia Van Dykepainting the ac-cent wall inroom 1

From the Finance team - Brian Vandenberg

“Where God guides, God provides.” This quote came from a TCS cookbook that was made29 years ago and filled with lots of good recipes, very fitting for us as we start the 51stschool year.

The 2012/2013 school year started with a small deficit budget. We were blessed with twofamilies that joined us during the year. We hired a computer teacher, repaired the gym roof,replaced the oil furnace tank, and painted the existing roof. A challenge went out to thesupporting community to raise $50,000 – one thousand for every year of TCS's existence –a goal that was exceeded along with a great 50th anniversary celebration in June.

We finished the school year with small but positive cash flow results, thankful to the Lordfor all his provisions at each step of the way. As your treasurer, it's amazing that the sup-port, fundraising and tuition income arrives in just enough increments to pay all the bills.We thank God for His providence.

We prepared the current school budget lastspring, based on results of our annualquestionnaire to families regarding theirstatus for the following (current) schoolyear. All families who responded, exceptfor one, indicated that they were expectingto return in the fall. When we started thenew school year, four new families enrolledtheir children but we also unexpectedly re-ceived word from six families that theywould not be returning. This left us withover $50,000 lower income for the yearthan initially budgeted.

To overcome this, we reduced expensesby $12,000 and received two large donations. We have asked our membership to contrib-ute as well in the membership renewal letter and have received some response. To date,we estimate a projected deficit of approximately $9,000 for August 2014. We are thankfulto be able to manage a reasonable projected deficit. However, we have much work aheadto not only meet the budget, but to also raise more income or reduce expenses. Pleasecontinue to pray for this to be resolved.

This past summer, Ellen Biemond was hired as our new administrative assistant, replacingthe retired Truujse Berkelaar. Ellen is gifted with both administrative and bookkeeping qual-ifications and we are thrilled to have her on staff as the school is moving towards having allbusiness-related work handled at the school. This transition will take some time but thegoal is that all financial matters, including inquiries from parents and donors, will be han-dled by the school administrative staff, a model adopted by other Christian schools. Wethank Truusje for her dedication and diligent work as the administrative assistant for the last25 years (bookkeeper for 10) and she will most certainly be missed.

Haley VG looks ready to slay the deficit!

We are also moving towards our principal taking on the responsibility of COO, referred to earlier inthe Contact. In this model, at least ten percent of Gary Postma’s time will be spent on promotionsand building relationships (by visiting churches, potential families, etc.), with the rest spent on run-ning the day to day school tasks, in addition to his teaching duties. Please pray for a smooth tran-sition as the role of the traditional principal changes.

If you know of any potential families who would benefit from quality Christian education, pleaseforward these names to the school. Remember the Christian school in your community is there toserve Christian families in the surrounding area. Please pray for more young families to desirewhat Timothy Christian School has to offer.

From the Principal - Gary Postma

•We have a wonderful theme going this year: God's Fellow Workers.

•Heidi Blokland is doing a great job in her new role as our JSK teacher, showing much patienceand providing much encouragement.

•Phillip Craig's enthusiasm is very contagious. His students like him a lot and his booming voicecan be heard all over the place. Phillip is a terrific addition to our teaching staff.

•Mrs. Biemond is fitting in very well as our new administrative assistant.She seems to get her varied assignments done faster than I canprovide new ones - that's a good sign going forward

•The accent walls painted by Lydia Van Dyke and Margaret TenBrink are much appreciatedby everybody! Thosesplashes of colour as onewalks down the hall lift yourspirits.

•Lorraine Howard is our new piano teacher and she is seeminglyadding new students all the time in this popular in-school program.

•I'm beginning a program of sending out monthly surveys to fiverandomly chosen families. The findings help me to understand how we're being perceived andhow we can improve.

•We have projectors sticking out of ceilings in most rooms, with three interactive white boards(IWBs) and a couple of screens paired with them. The school and the staff have madetremendous progress over the years at effectively implementing new educational technology.

JSK filling each other’s buckets!

Mrs. Biemond on a Fab Friday

Mrs. Howard teaching Laura D.

•I am extremely pleased with what I'm seeing in senior math. Katrina Geertsema handles withease complex problems and concepts. Students in 7/8 are well served by having her as theirmath teacher. Katrina also led the whole school recently in a math fair. That was lots of fun,

provided leadership opportunities for thekids in 7/8, and produced interestingresults such as groups figuring that theywere six Mr. Postmi tall!

•My job, as you've read elsewhere in theContact, is changing. I've picked up theprogram & personnel and the promotions& recruitment files. Much work has goneinto class visiting, shoring up our curricu-lum documents, and seeking to makeour communications more interestingand colourful. The Timothy Times is nowonly available in e-form. That allows usto include colour, pictures, comics, andlinks to interesting articles.

Plus, you don't have to worry about misplacing them, as all of the year's Times are available onour website.

•I will be soon be visiting with prospec-tive parents over coffee and donuts, of-ten accompanied by Ellen. We're goingto work hard at growing our wonderfulschool, one family at a time.

•The website, too, is going to keep expe-riencing change. Ellen has been gradual-ly taking over more of the site uploading,and we're soon going to be making iteven easier to access the Times, ourFacebook page, and relevant policiesand guidelines.

Thanks, parents, for your willingness towork closely with us.

Josiah L and Reuben V help younger kids understand circum-ference at the math fair.

Jessica D and Larissa W prepare their math fair learning station.

Timothy Christian SchoolSpring Membership MeetingTuesday, April 23, 2013 @ 7:30 pm

Opening Devotions: Art PolArt welcomed all of those who attended. We sang “Dwell in Me, O Blessed Spirit.” Art led devotionswith Scripture, reading from Matt. 25, and a devotional on “Using Our Talents” and ended with prayer.

Minutes: Juanita HawkinsReview of the minutes from our fall membership meeting on Nov. 27, 2012, as presented in the TCSContact, Spring 2013. The Board has pre-approved the minutes. Motion from Richard Zandbergen toaccept the minutes as presented, seconded by Calvin Dentz. Carried.

Business Arising from Minutes: None.

Principal's Report: Gary Postma“Lives Transformed” is our theme this year. Students study a different topic each week. Next year'stheme is “God's Fellow Workers.” Our Kindergarten teacher, Krystle DeJong, will be leaving at the endof the school year, as she is moving to Vancouver and will be greatly missed. Heidi Blokland will be ournew Kindergarten teacher. Chad Cole is our new IT teacher, and is doing very well. Phillip Craig will bethe new teacher joining us in September, teaching the 5/6 a.m. position. Currently enrolment is at 63students and 28 families. In the fall we'll have 63 students and 30 families. This coming Sunday eve-ning the 5-8 students will be singing with the Redeemer University Choir at Williamsburg CRC . Chris-tian Education week is May 5-10. Our theme will be “Living Stones”and the text is 1 Peter 2:5. We lookforward to Timothy's Got Talent and Grandfriends' Day.

Q: Is the dress rehearsal for TGT on Wed. May 8? A: Yes, at 2 pm.Q: Can you give a brief history on the new teacher, Phillip Craig? A: Gary reviewed his portfolio.Q: Can you give a brief history on Chad Cole? A: Gary reviewed Chad's portfolio.Q: Is there a church service for CEW? A: No, as the 50th Anniversary service will be held in June; andalso because the Promotions Committee resigned and was in charge of that.

Election of New Board Member: Art PolOur proposed new board member is Rudi Biemond. Jack VanGilst and John Knier officiated the ballotcollecting and counting. Art reviewed Rudi's profile.

Art reviewed the current work of the board. It is getting harder to get committee and board members;therefore, we are looking at the role of the Chief Operating Officer (COO.) New technology in the schooland classrooms is being discussed, ie: more SMART Boards, and tablets. Art welcomed Chad andPhillip to our staff; and sadly we say good-bye to Krystle. On behalf of the board, Art thanked the Mem-bership for all the work they do for us; we're very thankful for their support and prayers.

Financial Report: Brian VandenBergPresentation of the budget for the school year 2013/2014 as presented in the TCS Contact, Spring 2013.Currently the finance committee is working on the 50th anniversary and spring drive. They have built uptheir data base on supporters and were able to send out 565 letters for the spring drive. $20,000 hasbeen collected to date. We have a generous donor who is willing to do fund-matching. If we reach ourgoal, our spring budget will balance. Hopefully we'll be able to paint and repair the roof. Our wish listincludes: a new high-jump mat or a SMART board.Motion to accept the budget as presented by Calvin Dentz; seconded by Pat Havenaar. Carried

Q: How much would it cost to buy extra workbooks for students to use at home with their homework? A:Gary answered $10-12 per book per student.

Brian thanked the finance committee for their hard work. Their dedication and wisdom has provided uswith a balanced budget, and our 4th year without a tuition increase.

Election Results: Art PolRudi has been accepted and approved by the membership. Motion by Gary Postma to destroy the bal-lots; seconded by Lianne Tibben. Carried.

50th Anniversary Report: Margaret Ten BrinkThe committee has created an alumni database. They've been able to send out a mass email to helpcollect alumni information. They've put up posters, updated the website and our Facebook page with an-niversary announcements. It will be held the weekend of June 28-30. Margaret reviewed the itinerary forthe weekend. Tickets are available now for the dinner: $25/person, $45/couple or $75/family. 350 ticketsare available. Alumni books will be created; they can be ordered now or at the anniversary and will bedelivered later so that pictures from the reunion can be included.

Committee Updates: Art PolReports have been given in the TCS Contact, Spring 2013. Members are needed for the promotion andfundraising committees.

“Journey Back in Time” Video: Art PolPresentation of Art's conversation with Bill Harbers, a founding father of TCS.

Question Period:Comment: Chad started working at the school about 6 weeks ago, and has started a Facebook page.Our first comment was by the newest member – which was a positive comment.Comment: The board purchased a house for the 1st teacher at TCS 50 years ago.Comment: The school was looked down upon in society when we started 50 years ago. Now we areappreciated by our current society.

Closing: Art PolArt thanked everyone for coming this evening.Timmy's Place report: They received a government grant to hire a store manager. They have hired aTCS graduate. TCS is very blessed by contributions from Timmy's Place and the apple pie sales. Thegolf tournament this fall will be Sept. 28, 2013. A yard sale will be held May 4 at the Williamsburg CRCparking lot.Katrina Geertsma closed in prayer. Our closing song of praise was “Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Sky.”Meeting adjourned at 9:04 pm.

Agenda for fall membership meeting ofTimothy Christian School SocietyNovember 26, 2013 @ 7:30

Opening devotions: Song of Praise

Scripture reading and prayer led by Art Pol

Presentation and approval of minutes of Spring2013 membership meeting: Juanita HawkinsMotion: That the minutes of the springmembership meeting be approved as presented.Business arising from minutes

Principal's report: Gary Postma

Presentation of year end financials for schoolyear 2012/2013: Brian VandenbergMotion: That the financial statements for theschool year 2012/2013 be approved aspresented.Report from book reviewers: Brian Vandenberg

Board and committee updates

A new reading/language arts program in grade 1:Miss Alyssa Dekleine

Question period

Closing

Notes

Please support thebusinessesthat support us.

Beking’s Poultry FarmJohn & Cora Beking258.5396bekingseggs.com

Collins BarrowChartered AccountantsKathy Byvelds, CA774.2854collinsbarrow.com

Create It!Erin Van Gilst535.9942gardensbycreateit.com

DeJong MasonryKevin DeJong774.1418

Derrick DonConstructionEmily & Derrick Don989.5742

Dovetail CarpentrySteve Geertsema535.2214

Dundas Agri Systems652.4844dundasagri.com

Durant’s FlowersJohn VanBruinessen448.2354durantsflowers.com

Eastern EnginesWim & Alie Berghuis535.2488easternengines.com

Economy ElectricTerry Luchies826.2023

EXIT Realty SeawayHarold Douma363.9423exitrealtyseaway.com

EXIT Realty Matrix,BrokerageYpe (Joe) Van der Veen222.5105exitrealty.com

Finch Feed & Seed Ltd.Paul Oosterhof984.1335

H&I County SupplyGreg Van’t Foort652.4828

Investment PlanningCounselCindy Byker652.2409Ipcwealthmanagement.com

Lawrence DietrichIncome Tax & BookkeepingServices774.2164

Mike Dean's Super FoodStoresGordon & Pamela Deanmikedeans.com

Neil’s Radio & TVNeil Vandermeer652.4024

Oegema Nicholson224.1455ona.ca

Quintan Products Inc.Wes Douma774.3320

Royalty LimousineEd & Jolanda De Jong448.1759royaltylimousine.ca

Tri-Pro Protein Corp.Brian Vandenberg774.0141tricpro.ca

Whitteker Meat MarketLtd.Glen & Heather Whitteker535.2310

Winchester Auto ProPhil Van Noppen774.3189winchesterauto.ca