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Experience the Journey
Dear Visitor,
In the month of December, as a school, we focused on the practice of giving. 2 Corinthians 8:7b states: "Excel in the grace of giving." In this edition of "The Journey" you will read about a school-wide initiative to give a gift of money to six immigrant families in an effort to help them become established in Canada and how our JKCS Servant Team gave of themselves.
May the Lord bless us as we study the idea of giving, practice giving, and bless one another with our giving. May we continue to rejoice that the baby Jesus was born and represents the greatest gift of all, and that, as a result of our thankfulness, we give to one another!
Join Us As We JourneyGeorge Petrusma, Principal Have you ever thought about what defines community? Wikipedia defines it as "a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household."
Apply that definition to our school for a moment. The words that ring true for our situation include "interacting people, close proximity, common values, social cohesion, and larger than a household." Our school is defined as a community. Parents send their children to this school because the beliefs taught in this place match the ones taught at home and at church. We get along with each other and know that we are on the "same page."
 But there is another community that cannot be ignored. That is the extended community. There are many people who have been part of the John Knox history. The people who make up this community are part of who we are. They believe in our mission and vision. They want Christian education not only for their own relatives, but also for as many students as possible.
In my short time here, I have met people who have encouraged us to provide opportunities for former John Knox parents, John Knox alumni, and John Knox supporters to connect. That was the background to our first annual Alumni and Friends Dinner held on Friday, November 18, 2011.
We were excited to welcome to the dinner Mr. and Mrs. Gord and Pam Forbes, former Librarian and board member, and to hear from former principal Mrs. Lorna Keith. We had representation from our teachers and staff who enjoyed welcoming our guests. We wish to thank all our families who came out in support of John Knox. We trust you enjoyed the wonderful stories Mr. Jordan Kuyvenhoven shared from his grandparents, Hans and Gerrie Kuyvenhoven, and those shared by Mrs. Lorna Keith.
Our guests left the evening with renewed memories, history lessons, good fellowship, wonderful music and a gift CD; prepared and donated by the Salib family, featuring pictures and songs walking us through the past 52 years.
May the Lord continued to be praised as we partner with people who share the vision of Christian education for Christian families in the Oakville region!
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JKCS Servant Team The JKCS Servant Teams started the year off with a bang, washing pails at the Ontario Christian Gleaners bright and early one Saturday morning. The Ontario Christian Gleaners accepts donations of surplus or un-sellable fruit and vegetables, (four to six thousand pounds each day!), which are then cleaned, chopped, dehydrated and packaged into nourishing vegetable soup mix or fruit snacks for impoverished communities around the world.
The Gleaners celebrated their third year in business this past summer with their three millionth serving of soup.
One bag of soup mix, when re-hydrated, feeds over one hundred people. Four of these are then packed into donated pails, which, when opened by the communities, are used to carry water or serve as drums in worship services. The JKCS Servant Team washed over four hundred pails, meaning our school alone has helped to send 160,000 servings of food to people who truly need it.
Many thanks go out to the parents who joined us in our work and the students who did a great job serving our Lord in their community.
The Ontario Christian Gleaners is a truly remarkable organization. To learn more about this ministry or to see how you can become involved, visit their website: www.ontariogleaners.org.
Excel in the grace of giving! 2 Corinthians 8:6-7Betty Panza, Teacher Every month at John Knox, we are studying a different theme on loving our neighbour as ourselves. In the month of December, we emphasized "giving." Jesus gave of Himself when he left his perfect home and came down to this earth as a baby. We want to be like Jesus in our giving.
 This past December we worked with an organization called "Halton Multicultural Organization". We helped six immigrant families who have come from another country and are settling in the Halton region. They arrived into Canada with nothing and are supported by this organization to help them make a good start as they begin to settle down. Our goal was to raise about $1000 in total. We reached our goal and then some! Our students raised $1,594.12 which means each family received $265.68 on December 15, 2011.
We enjoyed listening to our guests who spoke to our student body. Thirteen year old Juan is a former resident of the program and has been in Canada for less than three years. Camila who is twelve years old, came to Canada in May of this year and is a new resident in the program. Both are originally from Colombia but fluent in English. They were very happy to share their experiences of what it was like to leave their country, friends and family behind to become residents of a new country. They spoke about their challenges, frustrations, fears and expectations.
It is our hope and prayer that lives of others were touched through our giving in December.
Christmas Performance Freewill OfferingWe were pleased to have had so many join us in the celebration of the birth of our Saviour during our Dec. 16th Christmas Performance, and we wish to thank you for your generous freewill offering.
We are excited to announce that we raised $6,672 as a result of your giving. A portion of this will go towards our annual fund campaign and a portion, ($400) will fulfill our commitment to EduDeo Ministries (formerly World Wide Christian Schools). EduDeo Ministries "...is a Canadian, Christian, mission organization serving children in developing countries with quality education rooted in a Biblical worldview." (www.edudeo.com).
We thank our Lord for His blessings, and we thank you for taking part in expanding Christ-centered education here at JKCS and worldwide.
Open House at JKCS 2012Jennifer Bergner Do you know a family who is thinking about a Christian education for their children?
Please be sure to let them know about our upcoming Open Houses in 2012. Space is limited, so encourage them to either attend an Open House or contact Mrs. Jennifer Bergner, our Director of Admissions and Communications for a personal tour during the school day.
At JKCS we rely heavily on word-of-mouth referrals to bring us new families! Nothing else means as much as a good word from our alumni!
Open Houses:
- Mon Jan 30 (7:30pm - 8:30pm)
- Mon Feb 27 (10:00am - 11:00am)
- Mon Mar 26 (10:00am - 11:00am)
- Mon Apr 30 (7:30pm - 8:30pm)
- Mon May 28 (10:00am - 11:00am)
- Mon Jun 18 (7:30pm - 8:30pm)
- Mon Aug 27 (10:00am - 11:00am)
Personal Tours:
Contact Mrs. Jennifer Bergner at: jbergner@jkcs-oakville.org or (905) 829-8048 x300
Invest in the Journey
To make a monthly donation or a onetime pledge visit our website. For sponsorship opportunities contact Paula Stubbert at (905) 829-8048 x242.
Are you a JKCS Alumni? Do you have a story to share? E-mail your article to alumni@jkcs-oakville.org, we would love to hear from you!
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A Vision For FundraisingGeorge Petrusma, Principal  We have had many conversations about fundraising recently. Many people have many different opinions about how to best ensure that our fundraising targets are met. Some people think that covering all costs in the operating budget via tuition is the way to go. Others feel that we should have a portion of our operating costs covered via money coming from a variety of sources. Some enjoy fun little fundraisers, while others are interested in a few larger fundraisers. A vision for fundraising can be a very difficult task.
Given the school's history and the present realities, we feel as though we have landed on a vision for fundraising that feels comfortable for the coming years.
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What are our alumni up to?Rebecca John, Alumni  I'm Rebecca John, a JKCS alumni and current grade 9 student at Kings Christian Collegiate. So far, my high school experience has been exciting and challenging.
Going into high school, most of us are nervous about our changed surroundings - new teachers, making new friends, getting to class on time, exams and all sorts of things.
However, I heard a devotional on welcome day for grade nine students that inspired me. The devotional talked about when Jesus walked on water and asked Peter to step out of the boat and walk to him. Even though Peter was afraid, he trusted that Jesus would never let him go and with that trust took that first step into the unknown. The teacher used this analogy to describe high school.
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What are our alumni up to?Nicole Burgess, Alumni  Nicole Burgess attended JKCS from grade 1-8 and graduated last year (2010-2011). Nicole now attends Iroquois Ridge High School and has become very involved there. She has been elected to the executive committee for Interact. Interact is a branch of the Rotary Club of Oakville which values "service above self." Interact is involved in numerous service initiatives and is a great opportunity to "give back" while partnering with leaders and organizations in the business community.
Nicole was recently selected as one of fifteen students from Iroquois Ridge High School to represent her school at the Ontario Leadership Conference. The conference was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Niagara Falls from November 13-15, 2011and was attended by over 2,200 students from schools all over Ontario. The aim of this conference was to provide the delegates with access to the best leadership facilitators and motivational presenters available. There were a number of workshops and keynote speakers that challenged the delegates to learn what it takes to become the next generation of leaders.
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Be sure to check out our website at http://www.jkcs-oakville.org for more information and news
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