Bold Learning in Kindergarten

Our teachers have been deeply immersing themselves in professional development this year. One of the areas of exploration has been connecting our students with meaningful learning that solves a real problem, for real people. 

Notice (below) some of the amazing aspirations that our kindergarten team has for their students this year. So far, examples of them include creating the backdrop you see below (beautiful work), shared soup with people outside their family (building community), working through outdoor centre social realities (solve problems), and visiting the forest (explore God's world). This is high quality learning!

I'm very thankful for my parent's choice to invest in Christian education by sending me to the schools I attended. I am also thankful to see that Christian education continues to expand - both in terms who attends Christian schools and in terms of quality and value of what it has to offer to the next generation.

I'm filled with gratitude for the pioneering efforts in Christian education, excited by the courage and innovation of our professionals today, and have confidence in our schools' bright future. 

SJ

 

Noun Town and Soup for Friends: Connected Learning for our students

It's always rewarding to see the kind of learning our students are experiencing on any given day at LCES. Pictured right is grade one working on a gigantic map of "Noun Town" where they were energetically placing as many "person, place, or things" on the map. Discussion about which should be capitalized, what was/wasn't a noun, and where to place them were full of energy and student engagement. This is learning that draws students and teachers together. 

Later the same day I saw kindergarten students printing labels for jars of soup they had made earlier that week to give to someone they know that wasn't from their family. They were practicing letters, but more than that they were practicing hospitality and valuing relationships with people. 

These were two examples of the kind of excellent learning experiences our amazing LCES team of teachers design for our students. 

We are very blessed at LCES.

SJ

Cells: The Building Blocks of Life

With great pride, our grade eight students have recently brought in 3-D models of plant and animal cells that they have created. Take a look at the pictures below - they have used all sorts of different materials to show their understanding of these two important basic building blocks God uses in all living things. 

There is much to admire and be grateful for in this. 

First, that students at LCES are being given yet another opportunity to understand God's amazing world. God reveals himself through his son Jesus, the Bible, and his amazing world.  

Second, that students are fulfilling their own calling by God to be creative as they learn. Students flourish when they create as a way to learn and/or give evidence of what they have already learned. Notice the variety of materials and designs and their colourful displays!

Third, students are creating beautiful work that creates memorable learning. We love it when our students have the opportunity to follow an extended process for some parts of their learning that helps consolidate their own learning and extends learning into other parts of the school. Students in the rest of the school are walking by the display of cells with great interest today!

Learning at LCES is amazing!

SJ

Big Things in Learning: What our guides our learning?

Big things in learning….

As every school year begins, I am always delighted in watching our students notice God's amazing world. In the first 1.5 months of school, we've had students notice the season changing with a pond walk, witnessed the beauty of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, and even create beautiful models of God's building blocks of animal and plant cells. "It's all brand new to them" I remind myself often, and there is joy in witnessing their fresh delight. 

How do we shape learning at LCES? We're doing a lot of thinking on this question this fall at our school. Here are some ideas we are talking about:

Connectedness We aim for our students to see God’s creation as an intricate, complex, and amazing example of how purposeful God is. God’s world is something to be studied as a whole, as well as in parts. 

Discernment We want our students to develop tools and have opportunities to practice, under the watchful idea of a passionate educator, figuring out what is God’s truth and what is means for them. God’s world is designed around God’s truth.

Service We strive to have our students live out the truth of biblically knowing. As they study the Lord’s handiwork, they are directed to love their neighbor in every way, in everything they do and say. Community is God’s good gift to us.

Wonder God’s world is a thing of beauty and we wish for our students to meet God in new ways as they learn. God’s world speaks of God's greatness and faithfulness.

Big things guide our learning!

SJ

Noticing God's World

These are two moments that were exciting for our youngest learners last week. Making apple crisp in kindergarten and releasing a butterfly in grade one. 

Students live in a dynamic learning environment at LCES - there is so much to notice and try in God's amazing world. Every one of these memory making  moments is also a chance to tell students about God as the source of all this goodness. Something to be thankful for!

SJ