BY LINDA HOWARD, MIDDLE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT It never ceases to amaze me the mountains of t-shirts, sweaters, jeans, shorts, jackets, lunch kits, water bottles, and myriad other miscellaneous items that end up in the lost and found each and every term of each and every school year! Braving the stink One would think that [...]
BY: KOENRAAD BEUGELINK, FAITH FORMATION DIRECTOR Two days into my start at ACS these words entered my mind: “What am I doing here?” I mean why would anyone who made it out of high school want to go back to high school? Don’t get me wrong, I had a pretty good high school experience. Not [...]
BY DAN VERBEEK, GRADE 7 TEACHER Being a teacher has its perks from time to time. We receive many gifts and goodies from students and families at Christmas and the end of the year. We are showered with cookies, baking, candy and gift cards. It is really wonderful…but only temporary and only confined to those [...]
My daughter phoned me a couple of years ago and said, “Dad, I bought a boat.” Awkward silence. I didn’t know what to say. She had just been married, her husband was in his last year of university, they were poor as church mice and she was halfway through her nursing degree…and she bought a [...]
BY LINDA GROOT, ELEMENTARY TEACHER LIBRARIAN I like to regularly highlight new titles with my library classes to help create student interest in reading. Sometimes, this can lead to interesting conversations with students: Student: “Hi, Mrs. Groot, I’m looking for a book you showed us last week.” Me (excited): “Sure! What’s it called?” Student: “I [...]
BY MEGHAN FRANKLIN, CLASS OF 2015 My younger brother (and only sibling) Evan will be graduating on Tuesday. As I’ve been watching him and his friend’s prepare for prom, exams, and the excitement of commencement over the past months, I can’t help but reflect on when I was going through those same experiences myself three [...]
I remember the tears well. It was like deep, dark rain clouds descending on a sunny day. A mom, in my office, being told we didn’t have any room at ACS in our Learning Support Services department, meaning we would not be able to enrol her son in grade 9 in the fall. The [...]
BY WENDY ENNS, LEARNING SUPPORT SERVICES COORDINATOR What on earth could I possibly offer teachers from a rural village in Ethiopia? In November 2016, I had an incredible opportunity to travel with Run for Water to see a village that ACS Elementary raised money for clean water and a school. I was asked if I [...]
BY HELINDA VANDERKOOI, ACS PARENT Middle school…yikes! I heard stories from parents about middle school. Claims like: your kids don’t need you as much in middle school, hardly any parents come to chapel, the teachers don’t want your help, the kids ignore and avoid you. With all this chatter I was not looking forward to the [...]
I asked a simple question last November at a Leadership Team meeting. “Tym, you look stressed out about head coaching the Senior Girls’ basketball team. Can I help?” I wasn’t actually expecting him to give the answer he gave, which was, “Yes, I could really use your help.” I am pretty sure I just meant [...]
