I love being at the elementary campus right before recess. The anticipation of going outside, getting fresh air, and being able to run and play with friends is palpable. I would dare say that for a high percentage of students, recess is a highlight of their day. Especially on a beautiful sunny day. Carefree I [...]
I don’t think it matters if you have one child, a baker’s dozen, or any number in between; raising your children and being a family is one of life's greatest adventures. For my husband and I, we have learned that in the joys, the struggles, and the in-betweens of this great adventure, parenting our four-year-old [...]
I love a big challenge. I love the idea of committing to the challenge and the feeling of accomplishment when it’s done. And if it involves some type of outdoor adventure, I’m in. A Spark Maybe this trait is passed down to me from my Dad. In 2017, my Dad decided to cycle across Canada [...]
“It’s ninja time!” “Let’s see some kicks and hi-yas!” Words I never thought I would hear or say while teaching grade 3. February 22-26 was kindness week at the elementary campus. A week where classes were invited to show random acts of kindness to others, participate in pink shirt day, and sneakily deliver decorated rocks [...]
“Teaching would just be the perfect thing for you, really,” Mom and Dad always said. Mom and Dad were both teachers, and I knew they always had this way of knowing or simply sensing what to bring out in kids — this discovering of talents in others, and the encouraging of it. Mom and Dad [...]
Happy New Year, everyone! This is the year that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. There was great satisfaction in pulling the plastic off my new family planner and cracking it open. I’m generally a future-focused person but doesn’t it feel especially good to leave 2020 behind and move [...]
It was Disney dress-up day at the elementary and in order to do my family proud, I chose a Star-Wars themed costume. Sometimes agreeing on a movie for family movie night can be a challenge with five of us, but we can always agree on the Star Wars saga. We are one of those families [...]
I was raised on the bottom of the sea. No…really, I was. I grew up in the Netherlands, in a province called Noordoostpolder (North East Province) which used to be the bottom of the sea. I lived on a dairy farm situated on reclaimed land between the former islands of Urk and Schokland, a place [...]
BY KIRSI ANTUNES, SCHOOL COUNSELLOR The beginning of the new school year started with excitement and trepidation. I am excited about beginning my position as the new school counsellor at ACS, something I had not imagined happening even though I had been a parent in the community for five years. Many unexpected turns in the [...]
This summer, while camping, our three-year-old learned how to ride his bike without training wheels (yes, prepare yourself for many “proud mama bear” blog posts from this principal). Earlier in the summer, he was hesitant to try, enjoying the ease and speed with which he cruised the side streets of East Abbotsford on his orange [...]
