NCC February 2017 Newsletter

NIAGARA CHRISTIAN COLLEGIATE
FEBRUARY 2017
NEWSLETTER
PRINCIPAL’S NOTE
To support my ongoing efforts to lead a healthy, well-balanced life I recently purchased a Fitbit.
For those of you who may not know what I am referring to, a Fitbit is a wearable electronic device
that tracks your movement and exercise over the course of the day. A device, smaller than a standard
wrist watch, capable of telling me how far I have walked, how many steps I have taken, what my
current heart rate is, how many calories I have burned, how many stairs I have climbed, and it even
tells me how well I slept last night (7hrs and 1 min with 21 mins of restless tossing and turning). It
even connects to my iPhone so that I can see who is calling or texting me throughout the day without
having to take my phone out of my pocket. A device like this, or any one of the countless others
like it, would have been unrealistic when I was a teenager, or at the very least would have been the
size a small briefcase, and yet it is now ubiquitous.
The scope of the technological shifts we are experiencing in the world hit home as I was reflecting
on my recent purchase. More specifically, I started wondering what the world would look like in ten or twenty years when our
students are in their twenties and thirties. Are we only preparing our students for the world that currently is or are we also preparing
them for the world that will be?
At NCC, we have chosen to address this question by not only incorporating technology within our core programs, but also by
identifying and focussing on the development of skills, abilities, and character traits in our students that are timeless: Critical
thinking, creativity, self-discipline, leadership, and an orientation towards service. I believe that this focus, regardless of what the
next Fitbit or iPhone is or how it changes our society, ensures that NCC students will be well prepared to face the world and to
boldly fulfill the mission to which God has called them.
As you read through this newsletter, I hope that you are encouraged by the reports of what has been happening on our campus
and are excited by upcoming events. God has blessed us richly this year as we are at capacity in almost all grades and continue
to receive interest in both immediate enrolment as well as for the coming fall. Thank you for your prayerful support
of our school community as we partner together to provide world class Christian education for our students.
REPORT CARDS
If your son or daughter attends NCC, you will find enclosed
a report card. For our middle school students, this report
highlights achievement up to the end of their first term.
For our secondary students, enclosed is a final report for their
first semester.
Parents, as you read through these reports please contact
the school if you have any questions or concerns. I trust that
nothing noted in the reports will be a surprise for you as you
have the opportunity to keep up with your son or daughter’s
standing via our online portal Edsby. If you are having issues
connecting to Edsby, please contact the school.
EDSBY LOGIN - www.niagaracc.edsby.com
HONOUR ROLL
We would like to congratulate those students who
achieved an average of over 80% and have been recognized
on the Academic Honour Roll and those students who
achieved an average over 90%, and have been recognized on
the President’s Honour Roll. We commend them on their effort
and distinguished use of their gifts and abilities.
RE-ENROLLMENT REMINDER
To allow for effective planning for the coming school
year, we are asking all parents to submit re-enrollment information
to the school as soon as possible.
For international students, the deadline for submission was
January 15. For local students, these documents are due
March 16. If you have any questions or have misplaced these
documents, please contact our Enrollment office at:
enroll@niagaracc.com

CHAPEL - Small Groups
This year in chapel, we are excited to be involved
once again in small group ministry. Small groups happen
once a month and are a time for students to meet in a more
comfortable setting with a staff member.
Small groups help facilitate the two goals that we have for
chapels this year: to grow in our relationship with God and
build community with each other. We discuss what we’ve
been learning in chapel and share our stories with each other.
Most of our teachers and some of our other staff members
volunteer their time to be small group leaders.
We’re so thankful to have a staff team that cares about the
spiritual lives of our students. Chapel is all about engaging
students with the grand story of Jesus Christ, and finding
out how we fit into that story. Small groups is just one of the
ways we can help NCC students do that.
Mrs. Woermann & Mrs. Van Brussel’s Small Group
Tim Durksen, Chapel Program Director
A thletics
Brett Warkentin
GONAVS.ca
@NAVathletics
Senior Girls Volleyball
NAVS WINTER ROUND
UP
With winter comes indoor
sports excitement, and the 2017 season
has not disappointed. The Sr. Boys
Basketball team, led by local Grade
12 student Brett Warkentin, has once
again gone undefeated in league
action. For the second year running,
the NAVS have secured home court
advantage throughout the playoffs,
and will host the 2017 SOSSA championships.
NCC invites you to join us
for championship basketball action on
Monday, February 27, 2017.
Our Sr. Girls Volleyball team have done
very well in the NRHSAA D2 league.
Fielding a team of mostly junior players,
the NAVS have battled in every
game and will enter the playoffs with
high hopes of making it to the championship
game. Led by senior Kim Mak,
the NAVS are coming together at the
right time and, under the watchful eyes
of Coaches Peters, Baird, and Vos, are
looking forward to a very rich future.
Swimming has once again done the impossible.
NCC will send two swimmers
to OFSAA in March after securing two
gold medals and two 2nd place finishes
at the recent SOSSA championships.
Swimmers Hollie Warkentin and Gabby
Studebaker will challenge for provincial
golds March 7-8, 2017 in Windsor.
One of our 2016/17 departmental
focuses has been applying ministry
to our sports. I can proudly say our
NCC student-athletes have served the
kingdom well. Led by our great group
of coaches, our teams can regularly be
seen in prayer with other teams and in
discussions at practices about the character
a Christian athlete displays while
in uniform and out.
Rounding out our winter sports review
is our Jr. Boys Basketball squad. The
boys are just one win away from qualifying
for the playoffs in what can be
viewed as a highly successful season.
Playing in a very hard, NRHSAA D1
league, the NAVS, led by local standout
Neil Wangler, have challenged
in every contest - a testament to the
coaching pedigree of NCC alum DJ
Warkentin.
In closing, I would like to thank all of
our dedicated parents, fans, and supporters.
Our student-athletes are some
of the very best to take the courts,
fields, and water in all of Ontario and
we sure are proud of them.
James Kryger, Director of Athletics

The 2nd annual Hall of Fame induction
ceremony will be held September 29,
2017 at our Homecoming Fall Fest. Mark
your calendars! Any former athletes interested
in playing on our Alumni teams can
contact Athletic Director James Kryger at:
jkryger@niagaracc.com
2017 HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS
The NCC Athletics Department is accepting applications
for the 2nd annual Athletics Hall of Fame induction
ceremony being held during 2017 Homecoming Fall Fest. The
Hall of Fame serves as a means of recognizing, preserving, and
honoring the athletes, teams, coaches, and individuals who
have made significant contributions the NCC community.
Applications can be accessed on the GONAVS.CA website or
by contacting Athletic Director James Kryger at:
jkryger@niagaracc.com
MIDDLE
SCHOOL
It’s hard to believe that we’re in the
middle of February already! We have
had a very busy, yet exciting Term 2.
The students have been engaged in academic projects, as
well as extra curricular activities.
Athletic Highlights - The middle school basketball teams
finished their season well. The girls improved with each
game, learned many new skills, and were competitive
during playoffs. The boys fell just short of winning the
championship, losing at the buzzer. As coach of both the
boys and the girls teams, I am very proud of their commitment
to excellence, sportsmanship, and the teamwork they
displayed.
Congrats to the following students for winning the NCC
Basketball Invitational Skills Competition!
Girls Bump Champion - Lily Empringham
Boys Relay Obstacle Course Champions - Noah Warkentin,
Ethan Wells, Sebastian Schmidt
Boys NBA 2 Ball Shooting Competition Champions - Sebastian
Schmidt, Carson Carroll.
We are transitioning into our Badminton season where the
NAVS will look to continue to compete with excellence. GO
NAVS!
Academic Highlights - Mr. Durksen’s class has been hard
at work this winter learning about poetry. Haikus, sonnets,
concrete, found, and free verse poems have all been
explored. For their final assignment, students were tasked
to create a professional poetry chapbook, including original
poems and an author’s note explaining how they were
able to use literary devices and interesting word choice to
expand on their chosen theme. Chapbooks exploring the
themes of winter, nature, minecraft, and coffee were all
handed in.
Mr. Haughton’s class recently completed an independent
novel study where students learned the value of setting
learning goals, prioritizing their time, and creatively completing
assignments. Providing students with “choice”
allowed them to pursue areas of interest while promoting
both reading comprehension and writing skills.
Math - The middle school math program uses math inquiry
projects to challenge students to problem solve their way
through tough questions in a group of their peers. Being
able to work together, using multiple strategies to get
through the problems, and communicating their results
becomes just as important as finding the right answer. In
Middle School Students
math we learn from our mistakes as well as our successes.
The Jumpmath program combines built-in inquiry and more
traditional math instruction to give students a wide range of
math experiences.
PBL - The grade 6-8 students continue to engage in curricular
content in authentic and meaningful ways! Currently
our middle school students are creating 3D models of cells.
Learning by doing , working in collaborative groups and
critical thinking are all vital to the success of a 21st-century
learner. Students will use their models as props as they create
educational T.V. shows for our culminating activity.
FYI - Students in Grade 6-8 at NCC will be administered
the Canadian Achievement Test, (CAT-4) in mid April.The
CAT-4 is a national standardized achievement test designed
to measure achievement in the basic skills commonly taught
in schools across Canada. The specific skill areas in which
your child will be assessed include language arts, reading,
writing and mathematics. The CAT-4 takes approximately 4
hours to complete over a 2 day period.
The CAT-4 will provide information for parents, students,
teachers and administrators about how well students perform
in the basic skill areas.This information will be used
to provide direction for curriculum and program delivery at
NCC and to ensure we meet the needs of our students.
Thank you for the opportunity to work with your child. It is
truly a blessing to see the students grow, as they continue
to implement this year’s theme, “F.O.C.U.S ” (Finding Our
Calling Understanding Success) into their lives.
Our doors are always open. Please contact us with any
questions or concerns. Email us at: ahaughton@niagaracc.
com & tdurksen@niagaracc.com
God Bless! Anthony Haughton & Tim Durksen
Middle School Team

A RT
In the art department, our grade
10 students have been working
through the creative process while
learning several different techniques.
The Illustration class is busy
designing cards that will be sold
to raise money for a local charity.
We have also been preparing portfolios for interviews, as
many of our senior students are pursuing different areas in
the arts and applying to the best schools in the country.
This year, students have had the opportunity to submit
their work into the Teen Juried Show at the Flagship Art
Gallery in Hamilton. The Flagship Gallery is a display
space that is quickly shaping up to be one of the most
beautiful galleries in Hamilton. The artists in the gallery
are all deeply committed to excellence in visual practice,
and to the very calling of being artists. The gallery is made
up of a large number of educators, seasoned professionals,
and many emerging talents.
M USIC
Before Christmas the NCC choir had an incredibly busy
month!
This talented group of students sang at the Tree Lighting
ceremony at City Hall for the Hotel Dieu Shaver Foundation.
Our choir also led a Sunday service at Trinity Life
Church. They performed special music at the ONE Church
service held at the Fort Erie Leisureplex. They then presented
our own program of music at NCC entitled Under
a Starry Sky. This busy group of singers delighted their
audiences with their lovely voices.
This year, NCC was involved in a car painting competition
as part of an initiative put on by the Fort Erie Arts Council.
NCC was up against two much larger schools - Fort Erie
High School and Ridgeway Crystal Beach High School. It
was an intense competition, but the commitment, drive,
and talent shown by the NCC Arts Council was rewarded,
and they won the competition! The students were recognized
by Fort Erie’s Mayor Wayne Redekop who awarded
them their first place prize. Students were also highlighted
in the local newspaper.
Way to go Arts Council!
Laurie Blue, Art Teacher
The student-led Concert Band executive has been tasked
with selecting music for our upcoming spring show. Get
ready to hear lots of songs from your favourite musicals
and movies.
NCC music studios are being put to good use with many
students taking private piano, guitar, and voice lessons
after school.
Mrs. Julie Broomer, Music Teacher
On Sunday, February 12, the choir was led in a masterclass
by renowned Shaw Festival vocal coach Carol Baggott-Forte.
We will also be enjoying a masterclass on March 1st with
Niagara Symphony trombonist Steve Fralick.
On March 7th,the NCC choir will travel to Caledon to
participate in the Ontario Vocal Festival. This is a non-competitive
festival involving many choirs from around the
province. We have the chance to be adjudicated by some
of the best choral conductors in the area.
UPCOMING EVENTS
FEB 20: Family Day Holiday
FEB 27: SOSSA Basketball Tournament
FEB 28: Vaccination clinic
MAR 2: Grad photo day
MAR 3: Cultural Celebration - Japan &
Singapore
MAR 7: Ontario Vocal Festival
MAR 13-17: Spring Break
MAR 22: Watoto Choir at Chapel
MAR 27: Gr. 7 vaccination clinic
MAR 30: Ontario Secondary School
Literacy Test
APR 5: Spring Art Event
APR 6-15: Vimy Ridge history trip
APR 14-17: Easter Holidays
APR 21: Creation Care Day
Niagara Christian Collegiate Phone: 905.871.6980 Email: NCC@niagaracc.com