Principal's Newsletter April 2018

PRINCIPAL’S NEWSLETTER
April 2018
The finish line is in view! Our
Grade 8 students can see it
clearly. Graduation evening and
all the celebration of that event
awaits; Grade 9 is just around the
corner. Our Grade 12 graduates
also see their “finish line”, and
just beyond is that university of
choice and the program they
have dreamed about. Yes, June is
quickly approaching; the end of
another school year.
I have never been a competitive
runner; but in watching races at the
Olympics or a marathon, the final
seconds of that race are fascinating.
The focus is intensely clear; the
goal is all that matters and the full
resource of an individual’s energy
is applied to the goal… the goal
of finishing well. And that would
be my prayer, especially for each
NCC Grad, and for each NCC
student this year. May you finish
well! May these final weeks of the
school year be evidence of only your
best, filled with quality academic
work, exemplary attitude and effort,
and above all a humble, graceful
heart. Parents, friends, teachers and
staff, my encouragement to you is
to be that supportive spectator.
Be present and aware. Be that
encourager as you cheer, lift and
spur them on with words of praise,
love and power.
The unique aspect of this race
toward the finish line for students
is that it includes a host of opportunities
for celebration along the
way. And you as parents, friends
and alumni of NCC are welcome
to be included in many of these
celebration events. The Celebration
of the Arts program, the annual
AGM and Homecoming Banquet
(April 28), NCC’s hosting of OFFSA
Soccer and of course Graduation
itself are but a few of the celebration
events on our calendar for these remaining
months. Check out the
details and join us as you are able.
Thank you for your prayers and
support of NCC, our faculty, staff
and students over this past year. It
has been in God’s strength and with
your support that we have, and will
continue to, run this race well. May
you also experience His Presence
and power as you run your life race.
Remember, we run to “get a crown
that will last forever.” (1 Cor. 9:25)
Run toward that finish-line with
perseverance!
Mr. Clare Lebold, Principal
“ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict
training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but
we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
- 1 Corinthians 9:25
REPORT CARDS
UPCOMING EVENTS
If your son or daughter attends
NCC, you will find enclosed a
report card for the first part of
semester two. Enclosed is a midterm
report.
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.
April 16 - 20
April 26
April 28
May 7 - 11
May 15
May 17
May 18
May 21
May 26
June 5
June 11- 13
University Week
Celebration of the Arts
Homecoming Spring Banquet
International Week
Middle School Open House
Prom
School Holiday
Victoria Day Holiday
Friends of Athletics Golf Classic
NCC Park Day
Middle School Grad Trip
June 11- 14
Semester II Exams
June 15
Middle School Awards & Grade 8 Graduation
June 16
Secondary School Graduation

T
his year we will be celebrating our third
annual Celebration of the Arts! The Celebration
of the Arts is an amazing evening
when we provide the opportunity for students
to showcase their talents and achievements
through the arts. Students will be expressing
themselves through visual art, music, creative
writing and other creative venues. Madame
Trombley will also be running a French cafe to
raise money for the Arts and cultural experiences
here at Niagara Christian Collegiate.
In the arts department students have
been learning and growing conceptually
as well as technically developing their skills
throughout the school year. The arts council
this year consists of 25 students that meet
twice a week. The students on the arts council
have been actively involved in planning,
creating and setting up the art show. This
year one of our students, Rita Barbosa, who is
planning to pursue fashion when she graduates,
is organizing a fashion show that celebrates
individuality and embracing who God created
us to be. Please come join us on April 26 at
6:30 to celebrate arts and culture at NCC!
Laurie Blue, Art Teacher
“The Celebration of the Arts is an
amazing evening when we provide
the opportunity for students
to showcase their talents and
achievements through the arts.”
The Celebration of the Arts is a very important
event to students in the music program
at NCC. We rehearse all year to create
music that touches us emotionally. When we
share our work with an audience it’s like we
bring that work to life for the first time. As live
performers, we feed off of the energy in the
room and what is created is totally different
than in the classroom.
The first half of the concert features performances
from our concert bands. You will hear
ballads and epic theme scores from many of
your favourite movies. We love the rich variety
of textures that band instruments can create
and the way the melody can be passed between
different sections of the band to create
new effects. Listen for instruments you might
not know much about like the French Horn!
The second set of music will be choral
based, featuring our middle school and concert
choirs. The beauty of choral music is that we
have the ability to tell a story while we sing,
so come prepared to listen closely to what
we have to say. One of the selections we’ll be
performing is a new worship song called “He
is My Peace.” It talks about how God is with
us in all of the situations that bring us anxiety.
It has been a wonderful tune to have buzzing
in our heads as we fight the usual student battles
of tests, relationships, and decision making.
Maybe it’s a message you also need to hear
in a fresh way. We hope you can come be part
of this adventure with us!
Julie Broomer, Music Director
CREATION CARE
DAY
This year Creation Care Day will be taking
place on Friday May 4th. It will be an
exciting year as we are looking to revamp
and refocus this great day for the student
body to be immersed in God’s wonderful
creation of the Earth. Our theme this year
is to “Disconnect in Order to Reconnect”.
We will be challenging students to leave
behind their technology for the day in order
to be fully present and engaged with the
day’s activities and their immediate social
surroundings. A variety of activities will be
offered both on and off campus including
opportunities to give back to the community
through Safari Niagara, the SPCA, local senior
homes, cookie giveaways, neighbourhood
clean-up walks, as well as taking time to
enjoy nature through hiking the Friendship
Trail, exploring the Niagara Gorge, biking
the Niagara Parkway, learning about birding
or taking time to create a beautiful project
from start to finish during the day. We hope
that this special day we take to pause and
notice the beautiful creations that God has
made will remind us, that we too are wonderfully
and fearfully made in God’s reflection.
Janice Smajda, Chemistry Teacher
EASTER FUN
Students had a lot of fun during the week
before Easter dressing in pastel colours,
searching for eggs, and even having a special
visit from the Easter Bunny! The weeks leading
up to Easter students heard from a few
teachers who shared about the story of Easter
and what it means for us.

NICARAGUA MISSION TRIP
Anna Mason
Visiting the beautiful city of Granada, Nicaragua
was an indescribable experience
which no one could explain but everyone would
remember. The daily activities opened our eyes
to a place so different from Canada economically,
yet so similar in the way that family, friends, and
self are cherished and in the way God cherishes
us all. While there, we (the 20 of us in the group)
realized that God placed us all there, at that
time, for a reason. We became closer as friends,
created inside jokes and games, laughed and
cried, hugged and prayed. Throughout all of it, we
found that being separated by grades shouldn’t
determine our friendships. Lasting bonds were
formed; we sit together at lunch and remember the
times we had together, making more memories
because why should they stop after our trip?
They didn’t, and it’s amazing.
Some of the daily activities included playing
with kids —remembering that we were once
like them— and going on walks around town,
witnessing how carefully the people there take
care of what they have, even if to us it doesn’t
seem like all that much. We prayed in people’s
homes and found that what we often struggle
with simply cannot compare to their daily challenges,
and yet they persevere. We ate with each
other, experiencing what they call family, regardless
of blood. We found that Nicaraguans have a
different meaning of the word “family”. Webster
Dictionary says, “Family is a common unit of society
with parents and their children.” Some dictionaries
include distant relatives in their definition,
but family in Nicaragua means anyone whom
you love, support, care for, and invite into your
home. We were family to many people in Nicaragua
because they not only invited us into their
homes, but also shared their stories and struggles
with us. We were family to each other; we shared
meals and laughter, and that’s the only criteria
to be family in Nicaragua.
“We were family to each other; we
shared meals and laughter, and
that’s the only criteria to be family in
Nicaragua. ”
The kids there love to be active, both with
their bodies — dancing and singing and running
and jumping — and with learning, in
school. They aspire to do something, to be
something. We had a part in that when we did
our VBS program on the Wednesday and Thursday
that we were there. Those kids truly inspired
us, and we will never forget the joy they gave
us and the energy they shared with us to get
us through those long days. The team at El Puente
told us about all the plans they have for their
school and their ministry. It was moving to witness
their dedication to the people they serve there
and to God. It was amazing to see how far they
have come and how far they plan to go with
spreading the Gospel and enriching the lives
of the young adults and children in Granada.
We got a taste of the everyday life of a Nicaraguan.
Some members of our team said that they
would go back in an instant and stay forever, while
some found that their calling was to serve God
elsewhere, perhaps somewhere not so hot. No
matter what we felt about the weather or each
other, we can all say that we wouldn’t trade
the experience for anything. We felt the overwhelming
love of God in that place. He showed
Himself in different ways to everybody but we
all felt Him. He guided us along gently, shielding
us with His reckless love, knowing just how
much we needed to discover Him. We learned
to dig deeper, have some blind trust, and take
the risks He gives us. Some were hesitant to
come on the trip, but God knew we all had to.
We learned and experienced exactly what we
needed to. We have no one to thank but Him.
Anna Mason, Grade 10 Student

UNIVERSITY WEEK
Maggie Ren & Isaac Stephens
Are there any special events that
you enjoyed outside of classes?
What activities were available?
Do you feel that University Week
has helped prepare you for
post-secondary school?
What did you enjoy about
University Week in November?
M: We got to have a lot of free
time during University Week so
that we could learn to manage our
time efficiently. Also, there were
many fun activities that happened
on Campus. It was awesome!
I: My favourite part of the previous
University Week was the freedom
entrusted to us students. I feel as
though it is very beneficial because
it allows students to develop a productive
balance between school,
work, and entertainment, so that
by the time we are in university we
will know how to lead a productive
and organized student lifestyle.
“University Week has
definitely prepared me
for my post-secondary
schooling next year.”
What are some of the differences
between University Week and a
regular secondary school week?
M: The biggest difference is that
there is more freedom during University
Week; freedom to manage
my time, freedom to do whatever I
wanted to do. This also means that
time management and planning are
critical to success. Procrastination can
lead to serious difficulties because no
one is checking up on you.
I: During a regular week of school
students attend classes from
8:25am until 3:25pm with a lunch
break during the day and mandatory
study hall in the evenings.
However, during University Week
the classes will be in the form of
lectures or big projects, often
being located in the chapel or a
local university’s lecture hall. Select
classes also run during the
evening, giving students the real
university experience.
M: I really enjoyed the late night
café in November’s University
Week. It‘s good to have a place
where you can study without
going hungry. They had a lot of
sports games, a late night café,
and group study time.
I: Most students become involved
in study groups with
friends and classmates. These are
very productive and often take
place in our recreation building,
which has special events that are
study-oriented during University
Week. Some of these events
were a study-focused coffee house,
a late night meal for students
studying late, and a fun athletic
activity to give our brains a short
break. These activities were very
helpful for our academic success
during University Week.
M: Yes, because university is going
to be totally different and the
transition from high school to university
is a big and important one.
It’s good that NCC can provide us
the opportunity to experience a
little bit about university life so
that we can be mentally prepared
for next year.
I: University Week has definitely
prepared me for my post-secondary
schooling next year. The freedom
and responsibility entrusted to
me shows me both the positive
and negative consequences
for my academic efforts. Hard
work is essential for success in life.
I have learned this in many ways
throughout my six years attending
NCC; however University Week
was one of the events that impacted
me the most in this way.
Maggie is a grade 12 student
from Shenzhen City, China.
She enjoys working out, running,
reading, and spending time with
friends. Maggie has been at NCC
since grade 9 and is planning on
studying Psychology and Linguistics
at Queen’s University, followed by
Law School.
Isaac is a grade 12 student from
Fenwick, Ontario. He is involved in
many athletics such as hockey and
golf. Isaac has been at NCC since
Grade 7 and is planning on studying
Business Sales and Marketing at Niagara
College after his time here at
Niagara Christian Collegiate.