Frantic February

There are a lot of things happening in the short month of February. There have been some days of inclement weather, days of professional growth for the staff and a day to celebrate family. During the recent professional development day on February 15^th, the staff spent the day learning about assessment and evaluation. The guest speaker, Damian Cooper, led three sessions on this area and discussed with us 5 different topics. At the beginning of the day Diane Stronks, from Edifide, led us in devotions and challenged us to see assessment as a gift we give our students. The staff has not yet had the opportunity to debrief about the day and what we can collectively incorporate into our practice at Dundas Calvin Christian School. I look forward to the discussions that will lead us down the path of learning once more. Professional development is important for a staff to continue on their life long journey of learning. We need to be challenged and stretched to ensure we are continuing to provide a quality, Christ centered education. I not only look forward to the discussions that will arise from the recent workshops but also the continued learning and refining of the staff through ongoing professional development. Blessings ~ Mr. Bouwers

Can't buy me love.... February 11, 2013

As we approach Valentine’s Day we are often forced to think of love.  There is a commoditized or commercialized feel to this day where love seems to be repackaged and sold to us.  Even though this may be the way it is, we are still able to remove ourselves from this hustle and bustle and digger a little deeper into love.  The theme verses this year, Colossians 3:12-14, urges us to clothe ourselves with the characteristics of Christ.  As we are being transformed by the Spirit we show visible signs of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Love is to bind all of these virtues to create a unity.  This is much more than a commodity to be purchased in February.  Love, in this instance, is the adhesive of the Christian community.  This bond or adhesive creates a perfect one piece garment that fits all of these segments together into a cohesive whole.  Radical love is manifested in these virtues and, conversely, each of these virtues is nothing if it is not bound in love.  1 Corinthians 13 paints a vivid word picture of the importance and power of this supernatural love.  We pray that our students will exhibit this love in the development of their gifts.  We long for our graduates to live out this love in Christian service so that others may be transformed by the love of Christ through them.  What’s love got to do with it?  Absolutely everything!  May you grow in and share God’s love with others this week and throughout the year.    ~Mr. Bouwers

Molds and Cocoons February 4th, 2013

Winter Enrichments are a wonderful opportunity for students to try different things or hone various emergent skills. As I have walked around observing the different sessions I noted how wonderful it is to see the students working alongside teachers, parents, and community volunteers. It helps us fulfill our mission to develop the gifts that God has placed in each and every one of our students. In the development of these gifts we do hope our students will be equipped for a life of leadership, contribution and service in God’s kingdom.

I believe this fit so well with a recent sermon illustration. The pastor was outlining what is meant for our lives to be living sacrifices to the Lord. This continual attitude of sacrifice and gratitude is a worshipful response to God. It urges us in Romans 12 not to conform any longer to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. In the baking session the prepared mixes are poured into the forms or molds for the delicious baking. This is a prime example of conforming. It is appropriate and necessary for the cake or muffin mix to conform to the pan or mold. 

On the other hand as our students develop into imitators of Christ we are not called to conform but to be transformed. This transformation comes from the heart; it comes from the inside out. This type of transformation can more aptly be illustrated by a metamorphosis. The cocoon of the butterfly conceals the transformation within. The transformation occurs from the inside. We pray for the Spirit to continually knock on the doors of our students’ hearts as we also instruct them in ways and attitudes that reflect this type of transformation. As their gifts are unwrapped we long for them to be transformed by the Spirit to display the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-25) and the clothes of Christ (Col. 3:12-14).