Classes 2 and 3 helped with maple syrup processing at Van Raalte Farm this week.
Dear Calvary Families,
It’s officially spring and, while the year is certainly not finished, I’d love to take some time to celebrate some Calvary wins this year. There are many to highlight.
Student Experiences: This is the year of some amazing off-campus opportunities.
- Elementary students enjoyed studying at the Outdoor Discovery Center, the Civil War Muster, Van Raalte Farm, the Mineral & Gem
- Our middle and high school students and staff took on physical challenges and fun at Grace Adventures, including the tower
- Middle and high school students had many opportunities in new learning environments during Winterim, taking part in animal husbandry, ice skating, flight simulation, driver’s ed, rock climbing, outdoor survival, culinary arts, and more.
The Plasman Gym: a major win! We replaced the entire roof, capped off the leaking pipes under the floor, installed new heating units, and replaced the entire gym floor.
Meeting Temple Grandin: A remarkable leader, animal behaviorist, and author who is also on the autism spectrum. Several staff members accompanied me to Benjamin’s Hope for a lecture and a special small forum Q&A with Temple Grandin. It was an incredible experience to hear her frank viewpoints. The biggest takeaway for me was her phrase, “The dignity of risk.”
Teacher Training: We invest heavily in teacher training each year.
- Master Teachers: Mrs. Bos is about to complete Ambleside’s 3 year Master Teacher Training Program, and Mrs. Firebaugh joined the program this past fall. We anticipate one or two more teachers will join the program this summer.
- Summer Institute: We hosted Ambleside’s Summer Training Institute this year. Mr. Ward, our Director of Instruction, was the host. Mr. Ward, Mr. Sytsma, Mrs. McRae, and Mrs. Bos provided instruction and six of our staff members were in attendance.
- Monart Specialist: Ms. Bos completed a 4-month training program to become a Monart specialist, qualifying her to implement our sketching, painting, and drawing program for grades JK – 12th.
Administrator Training: Administrators need training, too. Mr. Sytsma, Mr. Ward, and I flew down to an administrators retreat in Ocala, Florida in October to be with other school leaders from our school network. Sessions included business training and leadership stress management. In addition, Mr. Sytsma completed his M.Ed. in School Leadership through Dordt this winter.
New Accreditation: We are now members of two accrediting bodies,
Accreditation International and the National Council for Private School Accreditation. The head of our visiting team flew in from Belgium to assess our school over a three-day visit from October 26 – 28. He deemed us an exceptional school!
High School DC Trip: Our long-awaited trip is only six weeks away. Students have raised $35,000 toward the cost of the trip and will be visiting DC with seven other Ambleside high schools.
These are just some of the things that God has done for us this year. Praise the Lord for His goodness to us!
Warmly,
Cheryl Ward
Head of School
Calvary Schools of Holland