“You shall have no other gods before Me” Exodus 20:3
In the face of adversity, when it seems as though everything you ’ ve worked for is about to go up in smoke - when the kids are ill, or the bottom falls out of your business, or the church is in turmoil - the bottomline questions have to be the following: Do you trust God? Do you believe that He’s wiser, good, and powerful enough to perform all His will and bring you and your family safely to Him? Can you hear Him saying to you, “I am God Almighty”?
It is in this not-so-subtle ways that I find I fail in obedience to the first commandment and set up other gods - god of my reason, gods of selfexaltation and self-love - instead of developing wholehearted trust and devotion.
Even though we fail, even though we worship other gods, we can rest in the truth that God does save us forever That's because the Lord Jesus is praying for us, and we know that His prayers, always in accord with God's will, are always heard
(Idolsof theHeart byElyseFitzpatrick,page 39)
Notes from Tammy • P2
Books and Crannies • P3
Upcoming Events• P4
Student Corner • P6
Calendar • P12
FROM THE DESK OF TAMMY
Happy New Year!
We trust that the Christmas break has been a time for your family to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and enjoy some quality time together. We look forward to what God has planned for Roots and your family in 2025!
Isaiah 40:28-29
"Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary His understanding is unsearchable"
Reimbursement Deadline
Here are a couple reminders about reimbursements that you might find helpful: There is a reimbursement deadline date the first monday of every month (January 6th, February 3, March 3, April 7, May 5)
4.
1. All submissions for reimbursement need to be done through the reimbursement link on the ROOTS page 2. Receipts need to be uploaded as a PDF 3. Check the members section of the Roots website for some tips and guidelines on what can be submitted for reimbursements
January Support Group
This meeting is going to be filled with laughter, fellowship and creativity. We know that moms have missed not meeting in December to do crafts, but this meeting will make up for it! Register today through the Roots website.
Didsbury Support Group - We are happy to announce that we will continue with this pilot support group meeting for the remainder of the school year. We have needed to make some slight adjustments in order to continue, nursery care will no longer be provided, and a change in the day of the week, but we hope that many will still be able to attend.
BOOKS AND CRANNIES
Virtuous is a lovely book which compiles biblical reasons to pursue virtues such as Diligence, Contentment, Cheerfulness, Humility and more.
This book is written in short chapters with study questions at the end. It is geared towards junior high and upward and can be used as a weekly study. I read it in a couple mornings but would recommend that you take time to go through the questions and really pray about how God can work in each of these areas of your life. It is not deeply theological and does not require super heavy mental effort yet it still will challenge you to look in the mirror.
What a wonderful idea to study this book with your daughter and encourage one another in pursuing godliness together.
Tending the Heart of Virtue
The intent of this book is to walk through a number of well known fairy tales and help you look deeper in to their imagery and symbolism. You can certainly read this book straight from cover to cover and glean much wisdom however I would recommend reading the first chapter where the author explains the “why”, the impact of reading fairytales to our kids. Then skim over the chapters and you can pick and choose according to the stories you want to read - the chapters will dive deeper into these tales and allow you to find more meaning
We have been doing a science unit called "Through the Eyes of a Veterinarian" by campfire curriculum with my grade 8, grade 2 and preschool students. For this lesson the kids tried a fecal float test using dirt. The method is expained in Chloe (grade 2) science journal The kids then had to count how many eggs they saw My preschooler also drew what he saw in the microscope
A busy Day at Calgary Farmyard Field Trip - Wesley on a horse and a craft!
STUDENT CORNER
Grace Family Co-op
Our Homeschool Co-op (Grace Family Co-op) which is made up of mostly Roots families finished the year with a Christmas concert.
Our grade 4-8 class performed a drama about the life of Joseph in the Old Testament (who is a type of Christ who saved the world from starvation and death and pointed forward to the Messiah who would save the world from spiritual death).
The K-grade 3 class performed the classic Christmas pageant telling the story of Jesus' birth. The preschoolers, dressed as sheep, did two songs with actions and stole the show with their cuteness. Then, both classes joined together as a choir to sing four songs.
If you would like more information about our co-op then email Naomi Kaya at gracefamcoop@gmail com
Andrew Mathews earned his second skills stripe and second Life Skills stripe in Brazilian JiuJitsu at Straight Blast Gym.
STUDENT CORNER
FilipinoLanters
Ethan (8) and Eunice (6) worked very hard to make their Christmas project: Filipino Lantern called Parol Great work! They also did a beautiful poem Well done Ethan and Eunice!
Growing Experiment with an Avocado
by
Mackenzie Hoang
Have you ever tried to grow a plant from an avocado seed? It's so fun to watch it stretch up to the sky We started our first one in late September and it grew 13 inches before sprouting leaves!
Mr Meanad
by Eli Martin Meanad (pen name forEli Hoang, age 5)
Mr Meanad goes to the market
Mr Meanad sleeps all day
Mr Meanad loves candy
Mr Meanad loves healthy food
Mr Meanad likes peace and quiet
Mr Meanad is full of singing
Mr Meanad is full of contradictions!
Steps:
1 Take the pit of an avocado Carefully remove the outer brown layer of the seed
2 Wrap it in a wet paper towel and seal in a zip lock bag for 3-5 weeks
3 Check on it from time to time to ensure there is still dampness on the paper towel Spritz with water if needed
4 When you see roots form, take it out and suspend it in water roots side down If you don't have a jar with a narrow mouth, stick toothpicks in the seed to prop it over a bigger jar
5 Keep watering so roots are fully in water and enjoy watching it grow! You can create a growth chart to measure its progress too
JANUARY 2024 CALGARY
Reimbursement Submission Deadline
North Support Group
South Support Group
Library Hold Deadline
Moms - Craft & Chat - 7-9pm
Calgary Craft & Chat is Back!!
These evenings are an opportunity for moms to come together between support group meetings. Feel free to bring a craft or project to work on or just come and visit with others. We would love to see you there. This is a drop in event and will run once a month on the last Tuesday of the month from 7-9 pm starting in January at Bonavista Evangelical Church 1509 Lake Ontario Drive SE. Mark your calendars for the following dates- January 28th, February 25th & March 25th. Contact Kimberley Somers if you have further questions: kimtobisomers@gmail.com.
JANUARY 2024 EDMONTON
Vertically Inclined Canyon Ski Day
Beginner Chess WorkshopOnline
Group Senior Edmonton Youth Orchestra Concert -
Date:
Saturday, January 27th, 2024 12 Noon to 1 pm 1 hour
Venue & Address
Convocation Hall, University of Alberta, 116 St. &, 85 Ave, Edmonton
email: eyo@shaw.ca (for free tickets) Winter Gym Program
Something else you want to see in here? Send it our way!
rootsnewsletter@proton.me
Congrats to Sanchia Rauch for this months contribution
Each month you can be entered to win a $10 gift certificate by contributing to the newsletter!
**Right Now Media
The Roots Board of Directors has needed to make some tough decisions regarding the Roots budget this year in order to get as close to a balanced budget as possible One of these decisions was to end our subscription to RightNow Media We know that this resource has been enjoyed by many over the years, but trust you understand the rationale behind no longer offering this to families We have been told that many churches offer this resource to their congregations, please check with yours to see if they have a link you can use for your family
