PACIFIC CHRISTIAN SCHOOL christ-like living, critical thinking and joyful service
PACER
PRESS Fall 2017
Pacifi P ific Christian Ch i ti School S h l “...nurturing students in Christ-like living, critical thinking, and joyful service to become faithful citizens in God’s world.”
ELEMENTARY CAMPUS ELEMENTA 671 Agnes St St. Victoria, BC V8Z 2E7 elementary@pacificchristian.ca SECONDARY CAMPUS 654 Agnes St. Victoria, BC V8Z 2E6 secondary@pacificchristian.ca Phone 250-479-4532 www.pacificchristian.ca
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N
icholas Wolterstorff, in his book Educating for Shalom, states that the goal of Christian education is to go beyond the traditional teaching of humanities and the arts, and to embrace the vision of what God wants for all humanity. This vision for humanity, set out in the Bible and embodied in the life of Christ, is one where people flourish and live in peace, or shalom. Shalom is achieved once we all enjoy justice and are in a right relationship with God, with each other, with God’s creation and with ourselves.
How do we educate for shalom? It must start with being a place of belonging. First we must recognize and embrace the rich diversity of learners in our school community. God has created and loves each child in our class and each child carries the image of God. Recognition of God’s love for each child leads us to foster a classroom culture where all learners feel welcome and feel like they belong. This in turn allows all students to participate (and learn), as much as possible, in our classrooms. It allows students to flourish and to begin to understand what justice and right relationships look like.
And in a practical, tangible and fun way, belonging may mean finding your name written in chalk on the school walkway on the first day of school, a big sign over the door welcoming you to the building and teachers standing by the door ready to greet you or help you find your first class. So, “Hooray! You’re here!” and yes, you belong! Becky Tuffin, Secondary Teacher
and yes... You Belong!
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WELCOME BACK OR RATHER SHALL WE SAY...
WELCOME
HOME! T
his fall marked something special for our family. Our grandson Mason was the third generation in our family to enter PCS. My husband,William (Mason’s grandpa), was in the first class to graduate from PCS in 1981. We married in 1983 and had four children: Nicole (grad 2005), Anthony (grad 2007), Erin (grad 2012), and Kayla who will graduate in 2018. Yes, by the time Kayla graduates we will have paid for 25 years of Christian Education.
William’s parents, Dick and Johanna Hordyk, moved from Edmonton to Victoria in 1967 and were happy to hear that there was a Christian school for their children to attend. It was a very small school at the time, having only four classrooms. They had eight children and all were able to attend PCS, and thus began this family legacy. They are thrilled to see that their great grandson is now able to attend PCS, enrolling in preschool this fall. Dick and Johanna see a great blessing when they look at how PCS has grown over the years and how the teachers continue to share their love of the Lord. They truly see God’s faithfulness from generation to generation (Psalm 100).
For Anthony and Kaity, Mason’s parents, coming back to PCS didn’t feel like coming back to just a building with teachers; it felt more like home: a place where children can flourish with the loving care of teachers and the community around them. They feel that in this environment, children can grow and be loved for how God made them. When they came to check out the preschool, past teachers welcomed them, enforcing that home feeling once again. Mason’s preschool teacher, Mrs Brown, taught Kayla preschool as well. Tara Howard’s mother, Jane Bomhof, taught Anthony preschool, and Tara is now Mason’s preschool teacher. So you see, life has gone full circle and we are still connected to the wonderful community and family at PCS. Welcome Home! Blessings Jackie Hordyk, Written on behalf of our family
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Child
Every Matters
Hi,
my name is Travis J and I am from Tsawout First Nation, and this is what I think about when I hear Orange Shirt Day. Orange shirt day is when everybody thinks about all of the Indigenous kids that went to residential schools and remembers the story of Ms. Phyllis and her orange shirt. When I think about residential schools, the words that come to mind are: sadness, regret, and abuse. If our families never went to residential schools, we could be speaking our language and know more about our culture. I think it is kind of weird that Christian people did this kind of stuff but I’ve learnt that this was not God’s heart for Indigenous Peoples. What I want people to know about Orange Shirt Day is, it is very emotional for Indigenous Peoples across Canada. Kids saw their friends one day and then didn’t see them the next day. I know that if that happened to me now, I would feel sad. Orange shirt day helps bring healing and helps bad memories go away. Orange shirt day took a bad story and gave it a good ending which is why I think it is important that our school recognizes this day. When we recognized Orange Shirt Day on September 29th, I felt grateful. Grateful that we were acknowledging the hurt that resulted from residential schools. When I think about the future of Indigenous kids, I hope that their world gets better. I think Indigenous kids need to hear that, they need to believe in their dreams, don’t give up and never stop trying. To me, Every Child Matters means no child is left behind. Looking ahead, I hope that our school community remembers this part of Canadian history and actively works towards a better future for all kids. Travis J, PCS Grade 7 student of the Tsawout First Nation
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The story behind the
ORANGE SHIRT
DESIGNED BY JULIANA SPEIER
The design incorporates an eagle, two coppers, people, dots and stars, all done within a rendering of the aboriginal west coast style. I chose to depict an eagle cradling the people as eagles were not only signs of power, but were often linked with prayer, the eagle perceived as carrying prayers up to the Creator. So within my design the eagle is carrying the prayers of the people that had experienced or were affected by the residential schools, as well as bringing the people who did not survive the residential schools, up with the prayers, comforting all of them. The stars also imply the heavens in the design.
The ’dots’, or rather more accurately, buttons, are designs commonly found upon the traditional blankets, of which the first nations on the west coast wear for potlatches – a central way the west coast nations gathered and practiced their traditions and culture. Potlatches were banned from 1885 to 1951 in a similar attempt to eradicate the culture as the residential schools. The eagle notably has two coppers on its chest. Coppers were copper shields varying in sizes that stated the wealth and power that a clan had on the northwest coast. The coppers however, can be used in a shaming ceremony, a ceremony where one would break their own A BIT ABOUT THE LONGHOUSE copper to another person, The Pacific Peoples’ Partnership presented the tenth anniversary of One Wave issuing a challenge to that Gathering: "This milestone features the unveiling of the Longhouse Project, person to break a copper of an unprecedented public art installation on the BC Legislature lawn, a historic equal or greater value. If the Lekwungen village site. Four temporary longhouse structures were raised person cannot – or will not – featuring youth designs in the styles of Coast Salish, Kwakwaka’wakw, Nuubreak their own copper, it is chah-nulth, and South Pacific peoples.” Juliana Speier designed this longhouse! seen as extremely shameful by the entire community. It is this ceremony that I have depicted upon the breast of the eagle, the two coppers, one broken and one that is not, the broken coppers representing the aboriginal peoples, and the whole copper representing the Canadian government. Juliana Speier, PCS grade 12 student of the Kwakwaka’wakw nation
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COMMITTED TO
COMMUNITY I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. (Eph. 4:1-6)
W
hen I was at Trinity Western University studying this summer, the banners lining their walkways displayed the words: “Called to Unity; Committed to Community.” I appreciated that the banner made it clear that neither unity, nor community, depended on how we might be feeling towards the others. Warm, fuzzy emotions aside (or cold, angry ones), we are stilled called to unity – and we commit to community. One of the recommendations from last year’s Bible and Christian Studies Review (carried out by the SCSBC) was that we increase our focus on what we have in common, rather than on the differences amongst the many churches that are represented at PCS. This wasn’t meant to suggest that we should choose just one way for everyone to be – or one perspective that everyone would adopt. Rather, it was meant to point out that, while there are indeed many ways that Christians work out their faith as they live in the world, we all serve ONE master, Jesus Christ. And this same Jesus actually prayed for us, the PCS community, that we would be one. OK, maybe Jesus didn’t mention PCS by name at the time, but the gospel of John describes this as the core of Jesus’ prayer for all those who would eventually come to believe in him as the testimony of his disciples spread through space and time. And that includes us. I can’t say it better than Thomas Ryan does in his book Christian Unity – how you can make a difference:
He doesn’t say, “Create some unity among yourselves.” He says “maintain the unity.” Safeguard it. Protect it. Defend it. God has already given it to you. Hold on to it and keep it from harm. The passage above from Ephesians is one of many New Testament passages that describe the way that we actually live out our commitment to community. It is lived in the manner we treat one another: with humility, gentleness, patience, and love. Thomas Ryan writes that the Kingdom of God is “much more about breaking down every dividing wall between us than about us politely smiling at and bypassing one another…God asks us to…treasure one another and learn from one another. Together, we have the opportunity to express God’s multifaceted love to the world, and to do so far more powerfully than any one church could ever do alone.” What a great calling! I believe that the diversity at PCS truly does give us strength and allow us to learn more about our infinitely indescribable God than we ever could on our own. As we honour each other as different parts of one Body, we celebrate unity without sameness; diversity without division. At PCS this year, we have adopted the pillars of Respect-AcceptCare-Engage (RACE) to define the ways in which we commit to interacting throughout our community. I like the way that this moves us from the basic politeness of respect to increasing levels of investment in one another, demonstrated through acceptance, care and engagement. I think this will serve as a great anchor to hold us to unity and community, as we work and learn together, and “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
RESPECT ACCEPT CARE ENGAGE
In the first three chapters of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, he relates God’s saving work for the whole world through the cross of Christ., reconciling a divided humanity into one body. In the ensuing chapters, Paul moves into identifying the concrete practices and behaviours that will give visible expression to a now-reconciled humanity:
“Remain in my love... Love each other as I have loved you.” - Jesus
Quotes are taken from: Ryan, Thomas. (2015). Christian Unity – how you can make a difference.
Lorna Herzog, Secondary School Principal WE ARE PACERS TOGETHER
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Pacers RACE Together! A SCHOOL-WIDE IINITIATIVE TO ENHANCE THE CULTURE OF OUR SCHOOL Perhaps you have seen this phrase around PCS, or even better, you have heard it around your house! Our hope is that RACE becomes very much the common language that describes our school culture. This process to improve our school culture really came out of our school’s vision and mission. We asked the questions, how can we make our school’s culture excellent? How do we teach Christ-like living, critical thinking, and joyful service to our students in a way that makes sense and is not legalistic? If we truly believe that our students are image-bearers of God, created by a God of grace, then perhaps we need to shift how we understand and respond to student behaviour. In thinking through this process, four pillars of student behaviour are in the early stages of development as we seek to foster a strong and positive culture rooted in the shared values of our community.
Respect: for God, others, self, and property God created us to be different from each other, we are unique and diverse, and that is how God wants it, it is His will. It is also God’s will for us to show respect for God’s creation, including our diverse community of believers and beyond. Our call is to respect each other, but don’t forget yourself. God loves you for who you are, you are worth it!
Accept: accept others, a condition of our heart God created us with diversity: we look different, act different, like different things, have our own unique strengths, and God loves us for who we are! He even loves us when we mess up. We all make mistakes and are not perfect, but God accepts us, mistakes and all! Even though we don’t deserve it, God forgives us, and this is grace. Thus, because of God’s grace to us, we need to have hearts of grace and hearts of acceptance towards others. We need to accept one another for who we are, uniquely created in God’s image. We must learn to accept our differences, forgive each other when we fail, and see the value of each person as an image-bearer of God.
Care: for others and creation, an action of our heart Our God is a responsible God, and we are made in God’s image. This means we are called to be responsible as we care and tend God’s creation. This includes all of nature and each other. Think about how we care for creation, are we doing enough? Think about caring about other people...are we doing enough? Care is an action of our heart.
Engage: at school, home, and play; actively participate! We honour God by using what He gives us, and God gives us curiosity, the capacity to think and reason, and the ability to learn. Our minds are created by God so that we can discover the wonder of the world we live in. By learning, God’s truth is revealed to us, and we grow in understanding and wisdom. However, learning is work, and God calls us to do everything for His glory. So, whether we are studying ancient cultures, adding 2-digit numbers, playing a game in PE, or walking down the hall, we do it all for the glory of God.
RACE with us! As we begin to use RACE as a framework in communicating a consistent language of the expected behaviour to our students, we invite you to join the dialogue to support our mission in nurturing students in Christ-like living, critical thinking and joyful service to be faithful citizens in God’s world.
In Christ, Pacific Christian Elementary RACE Team
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I
thought working in that pretend sweatshop was hard, until I realized what a real one would be like. We worked for a difficult 45 minutes. In real sweatshops, the hours would be ten times longer in a hot, dirty, cruel place. We made boxes out of newspaper. We got one rupee a bag. I thought that was terribly low pay, until I realized real slave workers would be getting much lower for harder work, longer hours, cruel slave masters, and any work below expectations would be a terrible punishment. Our “family” made the most rupees (23) so we bought a scone. We had to split it in five pieces. In real life, we would never survive. To get a real meal we’d have to work twice as hard. We were not allowed to get any water, go to the bathroom, or eat. In real life this would make you very unhealthy. And with terrible punishment and hardly getting any food, your life would be skating on thin ice. In my opinion I thought our boxes were good. I didn’t think our bags deserved to be crushed by the slave master, but in real labour none of the bags would be accepted and punishment would be much much much worse than trashing a couple of duds. I’m sure sweatshop workers would have the hang of making the product, because to eat and survive would depend on their workflow. If in real life a family was in this situation, they would have to be bonded and never fight, because if they argued it would mean less products, less food, less money, more punishment. In my opinion, the family would have to be like a well-oiled machine with no flaws. No matter how perfect you are, surviving by a job like that would be horrible. Sweatshops are long grueling torture, but if they weren’t there, where would those poor people get their food? This is a hard question. Many die while doing slave labour, but some would die without it, due to the little number of people who would employ them. Bottom line: Slave labour, sweatshops, child labour, and anything like it is one of the saddest things in the world.
Jonas G, Grade 6
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A SUMMARY OF WORDS THAT DESCRIBE MY EXPERIENCE: Difficult
We had to make paper bags out of newspaper. The instructions were in inches and it was hard. I really felt like giving up. But I knew that my family would not survive if I didn’t work. A couple of my bags barely made the inspection. The thing about sweatshops is if you don’t do your part, your family has a slim chance of staying alive.
Frustrating
The paper bags were hard to make and we had to make a lot. The masters were very harsh and they got food and water while we didn’t.
Tempting
When the masters went by with food, I was tempted to go and take one. The masters were the opposite of kind, sharing, cheerful. The were cruel, selfish, and mean. If your bag didn’t pass the inspection, it got crumpled and thrown in your face.
Stressful
When we ran out of newspaper, I went to ask the other families for some. Two families said no but then I received some newspaper from Finley, who was apart of one of the competing families.
Waterless
I wanted WATER!!!!! I was hot and tired, but we were banned from water for an hour! My throat was dry and I was parched.
Inky
The ink from the newspapers stained my hands, but we were not allowed to go to the washroom for an hour.
Desperate
My family earned 23 rupees and we were able to buy 1 scone for the five of us. We had to divide equally, and that was hard. I felt sad that the other families didn’t get any.
Shocking
I cannot even imagine that children in other countries have to go through this. We only had to do it for about an hour, but those kids have to work the entire day. I feel sad for those children.
Ava
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ENGLISH 12 ASSIGNMENT: ORIGINAL COMPOSITION PROMPT: We often understand our relationships more clearly after they are over, once we have reflected on the whole experience.
h School ig H o t ip h s n r Relatio Break-up lette ool, Dear High Sch
azing crazy m a e on n e e b s ha urney together jo r ou d ars, you have n e a y r e e v fi th e st g a to p h e or th been our fift hard for me. F ly e m e any memories This year has tr m x e so is d e ou r y a sh to r e hav this lette h week and we e th ride, so writing of es I will cheris y il a d sm y e r e th v e ll a t os d rs an me alm I’ve er, all the tea th e been there for g to e and support v d a lo h t e n a ’v e st n w co s h r d you e laug t all to you. a hrough you, an together. All th T th . e fe li ow y I m d n of fe a for the rest ant to go in li w I e r e am incredibly h and remember I w d d n n a a e m m a I in ad iscover who ever knew I h n I l a ti been able to d e and then you n e os ot p r p u p is o th n ll d a n a e ns me realiz my st. I had no pla lo s a You’ve helped w I our faith and , ou in y t w e e r m g I e e r w er, at. Befo ed anged. Togeth ch thankful for th ld or Lord. You open w e e th ol h h w it w y m ip d sh lation life an eat love for r g d so did my re came into my n ’s a od r e G g d on e r r e st iscov h you grew and where I d ty ti n e mily and the id relationship wit fa n a d n d co a h se I y e m r iend, world whe ’re my best fr ou Y . r me, someone my eyes to this fe fo li m y e m st r sy fo t s or a p h sup rpose he ly e been another ’v ou Y me and the pu . g ich I desperate h in e w se on of y d cr e or to b oulder ever get m ugh, and a sh to one person I n t e the person I a g to s e in m e ti m n e d h e p w a s sh talk to riting this at you are ha w th , I can run and e ll a m co d e n b a e v ou a h thing about y and who you ou y t ou b a nd learn more needed. Every a g l in e v th a y r tr e v to e e r e desi use I ador my heart this on d ce portunity that today and beca la op p e s a m h ti fe od li G , a y ce in rt. Recentl I AM. It’s a on W Y breaks my hea on ns for me and o la g p t to a e d r e g d s ci a e h d e so I’ve us love and how h ’s od G about him and t e. The two of m ou b r a fo e e m or t h st g u in ta has . You God any things God m I can’t give up of experience all e d on n a st ju on is e ip ov tr m eI onth y I am doing er but it’s tim h think this 6-m th w e g d to n a s st r r a e e d y n can u mazing few nd I hope you a g in z have had an a em but I know a m th a in ly e u m tr e e r d a u incl r me. You ! plans may not e os th has planned fo it! I’ll miss you d e n v a r se ou e y d r fo ou y s , n life great pla ve an amazing a h this. God has ou y t a th y r in life! I pra that you’ll go fa Love always, ent) CS gr 12 stud P a a k (a on n A
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LOOKING
AHEAD
CHRISTMAS CONCERTS 2017 SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERTS Tuesday, Dec. 12 & Wednesday, Dec. 13 7 pm at Victoria Christian Reformed Church Tickets available Dec.1 from the Secondary School office.
PRE-SCHOOL & JUNIOR K CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION Thursday, Dec. 14 6 pm at Victoria Christian Reformed Church
GRADE K - 6 ELEMENTARY CHRISTMAS Tuesday, Dec. 19 12:30 pm & 7 pm at Glad Tidings Tickets available Dec.1 from the Elementary School office.