Wesley Christian Academy
22 Heritage Road L3P 1M4 Markham, ON, Canada

Today’s Chapel Service During this morning’s chapel service, after the pledges and the Lord’s Prayer, we listened to Martina Ortiz Luis (official anthem singer for the Toronto Maple Leafs) and an amazing choir sing O Canada, which was played at the Leaf’s game to celebrate Martin Luther King Day on January 18th, 2021. A new element was introduced in today’s chapel. Students were asked to meditate on God’s word by colouring a sheet with the main verse (Philippians 4:6-7) that ...Pastor Lowe would be using during her message. Students listened to a worship song, Everlasting Light by Mosaic MSC, while doing this. As you can see from the pictures, Mrs. Harley’s Grade 3B class enjoyed this new spiritual practice! Our speaker this morning was Pastor Sarah Lowe, who opened with a story about getting lost at a store when she was 8 or 9 years old. She recalled the growing panic and fear that she experienced, as she looked for her dad. Finally, she asked the lady at the desk for help. Only then, did she start to feel calm and quietness again. Pastor Lowe then used Philippians 4:6-7 to explain how we can get peace in our own hearts and what it actually means. She explained that we must tell God our fears and concerns. We must also remember how faithful He has always been and thank Him for it. Once we do that, peace will come because Jesus sees, knows and cares about us. Pastor Lowe then shared a Bible story from Mark 4, in which a newly awoken Jesus calmed a raging storm with mere words. Jesus had been asleep during the storm, not because He didn’t care, but because He knew what was going to happen and who was in control. We can apply this to our own lives. Jesus cares and loves us but He wants us to come to Him with our worries so that He can have a relationship with us and grant us peace. Pastor Lowe concluded the service by praying for the students. After the message, our students and teachers had a short discussion about what Pastor Lowe shared and how we can practice this in our every day lives.

Glimpse Into A Classroom - PK2: Fun Experiments! By: Ms. Fok, Ms. Hau and Ms. Lau Earlier this month, our class talked about water during Circle Time. In order to help PK2 students understand the concept of sinking versus floating, we did a simple experiment with them to demonstrate the two opposing ideas. We prepared two plastic bins and gathered a variety of objects (such as foam blocks, plastic blocks, metal keys, plastic keys, string, marbles, etc.) that the children se...e and play with very often in the classroom. Then, we filled up the bins with water. First, we put two objects into the bins and explained the definition of float and sink. After that, we asked the children to predict which objects would sink and which would float before we added an object to the water. The children had fun seeing whether their predictions would be correct! Later that week, we did another experiment that involved water and Rainbow Skittles. It was another simple activity but created great excitement. We let the children put four different coloured Skittles on a paper plate. Then, they added water to the middle of the plate. Afterwards, they simply waited and watched the colour from the Skittles wash off and move towards the centre of the plate, making beautiful rainbow streaks. Everyone in our PK2 class is very curious and loves doing experiments. They had a lot of fun while they were learning too!

Today’s Chapel Service Today was our second chapel service this school year that was done completely online, as all elementary students continue learning from home. As usual, Mrs. Harley prepared the slides, chose the songs and coordinated all the announcements and speakers. This week, however, she chose a very fun and different version of our national anthem, sung by Walk Off The Earth, a Canadian indie pop band from Burlington, Ontario. It was a nice change! Also in this we...ek’s chapel service was an announcement about our upcoming Care and Share event on Thursday, January 28th, for Markhaven Home for Seniors. The announcement team lamented that this year, they will not be able to visit, sing, read and colour with the residents due to the pandemic. However, those seniors are not forgotten! Donations will go towards the purchase of iPads that seniors can use for music lessons and communications with their families. This week’s speaker was Pastor Andrew Snider, who started off with some encouragement for parents. He empathized with them, as they juggle managing kids at home and everything else that needs to be done. He assured them that hope and joy can still be found in the midst of pandemic life. He also asked the kids to be kind to their parents, as this is not an easy time for them either. Then, he dove into today’s message, which centred around Matthew 5:43-44, in which Jesus said to love your enemies. Pastor Snider shared that having a relationship with Christ revolutionizes our attitudes. He used an example of his sons, ages 6 and 4. The boys are very close but they also fight. However, when one of them does something completely unexpected in the middle of a fight, such as give the other a hug, the entire situation changes. Similarly, Jesus told us to do the unexpected to love those who hate you, to show them respect and treat them with dignity. In essence, He is also saying, Follow me and be like me by loving your enemies. Once we have a relationship with Jesus, our actions and attitudes change, which, in turn, impacts others around us. Pastor Snider challenged us to think of someone in our lives who does not treat us well and to think of one kind thing we can do for that person this week even if it is as simple as thinking kindly about them. He acknowledged that it would not be easy, but we are able to do difficult things because of something called hope, and hope’s name is Jesus. After Pastor Snider’s message, each class used discussion questions to sum up the lessons from today and to dive a little deeper about how we can love our enemies and show them the respect and dignity that they need and deserve according to Jesus’s teachings.

Glimpse Into A Classroom: Gr. 5 Social Studies Guest Speaker Lavina Li ’10 By: Mrs. Ma The grade 5 Social Studies classes have begun a new unit, Interactions of Indigenous Peoples and Europeans Prior to 1713, in What Would Eventually Become Canada. The first lesson was about how archaeologists and historians learn about the past. We discussed how archaeologists look at physical objects to learn about past cultures and how historians examine written records.... To help students gain a greater understanding of archaeology, we had a Wesley alumna, Lavina Li ’10, speak. Miss Li is currently studying at Queen’s University in the Master of Art Conservation Program. She recounted her experiences at archeological sites in Peru and British Columbia as well as her work in conservation at the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. Miss Li shared pictures of artifacts found at Corral Redondo, Peru large flags made entirely of parrot feathers and face-necked jars. She explained that by studying these objects, the team was able to conclude that the flags and jars were a part of sacred rituals. Miss Li studied a village site at Vancouver Island, British Columbia, with the goal to learn more information about the people who lived hundreds of years ago. She spent hours picking through mussel shells recovered from a historic trash site to learn about food harvesting tendencies. The students were able to see how archaeologists can use trash to gain insight about a people’s way of life, habits and behaviours. Miss Li showed the students a shovel used to build the Hudson’s Bay Company Fort in Moose Factory, Ontario. She worked to conserve this important artifact by spending hours chiseling away dirt and rust with various tools and using special chemicals to restore the shovel. Miss Li looked at old catalogues to get an idea of what the shovel originally looked like. She then used an x-ray to see how the shovel was constructed in order to better understand who made it and its purpose. The students then had the opportunity to ask Miss Li questions. They wanted to know about her current projects and how she became interested in conservation. They also asked what tools are used during excavations and how sites are chosen for excavations. By the end of the presentation, the grade 5 students had a newfound appreciation for the artifacts displayed in museums and the important lesson of preserving history.

Glimpse Into A Classroom: Grade 6-8 Cubism Art By: Miss Errington The grade 6-8 classes continued their exploration of art history by examining the style of cubism. They learned that cubism was a style of abstract modern art and that it began as a way to reflect the struggle of modern life that artists were feeling at the time. The students examined various pieces from artists such as Picasso, Braque, and Cezanne. They quickly noticed that the art appeared to be wacky,... unrealistic, and exaggerated, and that it allowed the viewer to really consider and speculate about the meaning behind the art. This originally meant that the art at that time was highly criticized, but eventually grew in popularity and became an incredibly influential art movement. Students spent more time focussing specifically on the art of Picasso, learning that he was inspired by the masks of Africa and enjoyed creating portraits. His portraits were very unique, in that he often exaggerated facial features, rearranged pieces of the portrait, used geometric shapes, and divided up the portrait into small pieces (like a broken mirror). The students examined many examples where some or all of these techniques were used, noting how strange and unique Picasso’s style truly was. Students were then tasked with creating their own Picasso-style portrait but they had to choose a superhero in which to base their portrait off of! This allowed them to take something from our modern day that they were interested in and re-create it in the cubist style. The first stage of planning had to be carefully considered, as they needed to decide which techniques they wanted to use and how they were going to re-create their chosen superhero. Once the initial design was complete, students completed their good copy using oil pastels. The end result was a fantastic display of creativity as students did a great job showcasing their knowledge of cubism!

Principal's Message - Hope By: Mrs. Serio Once again this year, our Angel Tree for Hope stands proudly in our school. Originally each angel was hung with a prayer for baby Hope, who is now almost two years old. For those who are new to our Wesley family, Hope is the daughter of one of our former elementary teachers and her husband. Hope was born with many health issues. We continue to pray for her and her family, for wisdom for her doctors, and for strength for her family and... her new baby sister, who will arrive in a few months. This year, the Hope that each of us holds in our hearts the expectation and desire for something to happen - may vary. For certain, we hope for 2021 to be a year of health and restoration. We pray for God’s continued protection for our school, children, staff and families. We pray for wisdom for government leaders around the world, as they work together to bring an end to the pandemic and for peace for all nations. We thank God for the scientists who continue to work on vaccines and treatment for the virus that has shaken the entire world. We praise Him for who He is and the promise of Hope He delivers, with the expectation of the coming of Christ celebrated around the world on Christmas eve. We are so thankful that He has provided for us during these times. We pray that He will continue to sustain us not just physically but emotionally and spiritually, as we are weary from the many challenges of the past year. May Hope in the Christ of Christmas sustain you and hold you, as we wait in joyful Hope.

Glimpse Into A Classroom: Grade 8 - Mouse Trap Racers By: Mr. Bailey Wow! It’s the third year of mouse trap racers at Wesley, and this year was more competitive than ever! All grade 8 students, including those at home were challenged to create a mouse trap powered car that could go the furthest distance. The results were beyond impressive with the top racers travelling clear across our entire gym that’s about 60 ft!!... Before the building began, grade eight students studied something called MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE. They learned that in order to harness the energy from the mouse trap they would need to solve a tricky problem. The mouse trap moves a short distance with a very high force, but the mousetrap powered car should travel a long distance with a very low force in order to conserve energy; so, how did they figure it out? Maybe you can ask them! Each individual student created their own car so that everyone was able to keep safe. During the building process, along with working on their own cars, peers helped solve problems together and problems were numerous! Why does my car go to one side?, why doesn’t the axle spin nicely?, why doesn’t the mousetrap snap all the way down?. I was impressed with the determination, focus, and excitement it was hard to tell the students that that the science period was over! When all was said and done our top four racers were: Daniel from 8A, along with Sissi, Daniel and Esther from 8B! Online students couldn’t participate in the final race but sent videos of their impressive machines in action! Home learner Zach from 8B went above and beyond creating a speedy two mousetrap-powered car that could travel 10 ft in less than 2 seconds! Great job grade 8s!

Today’s Chapel Service This morning’s chapel service had a few different elements to it. Since we did not have our usual Remembrance Day assembly on November 11th (as each class participated in their own act of remembrance), there was a special remembrance prayer and a moment of silence added into the service. The video for the singing of O Canada also had a global theme, as it showed segments of different people singing our national anthem in different languages, including a... few Indigenous languages. The Bible reading this morning was taken from Psalm 40:5 and the guest speaker was Pastor Matt Waskey from the East Side Baptist Church. His message focused on giving thanks for all the big and small things that God has done. He pointed out that no matter where we look, God’s handiwork is there from the tiny spider and insects to the miracle of every breath that we take. However, God’s greatest gift to us is His love, which prompted Him to send His son, Jesus, to die for us, so that we can call Heaven our home and be with Him one day. Pastor Waskey encouraged us not to forget God’s many gifts everyday things, how He leads us, protects us, plans for us and if we do not know His greatest gift, Jesus, we can ask Him into our hearts and accept Him. In the Grade 5B classroom today, after the message from Pastor Waskey, Mr. MacLean reiterated that God wants to hear from us. We need to acknowledge his presence in everything, but we are often too busy to do that. He re-read the Bible passage again to his class, first using the New International Version. Then, he read it two more times, using a King James Bible and a New Living Translation Bible. Each were slightly different but had the same meaning. Mr. MacLean then generated a conversation with his students regarding how we need to be thankful for everything, as everything is rooted in God. They took the example about starting the day with a cup of coffee or orange juice. Who made the coffee beans? Who gave the farmer the strength to harvest it? How did it move down the supply chain until it got to your breakfast table? From their discussion, the students could see how God had a part in blessing each element until it became a blessing to them. The class spent a few more minutes making connections and sharing thoughts about today’s message. They even noted that even though they do not like our COVID-19 situation, they can see God working, as He provides us with the things we need (like internet, computers, Zoom, etc.) to continue with school. Before Mr. MacLean ended in prayer, he asked his class to take a few minutes to pray silently first, to thank God for the many things He has blessed them with. He also reminded himself and the class that we should acknowledge God’s great blessings not just once but multiple times each day.

Glimpse Into A Classroom: PK2 Pumpkin Volcanoes By: Ms. Fok In mid-October, the PK2 class focused on pumpkins during circle time for an entire week. Specifically, on Friday, October 16th, the class conducted a pumpkin volcano activity! First, they cut off the top of a pumpkin and hollowed the inside out. Next, a mixture of baking soda, vinegar and liquid dish soap was added into the pumpkin. When the children saw the eruption, they were very excited about doing the experiment!

Glimpse Into A Classroom: Grade 2B - Pumpkins & Autumn Leaves By: Mrs. Yuen November is the month when the smallest breeze Gives us a shower of autumn leaves... Bonfires and pumpkins, leaves falling down November is red and golden and brown! This past month, the grade 2B students have been learning and enjoying all things autumn! We started off by diving into a variety of fall-themed poems, as well as fiction and non-fiction texts about pumpkins and autumn leaves. Then, we put on our own poet hats and started the drafting process of writing our very own fall poems! After a few weeks of brainstorming, drafting, and writing, we finally finished our poems and made it the centrepiece of our beautiful autumn wreath! Over the past month, we also had the pleasure of having our class pumpkin (which the class voted to be named ‘Mr. Spook’) join us in a variety of fun pumpkin-themed activities! We did a colourful ‘Skittles Pumpkin Experiment,’ in which we formed the candy pieces into the shape of a pumpkin. Then, we watched the candy slowly dissolve and diffuse into an array of colours when water was added to it. We made predictions and tested it with both cold and warm water. We discovered the candy dissolved and diffused much faster when using warm water! As pumpkin investigators, each of the students also had a chance to practice making predictions, including how many lines Mr. Spook had on his body, how many cubes tall he was, and whether or not he could float or sink in his ‘pool.’ Seven of the students predicted he would float, while nine of them predicted he would sink. The boys and girls were astonished to see him floating and ‘swimming in his pool’ despite his weight and size! With Christmas around the corner, we decided it was finally time to say goodbye to Mr. Spook. As the last hurrah, we had a little fun with him by turning him into a ‘pumpkin-cano’ (pumpkin volcano)! The boys and girls first reviewed the 3 states of matter. Then, using baking soda (solid), dish soap, food colouring, and vinegar (liquids), we counted down to see Mr. Spook erupt with green bubbles and fizz (gas)! We will definitely miss Mr. Spook, but we’re thankful for all the learning and fun times we got to enjoy with him this autumn season!

Today's Chapel Service This morning, the Grade 5A class was led by their two chapel leaders in the recitation of the pledges, the Lord’s Prayer and signing the words of our national anthem. They then rolled into two energetic action songs - performing great actions, clapping and dance moves! Representatives from our three Grade 7 classes also announced this month’s Care and Share event. They will lead the effort to raise money to purchase items needed by two different familie...Continue reading

Today’s Chapel Service Today, chapel service in the Grade 4B classroom started with the three pledge leaders leading the recitation of the pledge to the Bible, pledge to the Christian flag and the pledge to the Canadian Flag. After the Lord’s Prayer, everyone stood at attention to the playing of O Canada. The Grade 4Bs were very enthusiastic with the actions for the two praise songs and the class managed to recite the theme verse quite a few times during the verse theme count...Continue reading

Update on October Care and Share Last month, the SK2 class led the monthly Care and Share event to raise money to buy snacks for front line workers at Markham Stouffville Hospital. They even created an adorable promo video to announce their intention and gather support for their cause. As a result, our Wesley community responded by raising $1000.65! With your generosity, Miss Mak purchased snacks, chocolates and 103 five-dollar gift cards for the amazing staff at our local ho...spital. The SK2 students also made wonderful cards or completed colouring sheets to go with the gifts. Miss Mak delivered everything earlier this week. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy. We are so blessed to be able to be Jesus’s hands and feet, to teach our students the importance of taking action and sharing our many blessings, and to show some love and appreciation to those who are diligently caring for our ill and injured.

Wacky Wesley Day Construction/ Building Theme! Today was our first Wacky Wesley Day of the 2020-2021 school year. Once per term, we have a fun dress up day according to a specific theme. Today’s theme was construction or building to line up with our school verse (Philippians 1:6). Some of our teachers planned fun activities to correspond to the theme. For example, Mrs. Harley’s Grade 3B Construction Math Class made learning about perimeter and area more enjoyable to...day. She even had name tags with construction roles assigned to each student and herself (Inspector Harley). Some students who did not have construction costumes created their own outfits. Two students in our Distance Learning Program wore safety vests lovingly constructed out of bristol board by their dad. Very impressive! One of our students also interpreted the theme as being a builder of Lego. He brought in a wonderfully constructed race car as his prop! Some students in the Grade 6/7 split class showed their creativity by adding gears to their shirts or constructing a construction vest out of construction paper! In our Grade 7A class, one student made a pylon hat while another was a part of a building a window! Lastly, who could overlook all the cute costumes our ELC students wore! We are impressed with the creativity and enthusiasm that both our in-school and distance learning students and teachers displayed in support of our first Wacky Wesley Day this year. Great job everyone!

Glimpse Into A Classroom: Grades 1-5 Art Colourful Hands By: Mrs. Vant Erve In our first project of the year, our grades 1-5 students celebrated the hands that God has given us to be creative for Him in all we do.... In our classes, we explored how to use shape, lines, and colour to create the principle of contrast in our art. Each student traced their own hand, drew vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines on the page, and then worked with contrasting colour families to make their hand pop off the page. Each student brought their own creative flare to the project, and it was definitely a fun way to start off our year in art! Enjoy these pictures. This is just a selection of the wonderful creations by our students.