Today was the first day of school and we had a sunny start to it! When the elementary students arrived in the morning, they were greeted with beautiful messages written in colourful chalk, including a reminder about being CRISP! CRISP is an acronym for Christian character traits that Wesley students are encouraged to display.
Our Before School Care Program students were outside first. By 8:10 AM, our regular students started to arrive and a general sense of excitement filled the air as old friends and new ones connected.
At 8:20 AM, the students started to line up by grade when the teachers waved their signs. Mrs. Ma, our Vice-Principal, welcomed everyone back and prayed for the start of the school year.
Before the students entered the building to be divided up into their homeroom classes, they waved to their parents who were watching the procession from their cars or the edge of the parking lot.
This year, we are happy to welcome 20 new students to our elementary division and 49 in our ELC. We are also very blessed to have new staff join us.
A special warm welcome to:
- Miss K. Chung (Toddler 1)
- Ms. Prasad (After School Teacher)
- Miss Omdara (Grade 5B)
- Mr. Vuong (Food Services Team)
- Miss Yip (Grade 3B)
After the students arrived in their classrooms and settled in, they started their day in typical Wesley fashion with morning announcements and the playing of O Canada. This was followed by the recitation of pledges in their classrooms.
At 10:00 AM, there was a morning assembly. Our new principal, Ms. Hoover, welcomed everyone. Several teachers reviewed some general expectations about playground, hallway and cafeteria behaviour.
Then, Ms. Wong and Mrs. Saballa re-introduced the concept of CRISP, which is an acronym for the following:
- Compassion
- Respect
- Integrity
- Servant Heart
- Perseverance
They looked at each component using a short video that showed how a specific character trait could be demonstrated. They also led the students in singing worship songs that supported each trait. Students then read a corresponding Bible verse. By the end of the presentation, students and staff were quite well versed in the expectations of being a CRISP leader!
To conclude, our Vice-Principal, Mrs. Ma, challenged the students to be CRISP-er together. She reviewed the CRISP traits but emphasized being CRISP is not selective – that we apply these principles to everyone as we are all created in God’s image with unique differences and histories that make each of us special, and that we work together as one family.
At Wesley Christian Academy, we are so thankful to start a new school year. We pray that it will be a fruitful one with God’s blessings and guidance. May we look to Christ to model CRISP behaviour and become people of good character, eager to follow and be like Jesus.