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 at 8:00 AM. 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, one of our vice-principals, 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 14 new students to our elementary division and 56 in our ELC. We are also very blessed to have new staff join us.
A special warm welcome to:
- Ms. Atkins (Toddler 1)
- Ms. F. Cheung (ELC / Before and After School Care)
- Ms. M. Cheung (Toddler 2)
- Ms. J. Wong (Before and After School Care)
- Mrs. Robertson (Welcome Desk in the Office)
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 in which Mrs. Vant Erve re-introduced the concept of CRISP, which is an acronym for the following:
- Compassion
- Respect
- Integrity
- Servant Heart
- Perseverance
Throughout the assembly, Mrs. V reviewed each component with a short video that showed how a specific character trait could be demonstrated. The Worship Team teachers then led the students in singing a worship song that supported the trait.
Next, everyone read the information on the slides about how the trait could be demonstrated. This was followed by the joint reading of 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!
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 Christ.
