Youth Weekend

On April 22 and 23, 2023 we had 58 teens visiting from across Canada and the US for the Youth Weekend. A sincere thank you to the teens who participated from the following New Church Schools: Carmel New Church School ~Kitchener ON, Olivet School ~Etobicoke ON, Pittsburg New Church School…

Woodlot Tree Care

Our beloved specimen Beech tree, near the primary classrooms at the back of the school, received some tender loving! Local arborists from All Green Tree Care pruned the canopy of the tree. Pruning the tree canopy helps to decrease the risk of broken limbs and falling branches, especially in a high-traffic area.…

Play Based Learning in Worship

What is play based learning We have all been hearing the term ‘play-based learning’ a lot these days. It gained popularity in the early 2000s, even though research goes back way further. Play-based learning offers many benefits for children learning through play.  The way children learn through play is quite…

Why modern educators are ditching the classroom for the great outdoors

“What’s important is that children have an opportunity to bond with the natural world, to learn to love it and feel comfortable in it, before being asked to heal its wounds.” David Sobel Why are modern educators ditching the classroom for the great outdoors? Educational theorist Froebel initially envisioned kindergarten…

Learning About the Christmas Story in the Classroom

Christmas season at Carmel New Church School is the time of the year when our greatest strengths and differences are on display. The story of Jesus’ birth is taught and discussed in chapel and during worship in respective classrooms. Students are able to converse about what happens in the Christmas…

Holistic Learning – Educating the Whole Child

At Carmel New Church School, we strive to engage students on all five domains; intellectual, physical, social, emotional and spiritual. Intellectually, students are engaged through academic discussions and independent exploration. Physical engagement is stimulated through kinesthetic learning opportunities and extensive hands-on experiences. An environment is cultivated that lends itself to…

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Sit back and enjoy the Christmas Story brought to you by Grade 1/2!Every year the Gr.1/2 class create marvelously colourful Christmas Books depicting the Christmas story in words and drawn pictures. This year Miss Laura and her students had to be a little more “COVID creative” as they completed their…

Re-establishing Routines After The Christmas Break

At the Carmel New Church School in Kitchener, we know that Christmas is a wonderful and important time not only for celebrating the birth of Jesus, but for spending time with family. However, after having two weeks off from school, it can be difficult for some students to re-establish school…

Encouraging A Growth Mindset in You and Your Child

Our previous blog about the power of YET discussed two different mindsets, Fixed & Growth, and what impacts it can have on your child. This time, we go into a few ways that you, as a parent, can encourage a growth mindset in your child.   Before we get to that, here…

Growth Mindset and The Power of YET

At our last Home & School meeting, our grade 1&2 teacher, Ms. Laura Hill, spoke about encouraging a growth mindset in kids, based on psychologist Carol Dweck’s work. A growth mindset starts with understanding that our brain is like a muscle and just like physical activity strengthens our bodies, we can…

Carmel New Church School and Terry Fox Run

One of the highlights of the year at Carmel New Church School in Kitchener comes near the end of September when the students take part in the Terry Fox Run. For those who do not know, Terry Fox was a young man from B.C. who lost a leg to cancer.  In…

Interpreting Your Child’s Report Card and Taking Action

It’s that time of year again – report card time! One of the ways that Carmel New Church School differs from some other private Christian schools is our small class sizes, and this is obvious when we send home our report cards. To us, your child is not just a…