December

         "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not
                                  overcome it"  John 1:5
           December started out crazy, with our unexpected day off, and it doesn't look like it will settle down much!  It is such a busy time of year for everyone.  In the preparations for the big holiday, it is easy to forget the real reason for the preparations.  I'm wondering if God new it would slowly become this way so he provided us with His own special season of preparation-advent.  I hope you were able to attend the diocesan-wide Eucharistic adoration held on December 3rd.  If you were not able to, it's not too late.  Many parishes have Eucharistic adoration at some point during the month, if not frequently.  Our Lady of Lourdes has constant Eucharistic adoration, if there is not a mass being held.   I did go to my parishes service and will admit that I did not want to go.  As mentioned before, this time of year is so busy and I had so much to do on that Sunday.  My mind was kicked into high gear thinking about everything going on and all the things that had to be done that day.  With that said, I made myself leave a reception and went.  Just me-no husband, no kids.  Maybe I should have made them go, but that is an argument for another time.  Sitting down in church, I tried to clear my mind and say, "Here I am."  With my special intentions in mind, I sat, listened and  watched.  And ever so slowly, I relaxed, unwound and re-energized.  As I was trying to put it all in His hands,  I found myself reciting a divine mercy chaplet.  Actually I was singing it in my head, as the students at the K-3 Campus do.  I can't really put into words what I got out of that service, but it was worth it.  I hope everyone has a chance to attend Eucharistic adoration.  He loves you so much and he is patiently waiting for you.  It's a great way to focus on the real reason for this season!
     For guidance classes this month, we are focusing on random acts of kindness and "paying it forward."  Kindergarten through second grade will be reading the book Shall I Knit You a Hat?  This is the story of a little rabbit whose mother knits him a hat because a big snow storm is coming.  Being moved so much by the gesture, the rabbit asks his mother to knit hats for all their friends.  He wants them to be prepared for the snow storm as well.  We are talking about the rabbit's random act of kindness and how he "paid it forward."  The students are also making Christmas cards for the Carmel Home's residents and staff workers.  We are ending the class by saying a Hail Mary for them.  The third graders are making "Random Acts of Kindness Cootie Catchers."  This is a more difficult activity that I think the third graders will enjoy.  Hopefully they will play and actually do the acts of kindness suggested in the game!  All of the classes are watching a video about "paying it forward.  Here is the link to the video.  http://www.lifevestinside.com/film/   The students count how many random acts of kindness that they see, which also keeps them focused!
         I hope that everyone has a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

   This month's blog will review what was done in October and what we will be doing in November.  October was Bully Awareness Month, which was the focus for the guidance lessons. The students learned what bullying behaviors look like, what they can to stand up for themselves and others and what they can do to prevent bullying situations. The kindergarten classes read Mean Jean the Recess Queen, which focused on bullying behaviors, on the playground.  Then the students made their own "Crown of Kindness" to remind them to be kind to others. The first grade students did the “crumpled heart” lesson, which focuses on how mean words can cause “wrinkles in our hearts” that are difficult to fix. While reading the book Chrysanthemum, the kids passed around a large paper heart.  Every time something mean was said in the book, the student holding the heart would fold it then pass it to the next student.  At the end of the lesson, we unfolded the heart, looked at all the wrinkles and discussed why they were there.  Unfortunately, the statement “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” is not always true. Sadly some words do cut deep.  We talked about forgiveness and how to work toward preventing those wrinkles.  The second grade learned about bullying behaviors by playing “Bullying Bingo.”  The third grade classes looked at bullying from a “growth mindset” point of view, which encouraged the  kids to be confident in who they are and stand up for themselves and others.  In all the classes, we talked about the criteria needed for a situation to considered a bullying situation.  We discussed how the behaviors have to be repeated (not a one or two time situation) and how there has to be an imbalance of power.  I also stressed that students need to let us know when situations happen and if the stop or get better.   Here is a link to a video regarding bullying.  Please note, this is not a video that I would show to younger children.  It would be more appropriate for a high school setting.  With that said, it does have some useful information and suggestions.  www.facebook.com/brooksgibbs/videos/10155961324097042/
     November's guidance lessons will focus on feelings and emotions.  Kindergarten will play an "Emotions Bingo" game.  They love interactive games!  First grade will read Today I Feel Silly and have an interactive presentation that will help them identify various emotions by the expressions on a person's face.  The second grade students will watch clips from the movie Inside Out and play a game on the board using the characters from the movie.  The third graders are continuing with the growth mindset curriculum which will focus on how to develop a positive, can do mindset.
     As in my past blogs, I like to offer suggestions for articles that can help us with our children.  Here is an article that was recommended to me, titled "The Scary Truth About What's Hurting Our Kids."  This is a fascinating article that discusses the changes that are occurring in our children since the percentage of children having an iPhone rose over 50%.  The title sums it up best.  What our children are now exposed to is forming who they are becoming, and while technology definitely has its benefits, this article highlights the damages from technology that are evident in the children of today.  I have worked with children for almost 20 years and I can tell you there is a significant difference in the issues that our young people face today than those of 20 years ago.  An example that the article discusses is how different bullying situations have become.  Before social media (aka "back in the good old days") when a bullying situation occurred at school, it was left at school.  Home was a safe place for us (that's not saying that it made the bullying situation better).  However today, the situation can follow a person everywhere they go through a phone.  We didn't know about every little get together that happened between people.  Now, we not only know there was a get together, we know about everyone that was there, what they did, what they ate, etc.   The bad news is that these types of situations effect our kids.  The good news is that there are ways to help our children and possibly help prevent some situations from happening.  The article offers some really good suggestions on how to help our children.  I strongly encourage everyone to read this article!  It is well worth the time!
     I hope everyone has a great month and a Happy Thanksgiving (which is right around the corner)!  I can be reached through email: kim.bennett@owensborocatholic.com or by calling 684-7583.

                                         

     Welcome to September!  We have had a great start to the 2017-2018 school year.  I am particularly excited for this school because I get to spend the whole day at the K-3 Campus!  I have a new office that is located inside the main building (last year I was in a mobile unit beside the art room), and I get to see so many faces pass my door on a daily basis!  I am getting a lot of little waves as the students walk by!  The guidance program is changing also, but I will talk more about this later.

     With September arriving, parents should notice routines develop.  Whether you are a new parent to the system or a seasoned veteran, you may notice that it takes a little bit of time to get the students settled into their school routine.  I frequently hear students say things like "This year is harder!"  They remember what they did last year (maybe).  With the advancement of each year, school does get a little bit more difficult.  Sometimes those changes are very subtle and sometimes they feel huge.  However big or small the adjustments have been, if your child continues to struggle, please contact your student's teacher or myself.  There are things that we can do to help with those adjustments.  Here are some suggestions that you can do, as a parent, to help your student.:

     * Establish a bedtime.  There are many different opinions on when a child's bedtime should be.  Obviously the younger the child the earlier the bedtime.  A good rule of thumb-if your child repeatedly wakes up cranky or doesn't want to wake up at all, move up their bedtime.  Lack of sleep can result in a variety or issues.

     * Establish a set routine for doing homework.  It is so important to get this going at a young age!  I have heard students as young as 1st grade saying that they do their homework in the mornings.  My reply to this: "You do well to get to school with two matching shoes, much less finding a moment to do homework.  And if you do have a spare moment, can you honestly say that you can give your assignment your best effort in the mornings?"  Some students do have time to do homework in the mornings, however will they always be able to do this?  Doing homework as soon as possible, after getting home from school, is an excellent habit to start now.  This may mean encouraging them to start on work while you are cooking supper or doing a load of laundry.  Encourage them to get what they can finished and attempt to do the parts, on which they need help.  When you can, review their work and make any needed corrections.

     * Encourage your child to bring their take home/homework folders to you instead of you unpacking the backpack.  Go through the work that needs to be taken out.  A very wise principal once suggested that each student have a plastic tote, at home, in which to put all their work throughout the year.  Should your child come to you asking about a paper that they had taken out of their folder, all you have to do is tell them to look in the tote.  And added bonus-at the end of the year, you can go through all the papers, pick out the ones you want to keep and have a celebratory end of year bonfire with the rest!

     * Establish a morning routine for your family.  A smooth morning makes for a happier (or at least less grouchy) student and happier parents.  This could include making sure that backpacks are set in a certain place, with folders already inside, so getting to the bus or in the car is less stressful.

     So what is going on in the guidance classes?  In the past, the guidance classes have focused on the Guidelines For Success, which included making books throughout the year that the students would bring home in May.  After much thought and consideration, it was decided that the topics for each month would change and the students would no longer make books.  For example, in September, the kindergarten classes are focusing on developing listening skills.  Instead of doing a worksheet about listening skills we are playing a game the helps develop listening skills.  First and second grade classes will cover the same topic, which will include an activity or game that focuses on listening skills.   When possible, we will incorporate the Guidelines For Success, which could mean discussing more than one guideline at a time.  The third grade classes will have an interactive curriculum that focuses on Growth Mindset but also incorporates other topics from making friends and bullying to doing homework.  Ask your student about their first guidance class!

     Please don't hesitate to contact me with any concerns or questions.  You can email me at kim.bennett@owensborocatholic.org or call me at (270) 684-7583.