“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”  This reading from the gospel of Matthew goes on to say, “If anyone cause one of these little ones-those who believe in me, to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”  This bible verse comes to mind as we, as parents, teachers and staff are faced with a newest fad to race through the internet.  I am talking about the Momo challenge.  This new challenge is like a bad car wreck, in some aspects.  You know you shouldn’t be looking at it but at the same time you can’t pull your eyes away.  This challenge, that encourages children to do harmful things to themselves (some even cause death), has been around for over a year, but has recently emerged because it is targeting very young children, through YouTube Kids.  The people, who are implanting this message in various internet sites, have circumvented the many parental blocks that can be put in place.  Just imagine the incredible things that could be accomplished by these highly intelligent people creating this hot mess, if they would only put their intelligence toward the good, instead of such evil.  October’s guidance lesson focused on internet safety.  One of the rules that was taught was the following: if you see something that makes you feel scared, sad or unsafe, you should tell a trusted adult.  We discussed that “Uh-oh” feeling that kids can get sometimes, letting them know something is not right.  Should they have that feeling, then they should tell an adult.  On March 1st, I visited the 2nd and 3rd grade classes to remind them of internet safety rules.  I also stressed that should they come across something that specifically tells them not to tell a parent/adult, that they should definitely tell a parent/adult.  We also talked about how they have some power and control in this situation, which was to turn whatever they were watching off.  They do not have to look at it!  And then tell an adult, who can help keep them safe.  Notifying the website may be an option, however keeping them safe on our end of things will have immediate effects.
     On to the guidance lessons for March.  The focus this month is friendship.  The kindergarten students will be playing a game where they have to pay a lot of attention to how they are treating the other students in the class.  First graders are doing friendship centers..  The second grade students have a power point presentation and then play a kahoot game on the iPads.  The third grade students are doing a friendship escape room, which is one of my favorite lessons!   
      We are at the beginning of the Lenten season.  I read a very good article examining what a person should do or give up for Lent.  The article approaches Lent as an invitation that Jesus is sending us.  So often we look at Lent as a dreaded time of year where we go without a lot of our comforts.  However, this article challenges the reader to view the season of Lent a little bit differently.  Here is the link if you want to check it out! www.foxnews.com/opinion/three-questions-to-ask-yourself-before-practicing-lent-this-year
     As always, please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help..  I can be reached at kim.bennett@owenborocatholic.org or (270) 684-7583