Spring is in the air (even if it's not officially spring)!  The snow was nice, but please bring on the warmer weather.  Hang on, folks!  We are finishing up the 3rd quarter and starting the 4th quarter.  Spring break is just days way.  The final round of MAP testing will be here before you know it.  But the most exciting event coming is Easter!  That is my favorite holiday.  I have said before that Easter is the continuation of the Christmas story.  At the time of writing this, we are venturing into week 2 of Lent.   I hope everyone is experiencing a meaningful Lenten season.  I am attaching Matthew Kelly's Best Lent Ever link.  www.dynamiccatholic.com/lent/best-lent-ever.html. This year, he has a book study as well.  I Heard God Laugh, written by Kelly, teaches us how to pray in very simple terms.  Yet the book is so much more than that!  He discusses the "why" and the "how" of praying and how to create the habit of praying.  It is a very easy read and several local parishes have copies of these books if you are needing one.  It's not too late to join!

   Friendship is the focus for guidance lessons this month.  I have often found the school year to resemble a "stay the night" experience.  When kids have a friend spend the night, usually everything goes great at the beginning and hopefully into the morning (barring no tears, missing mom and wanting to go home).  However, as the second day goes on, there is a little more arguing or irritability, which usually signals that it's time for someone to go home.  The month of March, in a school year, tends to be very similar.  There tends to be more conflicts between friends.  This is nothing out of the ordinary and nothing to be overly concerned about.  It just is the ebb and flow of things.  With that in mind, the focus will be on learning how to be a good friend.  The kindergarten, kindergarten transition, K/1 class and first grade classes will be reading the story Crazy Hair Day and completing a worksheet about the qualities/actions of a good friend.  The 2nd grade classes also will be reading Crazy Hair Day, but they will be doing a socially distanced activity about having many friends according to their likes and dislikes. The 3rd grade students are doing my favorite activity of the year-a friendship escape room!  The students are divided into groups to solve puzzles about friendship.  They have to finish each puzzle successfully in order to move to the next puzzle, gaining clues for the final puzzle as they go.  The students love this activity!  It encourages cooperation and grit.  (I am all about grit!). 

     As always, Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help you and your family.  I can be reached through email at Kim.bennett@owensborocatholic.org or by calling (270) 684-7583.  I hope that everyone has a meaningful lenten season and then has an amazing Easter and spring break!