This month we take the time to be grateful, and acknowledge all the ways God has blessed our lives.

This school community of amazing students, hardest working teachers and staff, and dedicated parents is something I thank God for every day. Thank YOU this and every month for all you do to make our school community a loving place to be!

Our Christmas program is in full mode! This year’s story is “The Night Shift Before Christmas.” Come join us at the Falafel House restaurant in Bethlehem as Flo, Mo and Lydia find out about the exciting birth of baby Jesus! It is sure to be a fun and enjoyable story as the shepherds lead us to the manger. This year K-6 will each be singing a song while Junior High will be participating in multiple different ways. Our JH students will be acting out our play, presenting a live nativity outside as you proceed to the church to help get us in the Christmas spirit and working behind the scenes to help teachers and help produce our show.

We are offering a full show on Wednesday afternoon, December 18, which we are encouraging grandparents/relatives to come to in order to help with crowds at our evening performance. The show will begin at 1:00 PM and the junior high live nativity will be outside to view as you exit the afternoon show. Note: The show will not be live streamed due to copyright and licensing.

The Thursday, December 19, performance will take place at 7:00 PM in the church. This will include the live nativity starting at 6:30 PM outside the church by the JH students. Please enjoy this live nativity after dropping your student off to their classroom by 6:40 PM. The church doors will open at 6:30 PM. After K-6 students sing, they will remain in the church to perform our full school finale! We ask that adults wait to leave the church at the end of the show until all students have exited the church safely. Students will be picked up in their classrooms after the show. More details on what students should wear will come in class newsletters. Junior High students will also receive details on their pick-up/drop-off based on assigned jobs.

To celebrate giving back during a season where we give thanks for all our blessings, Friday, Nov. 22nd will be a jeans day for students and staff. Students are encouraged to bring a personal care item listed on the NJHS flier as a donation for the jeans day. All donations will be given to St. Vincent de Paul. Thank you!

Decisions regarding closing the schools are not made lightly, however, the safety of our students, staff and families is paramount. In the event that school will need to be closed, we have a number of ways to communicate this with you as quickly and efficiently as possible. If Waverly Schools are closed due to inclement weather, we along with our Child Care program, will close as well due to their bussing and transportation of our students. Please be sure your Schoolmessenger settings are set to receive text, email, and voice message phone calls as all will be used to alert you of a school closure. You can also check WILX & WLNS for updates.

*Reminder: Our students will go outside as long as the wind chill is above zero. As the weather gets colder and colder, please send students with appropriate clothing for the weather.

Financial Aid opens on Dec. 1st, 2024. The link to the application is here:

https://online.factsmgt.com/signin/3YZNQ

All applications MUST be completed by March 1, 2025.

If you run into issues or have questions, contact Shawn Macksood in the parish office at smacksood@stgerardlansing.org

Got great photos of St. Gerard sports teams in action? We’d love to include them in this year’s yearbook! Whether it’s game-winning moments, team celebrations, or behind-the-scenes shots, your photos help us capture the spirit of St. Gerard. Send your best pictures to Jennifer Sykes at yearbook@stgerardlansing.org. Go, Falcons!

Quote from Chpt. 3; Beyond Helmets & Kneepads: Helping your child feel SAFE

"Sometimes they need pushin' (where we challenge them to do more than they realize they can do), whereas at other times they need some cushion (where we step in to help because they aren't able to handle a situation on their own)" (Siegel, Bryson, p. 97).

If you are looking for a constructive, fun, family game that you can all play at once, I urge you to consider Minecraft. The options with Minecraft are truly endless and I love that it sparks creativity and collaboration amongst not just my kids, but the whole family unit. Did you know you can play Minecraft in creative mode with brand new worlds that are like a blank slate? The sky is truly the limit and you can set out to build together whatever you want. If you are curious about it, here is a link to help you get started! Also, feel free to email me for questions or tips. Have fun!

https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/parents--guide-minecraft

The Importance of Academic Honesty

Students cheating in school is not a new problem, though it has undoubtedly become easier to do and harder to catch. Students may still look at a neighbor’s test, get a little too much “help” from a friend or parent, or fill in answers when asked to grade their own work before turning it in. Today, there is technology where students can enter a writing prompt and have a paper written that includes some errors to make it plausible that this paper was written by a sixth grader. There is also technology that allows students to take pictures of math problems with their phone, and they will be provided with the work and answer, leaving them to simply copy it down.

Schools and teachers are outmatched if the approach to addressing academic dishonesty is to catch students who have cheated and punish them. This battle has never and will never be won. In fact, most students who have been found cheating will cite that their cheating was in an attempt to avoid being in trouble from teacher or parents. That is, the risk of receiving a low grade is greater than the risk of cheating to that student. This indicates a need for balance. While grades can be important, they should not be emphasized to the point where our young people are willing to compromise their integrity in order to receive higher grades.

Instead of seeking to discourage academic dishonesty, perhaps we should begin to intentionally encourage academic honesty. One of the best ways our families can promote academic honesty is to talk about it. Please have proactive conversations with your students about the opportunity of education. Emphasize the importance of effort and integrity. Let your student know that their character is a higher prize than their report card. Teach your student what to do if they don’t have their homework done or if they need help completing it. We as a school will emphasize these ideas as well, and together we can partner to teach our students the best paths to success. These lessons will extend far beyond our student’s academic lives and serve to strengthen them in all that they do.

If your child(ren) is in need of an upgraded uniform item, come check out our newly organized Used Uniform Closet! All used uniform profits benefit our St. Gerard Band program!

• Friday, 11/15: 1st grade to Impression 5 (no hot lunch)
• Saturday, 11/16: St. Gerard Auction at Royal Scot
• Monday, 11/18: Hot lunch ordering window for Dec. & Jan. opens
• Friday, 11/22: Jeans Day for Thanksgiving Giving Back Donations
• Monday, 11/25: Hot lunch ordering window for Dec. & Jan. closes
• Tuesday, 11/26: Thanksgiving all school mass @ 8:10
• Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast @ 2:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, 11/27: NO SCHOOL, Childcare open
• Thursday, 11/28: NO SCHOOL, Happy Thanksgiving! Childcare closed
• Friday, 11/29: NO SCHOOL, Childcare closed
• Sunday, 12/1: First Sunday of Advent; 4-8th grade choir to sing at 9:00 mass
• Friday, 12/6: First Friday & Adoration
• Wednesday, 12/18: Christmas Program Grandparent Show
• Thursday, 12/19: Preschool Christmas Program @ 9:00 a.m./1:00 p.m. in Fr. Weber Hall
• K-8 Christmas Program @ 7:00 p.m. in the Church, live nativity begins @ 6:30 p.m.
• Friday, 12/20: Advent All School mass, dismiss at 11:00 a.m.
• Monday, 12/23-Friday, 1/3: NO SCHOOL, Christmas Break
• Monday, 1/6/2025: Return to school

St. Gerard School, in partnership with family and church, provides a Catholic education that focuses on faith, academics, and service while living and sharing the light of Christ.