December Newsletter

🎶 Hark! The Falcon angels sing,

Vacation’s near—it’s happening!

Parties, projects, kids run wild,

Counting days till grades are filed!

Come celebrate the story of the birth of our Savior!

Our performance will take place Thursday, Dec. 19th at 7:00 PM in the church. This will include the live nativity starting at 6:30 PM outside the church by the Junior High students. Please enjoy this live nativity after dropping your student off to their classroom by 6:40 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.

Since our students work so hard on the Christmas Program every year, NJHS wanted to give parents an opportunity to congratulate their kiddos on a job well done! At a table set up in the gathering space, NJHS will have red, green and white carnations on sale for $3.00 each. Each carnation will also have a ribbon tied to it with a tag on which you can write your sentiments to your child. This is completely optional!

Get some holiday shopping done through TRIP! There is only one more chance to place orders! All orders must be placed by Monday, Dec. 16th in order to receive the cards for Christmas.

Financial Aid is OPEN! The Diocese of Lansing awarded $745,000 last year to families for Catholic Education! The link to the application is here:

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

All applications MUST be completed by March 3rd 2025(usually it's the 1st but the 1st is a weekend day).

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

Quote from Chpt. 4; The Value of Being Known: Helping your child feel SEEN

"A huge part of building secure attachment is seeing your kids and welcoming the fullness of who they are. It's about making them feel free to share their feelings, even the big and scary ones that threaten to overwhelm them" (Siegel, Bryson, p. 129).

AI and algorithms are on the tip of everyone's tongues these days. The big social media companies are dumping billions of dollars into AI to make them as "smart" as possible. But how smart are they and what dangers can AI powered algorithms pose? We are talking about this in the older grades of technology class and we should all pause before we click, like, watch, etc. CLICK HERE to learn more!

It is no secret that children are best able to grow and develop when they are provided with consistency. As parents and caregivers, we provide consistency by setting boundaries, establishing routines, and trying to save our best selves for our interactions with our children. These things ultimately provide our children with a sense of predictability. If children (and adults) exist in environments where they feel safe and they generally know what to expect with few unpleasant surprises, they are able to shift their brain and body from vigilance, which is exhausting both physically and emotionally, to focus on learning, skill building, and other developmental tasks.

During the Christmas season, maintaining routines and boundaries may be difficult if not impossible. As our families travel, attend Christmas parties, and participate in other festivities, bedtimes will be pushed, extra candy will be eaten, and children will be a little more wild as they run around the house with friends or cousins. The fact that this time of year is not consistent with the rest of the year is exactly what makes it so special, but we know that this inconsistency will result in children feeling unsettled, hyperactive, and anxious at times. With that in mind, here are some tips to provide your children with predictability during this time of year which may bring more peace to your home and family.

First, talk with your children early about any upcoming holiday plans. Explain where the events will take place, who will be there, and what might be happening. If you are bringing children into a new environment, help them learn the space, introduce them to necessary people, and give them the plan. Next, if routines are not being followed, provide your children with an explanation of why the routine is not being followed and what will happen instead. For example, if a child is used to going to bed at 8:30pm but your family is attending a party that will go later, explain that this party is a special occasion which means that we will stay up later tonight, they will likely either fall asleep on the car ride home or when we arrive home at 10:00pm, and we will probably be tired tomorrow which might make some things more difficult. This explanation allows you to circle back to it the next day if your child does happen to be physically or emotionally taxed. Finally, prepare yourself to be patient and kind during this sometimes chaotic season. Traveling, being with family, remembering lost loved ones, and other pressures can make holidays especially complicated for adults. You are the primary source of safety and consistency to your child, and they will look to you for support and security when they are feeling overwhelmed. Make a plan to take care of yourself so that you can have as much love and patience available to your child when they are in need.

• Sunday, 12/15: 8th grade Panera Bread Fundraiser 4:00-8:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, 12/17: LCHS Caroling Cougars visit
• Wednesday, 12/18: Christmas Program Grandparent Show @ 1:00 p.m.
• 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./Live Nativity @ 6:30 p.m. in the Church
• Friday, 12/20: Dismiss @ 11:00 a.m., Childcare Open
• Advent All School Mass @ 8:10
• NJHS Christmas Movie & Concessions
• Monday, 12/23-Friday, 1/3: NO SCHOOL, CHRISTMAS BREAK
• Childcare closed 12/23-1/1, Childcare reopens on Thursday, 1/2
• Monday, 1/6: School resumes
• Thursday, 1/9: Virtue Assembly
• Saturday, 1/11: 2nd Grade First Reconciliation Parent/Child Workshop 10:30-11:30 a.m.
• Wednesday, 1/15-Friday, 1/17: Junior High Exams; 7/8th grade dismiss @ 11:00 a.m.
• Friday, 1/17: End of 2nd Quarter
• Peace & Justice all school mass @ 8:10
• Monday, 1/20: NO SCHOOL; Martin Luther King Jr. Day

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.