October Newsletter
Oct. 17, 2024
October is such a fun month with so many things happening!
~Parish Mission
~Pastor Appreciation Month
~Month of the Rosary
~Pumpkin Contest
~St. Gerard's Feast Day
~Halloween
.....just to name a few!
October Hot Lunch Window opens tomorrow! Place your order between the 18-25th!
It's Pumpkin Contest Time!
We have 6 painted pumpkins waiting to be won by our K-6 graders (and gift cards for 7-8th!) Tickets for extra math practice done at home must be signed by a parent and turned in during the month of October. Ticket drawings will take place the week of Halloween.
UPCOMING JEANS DAYS, THANK YOU NJHS!
Our National Junior Honor Society is providing upcoming jeans days for us!
~Friday, 10/18: Breast Cancer Awareness Month, wear pink! Donations encouraged (but not required) to benefit the Susan G Komen Foundation.
~Friday, 10/25: MSU versus U of M Day, wear your team's colors! Donations encouraged (but not required) to benefit the Hurricane Relief Victims in Florida.
~Thursday, 10/31: Halloween, just for fun! **No costumes
~Friday, 11/22: Giving back for Thanksgiving, donations to go towards St. Vincent dePaul, more information of the needed items to come.
Thank you to our NJHS!
St. Gerard School Auction
Auction tickets are on sale now! Big thanks to our committee & PTO!
To donate, volunteer, and find out more, click here:
First Quarter Report Cards
The quarter ends on Friday, Oct. 25th. First Quarter report cards can be found on Powerschool on Thursday, Oct. 31st. Report card envelopes will be sent home with your child for a parent signature and returned to school as soon as possible. A signature states that you have seen the electronic report card and removed any papers that may be in the envelope.
The Power of Showing Up
Quote from Chpt. 3: Beyond Helmets & Kneepads: Helping your child feel SAFE
"You are the safe harbor for your child. Though occassional storms of parental distress that create fear and confusion for a child are inevitable, you as a parent can teach your child to weather these storms by creating emotional closeness and reflective communication through open conversations. When a boat at sea is battered by a storm, it seeks a safe harbor to return to in order to make repairs, resupply its food and water, and prepare for the next venture" (Siegel, Bryson, pg. 105).
Technology Tip from Mrs. Guysky
Does your student type according to the "hunt and peck" method of using just a couple fingers and looking down at the keyboard to find each key individually? Obviously, we know this is HIGHLY inefficient! We are working on our typing as a part of technology class and all students in grades 3 through Junior High (if they have my elective) have access to Typing Club. If they login with their school account, they have a course called Typing Jungle they are working through, but I am encouraging them to also practice at home. An added challenge? Cover the keyboard with a cut out box so they cannot look down at the keys!
If you kiddo is younger, you can still access Typing Club. They have free, individual versions (which do have ads, just as a warning) that you can access on your own. You can confidently tell them this is a skill they will use over and over again for the rest of their lives!
Steps to Success from Mr. Z
Building Resilience in Children:
Resilience in individuals is the ability to engage with risk or adversity in a manner that allows the individual to survive and improve. Experts agree that as human beings, we are each born with varying levels of resilience, with some being more naturally gifted than others. Experts also agree that resilience can be fostered and developed through practice and experience. School and home are the ideal environments for safe caring adults to foster the development of resilience while controlling the level of risk that our students are exposed to.
In childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, life is filled with challenges to be met, problems to be solved, and adversity to overcome. Ultimately the goal for our students should be that they develop into confident and competent adults that are able to encounter life’s trials with a positive mindset that provides the greatest opportunity for success, and in cases of failure, they are able to learn and grow to be better able to meet future challenges. The adage “prepare your child for the path, not the path for your child” is a great illustration of resilience. The development of this mindset begins in early childhood, and is gained through experience in navigating small challenges which progressively become more complex as children grow and develop. A child or adolescent who is equipped with resilience will have better outcomes in peer relationships, conflict resolution, and problem solving, as well as be less likely to experience depression, anxiety, and helplessness as they grow older.
The common principles for developing resilience in children are that children must have the opportunity to encounter adversity, safe caring adults should act as supportive persons coaching the child through adversity rather than removing them from it (as is developmentally appropriate), allow your child independence, and model a positive mindset that encourages an openness to encountering rather than avoiding new challenges. As parents and caregivers, we are often tempted to intervene and remove discomfort from our students. But, allowing our students to endure discomfort in a supervised and safe environment can equip them with the experience and confidence to successfully navigate the much greater challenges to come.
I have attached an article that is a more in depth look at the importance of resilience as well as strategies to develop resilience in your student.
St. Gerard Feast Day
Thank you for your contributions to Shared Pregnancy as part of our Feast Day celebration yesterday! Items big and small were donated for a great cause, thank you for helping us give back to our community!
Upcoming Events
- Friday, 10/18: No Waverly AM or PM Bus
- Monday, 10/21: NO SCHOOL, Childcare open
- Tuesday, 10/22: NO SCHOOL, Childcare open
- Wednesday, 10/23: Fire Safety Presentation for grades K-6
- Thursday, 10/24: Preschool field trip to Peacock Tree Farm
- Friday, 10/25: End of 1st quarter
- Jeans Day! MSU versus U of M day
- Wednesday, 10/30: Picture Retake Day
- 7th/8th grade Costume Concert at Lansing Catholic
- Thursday, 10/31: Happy Halloween!
- Jeans Day! No costumes permitted
- Friday, 11/1: All Saint's Day, all school mass @ 8:10 a.m.
- First Friday & Adoration
- Saturday, 11/2: Parish Craft Show 9:00-3:00 in Fr. Weber Hall
- Sunday, 11/3: 4-8th grade choir singing at 9:00 a.m. mass
- Tuesday, 11/5: No Waverly AM or PM Bus
- Thursday, 11/7: 4th grade to visit Lansing Catholic Play
- Monday, 11/11: Virtues Assembly
- Veterans Day
- Tuesday, 11/12: 8th grade visit day to Lansing Catholic
- Friday, 11/15: 1st grade to Impression 5
- Saturday, 11/16: Auction at Royal Scot
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.