ST. CATHERINE MAY NEWSLETTER
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
We have completed a month of Home Learning. This has been a steep learning curve for schools and teachers. Thank you for your patience as we work through prioritizing curriculum, creating lessons, developing videos, learning how to face-time, google meet and zoom. And, if your home is anything like mine, I fully realize that the learning curve at home has been just as steep.
I have done a lot of reading on children’s mental health and wellness in relation to COVID-19. Our children are just as scared as we are right now. They hear and overhear everything going on around them and they feel our anxiety and stress. No one, including our children, have ever experienced anything like this before.
Initially, my own children were excited about a bit of a “break” from school. They loved the freedom from routine and structure. Then a new way of learning began for them. They were assigned work and we created a schedule at home to help them through their day and to complete their school work. My husband and I are fortunate enough to remain working, so the responsibility to complete their work fell on them alone.
This worked for the first week and part of the second. Then the meltdowns began.
There was anger, anxiety and a lot of tears. Not just about school, but about life. They are upset about not being able to see their friends, about not being able to go to the playground, about not seeing their grandparents. So, we had to adjust. We have established a new routine to accommodate our children’s stress and worries. They complete what they are able to during the day, then we work together as a family after supper to complete the remainder of their daily work. I feel that they can complete the work on their own, but they prefer to work alongside their mom and dad.
I tell you our story, only so that you may find it somewhat helpful or affirming. Right now, I believe our children need our support, our compassion and our presence more than ever. They need to be reminded that everything will be okay. In our home, we have done away with our initial schedule and replaced it with more time together. We spend our time playing games, going for walks, baking and cooking, watching movies together, snuggling on the couch, long talks and of course completing some school work. Do what you can, when you can.
School is important, but not as important as your child’s mental health and wellness. There are many supports available to help through this time and I encourage you to reach out and get help if you need it. Please let us know if we can help in any way, we are here for you. We are all in this together and together we will get through this.
CALENDAR
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
VIRTUAL SPIRIT DAYS
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
CREATIVE ARTS CONTEST
LET'S BAKE AS A FAMILY
SPRING COLOURING
GPCSD BOARD NEWS
ST. CATHERINE CATHOLIC SCHOOL
Email: stcatherine@gpcsd.ca
Website: https://stcatherine.gpcsd.ca/
Location: 12815 104A Street, Grande Prairie, AB, T8V 6J5
Phone: 780-532-0010
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stcatherinegpcsd/
Twitter: @StCatGPCSD