The Purr
King's Gate Christian School CDC Newsletter - December
We are so excited about all that God did through the wonderful Connect @ Home Gala this year! We are so thankful for all of your hard work and your generosity to make our Gala such a success! King's Gate families are the best in the world!
Our current total is around $40,000! We are blown away by these results!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
THANK YOU to our Gala Chairperson Julie Boyd for your vision, leadership, and hard work to provide a way for us all to connect during this season where there is physical distance between us!
THANK YOU to the Gala Team: Bethann Antao, Jennifer Fleischer, Jana Holcomb, Jenny Pollard, and Teah Saner for all of your hard work to make our event such a beautiful success!
THANK YOU King’s Gate families for your donations, your sponsorships, your participation, your volunteer hours, and your generous support!
THANK YOU Heavenly Father for blessing all of the efforts, donors, and families throughout the days leading up to the Gala and then Your blessing on the event and the results!
The proceeds from the Gala help fill in the gap between tuition receipts and the total costs associated with providing a King’s Gate experience.
You truly are a school family that is second to none!
The best is yet to come,
Wyndi Bradley, Ed. S.
Head of Schools
A Letter Regarding Santa
Merry Christmas!
It is always fun to learn the special ways that families celebrate the birth of our Savior. We appreciate how families have consistently shared their heartfelt ideas and traditions, including their family traditions about Santa Claus. Please know that this letter is not an attempt to make a statement regarding the appropriateness or inappropriateness of including certain Santa traditions in your Christmas celebrations. At Christmas time, our students are excited to share their family’s traditions with their friends. We hope that when we tell them the history of Santa Claus and how other countries include Santa in their traditions that it will support you when the day comes for you to answer questions about Santa at your house.
We know that families are as different as the children that come from them. We have learned that the traditions that include Santa are deep and meaningful no matter which side of the debate a family operates. Please keep in mind that children who have doubts about flying reindeer or an elf coming alive at night will ask questions in the safety of warm friendships at school. We gently support children who are trying to answer their friends' questions, who do not want to disappoint their parents because they "know", and those who are confused about who is telling the truth. Children do not yet have your capacity to share their beliefs with clarity and grace, so conversations that include Santa can include confusion and even anger.
Over the years we have witnessed the aftermath of sincere children sharing the secret of Santa with their best buddies. They do this without malice and without understanding the confusion that will follow. They do this because they often see this "reveal" in the same category as revealing who is snack friend. Even the kindest child who has been coached "not to tell" will tell his best friend because that's what best friends do. We know the potential for a reveal that does not include you is more likely as your children get older. We will do what we can to minimize “reveal” conversations so it does not come from the mouths of babes, even well-meaning babes.
We trust that each family knows their child best and will conscientiously build traditions and conversations with their child's heart and needs in mind. If your family is already past or moving towards the “reveal” conversation in your home, I recommend including the book, Santa are you for Real? by Harold Myra. It walks through a little boy’s discovery that there really was a Saint Nicholas. It “reveals” who the real Saint Nick was, when he lived, and why he gave gifts.
Most importantly, you'll see how the original Saint Nick set an example for us today by keeping Christ at the heart of Christmas.
We are thankful for each of you and your willingness to have open dialogue within the safety of our partnership as King’s Gate staff and families. You are all important to us. Thank you for the grace that you have shown to one another and to us.
Merry Christmas to you and to your family!
Preparing for the Holidays During COVID-19
For many people, the holiday season will look different this year. Often, the last few months of the year are busy with parties and visiting family and friends. But due to COVID-19, things like traveling and gathering in large groups may not be possible.
Many people have lost loved ones and will be missing someone’s presence during the festivities, and even more have lost their jobs and are dealing with financial stress. Others, like healthcare workers, may be working overtime and unable to take as much time off around the holidays as they usually can. It can be hard to cope with these kinds of changes, especially if certain holidays are the only time you see some of your loved ones.
Change is difficult for most people, especially when you didn’t ask for or even expect these changes. But that doesn’t mean that the holidays are destined to be a disappointment this year. There are plenty of ways to cope with the tough feelings you’re having while still
enjoying the holidays:
Identify How You're Feeling
Figuring out your emotions about the upcoming holidays can make things feel less overwhelming. Most people are feeling a lot of different ways at once right now, which is hard for our brains to process and understand. This year has been a difficult year for many reasons. That means that some of your distress is likely related to things other than the holidays. It is completely normal for you to be feeling a bit more emotional than usual right now. Take some time to sort through your emotions in whatever way is most productive for you - you can journal, talk to a friend, or just spend some quiet time alone thinking. Once you have a better idea of the specific feelings you’re experiencing, you can start making plans to cope with them.
Acknowledge What You’ve Lost
While the holidays are mainly about thankfulness and celebration, this can also be a really hard time of year, even during normal circumstances. If you’re missing a loved one, think of ways to honor them during your festivities. If you’ve lost a job or had to drop out of school, take the time to recognize the challenges that came with that. Even if you haven’t lost anything concrete, we’ve all lost our sense of normalcy this year – it’s okay to grieve that during this time.
Make The Most Of It
There’s no denying that things will be different this year, but holidays don’t need to be canceled. There will be some things that you can’t do right now, but there are surely some that you can. You can still send sweets to your friends and family, make your favorite meal, decorate gingerbread houses, read the Christmas story and break out confetti poppers for New Year’s Eve. For the things you can’t do - brainstorm how to adapt them for COVID times. If you’re disappointed about parties being cancelled, plan a small outdoor gathering, or come up with virtual games to play over Zoom instead. Feeling lonely because you won’t get to see your extended family? Round up your cousins to video chat while preparing Christmas dinner.
Don’t Romanticize Your Typical Holiday Plans
Remember that while your holiday season may normally be full of excitement and joy, it can also be a time of high stress. Long days of travel and endless to-do lists are part of the holidays too. Even though you may be giving up some of your favorite things about the holidays this year, you’re probably leaving some stressors behind too. Be careful not to distort the situation and make it seem worse than it really is.
Practice Gratitude
Gratitude is a major focus this time of year, and while it may seem harder to find things to appreciate, there is still plenty to be thankful for. Make a conscious effort to regularly identify some things that you’re grateful for. It can be something as broad as your health, or something as specific as your favorite song playing on the radio the last time you got in the car.
Change is hard, but it isn’t always bad. There are still ways to celebrate the season with your loved ones, even if you must give up some of your favorite traditions. Find creative ways to adapt. Or start new traditions – they may even add more meaning to your holiday season.
Opportunity Scholarship Fund
Important Dates
Last day to bring cans/items for the Preschool/Pre-K Share a Feast (Can Castle Contest)
Thursday, December 17th
Happy Birthday Jesus Class Parties - Students/Teachers Only
December 21st-January 4th
Christmas Break
Monday, January 4th
No School - Teacher Professional Day
Tuesday, January 5th
School Reconvenes
Monday, January 18th
No School for PreK Class- Parent/Teacher Conferences
Tuesday, January 19th
No School for Preschool Class ONLY - Parent/Teacher Conferences
Thursday, February 4th
Community Open House/Information Evening for Visitors/New Families @ 6pm @ Surrey Hills Campus
King's Gate Christian School
Email: kgcs@kingsgateschool.com
Website: www.kingsgateschool.com
Location: 12421 North Mustang Road, Yukon, OK, USA
Phone: 405-283-0144