The SPIRIT of SKS
Saint Kateri School's Weekly Newsletter ~ April 27, 2020
Do You Need a Break ~ A Brain Break?
We Are Feeling All the Feels!
Happy Monday! I don't know about all of you but I was ready for the sun and warmth of Saturday and the opportunity to get outside in the yard.
Our new website has been up and running since January and we love it! The nice part about it is that it has been easy to continue to update and improve. Two weeks ago we added a Distance Learning tab on the Home page. Through this tab you can access any NYS COVID-19 updates, Morning Prayer and Announcements, Newsletters and ZOOM meeting schedules. All classroom teacher web pages are also 1-click away through this Distance Learning tab. Take a peek and let us know if you have anything you would like us to include in future updates. saintkaterischool.org
It goes without saying that the past six weeks has brought some real challenges both in navigating this new normal day-to-day and handling all the emotions that we as adults are feeling not to mention the emotions of our children. I want to share with all of our Saint Kateri School families a letter that Mrs. G sent to her Preschool families. It offers insightful ways to help you help your children. More online resources can be found on our website under the Distance Learning-COVID-19 Update tab.
We miss you and we love you! Take care of yourself and each other! Thank you for all you are doing to support your children and their school during this time!
God bless ~
Mrs. Terri L. Morgan, Principal
A voicemail messages can be left at (585) 467-8730
Coping with COVID-19 by Mrs. G
Mrs. Gašić wrote this letter to her Preschool families but it is SO relevant to all of our students.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have heard from so many parents that the school closings are really starting to affect your children. The excitement of extra mom or dad time has worn off and they are missing their time with friends and family and the familiar routines of school. Honestly, as adults, aren’t we missing that too?
A couple of weeks ago, I read an article that stated that giving these feelings a name and really recognizing and accepting this sadness is important. It is called grief! We are grieving the loss of so many things right now, and so are our kids. It is easy to think of a missed birthday party as just “a disappointment”, but when it all adds up, it is so much more than that! The first step to helping your child is allowing them to feel the weight of that grief and acknowledging that it is normal for them to feel that way. Grief cannot just be pushed aside after a day or two, as I am sure we as adults all know. It is important to remember that children are not going to be able to push it aside either.
Here are some other tips for helping children build coping skills to deal with their feelings:
1. Take care of YOURSELF too! They rely on you and watch every single move you make. If you are stressed about this situation, they know it. Tell them what you are feeling and tell them what you are going to do about it to make yourself better. “Mommy is feeling angry now, because I want to work at my desk, but I can’t. I’m going to take a break to look out the window, take a bubble bath, go for a walk… so that my mind has time to calm down and think better”. Explaining and modeling your own coping strategies will teach your child some options that they can use when they are feeling upset too.
2. I am certain you have already done this but explain the loss. “All of the people need to stay at home because there is a sickness that spreads faster than most. We do not want the sickness to spread, and so we cannot go to school or work anymore. The sickness will take a long time to go away.” At this point- we do not want to crush anymore hopes that they may have. Do not give ideas about when we will go back to school. It is beyond our control and giving the idea to our children that it might be soon could cause unnecessary worry about how long or when.
3. Normalize their feelings. It is okay to feel sad. It is okay to feel scared. It is okay to feel angry. Now give them options of what they can do with those emotions that are acceptable. When you are sad, you can take 5 minutes to cry-set a timer for when it is time to start pulling yourself together. When you are angry you can try taking deep breaths, or watching the glitter fall in a sensory bottle. When you are scared you can ask daddy to snuggle for a few minutes or lay with your favorite stuffed animal. I have attached a copy of our calm down strategies that we used at school. All calm down strategies should have some sort of end in sight—children need to know that these strategies have the goal of making them feel better and your child should have that goal too. One of our red choice green choice cards said, “stay angry= red choice”, “calm down= green choice”. Try keeping an emotions journal and drawing a picture of how they feel each day.
4. It pains me to write this, but we need to say goodbye to expectations about end of the school year-It will look different no matter what. No, I do not have any more information than you do about school closings, and sure, maybe we will have a happy surprise and be able to finish our year together—but wouldn’t you rather be prepared for the worst and be thrilled with the gift of a few last weeks than to constantly hold onto hope that “just maybe…” and be crushed each time that the stay-at-home order is extended? Children need that closure too.
5. Create a new normal and do your best to stick to it. Children THRIVE on routines. Create a daily schedule with minor adjustments each day. Include mealtimes and scheduled outside and T.V. time as well as learning times. Write it down. Post it on the refrigerator. If you need help coming up with a schedule that works for your family, I am happy to help with that.
Finally, if you need help with anything, please reach out.
What can your child’s teacher do that will help? Videos? Zoom calls? Personal phone calls? Letters in the mail? Please reach out to them and the school ~ we are here to help support you during this time of need, in any way that we can.
Thank you!
How to Help Children Cope with the Current Pandemic
Helping Children Handle Grief
We Celebrated National Architecture Week!
We had so many families participate in our week long challenge to build a blanket fort in your house. We had lights and flashlights, snacks and books ~ and siblings too! Check out the pictures below
Do You Know Families Who Are Interested In Registering For Next Year?
Saint Kateri School and the Diocese of Rochester-Department of Catholic Schools offer a variety of scholarship and financial aid opportunities, click below to find out more.
Ambassador Program
Building a Brighter Future Scholarship
Reddington Scholarship (Deadline was extended from April 30, 2020 to June 1, 2020)
Saint Kateri School continues to receive mail, as well as any voicemails left on our Main Office phone number. Please contact us with any questions you may have regarding Registration or Financial Aid process.
Thank you!
Saint Kateri School
Email: sksdcs@dor.org
Website: www.saintkaterischool.org
Location: 445 Kings Highway South, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: (585) 467-8730
Facebook: facebook.com/St.KateriSchoolIrondequoit
Twitter: @StKateriSchool