Eagle's Edge
St. Therese Weekly Newsletter - July 22, 2020
Attitude of Gratitude
Thank you all so much for the time you have taken to complete surveys, join Zoom calls, send emails, and drop off bags of cans and bottles. Thank you for the positive feedback, and the encouragement – it’s a challenging time! It’s easy to lose focus and give into the negative, but I remain hopeful, and that is truly thanks to all of you.
I want to thank my husband for his patience, my children for their understanding, and all the teachers and staff at St. Therese for answering my questions and showing me more support than I could ever have hoped for.
I’m grateful for a school that has big rooms, exterior doors, and lots of bathrooms.
More than anything, I’m grateful to our loving God for the opportunity to serve you all.
Gratefully Yours,
Rosemarie El Youssef
Principal, St. Therese School
Practice Wearing Your Mask
Practice Mindfulness
SAFE & READY SCHOOLS UPDATE
* All students ages 5 and older wearing a face covering
* 5 days per week in-person instruction
* Option for distance learning only or hybrid
* Universal digital learning platform K-8, Google Classroom
* Each student will have a minimum of 35 square feet of space
* All staff in mask, face shield, or combination
*Planned installation of touch-less water bottle filling stations to replace drinking fountains
* Each class is a "cohort" - they will stay together as a group as much as possible
* Students will stay with their cohort in their cohort classroom for most of the day, and electives will rotate to them
* Middle school students will stay in their homeroom class and teachers will rotate to them
* Recess will be offered - outside as frequently as possible
* Brain breaks will be part of our classroom routines to keep our students happy and healthy
* Communication between school and community remains our top priority
All of this is subject to change - look for weekly updates in each newsletter. All additional information will be highlighted in bold.
Thank you to all who completed the Safe and Ready Schools Family Survey! The information you provided is vital to the decisions we make to reopen this fall.
Parent's Club Zoom Meeting, 7/28 and 7/29 at 6 p.m.
The goal of PC this year is to restructure it and put it back into the hands of parents and families. YOU are the driving force at our school, and we will not be successful as a community unless we are working together. As partners in our children's education, we can accomplish so much!
Look for a link to the Zoom call in your email on Tuesday at noon, and again on Wednesday at noon. We will start the meeting on time, and end on time, because we believe in honoring your time!
Bottle Drop Thursdays, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
We have the bags and labels here, so bring your donations in whatever receptacle you choose! Click the Bottle Drop link above to see the list of acceptable returns.
St. T's Summer Challenge!
Let's stay connected - will you accept the challenge?
Each St. Therese student to complete all of the weekly challenges will receive a St. T's Summer Challenge T-shirt when they return to school this fall!
Email photos to elyoussefr@stthereseschool.org or post on Facebook, instagram, or twitter with the hashtag #stTsummerChallenge and tag @sttherese_pdx so we can see what everyone is up to.
OUR SECOND CHALLENGE: Get outside and make friends with an INSECT and introduce the bug to our St. T Community on social media! Tell us your insect's name, and a little bit about them (what they like to do in their spare time and their favorite snack). Mrs. Barnett and Mrs. El Youssef found this insect and want to introduce him to all of you!
Hey there! My name is Stripey and I enjoy long walks down the breezeway and the smell of the dumpster when it's full! #stTsummerchallenge @st.thereseschool_pdx @sttherese_pdx
Practice Mindfulness
The simplest mindful practice to work on with kids is breathing - we all do it, and so far they have been experts! The goal in mindful breathing is to pay attention to the way we breathe, and control the pace. Take a look at the video I've attached here and practice with your family this week. When I'm feeling overwhelmed (let's be honest, that's happening a lot these days), I take a moment, step outside in the fresh air, close my eyes, and do some belly breathing.
I'm including links to other articles and tutorials about mindfulness, so check them out if you are interested. If you have any other ideas, or have a mindfulness practice that you'd like to share, send it to us so that we can include it in the next newsletter.
https://leftbrainbuddha.com/teaching-mindfulness-to-teens-5-ways-get-buy/
Be well!
First come, first served - you haul away!
4 chairs with wheels
2 metal storage cabinets
Desk - 2 pieces
St. Therese Catholic School
Email: elyoussefr@stthereseschool.org
Website: stthereseschool.org
Location: 1260 Northeast 132nd Avenue, Portland, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 253-9400
Facebook: Facebook.com/StThereseSchoolPortlandOrFamilyPage
Twitter: @sttherese_pdx