Principal’s Message: Counselor takeover!!
Mrs. Lozeau has taken over this week’s message, and it is something I think every parent NEEDS to read!
~Mr. Simmons
Parenting is hard.
Several of the conversations I have had recently have been regarding how much parental involvement in a child’s daily life is appropriate and more importantly, helpful.
During a typical school day, there are many interactions, demands, and challenges. Our joint goal as educators and parents is to nurture, inspire, and empower children and teens to navigate these daily events and to foster the skills that will allow them to develop in healthy ways personally, socially, academically, and spiritually.
Balance is key.
Our children need to know that we are here to love and support them and that we believe in their ability to develop the necessary skills to navigate their own challenges. Even better, that they have access to what is described in Psalms as a loving God who is an ever-present help in times of need.
Rather than removing obstacles from a child’s path so they don’t experience pain, failure, or discomfort, we can see difficult and challenging experiences as opportunities to encourage them as they find their way. We can listen, empathize, and have conversations that strengthen our children’s ability to learn to work through hard times. Diving in to fix our child’s problems when they arise prevents them from developing their own instincts and problem-solving skills
Some parents remove obstacles in hopes of guaranteeing success and minimizing frustrations and failures. These parents want the best for their children and often have not considered that their involvement can interfere with their child’s ability to tackle future problems.
Often it is faster or easier to get involved, rather than discuss ways to address problems. This may be true, especially for parents of young children, but if it’s repeated enough these minor actions can accelerate into deeper forms of over-involved parenting.
Sometimes being over-involved provides short-term relief from stress and frustration, for both child and parent, which makes it an understandable tendency for even the most well-meaning parents. However, repeated and constant tactics have negative effects on childhood development, and reinforce the idea that children are not capable of doing things on their own.
Allowing children to navigate difficult situations is important for developing necessary skills such as stress management, coping with failure, and decision-making. Often the most important and meaningful help parents can provide is to listen. A child who feels heard will develop their own voice and will be able to externalize their thinking, this process helps with the development of problem-solving skills.
A child who is allowed the opportunity to struggle, try, and even fail when it comes to personal, social, or academic problems learns that they can make life decisions without a parent leading the way. The consequences of over involvement are worse the more they are repeated, eventually causing the child to lack the competence and confidence to make their own decisions about their life and manage their emotions. When their problems are solved without many hurdles to cross, children will have underdeveloped coping skills. As a result, they’ll likely struggle socially and in school.
Lead by example.
If we show our children how to positively respond to stress and communicate how we cope with frustration and failure they will learn from us and mimic our actions. If we allow consequences to happen they will quickly learn how to be resilient and approach problems on their own. If they see us living out the instructions in Philippians – to take our cares to God in prayer and not be anxious, but allow the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds – they will learn where our strength comes from.
Finally, praise their efforts more often than their successes. Rather than teaching them that only their success matters, emphasize the journey and acknowledge their perspective on the journey. Children need to make errors in their judgment so they can learn from their own mistakes. They will learn that feeling uneasy and having to struggle at times to solve problems is a natural and even healthy process.
Parenting is REALLY hard.
Be an involved parent. Teach your children problem-solving skills. Be a positive example for them and look to reliable sources for advice and encouragement.
I pray that God will guide you and give you strength and wisdom.
Jennifer Lozeau, School Counselor
Announcements
School Enrolment Verification Forms – URGENT
We have 245 of 370 Verification forms completed!! Thank you to all those who have already done so! If you have NOT completed the form yet, please do so as soon as possible.
The online 2023-2024 Student Enrollment Verification Form for Black Gold School Division is now available on the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
It is essential that this verification process be completed before November 30th, 2023. Completion of this form ensures that we have accurate information for emergency communication. If you fail to complete this form, your child’s ability to leave school grounds for walking field trips, as well as participating in class/team photos or being recognized in other school materials may be compromised.
In order to confirm your child’s registration with Black Gold School Division, you must have:
- An active PowerSchool Parent Portal Account.
- An Internet-connected computer, tablet, or phone.
Important: If you do not already have a parent portal account please contact your school, during school hours, for assistance.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter!
Black Gold School Division
Instructions:
- Step 1: Visit https://powerschool.blackgold.ca/public
- Step 2: Login using your Parent Access Account.
- Step 3: From the left-hand menu select “Student Enrollment Verification”.
- Step 4: Confirm the information is correct for each of your children registered with Black Gold School Division.
- Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4 for every one of your children registered within Black Gold School Division.
When is this due?
The due date for submission is November 30th, 2023.
Parent/Teacher Conferences – November 1st & 2nd
Parent/Teacher Conferences are being held today and tomorrow. If you are uncertain of when your appointment is that you booked, please call the office and they can look that up for you.
See you tonight and tomorrow!
Scholastic Book Fair
Matching Donation
As mentioned in previous Chronicles, we have been blessed with an opportunity to match $250,000 towards our school. Please share this information with your family and friends who may consider giving so we can make the most of this generous opportunity. If successful, we will be using these donations for things to ensure our students are able to have greater advantages in their learning. These include but are not limited to:
- Air conditioning in the portables
- musical instruments
- 3D Printers
- Robotics
- Sporting Equipment
- 1:1 Chromebooks
If after praying and thinking about it, you want to donate money to the school and take advantage of this matching offer, the easiest way to do this is by EFT or cheque to the LSCE. The LSCE email for EFT transfer is: [email protected]. Coming down to the school and writing a cheque is also always a possibility. Donations of $20 or more come with a charitable donation receipt.
I want to thank all of you for your prayerful consideration of this opportunity.
Hot Lunch
Hot Lunches are on Wednesdays.
The next set of hot lunch forms for November 22 – December 20 are available to place your order!
You can find the forms for Hot Lunch in your student’s PowerSchool account under the Student Fees and Forms heading on the left-hand side. Orders will close on the Tuesday prior to the following week’s hot lunch at 11:59 pm. All orders must be placed online, and payment must be made with form submission to be processed. (No cash or cheques are accepted). Please check your email for a confirmation receipt to ensure that your order went through.
If you would like to see which hot lunches are coming up, you can find out on our school events calendar found here.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding Hot Lunch, you can reach our Hot Lunch Coordinator, Mrs. Hofstra, via email at: [email protected]
Celebration
We hold weekly assemblies, which we call Celebration. We alternate between Wednesday and Thursday mornings each month so our kindergarten students are each able to join us every other month.
Celebration will be held on Thursdays for the month of November.
Lost & Found
We will post weekly pictures of our lost and found. If you see something that is your child’s, please have them stop by the table and pick it up or let the office know. All unclaimed items will be donated to a second-hand store at the end of the month.
Athletics:
For a calendar of events including home and away games etc. please click HERE.
Catch ball
We are so proud of our Grade 6 Catch ball team! They worked hard and grew in their skills over the weekend! We were able to bring home the Bronze “medal”!
Volleyball
We are nearing the end of our volleyball season with playoffs just around the corner! All of our teams are doing really well!
Senior girls will have a home game on Thursday, and play in the tournament at Edmonton Christian School over the weekend.
Senior boys volleyball plays at West Haven on Thursday after school. They will also play in the tournament at Edmonton Christian West over the weekend.
Junior girls volleyball has a final tournament this weekend at Edmonton Christian School.
Basketball
Junior High Girls and Boys Basketball will begin closer to the end of November, once volleyball has finished. Stay tuned to future Chronicles for more details.
Elementary Girls/Boys Basketball have held tryouts and will begin to put their teams together. Stay tuned for further information.
LSCE News:
Social Media
To keep up to date on all fundraising opportunities, please follow us on social media.
https://www.facebook.com/covenantchristianschoolfundraisingpage
https://www.instagram.com/fundraising.lsce/
Fundraising Opportunity
Calendar:
November:
- 1 – PD Day – No School
- 1-2 – Parent/Teacher Conferences
- 8 – Individual Student Photo Retakes
- 10 – Remembrance Day Ceremony @ 10:30 am
- 11 – Remembrance Day
- 13-17 – Midterm Break
- 26 – Purdy’s Order Deadline
- 30 – Enrolment Verification Forms DUE!
December:
- 1 – Family Fun Night
- 4 – PD Day – No School
- 5 – Grade 6 & 9 Immunizations
- 8 Purdy’s Order Pick Up
- 15 – CCS Christmas Concert
- 22 – Last Day of Classes Before Christmas Break
Community Events:
Odds & Ends:
Sign In/Out Form:
Scan Me
Please use the above QR code, orthis link, to sign your child in or out from the building. You can also come into the school and use the Chromebook provided in the office. Please make sure to let the office know you have collected your child before leaving the parking lot (phone call/eye contact) and ask your child to check in at the office when they enter or leave. This ensures everyone is accounted for appropriately in the case of an emergency.
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