Amen

✓ From the School✓ From the School✓ Counselor’s Corner✓ HSA✓ Knights of Columbus

Important Dates2/21: 8 AM Mass, 7th Grade2/26: Ash Wednesday, 10:30 AM Mass2/28: Coffee & Conversation, Grade 82/28: Stations of the Cross, 2 PM2/28: Mother/Son Event

3/16: NO SCHOOL, Bishop’s Day4/3: Night Under the Stars

From the Principal

Dear Parents & Guardians,

Our re-accreditation process is nearly complete! Last year, we surveyed our community to get feedback on topics such as academics, our climate and culture, Catholic identity, and our learning environment and programs. This year, our teachers worked in teams to complete two diagnostics –School Quality Factors and National Benchmarks Standards for Effective Catholic Schools – based upon the survey results and their own observations and discussions. After completing the diagnostics, the teams developed Improvement Plans focusing on our climate, culture, mission, academic programs, and learning environments.

We are excited to be one of the eight schools in the Diocese chosen tobe visited when the re-accreditation team completes their site visits because we are PROUD of our school and community! The team visit will be on Tuesday, March 24. Please pray for us!

I’d like to take a moment to thank Miss Kayla McDonald for all of her hard work in managing this process. She has worked tirelessly to ensure that we met all deadlines and completed a quality product! I also want to thank all our teachers and staff who participated on teams to complete the diagnostics and develop improvement plans. I am so proud of all of you!

Soon, we will post (on the school website) the final documents that were submitted to the accrediting agency, Cognia. We hope you will take some time to read through them!

Have a great week,Mrs. Florendo

Listening (Obedience) Dear Jesus,

You are God, and yet You were obedient to Mary and Joseph. Help me to do all that my parents and teachers ask of me – promptly, joyfully, and completely. This virtue pleases You more than all other sacrifices!

Read the Spartan Spirit!

A newspaper written, edited, and

published by the 8th graders of

Saint James School!

From the School

BackRefer-A-Family Program

Refer-a-Family to

Saint James School

and earn up to $1,500 in tuition credit!

We want to thank you for being such wonderful

ambassadors!

Refer a new family to Saint James School and earn a $500

tuition credit for each new family you refer, up to $1,500!

Just ask each new family to state your name as a referral

when they register at Saint James School and, as long as

they complete the 2020-2021 school year, we will issue a

credit to your tuition.

Financial AidDid you know that there is financial aid available?

Application Information

Our biggest fundraiser of the year!

Get your friends together and reserve a table now!

From the School

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Counselor’s Corner

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CONTINUED

Resilience in Children: Strategies to Strengthen Your Kids

Help your child build resilience in the face of obstacles including bullying, moving, divorce, and anxiety with these tips:

All children are capable of working through challenges and coping with stress. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from stress, adversity, failure, challenges, or even trauma. It’s not something that kids either have or don’t have; it’s a skill that kids develop as they grow.

Resilient kids are more likely to take healthy risks because they don’t fear falling short of expectations. They are curious, brave, and trusting of their instincts. They know their limits and they push themselves to step outside of their comfort zones. This helps them reach for their long-term goals and it helps them solve problems independently.

Stress and ResilienceAll kids encounter stress of varying degrees as they grow. Despite their best efforts, parents can’t protect kids from obstacles. Kids get sick, move to new neighborhoods, encounter bullies and cyberbullies, take tests, cope with grief, lose friends, and deal with divorce, to name a few. These obstacles might seem small in the eyes of an adult, but they feel large and all-consuming to kids.

Resilience helps kids navigate these stressful situations. When kids have the skills and the confidence to confront and work through their problems, they learn that they have what it takes to confront difficult issues. The more they bounce back on their own, the more they internalize the message that they are strong and capable.

Strategies to Build ResilienceParents can help kids build resilience and confront uncertainty by teaching them to solve problems independently. While the gut reaction of the parent might be to jump in and help so that the child avoids dealing with discomfort, this actually weakens resilience. Kids need to experience discomfort so that they can learn to work through it and develop their own problem-solving skills. Without this skill-set in place, kids will experience anxiety and shut down in the face of adversity.

Build a Strong Emotional ConnectionSpend one-on-one time with your kids: Kids develop coping skills within the context of caring relationships, so it’s important to spend one-on-one time with them. This means you need to put down the smart phone and focus on your child. When kids know they have the unconditional support of a parent, family member, or even a teacher, they feel empowered to seek guidance and make attempts to work through difficult situations. Positive connections allow adults to model coping and problem-solving skills to children.

Promote Healthy Risk-TakingIn a world where playgrounds are made “safe” with bouncy floor materials and helicopter parenting, it’s important to encourage kids to take healthy risks. What’s a healthy risk? Something that pushes a child to go outside of their comfort zone, but results in very little harm if they are unsuccessful. Examples include trying a new sport, participating in the school play, or striking up a conversation with a shy peer. When kids avoid risk, they internalize the message that they aren’t strong enough to handle challenges. When kids embrace risks, they learn to push themselves.

Counselor’s Corner

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Resist the Urge to Fix It and Ask Questions InsteadWhen kids come to parents to solve their problems, the natural response is to lecture or explain. A better strategy is to ask questions. By bouncing the problem back to the child with questions, the parent helps the child think through the issue and come up with solutions.

Teach Problem-Solving SkillsThe goal is not to promote rugged self-reliance. We all need help sometimes, and it’s important for kids to know they have help. By brainstorming solutions with kids, parents engage in the process of solving problems. Encourage kids to come up with a list of ideas and weigh the pros and cons of each one.

Label EmotionsWhen stress kicks in, emotions run hot. Teach your kids that all feelings are important and that labeling their feelings can help them make sense of what they’re experiencing. Tell them it’s okay to feel anxious, sad, jealous, etc. and reassure them that bad feelings usually pass.

Demonstrate Coping SkillsDeep breathing exercises help kids relax and calm themselves when they experience stress or frustration. This enables them to remain calm and process the situation clearly.

Embrace Mistakes—Theirs and YoursFailure avoiders lack resilience. In fact, failure avoiders tend to be highly anxious kids. When parents focus on end results, kids get caught up in the pass/fail cycle. They either succeed or they don’t. This causes risk avoidance. Embracing mistakes (your own included) helps promote a growth mindset and gives kids the message that mistakes help them learn. It can be helpful to talk about a mistake you made and how you recovered from it.

Promote the Bright Side—Every Experience Has OneOptimism and resiliency go hand in hand. Some kids may appear more naturally optimistic than others, but optimism can be nurtured. If you have a mini pessimist on your hands, acknowledge the feelings that lead to pessimistic thinking and teach your child to reframe his thoughts to find the positive.

Model ResiliencyThe best way to teach resilience is to model it. We all encounter stressful situations. Use coping and calming strategies. Deep breathing can be an effective way to work through stress. Always label your emotions and talk through your problem-solving process.

Go OutsideExercise helps strengthen the brain and make it more resilient to stress and adversity. While team sports are the most popular method of consistent exercise for kids, all kids really need is time spent outdoors engaging in a physical activity. If team sports don’t appeal to your child, encourage them or introduce them to bicycling, playing tag, or even just swinging at the playground. These are all great ways for kids to engage in free play that also builds resilience.

Resilience helps kids navigate the obstacles they encounter as they grow. It’s not possible to avoid stress, but being resilient is one of the best ways to cope with it.

source: psycom.net

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Knights of Columbus

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Friday of Lent Lenten Friday Family Fish Dinner “Fish Bake”

Sponsored by: the Knights of Columbus, St. Elizabeth Council #2393 Serving the St. James Parish/St James School; and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish and St. Elizabeth School.

DATE: Friday, February 28th, 2020

TIME: 5:30 PM ET to 8:15 PM ET

VENUE: Sit-down and/or Pick-up/Take-out/To Go

LOCATION: St. James Chapel, LL Auditorium 184 South Finley Avenue, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

ONLY ADVANCED PRE-PAID REGISTRATION/RESERVATION: (Cash / Checks Only)

Available after Masses on Feb. 8/9; Feb. 15/16; and Feb 22/23

Adult – (Ages 13 and older) $25.00

Child discount (Age 12 & younger) – $20.00

For reservation purchases and more event information -

CONTACT: Keith Spero 908 625 - 7569; or Rich Mazzio 908 251 – 0048

Make checks payable to: Knights of Columbus #2393

Dinner Menu created for Saint James Church, and provided by:

METROPOLITAN SEAFOOD & GOURMET, 1320 US Highway 22, Lebanon, NJ 08833

Thank you Mark Drabich, Owner (908-840-4332) Craft Beers provided by:

Sunken Silo Brew Works 1320 US Highway 22,Lebanon,NJ 08833

Thank you Jeff Donlan, Owner (908-892-4603)

MENU: A Lenten “Fish Bake” Dinner, by Metropolitan Seafood • A cup of Manhattan or New England clam chowder with classic oyster crackers;

• Half pound (approximate) Italian Panko Crusted Cod w/fresh cut lemon & tartar sauce;

• Served with Saffron Rice; and with either:

• Braised green beans in a garlic tomatoes; or Roasted zucchini with thyme;

• Beverages and Dessert

• Craft Beer provided by Sunken Silo Brew Works

• Wine available for sale

Donations sought - WANT TO HELP: Seeking any amount of charitable donations to provide dinners March 8th for -

• Lyons VA Health Center guests and aides (32 total: $800)

• Seniors of Ridge Oak Community (up to 20 total $500)

• Residents and aides of Bethel Ridge (up to 8 total $200)

At the Dinner , there will be a 50-50 Raffle with the first drawing to split the pot and the second drawing to

win a Lobster Dinner for Two provided by Metropolitan Seafood (a $90 value).