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St. Joseph Catholic School is excited to announce the launch of a new school-wide program of social-emotional learning, called Friendzy. This program will be implemented by our school counselors with the support of faculty, staff and parents!
The current global pandemic has highlighted the need for strong social skills and emotional management. Now more than ever our students need to be equipped to navigate the uncertainty in their lives with a deeper sense of faith and community. Social skills such as self-awareness, responsible decision-making, self-management and relationship-building are some of the tools that make this possible.
This new program, which begins in October, complements our current social-emotional learning curriculum which explores the ways in which our Catholic faith, faith-filled actions, and prayer help our students to develop strong social skills and deeper relationships with each other and God. As we continue to learn about Catholic virtues and saints each month we will also work on building healthy relationships, developing empathy and strengthening our school community.
As part of this program, each SJS student will receive a student workbook that will be used in class along with lessons led by our counselors.
“Friendzy is a comprehensive program designed to change school culture by offering vital social emotional learning lessons (SEL) to proactively address aggressive behavior, reduce stress, equip with healthy relationship skills, and improve focus and academic performance, which will increase resiliency for success in school and in life.” Joy Roberts and Julie Widman, Friendzy founders
January Catchphrase: Teamwork Makes The Dream Work
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31
In January, our counseling classes will be talking about teamwork. Our Friendzy focus for this month is "Teamwork Makes the Dream Work." We will reflect on what an incredible gift it is when we learn to work as a team and serve one another with our gifts! We are so much better together.
As a parent, the challenge you face is to have your nuclear family work together and to show love to one another and to work together towards a common goal. And the reality is that unless we first receive love FROM God, it is almost impossible to be able to love those around us, and this includes our children.
Try this at home: In family life it is easy to not notice the gifts that each member brings to the table because we are so familiar with each other and we spend so much time together. If we are not intentional, we can miss the amazing gift that each member of our family is to the team (family unit). In an effort to connect the teaching your students are learning at school and incorporate it into home life in a practical way, we suggest that one day this week you have time together as a family where each member is affirmed for the unique gifts they bring.
Take time to celebrate each other!
“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” 1 Peter 4:10
December Catchphrase: You First
“Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”
Philippians 2:2-5 (NLT)
This month our students are learning the importance of considering the needs of others, not just their own needs and wants. God’s Word challenges us to not be selfish. Thinking of others first is a life skill that equips us for real and long-lasting relationships. It’s not that we can’t have needs, it’s that we need to consider the needs of others as well as our own.True JOY comes from practicing “You First”
One way to continue the conversation at home this month is by posing this simple question at the dinner table over a meal: “What are some ways that we can practice not being selfish around the house?” The responses to this question can open up meaningful and honest dialogue among members of your family. What a powerful opportunity for your child to share what they are learning, put it into practice, and see the positive effect it has in your home. When students learn friendships they learn it for life, and this includes the friendship they share with each member of your family. Over the next few weeks, we hope your student will begin to use this unit’s catchphrase: “You First”. This is the main point that we want the students to catch on to and use over.
November Catchphrase: Be Kind All the Time
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.” St. Teresa of Calcutta
We will be talking about what it means to be "kind all the time" and how we can try to be a little kinder each day.
Our students will also learn about H.A.L.T. (Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired) and how it is hard to be our best selves when there is something going on physically that we need to address.
Ways to "Continue the Conversation" at home this month:
Discuss these ideas with your children:
1. A friend loves at all times. God’s Word calls us to love others all the time.
2. All means all. Loving friends when they are nice is easy. Loving friends who are annoying, or mean to you, or act differently than you is really hard.
3. Show love through your words. We show love by the words we say. Words matter and affect those around us. Choose words that reflect the love that is in your heart.
4. Show love through your actions. We’ve all heard the phrase “actions speak louder than words”. Our actions are the exclamation point to our words. Don’t just talk the talk - walk the walk!
October Catchphrase: We Need Each Other
Each month our SJS students will learn a catchphrase. These simple sentences are a way for us to remember our goal of building up each other in a community of faith and caring.
