A Message from Administration

Dear St. Albert Families, 

As we approach the much-anticipated spring break, it's important to teach our students perseverance as they navigate academic challenges and the rollercoaster of emotions they may be experiencing. Just as the season of spring brings about change and renewal, this time before the break offers an opportunity for our children to develop resilience in the face of academic pressure and navigate their emotions with grace. Let’s remind them that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed or stressed, but also empower them with the coping skills to manage these big emotions. Like the blossoming flowers of spring, let's encourage our children to find strength in their struggles, knowing that their efforts will lead to the reward of a well-deserved break. I came across an article from CNBC where educational psychologist and author, Michele Borba, shared nine ways to help kids build perseverance. Her tips are as follows:

Fight the factors that discourage kids.

The first step is to fight the four factors that derail perseverance. I like to use the acronym “FAIL” as a helpful reminder:

Fatigue: Safeguard your child’s concentration abilities by sticking to regular sleep routines. Turn devices off one hour before bedtime and keep screens outside of the bedroom at night. 

Anxiety: The pressure to succeed can cause overwhelming feelings. Express to your child that your love is not contingent on their success. 

Identity solely based on fast achievements: Instill a growth mindset so your child understands that success is not fixed. Praise them for their efforts, not their results. 

Learning expectations that don’t match abilities: Set expectations just slightly above your child’s skill level. Expectations that are too high can cause anxiety, while ones that are too low can lead to boredom. 

Teach that mistakes are growth opportunities. 

Remind your kids that mistakes can be a positive thing, even if a situation doesn’t turn out the way they expected. Accept their errors and tell them: “It’s okay to mess up. What matters is that you tried.” Admit to your own missteps, too. This will help them recognize that everyone makes mistakes, and that success happens when you don’t let setbacks define you. 

“Chunk” tasks.

Teaching your kids to divide big tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks will help them feel more confident about completing things over time. If they're feeling frustrated with a math worksheet, for example, have them take a separate sheet of paper and cover all the math problems except the top row. Then continue lowering the paper down to the next row as they finish each one. Or, if they are feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of homework they have, they can write down each assignment on a sticky note, stack them by difficulty, and do one task at a time.

Celebrate small wins.

Repeated failure can destroy perseverance, but the smallest success can encourage a child to keep going, so help them identify their little wins. For example: “Last time, you spelled six words correctly. Today you got eight! That’s a gain. You’re improving because of your hard work!”

Stretch their focus.

If your child wants to give up on an assignment, put a timer on their desk and set it for an appropriate length of time, tailored to their attention span. Explain that they just need to keep at it until the bell goes off. Then they can take a quick break and reset the timer. Encourage them to see how many problems they can complete before the bell dings so that they see they are succeeding. Over time, focusing will get easier.

Correct “stumblers.”

When kids give up, it might be because they can’t see their way out of a challenge. Start by acknowledging their frustration and express that it’s a normal feeling. Try doing a breathing exercise or taking a break. Then when they return to the task, see if you can help them identify one small stumbler that’s getting in their way. For example: “It looks like you’re getting the addition and multiplication symbols mixed up.” Once the issue is clear, practice focusing on the stumbler until they slowly overcome it.

Praise effort. 

Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck discovered that when kids are praised for their intelligence (e.g., “You’re so smart!”), they are less likely to persevere. But when praised for their effort (e.g., “You worked so hard on that! Nice job.”), they are more motivated and work harder. To stretch perseverance, praise your child’s effort, not their grades or scores. The goal is for them to be driven to succeed without extraneous motivators, which is why I’m not big on stickers and gold stars. Research finds that superficial reinforcers can actually reduce children’s perseverance.

Come up with “stick-to-it” statements. 

Negative self-talk like “I can’t do it” or “I’m not smart enough” derails perseverance. Help your child choose a short, positive statement to say to themselves when things get tough. Remind them to repeat that statement out loud several times for a few days until they can remember to use it on their own: “Things don’t have to be perfect. I will get better and better if I keep trying.”

Step back and let them figure it out. 

One of my top parenting rules is: Never do something for your children that they can do on their own. Each time you fix your child’s errors or do something for them, they increasingly learn to depend on you. There goes the opportunity to develop perseverance. Once you know that your child can complete a task alone, take a step back. Allow them to embrace that feeling of accomplishment.

Article Link 

Loren Cataldo

School Counselor

• You can also add our digital school calendar to your phone so you have the latest school dates at your fingertips. To add our Google Calendar, click HERE and then select the +Google Calendar in the bottom right corner. 

Save the Date- Parent Meeting on Children's Anxiety

Dr. Carson Haynes will be here on Monday, March 18 at 6:30 in the church for a parent program on Identifying and Helping with Anxiety in Children. Link to flyer.

The Kids/American Heart Challenge™ CELEBRATION

GOAL MET!!!! 

• Total Raised (all grades): $6,515.55 School Goal $6,000

• Total Students Registered: 91

• Total Students Completing Finn’s Mission: 12

• # of Families who have learned Hands-Only CPR: 14

Safe Environment Training

St. Albert the Great will host a Safe Environment Training session on March 19th for parents/guardians wanting to be a coach, chaperone, or school volunteer. Click here to see the SET newsletter. 

Donate $1.00 for Down Syndrome and wear your Super Socks to School!

In December 2011, the United Nations General Assembly established March 21 as World Down Syndrome Day. The date for WDSD, the 21st day of the 3rd month, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome.

Believe it or not, socks get people talking! On March 21st, bring in $1.00 to school and wear some socks that are going to get noticed! They might be mismatched socks or your craziest and most colorful socks, whatever you would like! The idea is to start a conversation, so when people ask you about your socks you can tell them, “I’m wearing them to raise awareness of Down syndrome”.

Your $1.00 donation benefits Down syndrome awareness. We can't wait to see your crazy Super Socks on March 21st!

2024-2025 Tuition Letter

Click here for the tuition letter that was emailed on March 1st.

2024 Summer Camps & Activities Resource Guide

Looking for youth activities and camps for your kiddos this summer? Here is a list to get you started. Feel free to email Janelle Richardson, Director of Development, at jrichardson@stalbert.org with additional camp suggestions that have worked for your family in the past. This Google Doc will be updated as needed so check back for more ideas!

Looking for donations to the silent auction booth!

We are looking to make the silent auction booth at the picnic even bigger than it was last year and we need your help! We need BIG items like UofL, UK, liquor bottles, restaurants gift cards, concert tickets, gift baskets, high school gear, summer camp certificates, and any other big ticket items you or someone you know would like to donate!

NASA Summer Learning Program

Central Creativity is excited to announce that registration for NASA Astro Camp is open and will be the week of July 15-19! This is our 3rd year partnering with St. Albert to bring Kentucky's Official NASA Summer Learning Program to Louisville students! Registration Link

Spring STEM Club

Spring into STEM and don't miss our final session of the school year! Spring STEM Club is open to students in grades 1-4. We are so excited to share some brand-new activities we've been working on! Register here

Mark Your Calendars!

2023-2024 School Year Meeting Dates 

Each PTO meeting will occur in the Cafeteria from 6 to 7:30 p.m. 

All parents are encouraged to attend!

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Fish Fry

March 15,  5-7:30 pm

We need your help!  Also, please sign up to work a shift at the fish fry as well!  There are lots of options.  We also ask that your player help bus the tables during the fish fry. This is our largest fundraiser for athletics and we need many hands to make a lighter load for all. THANK YOU! GO VIKINGS! 

Volunteers, please sign up here. Thank you!

Parish Post

Please read the Parish Post to stay up to date with events and opportunities. 

Family Friendly Adoration

Join us for a family-friendly Eucharistic Adoration on Saturday, March 16th at 9:30 am in church. Includes the rosary, prayers, and time for reflection. Families of all ages are welcome! Donuts, juice & coffee to follow.

St. Joseph's Day Holy Hour

Tuesday, March 19th is the Solemnity of St. Joseph. In his honor, we will be having an hour of adoration with music, prayers, and Benediction from 7-8 p.m. in church. All are welcome to spend some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.  

Love Children?  Want to help Children Grow in their Friendship With God? Need Service Hours?

Volunteers are needed to help with Vacation Bible School!  Our Scuba VBS is going to be a lot of fun- an underwater adventure with Jesus!  We need people to help lead stations, take care of snack, be group leaders and other great things along the way!  Students entering 7th grade- Adults are needed to help make Scuba VBS as awesome as it can be!  Dates for Scuba are June 25-28th.  If you are interested in helping to volunteer, please contact St. Sarah at syungwirth@stalbert.org or call 502-425-3940, ext. 109.  (Registration forms for Scuba will be going out in Spring.)