Be Like Bennett!

Saturday morning I was driving to Barnes & Noble to do some Christmas shopping. As I was waiting at the intersection of Kennedy and Dale Mabry, I saw a man holding a sign (it was not the guy with the viking hat, encouraging me with his spinning air guitar to turn in for the lowest prices on mattresses!)  Instead, this man was holding a sign that simply read, "Just Hungry." Usually this would present a dilemma for me since I never really know what the right thing is to do --I hesitate to just hand out money (which usually isn't a problem since I rarely carry cash); I never have food in the car; and I feel there is always more I can do than just pray. This Saturday, I did not have any of those issues, though. I reached under my seat and gave the man a Bosco Bag.

Bosco Bags were the idea of CKS 8th grader Bennett Andersen and his mother, Dana. Each bag contains a water bottle, several snacks, and a card with resources on one side and the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-16) on the other. Bennett is on the Executive Committee of our middle school service organization, the Sean Devereux Club. He brought the idea to the committee and they spent hours before and after school putting together these bags for adults to have in their cars and distribute as needed.

As we close the first semester and head into Christmas break, I can think of no better example of what a CKS student can accomplish. My hope for all of our students is that they see a need in the world, look for possible solutions, and when found, organize others to take action. I am proud of all our CKS students and their accomplishments this semester. I look forward to next semester and continuing to Be Like Bosco with our school community.

Merry Christmas!

Rescue Me

Leading education research on student success is currently focused on mindsets, grit, and toughness. To oversimplify, the theory is that a child's attitude about his/her ability to succeed and the capacity to persevere through a challenge are among the most important indicators of future success. 

To help foster resiliency and toughness, some schools have gone as far as instituting a "No Rescue Policy" which asks parents NOT to bring forgotten items from home to school in order to teach students about consequences, responsibility, and resilience.  These policies have less to do with cognitive skills (academics) and more to do with non-cognitive skills (responsibility). They also have everything to do with us, as parents, and how we "support" our children when they struggle (i.e. struggle to remember something for school). 

I have seen the numerous return trips to the office in the morning, and I have unlocked the front doors after school for many of you making the return trip in the evening. I understand that a policy like this can be hard to digest, but I have a confession. During the month of October we did some tallying of all the forgotten items brought to school by our parents for students. Here's what we found:

62 forgotten lunches/snacks
17 forgotten bags of PE clothes
45 forgotten Chromebooks, notebooks, and book bags
1 forgotten pair of socks
125 return trips to school for parents

We did not even count the return trips after school for forgotten books, folders, or lunch boxes. We only have 550 students in the school, so 125 trips means approximately 23% of our students forgot items in October. While I know that some of the items represent the same students, they also represent 125 different disruptions to class for teachers and assistants to distribute these items.

As parents, I know we want to support our children and that means making sure they have the items they need to be successful. However, we also need to think about the long term effects of our immediate decisions. So what should you do when your child has left for school and you discover the lunch box is still sitting on the kitchen counter?

1. Take a deep breath--seeing the forgotten item just reminds you how many times you reminded your child to grab it before leaving. Irritation sets-in and few of us make good decisions when we are irritated. Taking a deep breath keeps us calm. 
2. Trust us--the school is not going to let your child starve (we give out emergency lunches every day); we are not going to resort to cruel and unusual punishments if they left a notebook at home; and they can still participate in PE without gym clothes. 
3. Think about consequences--while many of the forgotten items will pose an inconvenience to children, none of them, aside from necessary medications, will keep them from going on with their school day. 

As educators, we want all of our children to succeed, and sometimes success comes later from consequences experienced today. While I don't see us instituting a "No Rescue Policy" yet, I do think as parents it is worth thinking about leaving the next forgotten item where it lies. Supporting children to accept the consequence may be a greater factor in their future success than supporting them by bringing them the item. 

Hands On!

Charlotte Danielson, a leading educational researcher, has identified four domains of effective teaching. Her philosophy is to observe a teacher's effectiveness based on what the students are doing in the classroom as a result of the teacher's actions. She points out that the best activities for learning are both "hands-on" AND "minds-on." While there is definitely a place for repetitive practice (think math fact sheets) to reinforce learning and there is a place for projects for the sake of projects (think hand turkey), the most effective activities force students to think while also producing tangible evidence of what they learned.

As we begin our journey towards Christmas with Advent, it is a great time to find ways to make our service to others more "hands-on" AND "minds-on." While there are places --and a very real need-- for service that only requires a donation (food drives, toy drives, etc.), I believe we are called to deepen our service commitment to our community.

Here are three opportunities supported through ministries at Christ the King where you can make your service hands-on and minds-on:

1) St. Vincent DePaul Society--In addition to collecting food (we contributed over 6,000 pounds in our school/parish drive), this ministry needs volunteers to work in the SVDP Food Pantry and Thrift Store, collect goods, enter data, and provide seasonal outreach. Email svdphdc@gmail.com if you are interested.

2) Home Makers of Hope-- Besides donating your old furniture, this group needs volunteers to drive its box truck and make home visits to determine furnishing needs for families in our parish community. For more information and to schedule furniture pick-ups, contact Connie Hayden-McPeak at dcmcpeak01@yahoo.com.

3) Trinity Cafe--Serving a hot meal for hundreds of people daily, Trinity Cafe's mission is to help their guests dine with dignity. If you volunteer you serve as a table host bringing your guests drinks, food, and conversation. Our faculty volunteered here this summer and found it to be a very rewarding experience.  Check out their website for volunteer information:  http://www.trinitycafe.org.

These are just a few ways to enhance your Advent in preparation for Christmas. They also provide our children an opportunity to "Observe God in All Things," specifically a hands-on and minds-on example of serving those in need in our community.

Observing God in All Things

“I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily, but when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”   --Luke 18:8 from last Saturday's daily Mass. 

After the chilling events that took place in Paris this past weekend, I think Jesus would definitely find the faith of many shaken. It's a challenge to teach our children to "Be Like Bosco" and “Observe God in All Things,” and try to observe Him in events like these. 

The simple answer is God does not cause these actions—people do. People who have allowed the devil and sin to break their relationship with the true God and kill in the name of a false one.

Now contrast those events with a local story from last week's Tampa Tribune which can be found here. The story describes how a Plant City cross country runner saw another runner (from Plant High School, coincidentally) collapse near the final stretch of the state championship meet. The runner from Plant City did not think twice: he stopped and picked up his fallen competitor, helping him cross the finish line.

This young man ignored the impulse to compete and win a race he had been training for since last June. He ignored the impulse that caused dozens of other runners to keep moving past the fallen runner. Instead he listened to his heart, observed God in his competitor and picked him up to help him finish the race.

While we may seem helpless to prevent attacks like the ones that happened in Paris, and we are scared of others like it happening again, there are two things we can do: we can pray to God, and we can act with the same courage displayed by the Plant City student. If we do these two things on a local level, we can have an impact on global level. 

Sold! Auction Recap

Our CKS community spent Saturday night in Hollywood, and the stars were everywhere! The biggest question, like most major Hollywood functions, was "What are you wearing?" While most people opted for black-tie formal attire, some of our CKS stars really stood out and created a buzz. In case you couldn't make it to Auction, here are the top fashion recaps:

• It's not an A-list event without pop stars. Thanks to James and Gianni O'Connor we saw Katy Perry and her Super Bowl shark. 

• You never know if Tom Cruise will make it to an event, but he came out to support our Catholic school, along with Kelly McGillis, when Antonio and Christine Castellvi came rocking the flight suit and bomber jacket as Maverick and Charlie from Top Gun. 

• I knew John Travolta lived in Florida, but I never thought I would see him at Christ the King, especially with Uma Thurman. Even Quentin Tarntino would have been impressed with how Jay and Donna Anthony transformed into Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction. 

• We were all shocked to find out that Fr. Len was not only our pastor but also "The One." Dressed like Keanu Reeves from The Matrix, Father Lenderson battled Agent Santhouse to start the Live Auction. 

• No celebrity party is complete without the paparazzi. The Williams and O'Brien families came with inflatable cameras and TMZ shirts (pictures of Brian Housel on the dance floor should be hitting the internet any moment). 

Thank you to Maggie Robinson and Aadonia de le Torre, our Auction co-chairs, and their committee for putting together an entertaining evening; thank you to my co-auctioneer, T-Michael Boyle, for helping double the amount of money raised in the Live Auction from last year; and finally, thank you CKS families for your generosity!  While final numbers are still being tallied, we are sure it was another record-breaking auction to benefit CKS!

What are You Reading?

A better question might be: When was the last time you read a book for fun? With our Book Fair taking place this week, it seemed like a good question. I think we all would like our children to do more independent reading. That starts with our example. If we want our children to "pick up a good book" then we should, too! Here are some other great ways to foster independent reading in your children from our Critical Thinking Teacher/Reading Specialist Julie Pederson:

Parents, you DO have an impact on how much your adolescent reads!  Check this out:  

Scholastic recently did a survey of reading habits and attitudes among children.  The research highlights the important role parents play in encouraging adolescents to read.  According to the survey, adolescents who read frequently are more likely to have parents who:

• are readers themselves
• help them find books, and
• use deliberate strategies at home to encourage reading.  

 

Strategies mentioned for parents of adolescents include:

• putting limits on screen time,
• building reading into the daily routine, and
• reading the same book in order to talk about it together.

The Scholastic research also shows what schools can do to foster independent reading among adolescents.  Key factors include access to ebooks, informing students of their current reading levels, and making time for independent reading during the school day.  We recently added access to ebooks through the CKS library.

 

Resources for Supporting Independent Reading:

Want to know whether or not a book is AR (or the AR level or points)?  AR Book Finder

 

Want to know what other students are reading?  AR Book Finder Collections

 

Need fresh ideas for new books?  

AR Book Finder Advanced Search allows you to search by genre/topic, ZPD (reading level range), and rating.  Doing a filtered search can generate an interesting list of suggestions to check out.  Your student can look up his/her ZPD (reading level range) in Accelerated Reader while at school.

 

            Look up a book you like on Amazon and browse the “Customers who bought this item also 

           bought…” list

 

           What Should I Read Next?  Enter a book you like and the website will generate a list of book

           recommendations from its database.

In addition to our Book Fair, we have asked our students to support our Book Drive. To help families in underserved communities in our Diocese, CKS 1st grade students made signs like the ones below to increase the access to books for these families.  Thank you for your support! 

                                   

Who's Your Hero?

This Saturday is Halloween, and we'll surely see our share of goblins, ghouls, and superheroes. I have always been a fan of superheroes. My favorite is Superman. As a kid, I loved that he had super strength, could fly, and was bulletproof. As an adult, I love what he represents--a person from another planet dedicating his life to saving other people--strangers--because he always tries to see the good in humanity. 

I am blessed to have a real life superman in my life--well, superwoman actually. This Saturday, my wife, Courtney, left for Haiti to be a part of our Parish's medical and dental mission trip. For some time she has felt God's call to be of service to others. Last year, locally, she organized several pancake breakfasts for her former students at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Pinellas Park. She also anonymously (well, up until just now) organized and donated a graduation dinner for those students, too. 

This is her first time travelling out of the country to complete service. I hope you will join me in praying for her and the entire mission team heading to Sainte-Suzanne, Haiti. I know the people she meets will be as blessed to experience her joy and love for God as I am each and every day. I did speak to her yesterday, and she wanted me to let everyone know, "Tout bagay bon" which is Creole for "It's all good!" 

  

This is Courtney striking her superhero pose this summer in Oregon. 

Report Cards are Going Home This Week

“Report cards are going home this week!”

There aren’t many phrases that have struck more fear in the hearts of young children. However, with advent of electronic gradebooks and their accompanying email notices, grades are not usually a surprise at the end of the quarter. In fact, except for our 1^st graders, we do not even send home paper report cards at the end of the quarter. 

You may be wondering how to have the "report card conversation" with your child. Here are a few suggestions:

1.  Focus on the Growth--Instead of saying “Why didn’t you get an A in social studies” try saying, “What can you do next quarter to get an A in social studies?”
2. Look at the Approaches to Learning and Conduct Grades—We have all heard as children and have probably said as adults, “I don’t care about the grade. I just care that you gave your best.” However, we probably forget these words when our child brings home a “C.”   These two categories measure effort and behavior. Compare them in context to the academic grade. An Approaches to Learning grade of 2 (out of 4) and an academic score of a “C” means the grade could be improved with more effort, while an ATL grade of 4 and an academic score of a “C” means they put forth the effort and that was the result.
3. Grades are Destinations—Look at the journey and celebrate the successes that happened along the way. What behaviors led to success? What habits helped lead to the grade? What should be repeated and what should be revised?

Regardless of the grade your child brings home, I hope you can have a positive conversation and find success in the quarters to come:

                               

*Note: students in EC4 and Kindergarten receive their first report card at the end of the 1^st semester (December) and all students receive paper copies of the semester report cards (December and June).

How was School Today?

“Good”

                --Anonymous

I was scouring the internet and my book of quotes for something profound and wise about parenting or talking with children. I found many, but thought this was the most appropriate quote, since it is probably the way 99% of our students respond when asked about their day at school. Sometimes, if they are feeling particularly talkative, they may say “It was fine, Dad.” Most of my conversations look like this:

So, how do you get more than a two or three word response from your child when you ask them about their day? Three words.

Practice. Practice. Practice. To help you start practicing, here are three tips for fostering conversations about school.  

Ask a specific question that forces a multiple word response. 

 Rather than asking, “How was your day?” try asking “What was the best part of your day?” Then, ask the follow up question, “Why was lunch the best part of your day?” 

Use Renweb as a resource.

 Renweb has a calendar of events and teachers often post assignments, as well as grades. So instead of asking “Did you learn anything today?” try saying “I saw that your class is reading Because of Winn-Dixie, what is that about?”

Use “wait time” and bite your tongue.

Sometimes the best question is the one not asked. When your child gets in the car or you see them at home, just say, “I am so glad to see you” and count to 10. Usually, they will start telling you about their day without you asking. 

 

We easily fall into the habit of using conversational crutches. For example, how often, do you greet someone on the phone or in person by saying, “Hey, what’s going on?” or “What are you up to?” and then just keep on talking because you didn't really expect them to tell you exactly what they were doing, that is just how you start the conversation. Don’t make the same mistake by having your default greeting when you pick up your child be, “How was school?” Hopefully if you can frame different questions using the tips above your conversations will look more like this:

DISCLAIMER: Results may vary, especially if your child is in middle school!

This Little Light of Mine...

How do you let it shine? We ask our students to "Be a Light to Others," but what does that really mean? Here is a scientific explanation of how light can pass through objects:

It can be transparent (pass right through):

It can be translucent (allowing some light to pass through):

Or it can be opaque (allowing no light to pass through):

Imagine that we are the cups in the photos and God is the flashlight. Do we allow God's word to flow directly through us? Do we take in God's word and only reflect what we want? Or, worse, do let sin darken our "glass" so much that God's message cannot be seen at all? 

When we ask our students to be a light to others we are not actually asking them to be any of these. Instead, we are asking them to take in God's word, interact with it, and create something beautiful.  Think of the way light interacts with a prism or crystal:

In this picture the flashlight clearly interacts with the crystal causing its shape to be transformed and into a ball of light that even casts off some rainbow spirals.  By opening up to God's voice and asking for his presence in our lives, we can cast a beautiful light that will help others come to know God better. 

Embracing the Digital and Print World

It may seem like a generational preference, but the explosion of personal electronic devices over the past 3 years begs the question, which is better for reading, E-books or print?

 

A quick Google search will give you plenty of information (which you will of course need to read with an electronic device). Some of the better articles are from Scientific American located here and from Scholastic located here.

If you are not much of an e-reader, allow me to summarize the research answer to the question:
it depends.

As we are quickly learning in the ever-changing Digital Age, rather than being an expert in one platform or way of doing things, it is better to be proficient at adapting to different platforms or different ways of doing things based on the situation.

It is no different with e-books vs print. In some situations, like travel, there is an advantage to loading books on a Kindle or Nook vs. reading a complex legal document you need to mark, highlight and underline.

 

At CKS, we embrace both the digital world and the print world. Our library recently began to stock e-books for students in 2^nd through 8^th grade, in addition to print books. Accessing these books is easy. Read on to find out how:

• Using your electronic device (cell phone, tablet, or e-reader), download the free Follett Brytewave K-12 Edition app from the App Store or Google Play Store.

• You are looking for this App:
  

• Select Location as Florida
• Type: “Christ the King” as school and select our school

• Enter your child’s AR Username and Password (only works for 2^nd grade and up)
• If you or your child do not know their AR username and password, please email Mrs. Lopez in the library at dlopez@cks-school.org
• Start checking out titles

We hope you enjoy the print and digital services here at CKS!  Now even if the library is closed, a good book can be opened! 

Called to Holiness

With Pope Francis' arrival to the United States this week, I can't help but think how we are all called to holiness. Mostly, though, it makes me reflect about how to define holiness to our students. So often we think of holiness as something reserved for Jesus, Mary, and the saints. That is not the case, though. Holiness is responding to God's love by the way we live our lives.

I recently received notes from the teachers about some of our students who have responded to the challenge of "being a light" and are reflecting God's love in a positive way for others. Here a few of my favorites: 

1) "Caroline recognized the good in another student. She came up to me during class and told me how quickly and quietly a classmate prepared for class. This was a skill I had been working on with the student. Caroline wanted to make sure I recognized him." 

 2) "Santino voluntarily gave the money he brought for an ice cream treat at lunch to the mission representatives for the collection at school mass." 

3) "Every morning Ian walks the track to take care of some younger boys who need the help of an older buddy. He does this willingly and joyfully." 

There are many more examples of students who help a classmate, clean up the classroom without being asked, or show kindness to another student. We are blessed at Christ the King that our students are responding to God's call to holiness. They are being a light to others and setting an example for the rest of us!

What Would You Do With $50?

Last March, CBS ran a story about two sisters, ages 13 and 10, who had to answer this question when a stranger gave them each $50. The stranger was Chris Rosati, who since being diagnosed with ALS several years ago decided he wanted to do good for others. After giving the girls the money, he simply asked them to do something kind.

The girls did something great with it. They decided to help a small village in Sierra Leone where, according to the CBS article, their father worked in the Peace Corps. The girls sent the money to the village so the residents could prepare a feast to celebrate being Ebola-free. Chris Rosati did not know his money had spread this joy to the people of the village until he saw a video from the feast with people holding signs that read, "Thanks a lot for spreading kindness -- Chris Rosati." He was amazed at the impact his gift had on people he had never met and on a cause he did not know existed--all a result of the kind intentions of these two girls. 

He was so inspired that he started a program to give more $50 gifts so more kids can spread kindness. I can not help but think about how we ask our students this month to Be Like Bosco and Be a Light to Others. We may not get $50 randomly, but every morning God grants us the gift of a new day--a day to use the talents He has given to us. Will we we hide them? Will we use them on ourselves? I know how I want my children to use their gifts, and I have a good idea how God wants them used, too. 

However, I did not know I would find the answer in a 5th grade locker here at school:

Please take a moment to leave a comment and tell me what you or your child would do with $50!

What Do You Say to a Principal?

As a school principal, I have heard just about everything you could imagine--good, bad, ugly, unbelievable, and inspiring! The audience that never disappoints and the one I enjoy hearing from the most are the students. Here are the three best things I have heard from students so far this year:

1) Walking by a table of EC4 students in the cafeteria, I saw one boy lean over to another, and I heard him whisper, "We better behave; there's the boss." I might have also heard this walking by a group of teachers in the lounge.

2) Sitting with some new CKS moms at our Lioness Luncheon last week, one mom told me how her son reminded her that he could wear a college t-shirt to school on Friday. When she asked him who said that, he replied "You know, the guy who wears the walkie-talkie, the king of the world." While I haven't officially been given a crown, nor do I think I'd really want one, the students can sure make you feel like a king when you walk around campus.

3) Standing next to a 5th grader in the morning carline, she turned and asked if I liked being the principal. I told her that I did. She commented that I must have to work a lot of hours. I told her that I did. Wisely, she then said, "Don't forget to take time and play with your sons. They probably want to play with you because you're a cool Dad." What else could I say, but "Thanks!"

As we celebrate Labor Day today, and the contribution of all workers to our country, let's not forget to take time for our family and for God each and every day.

Thanks for the reminder, Mia!

Be a Light to Others

Saint John Bosco was a man of action. Our pastor, Fr. Len, in a homily at our staff retreat this summer told us he was actually a man of so much action that there was a question at his canonization of whether or not he spent enough time in prayer. It was decided that John Bosco was an example of how we can offer our lives as prayer.

We ask our students this quarter to be a light to others. There are many ways our students can do this--simple ways. Over the weekend a parent shared with me that her daughter and some friends were eating at a restaurant. As soon as the food came they all joined hands and said a prayer before eating the meal.

While a small act, I know many adults too embarrassed to make a small demonstration like this of their faith. Often, we hide our light rather than letting others see it shine. John Bosco often told his boys that the path to sainthood was not necessarily in doing extraordinary things but rather in doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way. Below are some pictures of a way I shared with our students to say an ordinary prayer, a prayer most of us make many times a day without giving it a second thought, into something extraordinary--thank you to Sr. Theresa, FMA, for the idea: 

In the name of the Father (grant me wisdom),












and of the Son (give me courage),











and of the Holy












Spirit (guide my actions).

Amen.







Keep praying and keep those lights shining Lions!

Please take a moment to participate in the poll all the way at the bottom of the page--if you are using a mobile device the poll feature works best if you copy the link and open a new tab in Safari.

Be Like Bosco!

The sun may have set on summer but at CKS we have kept the energy and excitement associated with this season going strong with the launch of our school theme: Be Like Bosco!

In our first quarter, students and staff members will #BeLikeBosco by "Being a Light for Others." I hope to capture some pictures of our students doing this in action and will post them on my Instagram and Twitter accounts. 

Here is a preview from our 4th grade students who came up with ways on the 1st day of school to "Be a Light for Others." 

My top five recommendations from our 4th grade class

1) Clean up someone else's mess

2) Give compliments

3) Show them how to obey God

4) Give compliments 

5) Smile at a sad person

We could all use more 4th grade logic!

3 Things You Need to Know for the 2015-2016 School Year

Welcome Back! It is the eve of the 2015-2016 school year, and I have three things you have to know for a great start.

1) It's OK if you haven't gone back to the normal bedtime routine.

Waking up on the 1st day of school is actually the easiest day. It's the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th days that will give you trouble. The excitement and adrenaline helps us push through the 1st day but then reality sets in, and everyone gets tired. Make sure your family eats a good breakfast and after a week your bedtime routines will be back to normal.

2) The carline will get better. 

But at first it will be a mess--expect it and leave early. When you think to yourself and say, "Well, it wasn't like this last year," its because you are remembering it as it was the last month of school. Your brain has helped you by blocking out the 1st few weeks. Trust me, it takes time for everyone to reestablish their routines, especially the carline. Keep your patience and use the time to say a prayer. Also, I guarantee there is never a problem with the carline at 7:25am of 3:20pm.

3) We love your children as much as you do. 

It may come as a surprise, but few, if any of us, actually teach for the money, fame, or glory. We teach because we love children--we love helping them grow intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. Although we may show it differently or may have a different approach than you, we ultimately want what is best for your children. If at any time you or children think differently, tell us. Just as you'd want your children to come to you when something is wrong, we want you and your children to feel comfortable to do the same. It is only together that we can help our children grow in the love of Christ, joy of knowledge, and spirit of service.

If you haven't had a chance, please check out the special back to school message below and participate in the poll at the top:

Courage is Contagious

Rick Wormeli is an educator, author, and speaker who passionately believes in making the right changes in our schools to ensure student success. Any change, though, takes courage. Click here to read Mr. Wormeli's article on "The Courage It Takes" to be an educator for change. 

The main point of the article is that courage is contagious. When one person exhibits bravery it becomes easier for the next person. Wormeli recounts a conversation with a high school student about the growing influence of gangs. The student responded to Wormeli that "gangs are only as strong as the town lets them be." I see applications of this thought process with our own students and the formation of cliques or tolerance of bullying behavior. If students are brave enough, with the support of school staff and parents, these types of negative behaviors weake--our community won’t allow them to be strong.

In addition to the academic foundation and commitment to service we provide to our students, I truly hope their spiritual formation gives them the courage to be brave. Each day we are faced with opportunities to test our bravery--sometimes it is an act of bravery just to read the headlines: "Ebola Spreads," "ISIS Advances," and "Suicide Bombers Attack." These types of headlines can cause fear and uncertainty--the enemies of bravery and courage. A more local example, students may be afraid to speak up for a friend being called names for fear of what will happen to them or the uncertainty of what other people might think. Bravery, then, is overcoming fear to do what is right.

I heard a story about a recent CKS graduate who had a class debate in high school. The assignment was to pick a side of the pro-life vs pro-choice issue and to argue for your cause in front of the class. As the students were gathering research it became apparent that only the former Christ the King student would be arguing the side of pro-life. She became nervous and scared to be the only dissenting voice in her class of peers. She did, however, feel so strongly about the topic that she bravely defended her pro-life position alone. I am not sure how many students she was able to bring to her side, if any, but that is not the point. The point is that she was able to stand up for her beliefs and be a light in the darkness—what Christ calls of us to do, and what I hope all our students are brave enough to do both at Christ the King and when they leave.

As Don Bosco would often tell his boys, “Don’t be afraid, Our Lady will send us all that is necessary.” This summer, Lions, let us remember Our Lady and say at least one Hail Mary each day asking for Her to pray that God gives us the courage we need to be Agents of Change. 

Memorial Day

No post this week! Take some time this Memorial Day to pray for those that made the ultimate sacrifice for us. 

Summer School?

The summer slide—we've all heard about it and educators have been trying to battle it for what seems like forever. A quick Google search using the scholar filter will give 101, 000 results (in .24 seconds mind you) on research which shows that at worst students can lose a month’s worth of learning over the summer. Any teacher will tell you, without needing Google's help, that the 1^st few weeks of school seem like a necessary review of last year's material.

Research further shows that students tend to slide more in math than they do in reading.  One key reason could be that we, as families, naturally participate in more activities that promote literacy: we take our children to the bookstore or library to check out books; however, when we take them to the grocery store do we make them add up the number the cost of items in the cart and multiply for sales tax? Most attempts at preventing the summer slide involve providing students with summer reading and pounds of repetitive math practice—we were guilty last year.

However, research by the American Psychological Association shows that learning occurs with deliberate practice rather than rote repetition. To borrow a basketball example, going out and shooting the ball 100 times a day will not make me a better basketball player or shooter, unless I deliberately practice form and shooting in game situations. Likewise, rote repetition of basic facts can improve performance in the short term but won’t help with long term learning and improvement. That is part of the reason reading skills slide less than math skills—many of our students read over the summer, not just for the purpose of doing the required reading for a project but for the deliberate purpose of reading for enjoyment or for information.

Therefore to prevent loss of learning in math, we should deliberately practice it with our children. Here are 5 easy ways:

1. Play Games—multiplication war is like the traditional card game except the first person to multiply the product of the two cards wins the round. Scrabble is also a great way to combine vocabulary, addition, and multiplication. 
2. Bake cupcakes—use proportions and fractions to adjust ingredients for different numbers of people—I am happy to taste test if you need a reason to bake.
3. Map a summer trip—figure out the miles traveled, average car speed, time traveled, the gallons of gas needed, and the cost.
4. Let you kids grocery shop for the week—give them a budget and have them price items on-line to make a menu for the week.
5. Keep Pace—using a summer reading book, have your child see how many words they can read in 30 seconds (and comprehend what they read). Using that information, they can figure out how many words they can read per minute, how many words per page, how many pages in the book, and how long it should take them to read it. This can be done several time to see if they are improving their pace. 

In the next few weeks we will be sending home a list of summer reading for students entering 3^rd through 8^th grade. Students will have one required book and a list of suggested books. We will also be sending home math activities you can do as a family. My hope is that you can enjoy your time with your children this summer instead of fighting with them the last week of summer to do their packet. This way, together, we can stave off the summer slide. 

Don't forget to answer the poll question on the left side of the page to give your feedback about summer work. 

Standardized Tests

Standardized tests and their place in education seems to be a regular feature in the news cycle and as subject matter for bestsellers. Here are just a few headlines and titles:

“The case against standardized testing: Raising the scores, ruining the schools”

“The Uses and Limitations of Standardized Tests in Meeting the Demands of Accountability”

“The Standard Test: To Be or Not to Be”

“Testing in a Democracy”

“Standardized Test Scores: Voodoo Statistics”

Perhaps even more interesting than the headlines are the dates they were published: 2000, 1971, 1975, 1985, and 1988 respectively. It is hard to believe that we have been debating the merits and uses of standardized testing for over 40 years. At Christ the King, we use the Iowa Assessments which are norm-referenced tests. This means we receive results about how our students’ skills compare to other students across the nation on a test of similar standards.

It is easy to oversimplify the results of the test and look solely at numbers. It is important to remember that each test represents one moment in a child’s education on one day. Rather than looking solely at the cumulative scores, it is more helpful to look at student results over time to measure growth, and scores on skill subsets to determine strengths and weaknesses.

Each of our teachers performs an analysis of these areas for each student in their class. This helps teachers plan for future instruction. For example, if after analysis, a teacher found that many of her students performed below the national average on computing with fractions, this would point towards a need for professional development to help learn how to better teach this skill.

Teachers also share the analysis with the next grade level teachers, so those teachers can plan instruction to target specific skills. It can also help teachers know which skills students have mastered, allowing for the pace of instruction to move quickly through concepts students already grasp. When used in this way, test scores no longer become numbers that define our students. Instead, they become numbers that help teachers outline their instruction.

For more detailed information, please join Mrs. Metz and me this Thursday, 5/13, at 2 pm or 6 pm in the cafeteria. Also, please take a minute to provide me some feedback about what you would like to know about standardized tests. 

Mother's Day

Next Sunday, we will all be celebrating and giving honor to our mothers. This may include making breakfast, going out to eat, making gifts, or just spending time as a family. I asked our students at assembly this morning what they do for their mothers and here were the top 5 responses:

1. "I bought her a Rhoomba one year, but that made her mad for some reason?" (7^th grade)

2. "My siblings and I try to stay far away from her." (4^th grade)

3. "I make her a card" (multiple grades)

4. "I make her flowers out of tissue paper." (2^nd grader)

**Spoiler Alert**

5. "I bought her an iPhone 6 Plus." (???)

During the month of May our school community also honors a special mother, Mary, the mother of Jesus. This devotion to Mary is sometimes confused as worshipping Mary. As Catholics, worship is something reserved for the divine (God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit). Mary is not divine, although she is recognized as the first and greatest saint.

Just like we take special time this weekend to honor our mothers, we should make time to honor Jesus’ mother. We ask our own mothers for help or to “soften” our Dad’s before asking them for help. It should be appropriate, then, to ask for Mary’s help, through her intercessions and prayers for us. That is what we ask of her in the final line of the Hail Mary” “…to pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.”

I always listen to my mother when she tells me to do something, I am hoping Jesus will do the same thing when I ask for His mother to pray for me. Enjoy your Mother’s this week and every day.

Here is a picture of a special mother in my life at our 1^st Grade Mother’s Day Tea last week.  

Closed for Carnival Recovery!

We were "Staying Alive" all weekend

Please check my Instagram @cks_principal or the Christ the King School Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christ-the-King-Catholic-School/414609355409 for photos of this community building event.

Something Awesome This Way Comes

I still remember my carnival days when I was a CKS student—riding the Scrambler, Rocco Planes, and Gravitron. The names have changed but many of the rides are the same—I am not sure if that is nostalgic or scary.

Danielle Welsh, our Advancement Director, refers to carnival as a friendraiser rather than a fundraiser. I completely agree. Some of my greatest memories of Christ the King are of my time at the carnival—playing the games; eating the food; riding the rides; but mostly, hanging with my friends. Carnival though, also provided me with some “less than great” memories—thinking my shirt was ruined when an older kid squirted me with ink and only realizing later after I found Sr. Joanne that it had disappeared; nervously waiting in line to ride something I didn’t want to but was too afraid to tell my friends I was chicken because I didn’t want to get made fun of by them; and wondering who was going to be left out when 5 of us were in line for a ride that only fit 4 people.

This morning, I asked our students to think about their best carnival experience and their worst. I reminded them that the decisions they make this weekend will directly impact whether they, and others, will have the best carnival experience. I challenged them to have fun while staying true to what Jesus taught us: “love God above all things, and love others as yourself.” If we follow these guidelines, we’ll make great memories at this year’s friendraiser.