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From the Desk of Dr. Molly Grumich
Principal
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Dear Parents & Guardians:
A blog post by Dr. Tim Elmore. Thursday, October 13, 2016
I celebrate it whenever I meet hard working students. I see them on almost every university campus I'm on, and in almost every high school I visit. These adolescents just "get the system" and realize you can achieve almost anything if you work hard enough. On the other hand, I also see far too many students growing up in a world of speed and convenience who've never developed a work ethic.
May I suggest a couple of reasons why this might be?
From a recent
survey
of parents, 82 percent said "doing chores" was a normal household experience for them growing up. However, only 28 percent of these same parents say they ask their kids to do chores. For some reason, it was good for us, but not good for them. We feel we're not good parents if we stress them out with chores.
Why Do Parents Fail to Expect Chores From Kids:
- Many believe their kids are just too stressed to add chores to their homework.
- Many know that trying to make kids do chores leads to an unpleasant argument.
- Many can assume they are bad parents if their kids have to work.
- Many say that it's just easier to do the tasks around the house themselves.
The Benefits of Chores Go Beyond Work Ethic
A
study
released from the University of Mississippi collated data drawn from over 25 years, (beginning in 1967) and discovered the obvious. Dr. Marty Rossmann says "chores instilled in children the importance of contributing to their families and gave them a sense of empathy as adults. Those who had done chores as young children were more likely to be well-adjusted, to have better relationships with friends and family and to be more successful in their careers."
What adult wouldn't want that for this next generation?
In fact, Dr. Rossmann
says
that "asking children to help with household chores starting at age 3 or 4 was instrumental in predicting the children's success in their mid-20s." Do you realize this was normal a hundred years ago? Families were larger and kids all had to pitch in, even at pre-school age. They did age-appropriate chores like helping to make the bed. It actually helped them mature. "Children are often capable of more than their parents give them credit. Toddlers are eager to please and are ready to show off their big-kid skills," says Nicholas Long, Director of the Center for Effective Parenting at Arkansas Children's Hospital.
How Parents and Teachers Can Teach Healthy Work Ethic...Beyond Chores
1. Choose appropriate tasks for kids that include an incentive to do them.
You'll get buy in quicker from kids if the tasks they must do benefit them in the end. When my son lost a possession he really liked, I convinced him a clean room would help him find it. He cleaned the room and found it. Let's be honest. We all do better when we see "what's in it for me." This is human.
2. Model a work ethic for them.
We can't expect a healthy, strong work ethic from our students or kids if we are not demonstrating one ourselves. Too often, our young generation has seen extremes: adults who are "workaholics;" who've lost themselves in their careers, or those who are lazy and pitifully dependent on others for their lifestyle. I want all kids to see me perform my work with excellence-yet experience a life outside of the work as well.
3. Offer payment for their work.
Opinions differ on this one, but I believe it's healthy to divide the list of "to do" items into two groups. One's a list of tasks we all do because we're part of the class or the family. The other list contains items they can do for payment or reward. This is key. Students need to know that some work is purely for the purpose of serving others, while other work can be rewarding both internally and externally.
4. Talk about the benefits of work experience.
"As we become more prosperous as a society, we have expected less and less of our children," saysNicholas Long, director of the Centre for Effective Parenting at Arkansas Children's Hospital.. "What's happening is that we're sending them off to college and they don't know how to wash their clothes, cook a meal, sometimes even basic things like how to change a light bulb, because we do everything for our children too often." If you want to motivate them, illustrate how working now prepares them for expectations later.
5. Perform work tasks with them.
Too often, when adults ask young adults to perform a task, kids don't put their heart into it and do it poorly. This is usually when we say we'll just do it ourselves. What if we did the task with them? Talk through how you want it done. Show them what excellence looks like, and then watch them as they do it. Affirm their work along the way.
6. Challenge them to do something that benefits others.
While it may be difficult at first to convince kids of serving the entire family or class, having them do something for someone rather than just for their own benefit prevents them from saying, "I don't care if my room is clean." It could be anything from vacuuming the family room, to serving at a soup kitchen or cleaning up a local pond.
7. Tie work tasks to a goal they have.
I know adults who, when they discover a student wants to buy an item (i.e. smart phone, new jeans, etc.) actually help them plan to pay for it through a series of jobs, enabling them to see how work brings rewards. My friend actually bought a portable device his son really wanted but kept it on his own "layaway" plan until his son could pay it off. When his son made the last payment, he got the device and a life lesson too.
One last footnote. According to a United Nations
report
, girls spend 40 percent more time doing chores than boys do. For whatever reason, it's an interesting reality we should be on the lookout for. What do you say we cultivate a service mindset and work ethic in every student?
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IMPORTANT MESSAGE from Dr. Grumich
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Next Tues
day, Oct. 18th
, around
9 am
, I will perform a test call through our IWA phone system, School Messenger (formerly know as School Reach.) You should receive a call that says it is from IWA and I will leave a brief message. Each family had the opportunity to give three numbers to be entered into the system so all those phones should, in theory, get the message.
The School Messenger system will be activated in the case of inclement weather to notify families of a late start or school closure.
The test is being conducted to make sure that the system is working correctly and all our families are getting the appropriate information. If you encounter any issues with the call, please call the General Office at IWA.
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Retreats:
- Half of the Senior Class will be attending the Kairos #30 Retreat at the Pallottine Renewal Center on October 26-28. The senior leaders and adult leaders have been planning for this retreat for several months and are now finalizing their talks. Please remember to keep in your prayers these student and adult leaders as well as the entire Senior Class.
Liturgy:
- We will celebrate Mass on the Feast of All Saints' Day on November 1 at 10:00 a.m. Father Anthony Gerber from St. Joseph Cottleville Parish will be our celebrant, and Kyle Huelsing will be our music minister. You are most welcome to join us for this liturgy.
- Grandparents and Special Guests are invited to join us for a special liturgy at IWA on Sunday, November 13, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. Invitations have already been mailed, and please RSVP to Ms. Pitti by Tuesday, November 1, 2016.
Service Opportunities:
- We are collecting bags of candy to donate to the "Play It Safe" Halloween Fun Fair that will be held at Cardinal Ritter College Prep School on October 29th. The event allows kids in the city of St. Louis to enjoy games and have fun in a safe environment. All donations of candy bags can be turned in to Ms. Pitti by October 17th.
- Several of our faculty and staff members will be volunteering at the St. Louis Area Foodbank on Saturday, October 22 from 10:00-1:00. I am looking for some student volunteers to join us that day too. The sign-up sheet is right next to Ms. Pitti's office door.
- The Respect Life Club is sponsoring Operation Christmas Child. We are in need of empty shoes for this project. We are also looking for donations of items that can fit into a shoe box for children ages 2-10 years old. Items include: small toys, stuffed animals, hygiene items, dolls, small balls, socks, t-shirts, shorts, crayons/markers, yo-yos, jump ropes, picture books/coloring books, small cars, head bands, and any other items that would be appropriate for ages 2-10. Please send in empty shoe boxes and any donations to the Campus Ministry Room by November 2. Thank you!
- The Ferguson Municipal Public Library has many volunteer opportunities available for IWA students. The after school and Saturday opportunities include helping with their tutoring program, assisting with evening events, shelving books in the library, and assisting people on the computers. Please contact Allison Repking, an IWA alum, at: arepking@fergusonlibrary.net if you would like to volunteer.
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Volunteers are needed to help at the upcoming Special Friends Retreat for teens and adults with developmental disabilities. The fall prayer day is on Saturday,
October 29 from 9:30-3:00 at Sacred Heart Parish in Florissant. The sign-up sheet is by Ms. Pitti's office door.
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Several members of the Philanthropy Club will be participating in the "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk" on Saturday, October 22 at Forest Park.
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For the Birthright Gala taking place at the St. Charles Convention Center on Saturday, October 22, volunteers are needed from 6-9 on Friday night, Oct. 21 and on Saturday morning, Oct. 22 from 10-1. See Ms. Pitti if you would like to volunteer for either of these two service opportunities.
Geri Pitti
Campus Minister
gpitti@iwacademy.org
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FROM THE COUNSELING DEPARTMENT:
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Junior Parents/Guardians: Juniors will be taking the PSAT test during school coming up on Wednesday, October 19. This will be a half day for all students, and Juniors will have no classes as they will be testing all morning. While the PSAT is a practice SAT, and, therefore, won't have any impact on college admissions, it is also the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Students who score within the top 3 - 4% are eligible to move on and compete for the National Merit Scholarship. Please encourage your daughters to be well rested and properly fueled for this day!
Senior Parents/Guardians: The Counseling Department has several parent/guardian events coming up! There will be a Coffee or Cocktails with the Counselor event on October 24th. There are two time options for this event: 7:30 - 8:30 am, and 6 - 7 pm. Parents are invited to learn more about the college process and ask the college counselor any questions.
Scholarships:
For a complete listing of scholarships available, please remind your daughter to see Naviance under the "Colleges" tab.
College Reps Visiting This Week:
University of Kentucky (10/14), Truman State University (10/17), and DePaul University (10/18)
Emma Goldberg, M.Ed, NCC, PLPC
College & Career Counselor
egoldberg@iwacademy.org
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FROM THE ATHLETIC OFFICE:
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On Our Way to State...
Cross Country
ran very well in the MWAA conference meet. JV runners Maggie Murphy and Maia Luem finished in the top 30 out of 85 runners. Brooke Fredrickson finished 7th in the Varsity race and made 1st Team All-Conference! Softball won Districts with a 10-2 victory over Clayton High School. They will compete in Sectionals today against Rosati Kain at Incarnate with a 4:00 pm start. Varsity Tennis singles player Maria Brandt earned Post-Dispatch Athlete of the Week! Maria, Maura Engelhorn, and Genna Miller are headed to the State Championships today. They will compete on October 14-15 in Springfield, MO. Volleyball will welcome Alumni to their match tomorrow night, Oct. 14 against Althoff Catholic. The teams plays as follows: Freshmen 4:00 pm, JV 5:00 pm, & Varsity 6:00 pm. The VB Seniors were honored last Tuesday. Special thanks to Katie Kampmeinert, Erin Hoener, Madison Tapia, & Bridget Carter for their contributions to Red Knights Volleyball the past four years!
***If your daughter is trying out for Basketball or Swimming & Diving, remember to have her physical turned in prior to Oct. 31st (for Basketball) or Nov. 1st (for Swim/Dive.) She must have a new physical each year. If I do not have it by those dates, your daughter will NOT be permitted to tryout. *Freshmen already have a physical on file for this year and individuals who played a Fall sport.
I will post about our teams and provide special announcements on social media. So please click on the links below and follow the Red Knights!
Always a Great Day to be A RED KNIGHT!
Athletic Director
lorlet@iwacademy.org
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SENIOR LOCK-IN 2017 FUNDRAISER
Parents/Guardians,
The 2017 Lock-in Committee is sponsoring a fundraiser at Chesterfield Sports Fusion on
Sunday, Nov 6th for the
2017
Senior Lock-in. We have planned an
exciting night of FUN for all students and friends.
Everyone is invited! The night will include: Unlimited basketball, rock wall, dodge ball, laser maze, mini golf, inflatable obstacle course, AND 35-game arcade and laser tag. SO MUCH FUN!!! Click
here to see flyer.
Encourage your daughters to get a group of students and friends together for a fun night out. Everyone is invited, including students from different schools, preferably upper middle thru 12th grade.
The cost is $25.00 per person for two hours of unlimited activities from 6:30 - 8:30. If we sell 200 tickets, they will give us a free hour!
Let's set a goal to sell 200 tickets so all students can have an extra hour of "FUN with their Friends."
Tickets can be purchased at lunch mods beginning
Monday, Oct. 17th. Please pay with cash or make your check payable to: "Lock-In 2017 c/o Karen Behrens."
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Event: FUN night out with Friends
Whe
re: Chesterfield Sports Fusion
140 Long Rd, Suite 102
Chesterfield MO 63005
Activities: Unlimited basketball, rock wall, dodge ball, laser maze, mini golf, inflatable obstacle course, AND 35-game arcade and laser tag!
Date: Sunday - Nov 6th
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 pm
(Free hour if we meet our goal and sell 200 tickets)
Cost: $25.00 per person
Make checks payable to: Lock-in 2017 c/o Karen Behrens
SO MUCH FUN!!!
Thank you,
2017 Lock-In Committee
Chris Doherty
Shelly Gotsch
Marge Frey
Karen Behrens
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2017 Auction Fundraiser
Registration closes on Sunday, Oct. 16th -
Be sure to regi
ster today and don't miss out
on a fun evening!
Register for the Simply A-Door-Able Event here
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Friday, Oct. 14 - Regular day of school
- Memorial mass - 10:00 am
Monday, Oct. 17 - Regular day of school
Tuesday, Oct. 18 - Regular day of school
- Town Hall meeting before conferences - 6:00 pm - Theater
- Parent/Teacher Conferences - 6:30-8:30 pm
Wednesday, Oct. 19 - NO LATE START
- Regular classes for all other students
- Early dismissal - 11:45 am
- Faculty/staff meeting - PM
Thursday, Oct. 20 - Fall Break
Friday, Oct. 21 - Fall Break
Saturday, Oct. 22 - ACT @ IWA
Monday, Oct. 24 - No Classes
- Professional Development for faculty/staff
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Incarnate Word Academy | 314.725.5850 | www.iwacademy.org
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