Dear Saint Joseph Families,
This week, I wanted to share some curriculum that we taught this past week in all grades. The program, CIRCLE OF GRACE, is mandated to be taught by the Diocese of Oakland. If you have not already done so, I would encourage you to ask your children what they have learned from this program. Below is a summary of the purpose of the program and its content.
Circle of Grace Children’s Training Program
Circle of Grace Program Goal
The goal of the Circle of Grace program is to educate and empower children and young people to actively participate in a safe environment for themselves and others.
Circle of Grace Objectives
Children/young people will understand they are created by God the Father and live in His love along with the love of His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
- God is “present” in everyone’s Circle of Grace.
Children/young people will be able to describe the Circle of Grace which God gives each of us.
- God is “present” because He desires a relationship with us.
Children/young people will be able to identify and maintain appropriate physical, emotional, spiritual and sexual boundaries.
- God helps us know what belongs in our Circle of Grace.
Children/young people will be able to identify all types of boundary violations.
- God helps us know what does not belong in our Circle of Grace
Children/young people will demonstrate how to take action if any boundary is threatened or violated.
- God helps us know when to ask for help from someone who we trust.
©2007 Archdiocese of Omaha
Today, our teachers are attending a professional development day sponsored by the Diocese of Oakland. We will gather with our colleagues from the other diocesan schools to identify ways to improve our teaching-learning practices. Below, are the topics to be discussed. As teachers, I firmly believe that we must be life-long learners, constantly improving on our profession to provide your children with the best possible education.
Session 1
– Growth Mindset – Good to Great (presenter Sebastian Cognetta, Ed. D)
Students' mindsets – how they perceive their abilities – play a key role in their motivation andachievement. In this workshop, you will:
• Learn what fixed and growth mindsets are and the consequences
• Understand neuro-plasticity
• Explore how to shape a growth mindset for yourself
• Explore implications for fostering a growth mindset in students' academic and social emotional development.
Session 2
– Social Emotional Needs in the Classroom (presenter Hanna Bogen, M.S., CCC-SLP)
A child’s self-regulation skills as early as preschool are the best indicators of longitudinal success. For many students, coordination of support among caregivers, educators, and specialists is the missing link for global success. This professional development training is intended to provide atendees with background knowledge and common language for self-regulation, executive functioning, metacognitive thinking skills, and emotional-regulation in order to allow them to more successfully determine why students may be struggling and how to best support them.
Session 3
– Teaching for Mastery Not Test Scores: Understanding the Science Behind Personalized Learning
Cognitive science is advancing quickly and daily unlocking new secrets of how humans learn, serving to inform education like never before. The presentation will address these findings about how people learn, how these findings align with and can support our work in the classroom, and how personalized learning can benefit students now and in the ever changing future classroom.
It is such a joy for me to visit the classrooms and see the high engagement and enthusiasm for learning coming from your children. Thank you for entrusting them to us.
God's Blessings on Each of Us.
Dr. Marquita Yriarte
Principal
