Students from first, third, and fifth grades have been cultivating the learning garden. They have learned about how important it is to clean out the weeds, loosen and enrich the soil, carefully plant the seedlings in just the right spot, and how to keep careful watch over the growth and progress of the plants ever ready to provide just the right amount of food and water to ensure that the plants thrive right up to harvest. The students planted a variety of vegetables including: cauliflower, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, squash, cabbage, eggplant, brussel sprouts and onions. They planted several herbs as well: mint, thyme, sage, cilantro, rosemary, lavender, and basil. Other beds were used to plant seeds to grow carrots, beets, radishes, lettuce, green beans, and peas. The excitement will continue to grow in proportion to the growth of the garden!
The students are not the only ones learning at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic School. A love for learning and a passion for teaching are part of the culture at OLQP. Teachers continue to study, to learn, and to implement new strategies based on the skills gained. We are learning all the time. This school year, the faculty as a whole has attended workshops on inclusive and differentiated instruction, classroom management, and a Lenten retreat. Teachers have also attended many seminars as individuals and small groups driven by teaching assignment and desire for professional edification. Some of these seminars are: Theology of the Body (based on the teaching of St. Pope John Paul II), catechist certification classes, brain based learning research, STEM/STREAM, Creative Mindset, Google Classroom, AACT Dow Summit, technology training, teaching math with concrete materials, math webinars, academic vocabulary, conference for early childhood, Frog Street Press webinar, positive coaching, and more. The students are the beneficiaries of all of this learning as knowledge becomes best practice.
One of the presenters the teachers have worked with this school year is Sr. Pat McCormick. Some of you may have met Sr. Pat in August when she presented a parenting seminar. We had the pleasure of being with her again in February. The depth and breadth of her experience coupled with her sense of humor made the time fly by. What she shares is also based on research. She offers many resources to both teachers and parents. Teachers receive the
Today's Catholic Teacher publication from NCEA where Sr. Pat authors a column, "Parent Partnership Handbook" regularly. In the March issue, Sr. Pat talks about cultivating resilience. Research based keys can help both teachers and parents support the development of this characteristic in children. Some examples of characteristics that strengthen resilience are:
- Have at least one loving relationship
- Strong religious beliefs
- Good at setting personal goals
- Hold positive expectations for success
- Parents provide home structure and hold high moral and academic expectations
- Teachers have positive attitudes and high expectations for all students
- Emphasis on student responsibility and self -regulation with decreased emphasis on external controls
One of our meditations this week prompted by our weekly devotion of praying the Stations of the Cross during Lent was to think about Jesus carrying His cross. Our Lord tells us that following Him will not be easy. We talked about how rejecting things that are commonly found as the norm in secular society like using inappropriate language or not being reverent and respectful at the appropriate times can be challenging. As members of the OLQP family, we are all called to a higher standard. Doing the right thing can be difficult at times, but we know that Our Lord is with us. We know that we can call on Blessed Mother, Angels, and Saints to come to our aid. Lives are enriched, just like the soil, by the family and school in which they are planted. Teachers and parents can work together to ensure that the individual needs of children are met - a little more shade or a little more sunshine- whatever is needed can be found as long as we keep working together. When we take the time to turn in prayer to the Master Gardener with trust, we can be assured of His help and grace, given freely through Word and Sacrament, so that we will be transformed into the people "God created us to be" ensuring a rich harvest. Working together, faculty and staff with parents and students, guided by the Master Gardener, we can achieve great things.
Thank you for being part of the OLQP family. Have a safe Spring Break filled with memory-making moments.
Mrs. Marianne Mechura, M.Ed.
