Dear St. Serra Parents,

I hope that everybody had an enjoyable and relaxing Thanksgiving with family and friends. As we move toward Christmas, we have eighteen very important days of school prior to Christmas Break. In my years as an educator, this tends to be a time when children lose focus on their academics because they are anticipating the fun they will have on break, and their grades typically suffer because of it. For many children it can also be a time of stress because their routines are disrupted; this can also lead to certain challenges.

One of our ‘Good to Great’ school goals this year is to introduce a Parent Education Series that focuses on areas relevant to the challenges that both children and parents face in today's society. One way of helping to support our families and students is to bring in professional speakers who have expertise in key topics of interest or concern. On Tuesday, November 29, at 6:00 p.m., St. Serra will be hosting our first Parent Education Series event, with Mrs. Charise Casiano, MS, presenting the topic "Raising Holistically Well-Grounded Children". Her talk will cover:

• The risks of over-scheduling our children
• How to address parenting differences by prioritizing emotional resilience over academic "success"
• Tools on how to best advocate for our children, while also guiding them to advocate for themselves
• The increase of depression and anxiety in children, and finding constructive tools to navigate various developmental stages
• What it means to change the narrative of "mental health" for our families.

I have personally witnessed many trends throughout my career that have challenged children both in and outside of school. These trends are reflective of what is currently happening in our greater society, and they change at an alarming pace. Challenges such as concerns with social media and 'cyber safety', the availability of and accessibility to illegal substances, or children not ‘being accepted’ in social circles, also become increasingly complicated as children enter their middle school and high school years.  

Whether parents are seeking answers or just being proactive, our goal for the series is to provide education about these challenges and trends, and supply you with some ‘tools for your toolbox’ that will help combat them. This series is in no way reflective of parenting styles or any philosophy of parenting. It is just another way to assist you in your daily efforts of raising your children. I encourage you to attend these sessions, as I strongly believe they will be worth your time!

Always striving,

Tim Tolzda

Sr. Principal