S.O.A.R. NEWSLETTER
December 14, 2007
by Debbie Fischgrabe
December 14, 2007
S.O.A.R. Program
Putnam Co. R-I School District
Newsletter – December 14, 2007
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS WEEK
Unfortunately the recent ice and snow reeked havoc on the S.O.A.R. Program activities for this week. The students were unable to go Christmas caroling to the Putnam County Care Center and Bristol Manor on Wednesday as planned. The Christmas cards that the children made for the residents will be delivered later this week.
Mr. Halley recently determined that if school is dismissed due to bad weather all S.O.A.R. parents will need to make arrangements to get their children home. If the weather is bad enough to call off school Mr. Halley does not want the S.O.A.R. bus to be running several hours after he has dismissed school. If your child normally is eligible to ride a KM bus route then you may call the school office and give instructions for your child to ride the normal KM bus route home. The S.O.A.R. Program will be in session as usual until 6:00 p.m. on days when school is dismissed early. If your child does not ride the KM bus route home when school is called off it will be your responsibility to either make arrangements with a pre-authorized contact to pick them up OR pick them up yourself.
Last Thursday when school was dismissed early there was a very short window of time to notify S.O.A.R. parents of the new bus policy. I want to thank you all for your cooperative spirit! The safety of your children is always our ultimate goal.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
There will be a S.O.A.R. Christmas party for our students on Wednesday, December 19. This should be a fun-filled activity which will include snacks, games and surprises.
VOLUNTEERS WANTED
The parameters of the 21st Century Community Learning Grant established the need for an advisory council to work cooperatively with the staff, teachers and administrators of the S.O.A.R. Program. Presently, there is one parent representative on this council. I believe it would be beneficial to the program if there were one or two additional members of the council who have children that are enrolled in the program. The council meets once a month on the third Tuesday evening. If you are interested in volunteering/serving in this capacity with the S.O.A.R. Program, please contact me as soon as possible.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
I read an article recently online by Pam Leowhich provided a great deal to think about. I decided to pass a portion of it on to you.
The Gift Every Child Really Wants
By Pam Leo
The gift every child really wants, is the gift
of feeling connected, loved, and valued. Those feelings can't be
found in any present or in any amount of presents. Children want to
be with us and to do what we do. Feeling connected, loved, and
valued comes from spending time with the people they love and from
doing things with and for the people they love.
One of the best gifts we can give to children is the experience of
the joy of giving. We can encourage children to make an "I want to
give" list as well as an "I want to get" list. Children delight in
giving their own gifts. When children are allowed and invited to
fully participate in the holiday making, wrapping, baking, and
decorating, they become more focused on what they want to give than
on what they want to get. Children who feel connected, loved, and
valued don't need lots of gifts to fill their "love cup."
We can break the "presents instead of presence" cycle by doing the
holidays with our children instead of for them. Whether our
children are still very young and we have a fresh beginning to
create meaningful holiday traditions and rituals or we have older
children who have been accustomed to receiving lots of presents, we
can put the "happy" back into the holidays by filling our
children's "love cup" with connection instead of consumerism.
The following tips are for parents who want to create a "less
stress - more joy" holiday season for themselves and their
children.
1. Make the decision that presents will not be or will no longer be
the main focus of the holidays.
2. Invite children to join in creating a list of fun and meaningful
holiday activities the family can do together and a list of
kindnesses your family can do for others.
3. Request that family and friends honor your fewer gifts decision
by asking them to show their love for your children in other ways.
A one-on-one "Holiday Date" is a welcome gift and a wonderful way
for family members to form closer bonds with children.
4. Give children the means to give a few special gifts. Take a
friend's or a relative's child shopping or help the child make a
gift for his or her parents.
5. Ask your children what one gift they want most and a second
choice if that one is not possible. When children with a full
"love "cup get one gift they really want, they hardly notice what
else they do or do not get. Receiving one gift they really
want satisfies more than opening ten gifts they don't really care
about.
6. Try giving children their most special gift first instead of
last. The reason children tear through opening presents and keep
asking for another is that they are looking for that special one
they've been hoping for. When they get their special one first they
enjoy the rest more.
7. Slow down the frantic pace of the holidays and reduce
post-holiday let down by spreading out family and friend gatherings
throughout December into January.
Most of all, we can stop trying to "do it all." The people who
really love us will still love us no matter what gifts we do or do
not give them and whether or not we send greeting cards. We
can tell family and friends that we are changing how we "do" the
holidays and that we have decided to spend more time connecting
with our children. When we slow down the pace and stop doing and
buying too much, our children are happier, we are happier, and our
holidays are happier.
Resources:
•••Simplify Your Christmas by Elaine St. James
•••Unplug the Christmas Machine by Jo Robinson & Jean Coppock
Staeheli
•••The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas by Madeleine L'Engle
Pam Leo is the
author of the new book
Connection Parenting: Parenting through Connection instead of
Coercion, through Love instead of Fear (Wyatt-Mackenzie
2005) and is the Connection Parenting instructor for the Academy
for Coaching Parents, International at www.ACPI.biz. Pam has been
writing the Empowered Parents column for the Parent & Family
paper in Maine for the last ten years.
Ms. Debbie, Ms. LeAnn, Mr. Reed, Ms. Nellie and Ms. Elladean
