From Mr. Stone’s Desk Greetings Friends of Saint James Catholic School, What does a Catholic school principal do? All must, should start with providing faith-based educational leadership, right? Then what? Well, for me, my response is pretty simple. I try to do whatever needs to be done to achieve our school’s primary mission. This mission involves integrating and infusing Catholic values via an appropriately challenging academic curriculum that allows students to develop a successful foundation in a safe, secure, and caring environment. Like I said, pretty simple, right? Of course, there are a few more well-defined areas of responsibility. There are regular, ongoing work items such as reports, newsletter development, requests from the archdiocese, and even hanging out with the youngsters during lunch time (often the best part of my day as I learn so much during this time!). There are leadership tasks and responsibilities, providing program direction and policy clarification, and visiting classrooms. Faith development, regular review and attention to financial matters, personnel, and student discipline also quite obviously enter the scope of this position. Additionally, I would maintain that one of the core responsibilities involved with any position of school leadership certainly involves effecting and facilitating communication with the myriad of related stakeholders: Faculty/Staff, students, parents/ guardians, community members, Saint James Parish, parent groups and committees, volunteers, etc. Along these lines I would thus like to suggest that communication is a key ingredient for any person working both in conjunction with and on behalf of others within any organization striving for a common goal or mission. After all, what good would vast financial resources be if members of the organization aren’t communicating effectively? Squandered, or at a minimum not optimized, perhaps? What good is a curriculum and related resources if teachers don’t communicate individual student progress toward grade level objectives? What good are common school policies and expectations if people choose to not communicate and subsequently act upon their own personal interests and desire to do otherwise? What good is having the capacity to love if we don’t demonstrate and communicate our love to others? Humans are social beings. We live together as families and/or amongst one another as single folks. We are at our best when we are fulfilling God’s message to love one another, perhaps at our worst when we choose to put self-interests ahead of God or what’s best for our community. Thus, recognizing how both love and communication are of paramount importance when seeking to facilitate needs and responsibilities, I would like to provide for reflection a few suggestions regarding community and family dynamics. Here, in no particular order , are 27 points which many of you undoubtedly already know. I believe they are important actions to consider when trying to create an environment that encourages young people to be the best they can be. Serviam, -David 1. Take time to pray, go to church, and talk to God. 2. Expect your family to at least eat dinner together. 3. Give your child chores and responsibilities. 4. Have a system of discipline that is firm, fair, and consistent, that teaches, not just penalize. 5. Listen to your child – engaging your eyes, heart, mind, and feelings. 6. Don’t back down from expectations, but try to make sure they are reasonable and attainable. 7. Love children unconditionally. 8. Be there for important events in a child’s life. 9. Love children enough to check up on them, but don’t let the punishment exceed the offense. 10. Establish boundaries and stick to them. 11. Give children more responsibility when they’ve earned it; withdraw it when they have broken your trust. 12. Insist on attendance at family gatherings. 13. Tell family stories to pass on your family history to the next generation. 14. Support the school your child attends, and act as a partner with teachers and administrators. 15. Don’t give blanket belief to everything a child tells you. Use both your head and your heart. Cougar Paw Prints A Publication of St. James Catholic School – 2019-2020 Edition 9 Enter to Learn. Go Forth to Serve. Visit us at: www.sjcstx.org Est. 1878
Transcript
From Mr. Stone’s Desk
Greetings Friends of Saint James Catholic School,
What does a Catholic school principal do? All must,
should start with providing faith-based educational
leadership, right? Then what? Well, for me, my
response is pretty simple. I try to do whatever needs
to be done to achieve our school’s primary mission.
This mission involves integrating and infusing
Catholic values via an appropriately challenging
academic curriculum that allows students to develop a
successful foundation in a safe, secure, and caring
environment. Like I said, pretty simple, right?
Of course, there are a few more well-defined areas of
responsibility. There are regular, ongoing work items
such as reports, newsletter development, requests
from the archdiocese, and even hanging out with the
youngsters during lunch time (often the best part of
my day as I learn so much during this time!). There
are leadership tasks and responsibilities, providing
program direction and policy clarification, and visiting
classrooms. Faith development, regular review and
attention to financial matters, personnel, and student
discipline also quite obviously enter the scope of this
position. Additionally, I would maintain that one of
the core responsibilities involved with any position of
school leadership certainly involves effecting and
facilitating communication with the myriad of related
stakeholders: Faculty/Staff, students, parents/
guardians, community members, Saint James Parish,
parent groups and committees, volunteers, etc.
Along these lines I would thus like to suggest that
communication is a key ingredient for any person
working both in conjunction with and on behalf of
others within any organization striving for a common
goal or mission. After all, what good would vast
financial resources be if members of the organization
aren’t communicating effectively? Squandered, or at
a minimum not optimized, perhaps? What good is a
curriculum and related resources if teachers don’t
communicate individual student progress toward
grade level objectives? What good are common
school policies and expectations if people choose to
not communicate and subsequently act upon their own
personal interests and desire to do otherwise?
What good is having the capacity to love if we don’t
demonstrate and communicate our love to others?
Humans are social beings. We live together as
families and/or amongst one another as single folks.
We are at our best when we are fulfilling God’s
message to love one another, perhaps at our worst
when we choose to put self-interests ahead of God or
what’s best for our community. Thus, recognizing
how both love and communication are of paramount
importance when seeking to facilitate needs and
responsibilities, I would like to provide for reflection a
few suggestions regarding community and family
dynamics. Here, in no particular order, are 27 points
which many of you undoubtedly already know. I
believe they are important actions to consider when
trying to create an environment that encourages young
people to be the best they can be. Serviam, -David
1. Take time to pray, go to church, and talk to God.
2. Expect your family to at least eat dinner together.
3. Give your child chores and responsibilities.
4. Have a system of discipline that is firm, fair,
and consistent, that teaches, not just penalize.
5. Listen to your child – engaging your eyes, heart,
mind, and feelings.
6. Don’t back down from expectations, but try to
make sure they are reasonable and attainable.
7. Love children unconditionally.
8. Be there for important events in a child’s life.
9. Love children enough to check up on them, but
don’t let the punishment exceed the offense.
10. Establish boundaries and stick to them.
11. Give children more responsibility when they’ve
earned it; withdraw it when they have broken
your trust.
12. Insist on attendance at family gatherings.
13. Tell family stories to pass on your family history
to the next generation.
14. Support the school your child attends, and act as a
partner with teachers and administrators.
15. Don’t give blanket belief to everything a child
tells you. Use both your head and your heart.
Cougar Paw Prints
A Publication of St. James Catholic School – 2019-2020 Edition 9
Enter to Learn. Go Forth to Serve. Visit us at: www.sjcstx.org
practically all day and night, lots of parents and
volunteers who took on shifts, transported items to
and from our food booth, etc. It was just a great
effort and SJCS is thankful for all who pitched in
and helped out. Special thanks and recognition to
the Baker/Weddle and Moczygemba families for
donating much of the food stuffs and PTC President
Cynthia Polanco for overseeing the logistics and
small army of volunteers who made things happen.
* * *
Fall Frenzy & Blue and Silver Event
Please remember to bring your bag of candy (per family) for the Fall Frenzy Halloween Carnival. Please consider volunteering your time to assist with the Fall Frenzy on Oct. 31st, 12:20p.m.-3:15p.m.
We are gearing up for our Blue and Silver Event! Please be on the look out for your class projects and baskets from each of your child's classroom. Class Projects are due Nov. 22nd and Class Baskets are due Jan. 15th. Thank you!
