The Patriot Report – Feb 5

“Winning is a by-product. Focus on the product: effort.” – John Wooden

Super Bowl Sunday has arrived and each year the sports pundits will talk about legacies and greatness and who they think will win. So much of our culture today emphasizes easy measures of success. We read stories about how many championships someone has. We watch awards shows wondering who will take home the prestigious awards. We see headlines of who has the most money in the world. All this exposure influences many people to think that what really matters is the end result. 

Dig a little deeper and you quickly discover that the great athletes, the high achievers in any field, and those who have made it to the top of their profession, will speak of the process. They will highlight the hours and hours of work and effort. They realize, like Wooden realized, that winning games is a by-product of effort and preparation. 

As parents, we need to change the focus of what we praise. If you emphasize the score on a test, you will be conditioning your child to believe that only results matter. Focus your praise on effort. Here is how it may sound:

“I see you had a test today son, how did you do?” (ask in a calm and measured voice)

“I got 18/20 on my science test.”

“I saw you studying hard for that test. Do you feel like you prepared well for the test?” (do not react to the score)

“Yes. I reviewed all my notes and even had mom quiz me. I just went blank on some questions.”

“Well son, I am proud of your efforts and for studying. It was great to see you take responsibility for the test!”

What about the opposite case? What do we do when our child completely bombs a test?

“I see you had a test today son, how did you do?” (ask in a calm and measured voice)

“I got 6/20.”

“It sounds like you may not have studied much or the test was really hard?” (do not react negatively to the score)

“It was hard!”

“It was hard?” (mirror the phrase and ask with tone inflection going up and still in a calm voice)

“Well… ummm. Yeah. Well I didn’t know a lot of the answers.”

“You didn’t know the answers?” (again mirror the phrase and ask with tone inflection going up and still in a calm voice)

“No. I mean, I kind of forgot about the test.”

“You forgot?” (again mirror the phrase and ask with tone inflection going up and still in a calm voice)

“Yes and the teacher said I can try again.”

“That sounds like an opportunity.”

“Yeah and this time I won’t forget!”

“It seems to me that you intend to study hard this time.”

“For sure.”

The important lesson is to place your emphasis on the effort and not the score. Emphasize and celebrate how hard a child worked at something instead of just praising the outcome. Using a phrase such as, “Great job in studying for that test! Your effort was rewarded!”  will reinforce the importance of product (effort) and not the by-product (outcome). This extends into the sports our children play, the instruments they play, and every aspect of their life. Praise the effort and in doing so your children will develop the habits needed to succeed in life. 

*(some of the conversational tactics mentioned like mirroring, come from Chris Voss’ book Never Split the Difference)

*(to read more of John Wooden’s leadership philosophy you can read his book Wooden on Leadership)

I am sure many families are aware of yesterday’s press conference in which the Ministry of Education and the Provincial Health Officer updated the K to 12 guidelines. As administrators we received the updated document on February 4th and learned alongside the rest of the province what the revised guidelines would be. 

At St. Jude School we are reviewing our plans and we will be sure to align ourselves with the most recent changes. These changes will be reflected in our documents which are currently under revision. The most significant change is with respect to the wearing of masks. All of our staff will follow the guidelines around mask wearing. Theses guidelines are:

If you are having trouble with the re-registration document please do not hesitate to reach out to office@stjude.ca

Any re-registrations received after February 10, 2021, will be subject to a $25 late fee. 

Existing families should have received an email from registrar@stjude.ca last week. In this email, a fillable PDF with instructions was provided for you to complete and return. If you did not receive an email or if you have any troubles opening the email, please email office@stjude.ca so that we can best assist you. 

Before emailing the office, please do the following:

1. Check your junk email – sometimes our emails will end up in your junk or spam folders
2. Open the email on a desktop or laptop – iphones/androids may not be able to open the attached fillable PDF

We are fielding more and more requests for entrance into our school. While some classes have limited available space, others are full. Please ensure you meet the deadline for re-registration so that your child’s spot is guaranteed for 2021-22. 

In celebration of Catholic Schools Week (Feb 14-21), Cambridge Uniforms is having a sale for our families. Click here to learn more. 

I would like to encourage all of our parents, grandparents, and those connected to our school community to follow our social media feeds. It is through these feeds that you will be able to see what is happening in our school as we begin to post more and more pictures showing student learning. It is also a quick and free way for the school to post instant messages about school safety. If we were in a lockdown, I can easily post to our Twitter and Facebook feeds the situation and relevant updates. I cannot easily do that through mailchimp or the website. By following us, you can be well informed. Simply click the links below to follow us. 

Facebook – @stjudevan

Twitter – @stjudevan

The 2021 donation envelopes are ready to be picked up from the church. Please call the parish at (604) 434-6700 to arrange a time for pick up. While in-person liturgies are suspended, the parish values your contributions to maintaining the church. Thank you. 

Follow St. Jude Parish on Facebook at @stjudesvan

This is a reminder that parents need to take the time to do the Daily Check every day. It is important that we remain committed to taking our COVID19 procedures seriously. Click here to access the form. You will no longer need to provide the child or parent’s name on the form.