Week of April 20-24, 2020

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🙏Prayers and Spiritual Guidance

Divine Mercy Sunday Reflection:

"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." (John 20.29)

I hope everyone has had a blessed weekend.  This past Sunday, April 19, was Divine Mercy Sunday.  In Sunday's gospel (John 20.19-31), Jesus reveals himself to the disciples by showing them the wounds in his hands and side.  He greets the disciples with a traditional greeting of peace, saying, "Peace be with you."  Along with peace, Jesus offers his followers the life-giving and ever-present Holy Spirit.  Empowered by the Spirit, the disciples are able to continue Jesus' mission to spread the Good News, to offer forgiveness, and to serve the world, no longer fearful behind locked doors.


Then Jesus appears to Thomas who doesn't believe the disciples when they tell him that Jesus has risen from the dead.  Thomas says that he must be able to see and touch Jesus' wounds in order to believe.

In these difficult times of this pandemic, we are reminded in today's gospel that Jesus offers us peace, hope, and forgiveness.  We are also reminded that we are not alone, as the Holy Spirit is present among us.  As Catholic Christians who have received the Holy Spirit, we are called to carry on Jesus' mission in this world, especially during these dark times. It is so easy to be like the disciple, Thomas, and doubt that everything in the world will get better.  It's so easy to focus on the negative, especially when watching the news now.  However, today's gospel reassures us that when we believe and pray, Jesus never leaves us alone.  We need to hang on to hope that everything will get better and that we will get through this.

Questions for you to reflect on this week:

  1. How can you continue to spread the Good News during this time?
  2. How can we show Jesus' message of hope and peace to others during this time?
  3. Have you ever doubted something before having proof?
  4. How do examples of faith in other people inspire you?

Other Resources:


Join us in Praying the Rosary:

Thank you to Adriano Parravani for leading our rosary this past Friday and for those who joined us.  

 All are welcome to join us in praying the rosary every Friday at 10 a.m.  Our Google Meet nickname is str-rosary.

 If you are unable to join, but would like to express special intentions for our prayers, please email me.

Daily Reflections:

Monday, April 20 - “I Will Take Care of You” CARFLEO
Tuesday, April 21 - “My Own Two Hands” CARFLEO
Wednesday, April 22 - “Healer of My Soul” CARFLEO
Thursday, April 23 - Create in Me (Psalm 51) CARFLEO
Friday, April 24 - “Lovely” CARFLEO



Here are the Weekly Prayers for Week 3 of Distant Learning.




💻EdTech Support and Resources


Whiteboard tools you can use when using Google Meet:


For those of you who are interested in showing students how to solve problems or explain a diagram, this video by Eric Curts shows you how to use 2 different digital tools that will act as a Whiteboard.

The digital tools are:

How to turn your PDF or hard copy file into an editable digital worksheet:


Don't dismiss those PDF or hard copy worksheets that you would naturally have photocopied for all your students to work on.  Take a look at this video on how you can change the worksheets to make them editable for students using Google Slides.  I know all our French teachers would definitely appreciate this tool.





Do you have a tech question?  Jeanne Buckley and Lisa Loffredi are available every Thursday to assist you.

You can also ask your tech questions in our online chat using Google Hangouts.

Just click HERE to access the STR Tech Support group chat.



📚Library Resources


A ST. ROBERT TEACHER SUPPORT SITE HAS BEEN CREATED FOR YOU. IT WILL BE UPDATED FREQUENTLY. ACCESS THE ST. ROBERT LIBRARY WEBSITE FOR MORE RESOURCES.



InfoBase has many new subject-specific databases that you and your students can use.  See the selection when you log in to any InfoBase product on the library databases page.
Username and password: ycdsbhs
A new ebook database has been added.  MackinVia has over 5000 eBooks at the high school level (fiction and nonfiction).  

Additionally, through the MackinVia platform, you can link to a free trial for Lightbox (just click on the tab for databases on the left).  Lightbox is a database of enhanced eBooks (with multi-media and supplementary resources).  Use the filters at the top to find resources for the appropriate grade and subject (Literature, Social Studies, Science).
Free trial until July.

🧠Staff Wellness

As we enter into Week 3 of distant learning, don't forget to give yourself credit for all the hard work you are doing to teach your students and stay connected.  You are all doing an amazing job!

One of the common sentiments I've heard from teachers is how much more work it is to teach from home online.  There are certain things that we took for granted before, that we were able to accomplish simply, however, those simple tasks need to now be translated onto a digital platform.  Take a step back, take a deep breath and recognize all that you've accomplished so far.  

Remember to keep practicing self care and do small steps to manage your stress levels.  Here is a small practice you can do to help manage your stress levels.

Three Minute De-Stressor for Teachers

Below are some resources I found online and on social media to encourage us to care for ourselves and to keep going:



From: Chris Oriente (@ChrisOriente)

From: Prayer And Pedagogy (@Prayer_Pedagogy)

Previous Newsletters:





Comments

  1. EditApril 20, 2020 at 5:10 AM

    Thank you Lisa!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa LoffrediApril 20, 2020 at 11:08 AM

      Your very welcome, Edit! If there's something you wish to see on the newsletter or something you wish to contribute, let me know or send it my way. Stay well!

      Delete

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