Thank you Julianne for putting together our Advent Retreat. We truly are blessed to have Julianne take on these extra tasks that there is never enough time to get to. By doing the framework for these days, it allows teachers the time to focus on creating one activity to share. I walked through the school a number of times throughout the day and I would like to share my thoughts of how we can improve our retreat days. I first would like to share something that Fr. Dermot said to me in August when we were talking about our Faculty Retreat at the start of the year. After I talked a little about it, he asked me if it was a retreat or a workshop. Those words keep coming back to me, particularly as I walked through the school on Friday. The framework for a reflective retreat was there, but we may have strayed from the path at times. Advent is a joyous time and the retreats tend to be more lively than during Lent, but here are some things to think about for the Lent retreat, a time when we should quiet our hearts:
- No one should be talking above a whisper. Retreat days should be a time when we stay very quiet and move toward having a close, personal relationship with Christ.
- Hands-on activities are necessary, particularly for younger students. However, there should always be a time for prayer, meditation, or reflection that goes with the activity. One idea I've used is to make a retreat journal for each child that we would go back to throughout the day so that students could make connections and understand the meaning behind what we are doing.
- Activities should be making, creating, interacting. Students should not be coloring worksheets or playing games. They should be making advent wreaths, jesse trees, mangers, etc. to take home and share with their families. They should be reading the bible and acting out how the story might look today in modern times, or create a visual art or song based on a bible story. They could make and pray the Advent stations of the cross.
- Be prepared for everyone moment of the retreat so that transitions happen smoothly and quietly.
- We should also do everything possible to ensure that we do not use subs on a retreat day.
Many of these things were happening on Friday and I did see some great things. I also understand that retreats are easier as they students get older. I also know that sometimes things are beyond our control like a hurricane that moved the Early Childhood conference to the day of our retreat. I only offer these thoughts as some things to think about for the next retreat, especially as we struggle to bring the children closer to Christ. If we can make that relationship stronger, the begging and pleading at home to be taken to Mass on Sunday will also grow stronger.
You may want to show the powerpoint from this weekend at church to your class. Thank you Gina for helping me (or pretty much doing it while I watched) with the presentation. Your students might enjoy seeing themselves. It will be on Facebook Monday and maybe we can show it on the Morning Show.
This week I will be gone Wednesday morning at a principal's meeting. Monday is a Holy Card free dress. The Christmas Show is Friday. Friday is also a half-day and you are free to leave after carline. The calendar was still showing Parish Christmas party for Friday afternoon but we took it off. That was our original plan back in May but it has been replaced by our Epiphany Party. Please be sure you have responded to the invitation by indicating how many and the ages of your children if you are bringing them. If something is preventing you from attending, please come talk to me first before replying no. Thank you and have a Blessed week.
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