Dear Families,

 

At Saint Leo the Great School we aim to help students increase their literacy and love for Scripture, and provide as many opportunities as possible to practice Godly living. This is why we've decided to introduce Friendzy this year; a whole-school program that teaches life skills to our students with an emphasis on building strong, healthy, and Godly friendships.

 

The Friendzy program provides simple, memorable ways for your student to learn and practice God's design for friendship. Every month we will introduce to the entire school campus one Catchphrase and one corresponding Key Verse for students to learn and practice. In class, we will spend 20 minutes weekly focusing on the Catchphrase and Key Verse with activities, games, and group discussions. With the help of Friendzy, students will get to learn from Scripture and from each other what it means to be a really good friend.

 

We hope that by providing students the opportunity to learn about and practice life skills like teamwork, self-management, responsible decision-making, goal setting, emotional literacy, and conflict resolution, students will have an increased capacity to reach and even surpass our rigorous academic goals. Most importantly, we believe that Friendzy will make the gospel message of Jesus come to life in a way that will increase each student's desire and ability to apply and live out God's word.

 

Every month expect a newsletter from me introducing the month’s Catchphrase and Key Verse as well as simple ideas for how you can continue the Friendzy at home. We are excited for this focus on friendship, and are glad to have our whole school family participating!

 

THIS MONTH /// This month, students will focus on the idea that WE NEED EACH OTHER as a class and as a school. We will discuss and dive into God's Word, learn how important friendship is, and consider how to build others up.

 

Catchphrase Main point for students to catch on to	Key Verse Biblical anchor points	Goal What students will practice and work towards
"We Need Each Other"	"Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up!" –1 Thessalonians 5:11	To practice building up our friends.

 

We encourage you to Continue the Conversation with your student at home! Here are the main points your student will learn this month:

 

1. God designed us for friendship.
2. We are stronger and better together.
3. We need each other for encouragement!

 

CONVERSATION STARTER /// Encourage means to give hope or support to others. Ask your child to share ways others have encouraged them and built them up. You may even ask your child to share about a time they felt encouraged by you. This will give you a window into how you can continue to speak life and encourage them!

 

Over the next few weeks, the goal for students is to begin to use the unit Catchphrase, "We Need Each Other,” in their everyday life. Join in helping them accomplish this goal by starting to use this Catchphrase in your conversations at home.

 

THANK YOU /// Thank you for partnering with us! It is a joy to teach your student the importance of friendship. We want to stay connected with you in this journey, so please reach out with any questions, concerns, or celebrations you encounter.

 

When kids learn friendship, they learn it for life!