Friday Focus

Thank you for all your help this past week in collecting needed items to assemble personal care kits for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!

Your generous donations will be used to help victims in the Gulf Coast that have been ravished by Hurricane Katrina.

In the following weeks, will you join me in praying for the victims of this disaster?

Please join me in praying for the following:

• Pray for the safety and health of the hurricane victims.
• Pray for the rescuers, that God will give them the physical and spiritual strength required to do their work.
• Pray for patience for those anxiously waiting to hear from family members or for word on their homes and neighborhoods.
• Pray for problems to be solved in peace, and for order to be established in the midst of chaos.
• Pray for the relief organizations involved, that they will receive enough supplies and funds to address the needs before them, and that they will get these resources distributed quickly and efficiently.

Additional information and relief updates can be found on our website.

www.sfasonline.org...

Walk-a-thon Change

Due to the upcoming PGA tour in the San Francisco Bay area, we will need to change the date for our annual Walk-a-thon. Lake Merced has been reserved and our 13th annual Walk-a-thon will take place on Sunday, October 16. Registration begins at 8:00 am. The walking begins at 9:00 am. Lunch will be ready around 11:30 am.

This annual event is our main fund raiser for our school. Your support of this big event is greatly appreciated. Watch for packet to be sent home later this month.

Photos of last year's Walk-a-thon..

Parents Who Are Too Negative Send the Wrong Message

There isn't a parent among us who hasn't done battle with a child over the issue of homework. Parents should be involved with homework when children are in school. As they enter middle school, thought, parents should remained informed about tests and projects, but not become too involved.

Parents who are too involved:

• Hover over their child as he works.
• Get upset at mistakes their child makes.
• Believe their child's success or failure confirms their success or failure as a parent.

Being too involved sends kids harmful messages like, "I don't think you're capable of doing this."

Such messages make kids feel guilty and incompetent. And being over-involved keeps kids dependent on you. They come to believe they can't do the work without you.

To ensure you're involved appropriately:

• Provide a private place for your child to study.
• Be less of a participant and more of a consultant to your child.
• Make your interventions brief--a few minutes.
• Suggest your child get help from the teacher.

Additional information about ending the homework hassles with your child can be found online.

Home Word...

ITBS Tests

Students in grades 3-8 will take the ITBS tests during the week of September 26-29. Tests will be given only during the morning.

Let's work together to give our students every extra advantage to make sure they are able to do their very best that week. This would include things like:

• Provide plenty of rest during test week.
• Make sure kids get a good breakfast.
• Avoid "over scheduling" the week--give them time to relax in the afternoon.

"The best preparation for taking any achievement test is concentrated effort related to classroom activities, completion of homework, engaging in activities beyond assigned homework, and undertaking a wide variety of projects which will improve the depth and breadth of a student's knowledge." --Riverside Publishing

Help your child do his/her best during ITBS test week. Additional information about preparing your child to take standardized tests can be found online:

Standardized Test Preparation...

Don't Solve Every Problem For Your Child

Your child has scheduled two activities for the same day and time. Her little brother is driving her crazy. Or she borrowed a friend's CD player and broke it. Whatever the problem, she wants you to solve it.

Often it's better to back off. Give your child a chance to figure things out. Be available to listen to alternatives and discuss them. Talk about possible consequences.

Your child just may come up with a perfect solution. Meanwhile, she'll build important skills and self-confidence, too!

Letting kids solve some of their own problems builds confidence and responsibility.

Have a question or concern you'd like answered or addressed? Send your inquiry to office@sfasonline.org and then watch for some positive suggestions in an upcoming Friday Focus.

Send email now...

Help for Katrina's Victims

A young couple had become very concerned about their four-year-old son. He had not said a word since birth. They asked their pediatrician about him, and the doctor could find nothing wrong. So they took him to specialists. The boy had no physical problems that should have been hindering his speech. Then, at the breakfast table one Thursday morning, the boy suddenly bellowed, "Mom, my toast is burned!"

"You talked! You talked!" shrieked his mother. "I'm so happy! But why has it taken so long for you to say anything to us?"

"Well, up until now," the boy explained, "things have been just fine."

We human beings tend to be like that little boy who says nothing – until we find a reason to gripe. We seem to be far quicker to complain than to compliment. We find it easier to point to the things we dislike and want changed than to affirm the good things and good people God has placed in our lives. Why?

Since Adam and Eve were sent from the Garden of Eden, making a living has been more difficult than it had to be. Do you only see the thorns in your work situation? Or have you learned to smell the roses each day? If you are an employee, I can guarantee you that rose-smellers do better work and have a greater likelihood of moving up the ladder than chronic thorn-spotters. If you are the boss, the attitude you take toward each day's responsibility sets the tone for everyone else.

It's no different at home. You can find something to complain about every night. He didn't get the yard cut. She forgot to pick up the laundry. Dinner is going to be late. The kid left her toys in the driveway again. The tone is set for the rest of the night! With a little effort, you can find something to compliment and a reason to be happy about being home. That beginning will set a much different tone for the evening.

Is there something you don't like about your church? They sing too many songs. The preacher talks too long. There are too many announcements. Somebody always gets your seat. You don't like your Bible study class. Hold on a minute. Pettiness obscures your vision of God. And church is about Him, not you. Remember?

Don't wait until you see something go wrong to speak out today. Go looking for something positive. Affirm it. Compliment the person doing it. You'll like the result.

Don't be like the little boy who said nothing until he found a reason to grumble. Instead, try this: "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe" (Philippians 2:14-15)

--Rubel Shelly