Dear Parents and Carers,

What does the word ‘Gratitude’ mean to you?  

According to the Oxford Dictionary, ‘Gratitude’ means the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

We have so much to be thankful for in our lives.  What do you truly appreciate in your life? How do you show Gratitude in your life?  It is so easy to take all of our blessings for granted.  We need to challenge ourselves to display Gratitude for all those people and circumstances that we encounter in our daily lives.  This is a most important concept that we wish to instil into our children and students in our Catholic school.  We have so many opportunities in our lives to express our Gratitude - do we seize every opportunity to do so?

Experts in this field suggest to make a ‘Gratitude List’. It is a great way to calm the nerves, soothe the soul and remind yourself daily of the things that truly matter.  It's enjoyable but also useful to make a gratitude list, and it can help to give you relief from worry and provide you with a sense of purpose.

Some further tips include:

• Think of one thing to be grateful for each day and quickly add to the list. A good prompt is: "Today, I am grateful for...".
• Use breathing to remain calm whenever stressed or upset.  
• Keep the gratitude list up-to-date. The things for which you are grateful will change over time and that is as it should be, for you change as well.  
• Some days will be harder than others to feel gratitude; that's okay, just stick with it and keep looking for something to be grateful about.
• Surround yourself with people who are also grateful and who are inspiring. Their gratitude and excitement will rub off on you.

Best wishes for the coming week,

Philip Barrington
PRINCIPAL