Dear Parents and Guardians,

December always seems to fly by! I hope you are all staying healthy and safe.

My focus this month during my visit to each class was teaching about empathy. We
learned that empathy is “being aware of and sharing another person’s feelings and
emotions”. Or in other words, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes to see how
they are feeling. To help the students begin to recognize examples of empathy, we
read Christmas Oranges by Linda Bethers. While the students listened to the story,
they tried to identify characters in the story that were good examples of empathy and
also characters that did not show empathy. Even our sweet first graders were able to
notice which characters showed empathy and kindness to others in the story!

Each student was challenged to look for opportunities where they can show empathy to
those around them at school and at home.

Here’s a few books that do an amazing job teaching about empathy, to help you talk
about empathy at home:

Hey, Little Ant by Phillip Hoose and Hannah Hoose

We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio
The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henk
The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss

Thank you for all you do! I hope you all have an amazing Christmas break!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns you might have!

Merry Christmas!
-Ms. Allison