Weekly Lessons
Jan. 5 - Jan. 9
Embedded Files
When we return from Christmas break, your child will participate in a lockdown drill. A lockdown is used when there is a potential safety concern inside or outside the school. During the drill, students may be asked to stay silent, lock doors, turn off lights, and follow their teacher’s directions. Please reassure your child that these drills are practiced to help keep everyone safe.
Before the drill, students will discuss lockdown procedures using the book Lucy Practices a Lockdown: Preparing Young Students for School Lockdowns, which helps normalize feelings students may have.
If your child feels worried, please acknowledge their feelings and contact me if concerns begin to affect daily activities. We encourage families to talk with their child about the book and school safety procedures together.
Showing Compassion
Students are learning about compassion—being kind and caring when others need help.
How This Relates to Mercy: Mercy means choosing kindness and care, even when it’s hard.
7 Ways to Be Compassionate:
Help others
Include others
Listen
Comfort others
Be kind
Stand up for others
Consider others’ feelings
How Families Can Support at Home: Talk about kind choices, praise compassionate actions, and model mercy at home.
Showing Compassion
Students are learning about compassion—being kind and caring when others need help.
How This Relates to Mercy: Mercy means choosing kindness and care, even when it’s hard.
7 Ways to Be Compassionate:
Help others
Include others
Listen
Comfort others
Be kind
Stand up for others
Consider others’ feelings
How Families Can Support at Home: Talk about kind choices, praise compassionate actions, and model mercy at home.
Perseverance & Self-Talk
Students will practice noticing negative or unhelpful thoughts about learning and replace them with helpful self-talk. They will develop a positive attitude toward schoolwork and gain confidence in their ability to succeed.
Why It’s Important: Learning to manage thoughts helps children stay motivated, handle challenges, and believe in themselves. Positive self-talk builds resilience and supports a lifelong love of learning.
At Home:
Encourage your child to say, “I can try this” or “I will keep practicing” when faced with a challenge
Model positive self-talk aloud when solving problems.
Praise effort and persistence, not just results.
Share examples of times you overcame mistakes by thinking positively.
Compassion and Mercy
We read the story The Wish Tree by Katherine Applegate and explored what it means to show compassion—caring for others when they are hurt or need help. We also connected compassion to mercy, which means choosing kindness, care, and forgiveness, even when it’s hard.
What Students Learned:
How to notice when someone needs help
How to respond with compassion and mercy
Ways to show care through kind words and actions
How Families Can Support at Home:
Talk about times your child can show compassion or mercy
Praise acts of kindness, sharing, or helping
Practice forgiving and caring for others in everyday situations
Model compassionate and merciful behavior
Showing compassion and mercy helps children build caring relationships and make their school and home community a kinder place!
Compassion and Mercy
We read the story The Wish Tree by Katherine Applegate and explored what it means to show compassion—caring for others when they are hurt or need help. We also connected compassion to mercy, which means choosing kindness, care, and forgiveness, even when it’s hard.
What Students Learned:
How to notice when someone needs help
How to respond with compassion and mercy
Ways to show care through kind words and actions
How Families Can Support at Home:
Talk about times your child can show compassion or mercy
Praise acts of kindness, sharing, or helping
Practice forgiving and caring for others in everyday situations
Model compassionate and merciful behavior
Showing compassion and mercy helps children build caring relationships and make their school and home community a kinder place!
Compassion
Students will learn what compassion means and how it is different from pity and empathy. They will talk about challenges to showing compassion in 5th grade and practice kind, caring responses to real-life peer situations.
How This Relates to Mercy: Mercy means choosing kindness and understanding, even when it’s hard. Compassion helps students notice when someone is struggling, and mercy helps them decide how to respond with forgiveness and care.
How Families Can Support at Home:
Talk with your child about times they showed compassion or mercy at school or home.
Encourage them to think about others’ feelings before reacting.
Practice how to respond kindly during conflicts with siblings or friends.
Model compassionate and merciful choices in everyday situations.
Compassion
Compassion
Students will define compassion and distinguish it from pity and empathy. They will identify barriers to compassion in middle school and practice compassionate responses to real-life peer situations.
How This Relates to Mercy: Compassion is a key part of mercy. Mercy moves us beyond noticing someone’s struggle to choosing kindness, forgiveness, and support—especially when it may be difficult.
How Families Can Support at Home:
Talk with your child about what compassion and mercy look like in everyday situations.
Encourage them to consider others’ feelings and respond with kindness and forgiveness.
Discuss real-life scenarios and ask how they could show mercy through their words and actions.
Model compassionate and merciful behavior at home.
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