Dear SSIS Parents –
This past Thursday was celebrated in the United States as Thanksgiving Day. Although it wasn’t until 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed an annual day of thanksgiving in November, documented celebrations of thanks in the United States are found as early as 1621.
Many countries and culture have their own celebrations of thanksgiving. Whenever you take time to stop, reflect, and give thanks, we hope that you know how grateful we are at SSIS for our students, teachers, and parents.
Some of our youngest students, in Mr. Dorn’s kindergarten class, recently reflected on what they have to be thankful for, and I would like to share a letter that Mr. Dorn recently sent to his parents with the whole community:
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Dear Parents,
In many countries throughout the world there is a celebration of Thanksgiving. This day was celebrated in the USA yesterday. Thanksgiving Day is a time to think about things in life that we are blessed with, which we often take for granted. This week the children did a lot of thinking and talking about things that they are thankful for. They told me what they are thankful for. Here is what they said:
I am thankful for new friends. (Min Seo)
I am thankful for my whole family and for flowers in my garden. (Aadhya)
I am thankful for my teachers. (Srey Sar)
I am thankful for my mommy, daddy, and for my brothers. (Shimpei)
I am thankful for my family. (Bond)
I am thankful for nice people. (Mackenzie)
I am thankful for my brother because we play together. (Danielle)
I am thankful for the good fish that my grandfather gives me to eat. (Taishi)
I am thankful for animals. (Mackenzie)
I am thankful for rainbows and flowers. (Jessica)
I am thankful for my mommy and daddy. (Lam)
I am thankful for the lives of people. (Se-Hwan)
I am thankful for my family because they do good things for me. (Ibrahim)
I am thankful for water and food. (Sebastian)
I am thankful for my family because they take good care of me. (Devin)
I am thankful for my brother because we play together. (Vinh Quoc)
I am thankful for my mom and dad because they play with me. (Hannah)
I am thankful for my mommy, because she reads with me at bedtime. (Sandy)
I am thankful for life in this world. (Min Seo)
After the children told me what they were thankful for, we had another classroom discussion. They told me that many children do not have:
- enough food to eat
- a house to live in
- shoes to wear
- a school to go to
- money to buy things that they need
- doctors, nurses and dentists
Being aware of things that many people do not have makes us realize how much we do have.
Thinking and talking about things for which we are thankful places a whole new perspective on how we view our world, and how we think about the many good things in our lives that are often taken for granted.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Mr. Dorn
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I am thankful to be a part of the community and for all the many ways our students, teachers, and parents show their love of each other and those in need.
Sincerely yours,
Mark Sylte, Head of School
