Hello Earl Grey Families,
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life; it turns what we have into enough and more. It turns a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of the past, brings peace for today and creates vision for tomorrow.” Author: Melody Beattie
Last year, I began my Thanksgiving message with the same quote.
What was truly amazing was how this message spurred on a school wide focus on the greater meaning of the word ‘Gratitude’. It also struck a deep connection with the Embry family who kindly donated to each child and staff member a Gratitude Journal. In fact, the Embrys have gifted us again this year with another set of journals to be used at the school. Students and staff use the journals weekly to write down messages and thoughts that promote healthy living, supporting positive mental health and allows students and staff to reflect on all that we are grateful for.
Kim Embry also supported the school by doing some research on the power of gratitude; and we wish to share some of these highlights with you:
People who are grateful report increased feelings of happiness, hopefulness, positivity, energy and overall life satisfaction.
Gratitude helps kids feel better about school and makes educators feel less emotionally exhausted
Studies have found that keeping a gratitude journal can increase people’s happiness and overall positive mood
Grateful children are more interested and satisfied with their school lives, are more kind and helpful, and are more socially integrated.
Studies have found that gratitude journaling in the classroom can improve students’ mood and that a curriculum designed to help students appreciate the benefits they have gained from others can successfully teach children to think more gratefully and to exhibit more grateful behavior
Gratitude has been described as “social glue” that fortifies relationships
Research suggests that gratitude may be associated with many benefits for individuals, including better physical and psychological health, increased happiness and life satisfaction, decreased materialism, and more
Thank you to Kim and family for your gift of the journals and we are grateful for you doing the research on this important topic.
Every day it is evident that our students demonstrate gratitude. The staff feels this gratitude and all of us are very grateful to our families and community for your continued support. As you gather as a family over the weekend, please pause and take the time to go around the dinner table and express what each of you are grateful for. Its amazing how powerful these messages can be.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Matthew Lowe
​