IDEAS TO SAY THANK-YOU TO YOUR CHILD'S CLASS
It is almost Christmas and time for parents to acknowledge all the hard work teachers, schools and specialists have contributed throughout the year. Every year I make the extra effort to say thank-you to the children in my son's classroom, his teachers and of course his aides. I usually do this through a letter and a card, but it is not always easy to know what to say, so I thought I would share my ideas for this year. These little extra ways of showing appreciation, I believe, help to strengthen friendships my son has with his peers.
Even though my son deserves to be in a mainstream classroom, I have always be very aware of the impact his needs have on the other children, I feel as a parent, you have to be.
Here is the Christmas card my son and I have made for each child......
Writing is difficult..... so anything that shows he has contributed is important and personal.
An example of a letter I write to every family who had a child in my son's classroom.....
To the Parents of the beautiful children in.......
I just wanted to take
the opportunity to thank the children and families of _____.
It is hard to believe we
have all arrived at the end of another school year. My how the children have grown. I feel we are all so blessed to have such
wonderful, caring and supportive people involved in our children’s
education. ______________ have been miraculous
this year. What inspirational women!
As always, I was
extremely concerned when it was time for ___________ to start another school
year, with new class mates and surroundings. It is so difficult to determine if he is
settled, happy and learning. I also wondered if he would continue to speak and
foster friendships as he had done previously. When I reflect, I know I had
absolutely nothing to be concerned about.
Your children, the truly amazing little people that they are, have
accepted ________ and his Autistic traits, involved him socially, playing
games, reading and bonded in a such a special way, only the children can really
understand. ________ is a very gentle
soul. His traits can be over-whelming at times and can, isolate him when around
other children. However under the gentle
guidance of _______________________________, your children have looked beyond
those traits and differences allowing ________ to open the door into his world.
Your children have seen ___________ true nature and for this I am forever
grateful.
________________ has
progressed so much in his social and cognitive development this year, all
thanks to just being around children. He has enjoyed reading the kids stories
and playing with them in the playground. He has thrived on their warm smiles
and high 5’s in the morning and will engage, socially confident and happy. This is such as special gift, as I know how
lucky I am to have a Autistic child capable of these feats. Autism can be an incredibly cruel disorder.
It can take your child in a world where no-one is permitted to enter. Just to
have _____________ looking at us, saying a few words, smiling and laughing,
being cheeky, running and playing are “gifts” to our family.. gifts I was told
he would never have. Your support with ____________
is also greatly appreciated. To have your children share in his development, to
understand what Autism is, to accept differences without judgement, all at a
very young age, is truly incredible and a credit to you, the parents of these
precious angels.
A heart-felt thank-you
is also extended to all the Birthday parties we were invited to and were able
to attend. To all the Parent-helpers to worked with _____________ within the
classroom and the friendships extended to both my boys and myself. I have
really enjoyed hearing stories from the other parents and children about _____________
day. It gets hard sometimes when he
cannot tell you all the things he did and learnt, so to hear this from others,
gives me strength and courage to face the hardest of times.
I cannot thank-you all
enough. We have a truly compassionate
school and parish environment and this I know will give _____________ the
opportunities he deserves in life. So again, God Bless and thank-you.
Faithfully,
Blessed are Those.
I. Blessed are those who stop and
listen to my chatter. You may not understand me; but I love when people talk to
me, for I long for companionship, too.
II. Blessed are those who take my
hand and walk with me when the path is rough, for I easily stumble and grow
weary. But thank you, too, for letting me walk alone when the path is smooth,
for I must learn independence.
III. Blessed are those who take the
time to tell me about special happenings, for unless you make special effort to
inform me, I remain ignorant.
IV. Blessed are those who wait for
me. I may be slow, but I appreciate your patience.
V. Blessed are those who are not
ashamed to be seen in public with me, for I did not choose to be born thus. It
could have been you as well.
VI. Blessed are those who do not
pity me, for I don't want pity. All I want is understanding and respect for
what I have learned as well.
VII. Blessed are those who notice my
accomplishments, small as they may seem to you. I must work long and hard to
learn many of the things you take for granted.
VIII. Blessed are those who include
me in their games, even though I may not understand the rules, I still like to
be included in your activities.
IX. Blessed are those who think of
me as a person who loves, and hurts, and feels joy and pain just like you do,
for in that respect I am normal.
Author Unknown
CHRISTMAS is a time to sit back.....breathe, enjoy family, time and most importantly be appreciative for all the good people and opportunities in our lives. It only takes a minute to smile and say thanks.....
