Hey there, fellow educators and friends! I'm always excited to see what new adventures each day will bring. And with Valentine's Day just around the corner, I can barely contain my enthusiasm!
For those who may not know, Valentine's Day is a special Catholic celebration that honors the feast day of Saint Valentine, a martyr who showed extraordinary courage and kindness in the face of adversity. It's a day to reflect on the importance of loving one another as God loves us, and to spread joy, kindness, and compassion throughout our communities.
As I reflect on the true meaning of love, I'm reminded of the greatest love of all – Jesus' love. It's a love that's unconditional, unwavering, and unrelenting. It's a love that seeks us out, even when we're at our worst.  As I go about my day, I'm trying to be more mindful of the ways God shows up in the little things. A sunny sky, a good cup of coffee, a hug from a loved one – these are all reminders of God's love and presence in my life.
As we celebrate love this February, let's remember to spread God's love to those around us, especially our students. Whether it's through a kind word, a listening ear, or a helping hand, let's show the world what it means to love like God loves.
Let us pray, 
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for loving me so much! Help me to share your love with others, just like you share your love with me.
Fill my heart with kindness, compassion, and friendship. Help me to be a good friend and to show love to those around me.
Just like Saint Valentine, help me to spread love and joy wherever I go.
Thank you for being my forever Valentine!
Amen.
Feel free to share this prayer with your students, or families as a reminder of the one and only true Valentine-Jesus!  Have yourself a wonderful week!

Three days until Thanksgiving and I am certain you are thinking, ‘oh boy, how do I fit something special for Thanksgiving in to my lessons this week?’  I hear you, it is sometimes daunting, but don’t fret, you can do this! 
Thanksgiving is more than just a turkey craft, its about being truly thankful for what we have, our family, friends, food and homes.  But most importantly it’s a time to be thankful to Jesus for His great sacrifice for us.  Do you know what the Greek word is for Thanksgiving? “Eucharisteo”  Yes, just like the word “Eucharist”!  So we should be most Thankful for Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice in the Eucharist. 
So, what can we do to show how our appreciation?  That’s easy, PRAY!  We need to teach the children in our lives the importance of prayer.  And what better way to do that than in a Literacy Lesson.  Score! 
Take a look at the simple prayer below.​ Post it on your Google Classrooms, or on your Smartboard or write it out on a piece of chart paper, if you like to go old school.  However you do it, isn’t important, just teach the students the prayer as part of your Shared Reading this week.  Go over important sounds, rhyming words and point out sight words.  By the time Thanksgiving Day rolls around your students will have learned a beautiful, simple prayer that they can share with their families. Grandma will be overjoyed to hear her little grandchild reading this prayer to Jesus that you taught them right before Thanksgiving dinner. Now give yourself a pat on the back!
I hope this prayer brings a smile to the faces of the children you teach and helps them express their gratitude to Jesus this Thanksgiving Day! 

God bless,

Luisa Izzo

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!  Yes, Thanksgiving is coming to all our American friends.  I celebrated Thanksgiving in October, but I can appreciate how stressful the thought of Thanksgiving can be, especially because it is so close to Christmas.  How do you do it?
Anyhow, I have to say that I am glad that as a Canadian, we still celebrate Black Friday which comes in handy when I am Christmas shopping.  But seriously, I am writing this post as a sign of encouragement. Jesus doesn't want us to stress, He wants us to feel peace, after all, it is about being thankful.
Thanksgiving in the classroom can be stressful but it can also give you an opportunity to take a breath and give the students some ‘busy’ work.  Sometimes you need to mark, or work on report cards or do 100 million other things.  So instead of thinking of Thanksgiving as a chore, change your mindset.  Think: I will take a moment to be thankful and allow my students to take a moment as well.  Don’t overthink it!  Even if you give your class a sheet of paper and write what they are thankful for, that is progress!  Sometimes the simplest thing has the most impact.
If you still feel guilty and think “I need to make my students embrace some Thanksgiving Activities”, then I have you covered.   Just click on the Thanksgiving activities below, download, print, copy and distribute to your class.  Easy!  The activities are centered around Christ, so you can rest assured that the lessons are also contributing to your religious curriculum.
You’ve got enough on your plate to worry about.  Now just think of the delicious Thanksgiving food on your plate instead.  I pray you have a blessed Thanksgiving!  
God bless,
Luisa