Even though our students returned to face-to-face learning, five days a week last August, they stay with their cohorts all day – no commingling with other classes – and there is a notable sense of disconnect. We have always partnered students in a lower school classroom with students in an upper school classroom at our (3 year old to grade 8) parochial school. We call the pairing up “prayer partners” – but partnering students together can be done in any type of school setting.
You can image the excitement of the grade 2 students as they returned to their classroom from recess to find individual sticky notes from their grade 5 prayer partners taped to the door wishing them a Happy Valentine’s Day. You could hear, “Do I have one?”, “What does your note say?”, “Listen to my note!” This tiny gesture made such an impact on their day and well-being. As a matter of fact, they begged to return the favor!
