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St John the Baptist Boys National School, Old Road, Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland

Notice for Third Class

21st Apr 2020

As the Roots of Empathy instructor in Third Class I would like to say a special hello to Mr Coskeran and his class. Hi to all the other boys at school as well and hope this link helps you ! We were used to our weekly Roots of Empathy class every Tuesday and we welcomed Baby Gabrielle once every three weeks . We observed the baby’s development , noticed the love and the awareness that mum had of Gabrielles feelings and needs . This made us more aware of our own feeling and give us the ability to imagine what someone might be thinking or feeling.
We can now use our knowledge of showing empathy in these unusual times . The Corona Virus has separated all of us at school and stopped us from visiting special family members . Separation is very hard but it’s actually showing love to one another as the virus only grows when we come close together and we just have to wait patiently until it will eventually fade away .
I have found something that helps me to stop thinking of how long this virus is going to last . I planted some tiny flower seeds , which unlike the virus I want to grow into something beautiful . The flowers I set are called Comos and they have beautiful white petals . White is the symbol of hope and calmness . This will take time but the seeds need to be watered most days and it’s great to see them getting bigger and bigger as the days go by. I would like as many boys as possible at school to buy a pack of wild flower seeds ( available in many local stores which are very cheap ) and just plant in a pot outside or in freshly dug soil.
Imagine in July or August the excitement on your grandparents or any other special family member’s face when you will be able to bring them a lovely bunch of fresh flowers to show them how much you love them and missed them . ( a real example of Empathy )
I know Mr Ryan and your teachers are in weekly contact with you but on behalf of myself and my SNA colleagues I would just like to say that we are missing the boys at school , especially the fun we have in the playground and interactions with all of your unique personalities every day at school
Monica Slattery SNA

PS. I would love to see some pictures of your seeds growing on our website . I’m posting a picture my seeds growing with this article .