Building connections and practicing writing skills through pen pals has been a staple for the past couple of years for a Grade 3/4/5 class at Rideau Vista Public School. The class of 21 students has been writing to 47 seniors in the community and forging lasting relationships.
“When you do senior letters, you don’t know who the person is but you’re just trying to be kind and bring happiness. It’s good to be kind. People will like you and sometimes write letters back to you,” explains Eddie Schachow about his letter-writing experience.
What began as a means to overcome some of the social barriers created by COVID-19, grew into much more. Students in Scanlon Strotmann’s class have made cards, written notes, and created a pen pal friendship with a specific senior since 2020.
This wonderful experience has allowed students to learn, grow, and become more engaged in their community. The learning or fun component has enabled students to practice their writing skills, while also making a relevant connection in the community. On a regular basis, the correspondence is picked up and delivered by Don Baker or as the students call him, Mr. Don, who is a community volunteer that does deliveries for seniors in the community.
Leo Stacey has enjoyed writing to the seniors and says he hopes they find joy and happiness while reading his letters.
For their latest correspondence, the students created Easter Pi poem cards for their senior pen pals. Each card contains a poem based on 3.14159. Each Pi poem is constructed with the following sequence: three words, one word, four words, one word, five words and nine words.
The students look forward to creating the cards as much as the seniors enjoy receiving them!
“It’s a nice way to show other people kindness,” explains Kyla Kane. “I like making the cards and like how creative they are. I hope they feel happy!”