A Season of Gratitude: How St. Victor Students Learn to Give, Serve, and Grow

Our Student Council led the school in a beautiful Thanksgiving Prayer Service, reminding us of the many blessings we share as a community.

As Thanksgiving approaches, our St. Victor community is pausing to reflect on the blessings that shape who we are: a caring, faith-filled school where students are known, encouraged, and guided to make a difference.

Gratitude isn’t just a feeling here, it’s something our students practice. It’s woven into daily prayer, classroom conversations, and the way our children learn to live our Student Learning Expectations (SLEs): to be Children of Faith, Lifelong Learners, and Caring & Responsible Citizens. Research has long shown that regular gratitude practice strengthens empathy, resilience, and belonging (Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley). While we nurture these qualities in every grade, we practice gratitude across the school community because we feel called to do it. As a faculty & staff, we partner with parents and model the behavior for students to count our blessings and give back to the community.

Each grade at St. Victor will complete a class service project during the school year, offering students opportunities to give back in ways that connect to their learning and our Catholic values. This month, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade are the first to share updates on their work.

2nd Grade: Letters of Thanks to the Troops

Our 2nd graders spent the week writing heartfelt letters to service members, thanking them for their courage, sacrifice, and commitment to peace.

Many students paused to reflect on the freedoms they enjoy and the people who protect them. Their messages were simple, sincere, and hopeful and remind us that even our youngest Chargers can uplift others with thoughtful words.

This is faith in action and echoes Catholic teaching about honoring those who work for the common good (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1906–1912).

3rd Grade: Bringing Warmth to Thanksgiving Tables With Loaves & Fishes

Meanwhile, our 3rd graders have been busy preparing decorations for the Thanksgiving Food Distribution and community Thanksgiving meal, hosted in partnership with Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen, a nonprofit serving food-insecure families across Silicon Valley. Their bright leaves,

hand-drawn turkeys, and Scripture-inspired messages will accompany the hot meals and groceries shared with local families this Thursday.

Each piece of artwork is a small offering of joy and created with gratitude for the opportunity to serve and to walk alongside an organization that embodies compassion in our community. One student said it best during class:“I want someone to feel happy when they see this.” That simple intention captures the heart of what we strive to teach.

Gratitude for Our Community

As educators, we feel immense gratitude for the families who entrust their children to us, for the teachers who give generously of their gifts, and for our parish and community partners who make service meaningful and real for our students.

We also recognize the blessing of being part of the “village” that helps raise each child. As we often tell parents, “If raising a child takes a village, we are honored to be yours.”

This season’s service projects remind us that gratitude becomes most powerful when it moves us outward, toward generosity, compassion, and action.

What It Means to Be a Charger

At St. Victor, we believe gratitude is more than a seasonal theme. It’s part of forming children who recognize their blessings, honor their responsibilities, and understand that they can make a difference at any age.

When 2nd graders write letters to thank those who protect our country…

When 3rd graders decorate meals for families served by Loaves & Fishes…

When 4th graders recycle cans to support Dominican sisters…

…they are learning what it means to love others the way Christ loves us.

A foundation rooted in gratitude, service, and faith becomes a steady light within them, one they will carry far beyond Thanksgiving and into every chapter of their lives.

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• Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley: Research on gratitude and child development

• Catechism of the Catholic Church, Sections 1906–1912 (common good & responsibility)

• Papal teachings on stewardship of creation (Laudato Si’, Pope Francis)

• Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen (community partnership)