Letter to Families and Caregivers

Dear Families,

Our class is learning about being philanthropists.  A philanthropist can be anyone, of any age, who gives of his/her time, talent and treasure, and takes action for the common good.  The lesson encourages students to think about choices people make with their own resources.  We will learn the differences between spending, saving and donating.

The project involves collecting money to donate to a nonprofit organization.  The children may use money from their own personal banks, earn money by doing extra jobs, or by enlisting help from family members and friends of the family.  This is not meant to be a major donation, but something from the heart and generosity of the students.  Spend time with your child talking about where they can get some small change for this project.  Please do not send your child door to door.  The money that our class gathers until the date of _____________ will be collected in one large classroom container.  We will practice our math skills by sorting and counting the money. 

Please talk with your child about the following vocabulary words and concepts:

Philanthropy:   giving or sharing of time, talent or treasure, and taking action for
                           the common good.
Spend:              using money for immediate needs or wants.
Save:                 keeping for future needs or wants.
Donate:             to make a gift of money, time or talent.
Community:    a group of people that work, live or gather together for a
                          purpose.
Charity:            money or help given to aid the needy.

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,