District-Wide Annual Theme

One District, One Theme:

Embrace

The Evesham Township School District theme for the 2025-2026 school year is Embrace Empathy. This began in the summer of 2025 with the One District, One Theme announcement, where students were asked to select one of their summer reads to the theme of empathy. In addition, an empathy title was selected for each grade and written into the September protocol to start the school year, see list below. Students read these books in class as part of their designated back-to-school protocol book and the theme of empathy will be explicitly taught, along with other connections to building a community of readers and celebrating the work completed over the summer months. Students were then challenged to think about how empathy can be carried forward throughout the school year. The following questions were posed and set the stage for a positive classroom climate from the very first day of school.

What does empathy look like in our classroom? ...In our school? ...In our community?
How will you show empathy? Why is it important to work together with others?
How does empathy connect to kindness?

Also written in the protocol are other opportunities to not only spotlight books connected to the empathy theme, but also summer reading in general. Each school also highlighted the district theme and summer reading connection in some way, whether it was a bulletin board, anchor chart, whole school meeting, etc. While the initial theme discussion in the protocols focused on the theme of empathy, students are also introduced to the other social and emotional competencies in September that make up the district’s CARES program, which is part of the Responsive Classroom approach. At elementary, the first whole school (grade group) meeting is connected to this theme. At middle school, principals/VPs should connect the theme to the annual Code of Conduct announcements, pod/advisory meetings, etc.
There are also natural opportunities during the school year to recognize and celebrate this important theme, Embrace Empathy, including but not limited to, CARES Back-to-School Unit (elementary), Week of Respect, and the Great Kindness Challenge. Please join us in focusing on empathy this year.

Van Zant teachers at school event promoting district theme of Empathy.

Responsibility was a district-wide theme during the 2024-2025 school year in the ETSD! The theme was integrated into the start of the school year and students were challenged to show responsibility all year long. Responsibility is one of five social emotional competencies that are taught annual through CARES as part of our Responsive Classroom approach. Responsibility is an important theme that will continue to be a focus area in the years ahead. What can you do to show responsibility? How does responsibility connect with kindness? Please join us in promoting responsibility and kindness in our classrooms, our schools, and our community.

Cooperation is Key! Premium Photo | Close view of children's hand together laying one on another. team work and cooperation concept

Cooperation was a district-wide theme during the 2023-2024 school year in the ETSD! The theme was integrated into the start of the school year and students were challenged to show cooperation all year long. Cooperation is one of five social emotional competencies that are taught annual through CARES as part of our Responsive Classroom approach. Cooperation is an important theme that will continue to be a focus area in the years ahead. What can you do to show cooperation? How does cooperation connect with kindness? Please join us in promoting cooperation and kindness in our classrooms, our schools, and our community.

Courage Counts

Courage was a district-wide theme during the 2022-2023 school year in the ETSD! The theme was integrated into the start of the school year and students were challenged to show courage all year long. Courage, being assertive to stand up for self and others, is an important theme that will continue to be a focus area in the years ahead. What can you do to be courageous? Why is it important to stand up for ourselves and others? How does being courageous connect to kindness? Please join us in promoting courage and kindness in our classrooms, our schools, and our community.