Take The Great Kindness Challenge

Dear Educational Leaders and Colleagues,

I am thrilled to share that I am an official Kindness Ambassador for The Great Kindness Challenge. I wholeheartedly support this grassroots initiative and I would like to invite your school/school district/county to participate in this powerful, positive and proactive program.

The Great Kindness Challenge (January 25-29, 2016) is a week-long bullying prevention initiative that is FREE and extremely EASY to implement. Using the provided checklist of 50 kind acts, students – kindergarten through high school – accept the challenge and prove that bullying is weak and kindness is strength. You will see increased student engagement and improved school climate. Learn more & create a culture of kindness on your campus!

 

Kindly,

Mandy Ellis

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“Every school in America should participate in The Great Kindness Challenge. It not only helps to elevate the school climate, it’s a highly effective tool in engaging all students, staff and community members. So simple, so powerful”.Garry Grotke, 2013 California Elementary Principal of the Year

 

“The Great Kindness Challenge provided an opportunity for our students to care for each other in ways that went above and beyond their normal interactions. As a result, we noticed a real impact on the school’s culture with a decrease in bullying and an increase in compassion, unity and respect.”Chad Lund, Elementary Principal

Kindness Week begins at DGS to prevent bullying

District Strategic Goal #2: Create a Satisfying and Productive Classroom Learning Environment

Submitted by: Mrs. Bailey, School Counselor

This week we began our school-wide Kindness and Anti-Bullying Awareness Month. The message shared this month will help us take a preventive stance against bullying and continue to provide a safe, peaceful place for your child to learn, work, and enjoy their journey through elementary school.

Over the next two weeks our staff and students will be discussing the importance of kindness and saying no to bullying. Along with this positive dialogue, I will be visiting classrooms to teach a guidance lesson focusing on kindness along with an age appropriate explanation of bullying.  It is important to help our students recognize bullying, be able to distinguish unkind acts from bullying, as well as learn ways to address bullying and unkind acts. I encourage you to continue this dialogue at home helping to make this message last. If you have any questions please feel free to contact your school counselor!

 

WHAT IS BULLYING?

It is behavior by an individual or group, usually repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group, either physically or emotionally.  IT IS ALL ABOUT BIG ON LITTLE, MANY ON FEW, SMART ON LESS SMART, OLDER ON YOUNGER.  In other words, an IMBALANCE OF POWER.  BYSTANDERS who witness these behaviors and do not report them to adults risk the possibility of negative consequences.

Students have been encouraged to Say No to Bullying and unkind acts by:

Step 1:  Talk Friendly

– Use a friendly voice, face, and body language

-“I don’t like it when you do that, please stop”

-“I don’t like when you talk to me that way, please stop”

Step 2:  Talk Firmly

-Use a firm voice, a firm face, and body language

-“Stop it.  I don’t like that”

-“I said stop”

Step 3:  Get Help

-Ask for help to solve the problem.

-Don’t ask an adult to solve your problem for you

-To an adult say:  “I need your help solving a problem. This person is bothering me by using unkind words.  I asked them to stop in a friendly way, I asked them to stop in a firm way and they keep bothering me. Can you help us solve this problem?