Here is another resource for you to access with your child. Link: CNN/Sesame Street racism town hall. (The video links below may or may not work!)
Watch the entire CNN/Sesame Street racism town hall
By Alex Chaet, CNN
Updated 12:00 PM ET, Sat June 6, 2020
(CNN)CNN's Van Jones and Erica Hill partner with "Sesame Street" for Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism, a town hall for kids and families. Watch the town hall in its entirety below:
How to explain racism to kids
Part 1: Entire CNN/Sesame Street town hall on racism21:28
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms takes questions along with CNN's Van Jones and Erica Hill about how to combat racism, and shares a message with kids about how to make a change.
Abby Cadabby shares a personal story
Part 2: Entire CNN/Sesame Street town hall on racism16:16
Sesame Street's Abby Cadabby shares a story about how her fellow Sesame Street friend Big Bird was a victim of prejudice, and how she stood up for him. A college professor defines white privilege.
I encourage you to listen to this compelling podcast. This is the work we're doing at Mitchell School but we need the help of the entire community. Also check out the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement
Most kidsvalue success and achievementmore than caring for others, according to Harvard'sMaking Caring Commonproject. Who is to blame? We are. We talk to Scarlett Lewis of the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement; Jennifer Kotler Clarke, vice president of content research and evaluation at Sesame Workshop; and Thomas Lickona, author ofHow To Raise Kind Kids, for some ideas on how to do better, and why.
Here's what to remember:
Children are born to be kind — but also unkind.
Kindness requires courage.
To build kindness, practice mindfulness.
Teach real apologies, and frame forgiveness as a gift you give yourself.
Practice gratitude to "raise the capital" of everyday kindness.
Kindness is a habit; rituals, chores and service can all help.
One of the two commitments in our district is Commitment A: Promoting a safe, healthful, and respectful school culture, free of bias and harassment. To that end, we actively teach social and emotional skills to our students through our Responsive Classroom model and also through Second Step targeted lessons taught each week by school counselors in the classroom.
If you would like to learn more about social-emotional learning, check out this short video from Committee for Children, the creators of Second Step.
While October may be Bully Prevention Month, our commitment is to work every month to prevent bullying and to create a safe, healthful, and respectful school culture free of bias and harassment.
When adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior they send the message that it is not acceptable. Research shows this can stop bullying behavior over time.
Parents, school staff, and other adults in the community can help kids prevent bullying by talking about it, building a safe school environment, and creating a community-wide bullying prevention strategy.
Thank you to those parents and caregivers who reach out to us and communicate with us to help us all create a safe, inclusive, welcoming, and respectful school environment.
I'm looking forward to beginning the school year by reading All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman as part of my first classroom lesson.
The picture book celebrates kindness, inclusivity and diversity in a joyous, child-centered format. The narrative and illustrations follow a group of children through a day in school where everyone is welcomed with open arms. Page 15-16 : "We're part of a community. Our strength is our diversity. A shelter from adversity. All are welcome here."
Stuart Brown is the founder of the National Institute for Play. "Play is the gateway to vitality. By its nature it is uniquely and intrinsically rewarding. It generates optimism, seeks out novelty, makes perseverance fun, leads to mastery, gives the immune system a bounce, fosters empathy and promotes a sense of belonging and community." (National Institute of Play - The Opportunities) This TED talk from Stuart Brown is a gem worth a listen.
SAVE the date! Monday, April 30, 6 PM - 8 PM at the Kittery Community Center
FREE event hosted by Kittery Youth Committee (KYC). Childcare provide ages 5+. This film is not meant for young children.
REJECT (Film trailerhttp://rejectfilm.com/official-trailer/) examines the impact of social rejection. Weaving together expert findings from neuroscientists, social psychologists, early childhood educators, law enforcement experts and personal testimony, the film sheds new light on the universal human experience of rejection. From racial bias to parental neglect to school bullying, REJECT reveals the multidimensional link between interpersonal rejection and the neurological experience of physical pain. In so doing, it uncovers a path towards violence prevention and emotional recovery.
Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the
second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.
Henry James
The Mitchell School is participating in The Great Kindness Challenge again this year. It is one school week (January 22-28) devoted to performing as many acts of kindness as possible. Developing the habit of kindness has the power to increase tolerance, unity and respect for all. This is the fifth year that our school has proudly participated in this proactive, positive, nation-wide bully prevention program.
You will see one of the checklists below in your child's red folder on January 22. We have many fun activities planned for the week. Keep scrolling; links to videos, songs, a booklist, and more information about The Great Kindness Challenge are shared below. Thank you for supporting this initiative in our community.
We welcome any and all participation from parents, caregivers, and community members.
VIDEOS
(YouTube videos -- be ready to close out of the advertising pop-ups)
More about The Great Kindness Challenge from their website:
Because Kindness Matters
The Great Kindness Challenge is proudly presented by Kids for Peace, a global 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Kids for Peace was co-founded in 2006 by Danielle Gram, a high school honors student and Jill McManigal, a mother and former elementary school teacher. What started organically as a neighborhood group of kids wanting to make our world a better place, has grown into an interconnected network of young peacebuilders worldwide.
In 2011, the elementary school that Jill’s children attended asked Kids for Peace to help create a more positive, unified and respectful school environment. As a result, The Great Kindness Challenge was designed and piloted with three Carlsbad, California schools. Because of our innovative approach and wildly successful results, word spread, and a kindness movement was born!
At the heart of The Great Kindness Challenge is the simple belief that kindness is strength. We also believe that as an action is repeated, a habit is formed. With the Great Kindness Challenge checklist in hand, students have the opportunity to repeat kind act after kind act. As kindness becomes a habit, peace becomes possible.
The Great Kindness Challenge is a grassroots movement that is making our schools, communities, and world a kinder and more compassionate place for all. Working together, we joyfully prove that KINDNESS MATTERS!
Team Kindness
Our team is joyful, tenacious, committed and kind. In true grassroots fashion, our big-hearted team consists of mostly volunteers who work passionately around Jill’s dining room table. We have one simple goal: to create a culture of kindness for all.
Renee St. Laurent, an educator from The Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness, is visiting each classroom in grades 1, 2 and 3 at Mitchell School this week. The Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness is dedicated to the purpose that no person with any kind of disability will ever again experience the profound isolation in life and anonymity at death of Jeremiah Cromwell. The mission of The Cromwell Center is to promote safe, respectful and inclusive schools and communities.
"We don't focus on specific disabilities or lead 'show and tell' or simulations. Instead, we change attitudes. At first, our hands-on activities may seem to have little to do with disabilities. Through questioning, facilitation, and interaction, we help people discover on their own -- and from each other -- positive attitudes, understanding and respect of differences. Unlike other programs that focus primarily on physical challenges, The Cromwell Center's programs address all disabilities -- learning, behavioral, emotional, developmental, and physical" (Cromwell Center: About Us http://cromwellcenter.org/about-us/ )
The ACE Quiz (Adverse Childhood Experiences Quiz) is one of the largest studies that assesses the link between child maltreatment and later-life health and well-being. CDC ACE study
We are grateful for the recent media attention because it makes us all aware of the significant and lasting role that childhood experiences have on health. It also reaffirms our belief in building resilience in our students.
In the interview, one of the physicians states that just speaking shame can help reduce it and increase well being. What a powerful and time-tested strategy to improve health!
Take The ACE Quiz — And Learn What It Does And Doesn't Mean
LAURA STARECHESKI
An ACE score is a tally of different types of abuse, neglect, and other hallmarks of a rough childhood. According to the Adverse Childhood Experiences study, the rougher your childhood, the higher your score is likely to be and the higher your risk for later health problems. You can take the test below:
So, you've got your score. Now what?
First, remember that the ACE score isn't a crystal ball; it's just meant as guidance. It tells you about one type of risk factor among many. It
Some may think primary school students are too young to worry about addressing issues surrounding gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) students. Not so, experts say. It’s never too early to begin teaching children about respecting differences. When our students and their parents have questions related to LGBTQ issues, our goal is to foster healthy dialog, critical thinking and inclusiveness. With that in mind, our conversations include all students and perspectives to create a safe and supportive school climate. Like many New England states, Maine has taken a strong stance in favor of LGBTQ rights. Since 2005, state law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. Last year Maine’s High Court ruled that denying a transgender girl the use of the girls’ restroom at her school violated her rights under the state’s
The Great Kindness Challenge is one school week devoted to performing as many acts of kindness as possible, choosing from a checklist of 50 suggestions. Help to create a culture of kindness here in Kittery so that it becomes a year of kindness. We have some fun activities planned and our teachers are as creative as ever. We welcome everyone to join us in this proactive, positive bully-prevention initiative.
Playing Nicely With Others: Why Schools Teach Social Emotional Learning
Photo
CreditIllustration by Jessica Lahey
If your children’s school seems to suddenly be devoting its time and resources to something called SEL, it may be leaving you wondering what happened to good old reading, writing and arithmetic (or even that new darling, coding). You’re not alone. SEL stands for social emotional learning, and it’s a hot topic at the moment among educators with good reason.
While you may not have heard the acronym SEL before, you have probably seen social emotional learning sprinkled throughout schools’ mission
