At Goochland Elementary we started a formal kindness initiative in early November.  We adopted “Kindness Doesn’t Cost a Dime” as our motto.  This is on the bulletin board as you come in the school.  Each class has a bag and blank kindness slips.  These slips are to be used to note one’s own acts of kindness—how that student was kind to another student.  Some acts of kindness have been as simple as helping a student pick up their dropped papers to letting a classmate borrow an extra pair of shoes. Kindess slips are collected from classrooms about every two weeks.  All students have their names announced on morning announcements.  Mrs. Davidson randomly pull a slip for each grade and reads that act of kindess on the announcements.  These six students have their pictures posted on the bulletin board. This is one way that we are trying to be proactive and encourage positive behaviors.

Throughout the school year, Mrs. Davidson teaches students when to tell an adult about a problem and when it would be tattling, they talk about “I” messages, friendship,how to handle angry feelings.  All of these topics are related to bullying or bully prevention. Although our guidance lessons focus on bullying prevention with students throughout the school year, it is emphasized during January as part of National No Namecalling Week (January 23-27, 2012). 

In kindergarten Mrs. Davidson read the book The Hurt. In first grade she showed a video Believe in Yourself.  Second graders saw a video called Don’t Call Me Names.  She read the book Simon’s Hook to third graders.  Fourth graders saw a video But Names will Never Hurt Me, and in fifth graders discussed bullying and bully prevention and played bully prevention bingo.

The SCA officers will be meeting later this month to discuss having a bully prevention poster contest. 

Mrs. Davidson, the teachers, the students and I make bullying prevention a priority at G.E.S!