Kindness initiative
The kindness mission at the HHA continues to be implemented each week. The focus of this program is to assign a weekly kindness goal during friendship club. So far we have done: 1) Holding the doors for people, 2) asking someone how their day is going 3) drawing a picture of a nice memory from a teacher at the HHA and handing the picture to them 4) forgiveness. We see this kindness spreading throughout the school on a daily basis and is captured whenever possible and featured in the kindness corner on the bulletin. We are using the language of kindness to inform our interactions with one another and asking “how can we be kind in this situation?” during a conflict issue. Friendship club will continue to be the platform for this initiative!
Emotional literacy initiative
This is a new initiative that focuses on teaching children of all ages 1) emotional literacy and 2) self-regulation. It is informed by the Generational Mindful resource and includes feeling chart and cards, and a list of strategies that can be used to help self-regulate.
The feelings -chart follows the zones of regulation and allows each child the opportunity to select 3 or more emotions that they may be feeling. The child then uses the strategy cards to help calm their bodies. The strategies, like: do a puzzle, draw a picture, squeeze a ball, are available in a “break box”. Children have done an excellent job of labeling their feelings and explaining what makes them feel a certain way. This resource is currently available in Mrs. Shaw’s office however the plan is to duplicate the program in all classes.
Restorative justice initiative
Conflict resolution is a crucial skill that is developed by using empathy and understanding. The restorative justice initiative focuses on this methodology. When there is a conflict that has impacted the child’s daily life, each child is asked to fill out a reflection sheet. The questions on the sheet focus on the restorative justice framework. Rather than asking “What did you do?” the question focuses on “What happened?” “What were you thinking of at the time?” “What needs to happen to make things right?” This process allows the child to reflect on exactly how the situation unfolded, build self-reflection skills and builds on empathy. The debrief is much more valuable after both parties have had an opportunity to reflect on their feelings.
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