Dear Sewanee Elementary Students and Families,
Hello Families!
November is here, bringing the perfect time to focus on the values of kindness and gratitude. This month, we'll be talking with students about ways to show appreciation, be kind to others, and reflect on what they are thankful for. We are excited to share this journey with your student and foster a spirit of kindness at school and home.
October was a busy month. We started off the month with World Smile Day, which was the first Friday of the month. Students received a smiley face sticker to wear to the morning assembly, which focused on a theme of being kind and respectful and wearing a smile. We also started posting a featured kindness quote of the week, which is located on the bulletin board outside of my office/classroom; this quote will also be featured in the Tiger News that airs in classrooms every Monday morning.
Red Ribbon Week started on Wednesday, October 23 and concluded on Thursday, October 31. This year's theme was "Life is a movie, film drug free." Students participated in Red Ribbon week dress-up days and activities every day during the event. The campaign, which is the oldest and largest drug prevention awarenes program in the United States, inspired our students to be happy, brave, and drug-free.
Our kindergarten, first and second grade students participated in a dog safety program; we read the book, "May I Pet Your Dog", and completed the American Kennel Club (AKC) training program. This training provided our students with an understanding of proper, safe behavior around dogs; all students received a certificate of completion. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), there are approximately 4.7 million dog bites every year in the United States and 51% of all dog bite victims are children. This training has helped your student learn to treat all dogs with care, consideration, and respect; they also learned how to avoid potentially dangerous situations and be safer around dogs. Your student was taught how to greet a dog, how to respect a dog's space, how to avoid a stray dog, and what to do when they see a group of loose dogs. We partnered with the Animal Harbor, which is a limited-admission no-kill animal shelter in Franklin County. They brought 6 dogs to our school on Monday, October 28; your student was able to apply their understanding of dog safety, while meeting these very sweet dogs that are waiting for a forever home.
October was National Bullying Prevention Month, which focused on raising awareness about bullying and encouraging kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Bullying can have devasting effects on children and families, including school avoidance, loss of self-esteem, increased anxiety, and depression. Our skills lesson this month focused on bullying and how it can occur in multiple ways (physical, emotional, and social). Students learned that bullying is everyone's problem and it's all our responsibility not to let bullying happen and to be an upstander. They learned the definition of bullying, how to recognize it, what to do if they see or experience it (be kind, stay calm, don't bully back, have empathy, tell the person doing the bullying to stop, tell an adult, and walk away), and how to be a good friend and support each other. Kindergarten students participated in a "wrinkled" heart activity that focused on the phrase, "Before you speak, think and be smart. It is hard to fix a wrinkled heart". They read the book, "Chrysanthemum, and finished off the lesson by adding a paper band-aid to the wrinkled heart. First grade students learned about bullying through the book, "Bully Beans", and they made a "bully beans" poster. First grade along with all second through fifth grade students read "The Juice Box Bully", and created a juice box craft with bully prevention strategies.
Thank you for your support in making our school a caring and supportive place for all. If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to reach out. I am here to address our students' social and emotional wellbeing as well as provide support throughout the year.
Kim Hasty, M.S.
SES Student Advocate
Our November skills lesson will focus on KINDNESS. We will have a kindness challenge to help us in spreading kindness around the school. Kindness Week is November 11 - 17, 2024 and is observed internationally. Our students will also focus on gratitude by creating "thankful feathers" to celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Friday, October 25
Students made a pledge during the Friday morning assembly. Our theme on this date was Shades On, Spotlight on the Movies and Me. Students and staff wore sunglasses on this date.
Monday, October 28
Our theme on this date was K-9 Stars Diggin' Drug Free; students and staff dressed like their favorite dog/pup movie star or K-9 hero. Kindergarten, first and second grade students had a visit by the Franklin County Animal Harbor (6 four-legged visitors); they were able to demonstrate what they learned in their dog safety training this month. The animal shelter supply drive ended on this date; Animal Harbor collected their items and were very thankful and appreciative of all the donations.
Tuesday, October 29
Movies Need a Perfect Soundtrack was our theme on this date. Students and staff dressed up like their favorite musician or movie soundtrack cover. Students were treated to popcorn and the movie, 101 Dalmatians.
Wednesday, October 30
Students and staff Got Into Character on this date. They dressed like movie stars, favorite movie characters, or police officers. The Franklin County Prevention Coalition presented Red Ribbon Week to 4th and 5th grade students. All students participated in a visit from the Franklin County's Sheriff's Office on this date and got to meet their working K-9s.
Veterans Day - November 11
Veterans Day honors all military personnel that served the United States of America in all wars. On this day, we remember all of our Veterans. Thank you for your service!
World Kindness Day - November 13
World Kindness Day is an annual event that encourages daily kindness. It highlights the importance of empathy, understanding, and cooperation to create a more harmonious and caring world. Let's all show kindness with the quality of being gentle, caring, and helpful every day.
Thanksgiving Day - November 28
Thanksgiving is simply an opportunity for us to appreciate the good things in life, like family, community, the autumn harvest, and the gift of Mother Earth's abundance. There are so many things that we are thankful for this year, our Sewanee students, families, and community are at the top of the list. Happy Thanksgiving!
