Thanks to a grant awarded to the Abington School District from the Sandy Hook Promise ― a national non-profit organization founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012 ― last week schools across the District participated in “Start With Hello” Week, an initiative to encourage connections and advocate for more inclusive practices for our children, ultimately strengthening our schools’ climates.
The week-long program, designed for grades 2-12, enables students to make a difference with their peers in a simple, fun, and impactful way by encouraging them to take small but powerful actions to promote connectedness and inclusion, and to identify and help others who are showing signs of isolation. Start With Hello Week asks students, educators, parents/guardians, and others who interact with students to take steps in class, the lunchroom, and/or on the bus to be socially inclusive and connected to each other.
Letters were sent home to parents and guardians outlining the week’s events, which were kicked off at the elementary schools with special opening assemblies. At Overlook Elementary School, for example, not only was their mascot Oliver the Owl in attendance at the assembly, but a video was shown featuring students, their families, and staff, which promoted kindness within their school community. In addition, another video demonstrated how to use the school’s Buddy Bench to identify students that might feel lonely on the playground.
Other learning activities throughout the week, at Overlook and other schools across the District, ranged from “Hey Day” at Copper Beech, Roslyn and McKinley elementary schools ― where everyone in the school wore a name tag and each student was challenged to say hello to three new people they did not previously know using “hello, their name, and a smile.” ― to “Give a Smile Day” at Willow Hill Elementary School, when teachers handed out preprinted smiley faces or stickers and students were asked to pass their smile to someone who either made them smile or were in need of a smile.
At the secondary level, Start With Hello Week extended into early October — which is also National Bullying Prevention Month — with two assemblies at the Junior High for 7th and 8th grade students, led by school counselors and psychologists, which connected to the District’s already-established Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, aimed at strengthening the school community.
For more information on Start With Hello Week, visit https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/startwithhelloweek.