Giving Hearts Day in February is truly one of the most beautiful things about the Fargo Moorhead area. An entire community coming together to support over 550 charities. The act of giving however, is more than a 24 hour event and more than just about giving financially. It challenges us to think about how we can live a life of generosity each and every day with our time, talent and resources. We all know what it is like to be the recipient of an act of kindness or generosity. More often than not, the gift we received was not monetary. It may have been a thoughtful word, smile, attention or the warmth of someone's genuine care and concern. We all want to surround ourselves with people who leave a trail of kindness and generosity behind them. And although we may be the recipients of those simple acts, there always seems to be more joy and fulfillment with the one who gave.
Below are a few links about ways to teach skills that reflect generosity and activities to encourage it in our children.
“Generosity is an important social skill because it helps us to be more empathetic, build positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and be involved in our communities. The activities below will help your child understand the importance of generosity and how they can continue to be generous throughout the year.”
The Meaning of Generosity and 4 Activities to Encourage It In Children by Emily Kaiser
Recently, our students have been learning all about Empathy and Kindness. Empathy is feeling or understanding how somebody else is feeling. Kindness is when we put our empathy into action. Students are able to show and practice compassion and empathy towards others in our Second Step Social/Emotional curriculum as well as with those they care about. This month students will continue to learn and practice about kindness and empathy and learn to apply it to their lives.
Also in February, we will also be learning all about bullying. To further help our school be a safe and respectful place, we are also going to use the Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit. In the lessons, your child will learn specific skills to help stop bullying. Students will learn how to: Recognize when bullying is happening, Report bullying to a caring adult, Refuse to let bullying happen to themselves or others, and be a bystander who stands up and is part of the solution to bullying.
For bullying prevention to work, everyone at school needs to be involved. Students and staff will emphasize, recognize, and respond to bullying, support children who have been bullied, correct behaviors of children who are bullying, and use strategies that support a positive school and classroom climate.
