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Kindness and the Climate Strike

Faith Hunter
My heart was full as I took in the sight of your children gathered together in the auditorium for our very first Lower School Gathering this past week. We kicked off the 2019–2020 school year with a challenge to think about ways in which we can each demonstrate acts of kindness to bring joy, strength, and unity to our community. Around 200 children closed their eyes and focused their thoughts. Then the smiles that spread across their faces, and the “humble thumbs” that were raised on their knees, signaled our students were ready to share their ideas of how they will lift up our community.
 
Our commitment lies in giving children experiences that foster reflection around how each decision we make has an impact. My message to the children was one of effort and intention: “As we come together to begin this year, let’s make an effort to do our very best in each moment, and our very best comes with the responsibility to act in a way that lifts our community.” Click on the video below to see the final moments of our gathering, where the children worked together on a cheer. School pride was certainly in the air. 
 
 
 
As many of you know, there is a climate strike for students and adults being organized tomorrow afternoon. The goal is to demand that transformative action be taken to address the climate crisis. Just this week, the Department of Education announced that public school students will be excused from class (with parental permission) for this walk-out and march. We are expecting a lot of student/family participation, particularly in our middle and high school divisions.
 
Our teachers and parents have partnered in order to allow our 4th Grade journalists to participate in the strike, both out in the field and here at school. Together our 4th Graders will take the lead in sharing how our community can work together around this important issue. Throughout the day, in all grades, our teachers have planned developmentally appropriate learning experiences to center children in thinking about the impact our actions have on our environment. We will share stories of young children who have made a difference and emphasize the contributions students can make in their everyday lives by recycling, using less energy, and more. 
 
Helping our children identify connections between themselves and their world and find ways in which they can make a difference sits at the heart of our mission which drew so many of us to this school. Please partner with us in talking with your children this week about thoughts and actions of kindness — kindness towards each other, kindness towards our community, and kindness towards our Earth. 
 
Recommended Parent Resources:
The Rabbit Effect by our very own Kelli Harding 
How to Fill Your Bucket by Carol McCloud
Be Kind by Pat Zeitlow Miller
The Golden Rule by Ilene Cooper
 
 
With Gratitude, 
Faith
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