Making Waves of Kindness

January 20, 2022

Academics

GNS

The Junior School Campus staff kept kindness in mind when they chose their theme for the year. After multiple rounds of voting, “Making Waves of Kindness” was the top choice.

“It’s all about the idea that one act of kindness can cause a ripple effect,” explained Junior School Principal, Crystal Shea.

It is a Junior School tradition to choose a new theme each year at the Beach Drive Campus. Last year it was “Stronger Together.” This year there were nearly 20 suggestions brought forth, many of which had a theme of kindness in them.

“As we continue to deal with the COVID-19 experience and reality, kindness and community are more important than ever,” said Crystal. “Making sure that our students know it doesn’t matter how old they are, that they can affect change in a positive way in the world and make people feel that they are connected and part of the community. We may not be able to see their whole face, but we can see how they are feeling with their body language and their eyes. It’s important to know they can still be kind no matter what.”

Throughout the year every class is doing a different activity to support the theme. Currently, as part of their summative assessment for their first PYP IB Unit of Inquiry “Who We Are” and the central idea of “Our actions affect the quality of life for others and ourselves,” the Grade 4 classes came up with plans to create posters, paint rocks, and perform kind acts. The result—a school filled with kind messages at every turn!

Emma ’30 helped create posters with special messages around the school that said “We are stronger together.”

“It’s important to be kind because no one wants a friend that’s mean, and if you’re kind they will always want to be with you. You are a better person if you are kind,” she said. “Some people still need to learn to be kind and when we spread it people will learn how to be kind by doing the same or adding on to what you are doing.”

Elliot ’30 created nine original poems and put them on a poster throughout the school. The poems all had something to do with kindness.

“I hope when people see my poems they become happy, and will be kind to others—hopefully it will inspire them,” he said. “Things people can do to be kind to others can be playing with them during recess or just talking to them and making them happy.”

The Grade 1s are learning a song about kindness written by Educational Assistant Ms. Shaw. In Kindergarten they have been “bucket filling” and talking about how to fill each other’s buckets. Be sure to keep a lookout for the many ways that kindness is being spread in the Junior School!