Meetings

Next Meeting: Monday, March 7th

CULTURAL AND FAMILY TRADITIONS: Monday, November 8

This meeting will focus on cultural and family traditions, both religious and secular. Come listen to a read aloud, do crafts and take part in open and welcoming discussions.

For this meeting you will need:

• open eyes, ears, and heart

• paper, drawing and writing supplies

• the KID club paper handed out by your child's teacher

IDENTITY: Monday, October 25

This meeting will serve as a kick-off for our year. We look forward to meeting the students, introducing the parents and staff behind KID club and getting started with the important work of considering our own identity as well as the identity of others.

Recap

Welcome

We had a great KID (Kindness, Inclusion and Diversity) Club meeting to kick off the year! We had new and returning members. Welcome everyone! You belong here!

To start we reaffirmed our mission and mantra, listed below:

Mission: Our club features multi-cultural and anti-racist programming meant to create a sense of belonging, identity, safety, equity and inclusion within our community.

Mantra: This is a safe space. We are here to learn and grow. We are working to strengthen the Noah Wallace Community.

Word Wall Word Review

We took some time to review our first word from our Word Wall last year, Identity.

We defined Identity as anything about yourself: who you are, what you like to do, where your family comes from, hobbies, religion, sports, clothing, and foods. Not just what we look like, but what we do and where we go.

You are as unique as your fingerprint and that is beautiful! It was wonderful to hear the club members express their personal pride in their unique identities!

Community Building Craft:

Identity Chain

• one piece of white paper, folded into thirds length wise and cut into strips

• scissors

• crayons/markers/colored pencils

• open eyes, ears, and heart

Each of us created an “identity link” that will become a piece of a larger artwork hung in NWS.

These links will be formed together to create an identity chain. We encourage you to create one and send it into school, even if you are in grades K or 1. All are welcome!

We discussed and considered various topics around identity:

What other chains have you as a member? Your family? Your neighborhood? Your sports team? Your group of friends? We strive to welcome and respect all links of our community chains. If your link in the chain was broken, how would you feel? What if your identity wasn’t seen, recognized and included?

Culturally Curious:

We wrapped up our meeting with an interesting video you can share with your family about Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrating Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela!

PBS Hispanic Heritage Month Kids video

PERSPECTIVE: Thursday, May 20

This meeting will focus on perspective and AAPI heritage month. We will work to define the term perspective. We will discuss how your individual perspective can lead you to view the same event or conversation in very different ways from others. We will discuss why it is important to consider the perspectives of others and treat everyone with respect and kindness. We will also talk about Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and highlight the many amazing cultures being celebrated in March.

For this meeting you will need:

• open eyes, ears, and heart

• You do not need to register in advance for this meeting, simply join on the 20th.

• Thank you for your support in creating positive change for our community, surrounding kindness, inclusion and diversity.

RACE & RACISM: Thursday, May 6

This meeting will feature a discussion of race and racism. We will work to define the terms race and racism. We will discuss what we already know about racism and what new information we can learn. We will think about how to use our knowledge of intent, impact, kindness and inclusion to combat racism. We will also learn about Mother’s Day celebrations around the world.

For this meeting you will need:

• open eyes, ears, and heart

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Thursday, April 22

This meeting will feature a discussion of the concept of environmental justice. We will learn about the varied environments one can find around the globe and how unjust it is to not have the power to make choices and decisions about your environment. We will talk about Earth Day as well and brainstorm ways we can reuse, reduce and repurpose old items. We will learn about Ramadan and get an update on our action project for Gifts of Love.

For this meeting you will need:

• an item(s) in your home that can be repurposed or reused. Be creative!

• craft supplies like tape, glue and scissors if you want to try and make art from recyclables.

• open eyes, ears, and heart

Recap

Our KID (Kindness Inclusion and Diversity) Club meeting was held virtually on Thursday, Aprill 22nd. We explored the ideas of “environment,” “environmental justice” and Earth Day. We used a slideshow to show different environments from around the world, noticing the large and small details. We asked the students to explore what was different than their own environments. We thought about different environments’ climates, landscapes, resources, safety and who populates those places. We opened with this beautiful video Video Clip- “Be Like The Hummingbird”. This is a great clip that shows how we each contribute to helping the planet.

Word Wall Word: HOME, HOMELESSNESS, POVERTY, CYCLES OF INEQUITY

Environment: the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates, which are unlimited and varies around the world.

Environmental Justice: means having the ability to make decisions and be a part of decision-making processes that have to do with their immediate environment, their health. Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys: The same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.

Further Your Thinking: Facts about Earth Day

Earth Day Rock Video

1. In spring 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day as a way to force this issue onto the national agenda, encouraging clean air, water and endangered species protection.

2. Environmental Protection Agency was created under President Richard Nixon, was created during the Civil Rights Movement later in 1970.

3. March on Washington in 1963 lead to Civil Rights Act, amongst those causes were environmental protections. 50+ years later, the environment has worsened. When Civil Rights was happening people of color were more concerned with general equality, rather than environmental protections. The environmental movement was largely ran by white people, with their focus on the needs of helping the Earth as a whole, rather than seeing the communities most hindered by environmental hazards are people in poverty, which are predominantly people of color, especially in urban environments.

4. Today we are still protecting Environmental Justice. We discussed Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the pipeline building through their lands.

Craft

Recreate Recyclables Craft.

What can you create, invent from recyclables? We used paper towel rolls, egg cartons, plastic bottles, and whatever we could find in our recycling bin. Just to name a few we created art, decorative containers, and fairy houses.

Continued Family Sharing Opportunity

Gift of Love Drive, starting May 1st, please bring items to Mr. Jeff at the main entrance of NWS

We also encouraged participation in the town-wide Farmington Spring cleanup that was held last Saturday.

Culturally Curious

We further explored the Islamic faith and Ramadan through this informative cultural video

HOME: Thursday, April 1

This meeting will feature a discussion of the concept of home and shelter. We will learn about the varied homes one can find around the globe and how challenging it is to be homeless. We will discuss some of the social injustices that can create homelessness and will introduce the first KID club action project! We will also learn about the history of April Fools Day. Who knew it was celebrated with different traditions around the world?

For this meeting you will need:

• a blank piece of paper

• markers, crayons or colored pencils

• open eyes, ears, and heart

Recap

Our KID (Kindness Inclusion and Diversity) Club meeting was held virtually on Thursday, April 1. We explored the idea of “Home,” and created a Jam Board of the “wants” versus “needs” of a home. We talked about how material possessions are not what makes up a home, but rather the emotions you feel within the home. We further explored this idea discussing poverty, homelessness, and cycles of inequity that are a result of scarcity of wealth.

Word Wall Word: HOME, HOMELESSNESS, POVERTY, CYCLES OF INEQUITY

Home: A place to live with structural and emotional qualities. Some of these emotional qualities included safety, love, kindness, and warmth. Some of these structural qualities included walls, roof, and furniture.

Homelessness: Without shelter, without a place to safely sleep.

Poverty: the state of not having enough material possessions or income for a person's basic needs. Poverty may include social, economic, and political elements. Absolute poverty is the complete lack of the means necessary to meet basic personal needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter.

Cycles of inequity: develop because poverty becomes hereditary. Often times poverty is thought to be a “fault” of the person, but it is usually multiple factors of personal and professional socioeconomic reasons. Examples: health care costs, mental illness, divorce, and lack of education.

Further Your Thinking:

We explored the idea of homelessness. Does everyone have a “home”? What contributes to poverty? How would that feel? How can we help?

Community Action Project

Empathy in action: How can those with overabundance help those with scarcity of wealth?

• Our action item and craft was to draw a flyer to help Gifts of Love and take part in our supply drive! https://giftsoflovect.org/critical-needs/

• These donations will be collected with Mr. Jeff at the side entrance of NWS.

Culturally Curious?

Spring Celebrations and April Fool’s Day

We explored and appreciated multiple religions and spring festivals: Passover, the Jewish week-long celebration of God freeing the Israelites from Egypt; Easter Sunday, the Christian holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; and Ramadan, the Muslim month-long celebration of pray and fasting, honoring the receiving of initial revelations of The Quran.

We also had some fun learning about April Fool’s Day with this fun clip on Youtube.

INTENT & IMPACT: Thursday, March 18

This meeting will be an introduction to the concept of intent and how to act with intention and also be cognizant of the impact of your words and actions on others. We will also celebrate that the Hindu holiday of Holi is approaching. For this meeting you will need:

• a blank piece of paper

• markers, crayons or colored pencils

• open eyes, ears, and heart

Recap

Our KID (Kindness Inclusion and Diversity) Club meeting was held virtually on March 18th. We had a great group of students join us with open ears, eyes, and hearts. We discussed the meaning of intent and impact, read Festival of Colors by Vashti Harrison, discussed Holi and more!

Word Wall Word: INTENT & IMPACT

Intent: planned aim or purpose

Impact: effect of someone or something

Further Your Thinking:

We talked about how setting an intention through rituals and meditation can help you reach your goals and be conscious of the impact of your actions on those around you.

Community Building

Interesting Facts about Holi (thank you to the Mishra family for sharing their photos and traditions).

• This ancient tradition marks the end of winter and honors the triumph of good over evil.

• Celebrants light bonfires, throw colorful powder called gulal, eat sweets, and dance to traditional folk music.

• Holi is celebrated from between 2 to 5 days beginning with the full moon day of the month “Phalguna,” according to the Hindu calendar.

Culturally Curious?

International Women’s Day: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/ We #choosetochallenge ourselves to be aware of gender stereotypes all around us.

SOCIAL CONSTRUCT: Thursday, March 4

This meeting will be an introduction to the concept of social constructs and understanding how traditional gender roles and stereotypes originated. We will also celebrate that March is Women's History Month. For this meeting you will need:

• a blank piece of paper

• markers, crayons or colored pencils

• open eyes, ears, and heart

Recap

Our KID (Kindness Inclusion and Diversity) Club meeting were held virtually on March 4th. We had a great group of students join us with open ears, eyes, and hearts. We discussed the meaning of social construct, meditated together, read Except When The Don’t by Laura Gehl, discussed International Women’s Day, and more!

Word Wall Word: SOCIAL CONSTRUCT

the idea that people create their understandings of the world in coordination with others. Social constructs give meaning to things, that may not of had meaning before

Further Your Thinking:

We thought about gender roles and stereotypes. Where do they come from? Are they always correct?

Culturally Curious?

International Women’s Day: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/ We #choosetochallenge ourselves to be aware of gender stereotypes all around us.

Craft

We created cards for women we admire in honor of International Women’s Day.

Recap

Our fifth KID (Kindness Inclusion and Diversity) Club meeting was held virtually on Thursday. We had over 30 kids with open ears, eyes, and hearts. We discussed the meaning of diversity and representation, crafted together, read 2 books (I am Enough by Grace Byers and It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr) discussed Black History Month and more!

Word Wall Word: DIVERSITY

Understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. It is important to practice mutual respect for qualities and experiences that are different from our own

Further Your Thinking:

We thought about first impressions. Are they always correct? Can you tell everything you need to know with just a quick glance? Have you ever gotten the wrong first impression about someone? Has someone ever made a mistake in their first impression of you?

Community Building:

Kente Cloths and Ghana, Africa: Mrs. Success Opoku-Gyamfi, Flora’s mother, told us about her family’s heritage from Ghana, Africa, and the beautiful Kente cloths that are woven with cultural colors and symbols in their culture signifying the wearer’s status or marking a festive occasion. We thank her and Flora for sharing their heritage with us.

Interesting facts:

• Asante people used cloths exclusively to dress kings and their courts.

• Adinkra are symbols from Ghana that represent concepts used extensively in fabrics

• The unique patterns and colors are easily identifiable as a unique, symbolic representation of West African culture.

Craft:

Kente Cloth Creation- 20 strips of paper, tape, scissors, markers. Take 10 strips of paper and tape them at the top to a flat surface. Choose alternating color strips in the opposite direction to weave over and under the taped down strips.

Family Sharing Opportunity

Would your child like to share a family tradition or celebration at an upcoming meeting? Fill out this form and we will get in touch with you!

Culturally Curious?

We discussed our new vice-President, Kamala Harris, and the importance of representation. One aspect of representation is diversity in all areas of life, and it is important because we learn best from a variety of perspectives and experiences. Learn more about Vice-President Harris here: https://www.biography.com/news/kamala-harris-facts

INCLUSION & EQUITY: Thursday, February 4

This meeting will be an introduction to defining "inclusion and equity," and will feature a read-aloud, a discussion, journaling, a movement activity, and a craft. In order to best prepare for the fun things we have planned, please have the following ready for our meeting:

• one piece of blank paper (red construction paper is ideal but anything is fine!)

• a black marker or sharpie

• pen or pencil and writing paper for journaling

• open eyes, ears, and heart

Recap

Our fourth KID (Kindness Inclusion and Diversity) Club meeting was held virtually yesterday. We had over 30 kids with open ears, eyes, and hearts. We discussed the meaning of inclusion and equity, journaled together, read a book (Emmanuel's Dream), discussed Chinese Lunar New Year and more!

Word Wall Word: INCLUSION

All people are respected, valued, and welcomed.

Word Wall Word: EQUITY

Giving everyone what they need so they can do their best and succeed.

Community Building: Hearts of Compassion

We thought about the Buddy Bench at Noah Wallace. We discussed if students have ever used the bench themselves or seen others use the bench. What happened next? We shared personal stories of inclusion and exclusion and did not seek answers to the immediate problems but instead sought to grow and understand through self reflection. Could we have acted differently in those situations?

Further Your Thinking:

Everyone has personal strengths and weaknesses. What does it feel like to have different abilities? When obstacles are added to ordinary tasks, how does that make us feel? Can we find ways to be more inclusive in our daily lives? Can we act with empathy? We worked on active self reflection to try drawing with our eyes closed, reading after spinning in circles and writing our names with our non dominant hands to experience new challenges.

Heard at the Meeting:

"I sat on the Buddy bench when I was lonely." -Anushka

"I saw a friend sitting there and went to help"- Will

The tasks were "hard and a little fun" -Aaron

"It felt funny and I forgot how to hold my pencil"- Aviva

Culturally Curious?

Chinese Lunar New Year: This important date on the Chinese calendar has been celebrated for many centuries. During the festivities, ancestors are honored and traditional ceremonies are held where people get together and welcome the new year with customs that bring good luck, fortune, wealth, prosperity and happiness.

• • The celebration lasts for 15 days!

  • ⅙ of the world’s population celebrate

  • Children receive gifts of money in red envelopes

  • The largest usage of fireworks in the world occurs during Chinese New Year.

  • Each new year welcomes a new zodiac sign and animal - 2021 is the year of the ox

Recap

Our third KID (Kindness Inclusion and Diversity) Club meeting was held virtually yesterday. We had over 40 kids with open ears, eyes, and hearts. We practiced loving-kindness meditation, Metta bhavana, a method of developing compassion originating in Buddhism. We listened to Maddi’s Fridge by Lois Brandt, a book that asks, “What do you do when you know that a friend desperately needs help, but doesn’t want you to tell anyone about her problem?” We discussed the meaning of compassion, worked on a craft, shared our excitement for Black History month in February, introduced the idea of a Q&A box, and voted on our club logo.

Word Wall Word: COMPASSION

Together we defined compassion as empathy in action. When you are compassionate, you understand another's emotions and try to help through kindness and thoughtfulness.

Community Building: Hearts of Compassion

We decorated our individual heart with what compassion looks like to us, through words and images. The hearts can be sent in to school and will be turned into a leaf on a large tree of compassion that will decorate a hallway in school!

Print out and illustrate your heart. Draw and image or write words to convey your understanding of compassion. Bring it in to school and put it in the KID club box in the office

Further Your Thinking:

Since compassion is empathy in action, can you recall an act of compassion you have received or given? Who has helped you get through something difficult? Friends? Family? Teachers? Leaders? Coaches? Pastors? Rabbis? Priests? Strangers? Was there ever a time when someone you do not get along with showed you compassion? What did you learn from that experience?

Culturally Curious?

We are excited for an awesome Black History Month ahead! Next week look forward to a flier with all the details about exciting community evenings and schoolwide events.

A few facts on Black History month:

-Black History Month honors the contributions of African Americans to U.S. history. -Black History Month began as “Negro History Week,” which was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator and publisher. It became a month-long celebration in 1976. -The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

Click here for more information on the origins of Black History month

Madam Vice President: We also honor Kamala Harris who became the first woman of African or Asian descent to be sworn in as vice president. Harris's mother immigrated to the United States from India and her father from Jamaica.

EMPATHY: Thursday, January 14

This meeting will be an introduction to defining "empathy," including ice-breakers, a read-aloud, a discussion, and several fun activities. In order to best prepare for the fun activities planned, please have the folloing ready for our meeting:

• one piece of white paper

• pen or pencil

• a safe space around the computer to move freely and act out different emotions

• open eyes, ears, and heart

Recap

Our second KID Club meeting had over 30 enthusiastic and insightful students in grades 2-4! Our meeting included ice-breakers, a read-aloud of I am Human: A Book of Empathy, a group discussion defining “empathy,” and some dramatic activities displaying different emotions.

Word Wall Word: EMPATHY

Together we defined empathy as feeling or understanding what someone else is feeling. When we are empathic we are acting in a way that is kind and thoughtful towards others

Community Building: Identity Link Art Project

We had fun using our faces and our whole bodies to display different emotions. We imagined ourselves in a variety of situations and examined each other's performances for clues as to how we were feeling. We looked at body language, facial expressions and the context of the situation to help us quickly gain understanding of a friend's emotional state.

Further Your Thinking:

Empathy is important in all relationships. Teachers can show empathy towards their students. Student can show empathy towards their teachers. The same is true for children and parents. What other relationships can you think of where you are empathic? Within your family? Your neighborhood? Your sports team? Your group of friends? If someone does not show you empathy, what does that look like? How does it make you feel?

Logo Design

KID Club members, we need your artistic skills and creative thinking! All students are welcome to submit an idea for the KID club logo to nwpto@fpsct.org. Send us a drawing by Sunday night, 1/17. Remember that our club stands for Kindness, Inclusion and Diversity. We will pull common themes from the entries and create a few custom logos. To make a final decision, we will have the kids vote on 1/21!

Heard at the Meeting:

What part of someone's face tells you how they are feeling?

"Eyebrows!" Danielle

"Mouth!" Isaac

"Cheeks" Srinath

What do you know about Martin Luther King, Jr?

"I know he is brave." Maya

"He never gave up." Sophie

"He made a speech called I Have a Dream" Lizzie

Culturally Curious?

Today is the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King is an important figure in the civil rights movement. He was also a pastor in a Baptist Church. His faith was responsible for many of his actions. He helped Black churches thrive by welcoming all traditions and creating inclusion for everyone and their diversified Christian faiths. He believed that all people deserved dignity because they were all created with dignity. Here are a few lesser known facts:

• • Dr. King’s birth name was Michael, not Martin.

  • Dr. King entered college at age 15.

  • Dr. King was put in prison almost 30 times

  • George Washington is the only other American to have his birthday declared a national holiday.

Learn more here.

IDENTITY: Thursday, December 10

Our first meeting will be an introduction to defining "Identity," including ice-breakers, a read-aloud, a discussion, and an artistic activity. In order to best prepare for the fun activities planned, please have the following ready for our first meeting:

• one piece of white paper

• scissors

• crayons/markers/colored pencils

• open eyes, ears, and heart

Recap

We had over 50 enthusiastic and insightful students in grades 2-4! Our first meeting included ice-breakers, a read-aloud of All Are Welcome, a group discussion defining “Identity” and an artistic activity.

Word Wall Word: IDENTITY

Together we defined identity as anything about yourself: who you are, what you like to do, where your family comes from, hobbies, religion, sports, clothing, and foods. Not just what we look like, but what we do and where we go.

Community Building: Identity Link Art Project

We would like to invite students that were not at the meeting to contribute to our upcoming art installation. Each of us created an “identity link” that will become a piece of a larger art work hung in NWS. These links will be formed together to create an identity chain. We encourage you to create one and send it into school, even if you are in grades K or 1. All are welcome. Click here for instructions.

This project gives us a better understanding of the club’s mission and vision. We want everyone to feel comfortable, safe, and welcome to share as little or as much as they desire.

Further Your Thinking:

We talked about how important your identity is in all aspects of your life. You are part of the community chain at Noah Wallace. What other chains have you as a member? Your family? Your neighborhood? Your sports team? Your group of friends? We strive to welcome and respect all links of our community chains. If your link in the chain was broken, how would you feel? What if your identity wasn't seen, recognized and included?

Heard at the Meeting:

What would it be like if we were all the same?

“You wouldn’t know who was who.”-William

“Boring.”- Lizzie

What is Identity?

“my favorite sports.”-Alexander

"things you like to do. If you like art or to read.”-Jianna “What you like to wear.”-Bertie

"something in your religion" Zahra

“You might be nervous with your true look" Lennon

“Who you are and what you look like.”-Lucy

Culturally Curious?

We'd like to share the history and traditions of the celebration of Hanukkah that our Jewish friends are observing this season. Check out this site to learn more!