Kindness Connection: 2014 - 2015

During the 2014 - 2015 school year, Houghton Elementary School celebrated Kindness Connection Day on January 21, 2015. In order to kick off this theme of kindness, community readers read the book, Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler by Margery Cuyler, to second, third, and fourth grade students and the book, Heartprints by P.K. Halliman, to kindergarten and first grade students on November 7, 2014. Community readers included local business owners, Wachusett Regional School District's Central Office staff, and other important members of Houghton Elementary School's community. On Community Reading Day, students also really enjoyed getting to meet Finz, the Worcester Sharks' mascot.

During the week of Kindness Connection Day in January, all students were reread these books by their teachers in order to remind children of the theme of kindness and the importance of being kind. Students, teachers, and staff members also wrote their names on hearts that corresponded to the five colors of our school values. These hearts were displayed in a colorful manner on the bulletin board outside the cafeteria in order to remind students that they are the heart of this school and the importance of acting from the heart in their daily lives. Pictures of this bulletin board can be seen below.

On Kindness Connection Day, all children received a sticker that stated, "Kindness...Pass It On" and colorful bracelets with the words "Kindness...Pass It On" on one side and "Kindness makes a difference" on the other side. All teachers and staff members wore Houghton blue t-shirts that also said, "Kindness...Pass It On". Over the course of this Kindness Connection Day, all students were asked to decorate cards that would be divided up and given to a number of different organizations that worked with children or the elderly in the Worcester area. Our students did a fantastic job decorating these cards and the organizations that received these cards were very thankful. Houghton Elementary School received numerous compliments and thank you cards from these organizations, stating the positive effect that the cards had on their clients/children. Pictures of the decorated cards (small selection), t-shirts worn by staff, and bracelets worn by students and staff can be seen below.