By Anna Forlenza-Bailey, PhD
Through support from the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) grant, Wells Road School held an assembly on Monday, December 14, to kick off the Bullying Hurts: Teaching Kindness Through Read Alouds and Guided Conversations program developed by Lester Laminack and Reba Wadsworth. Earlier this year, Wells Road received the CAS Exemplary School Climate award and during December’s assembly, Dr. Bailey, Wells Road principal, shared with the students, “While winning an award is a great achievement, it does not mean that we have to stop working to keep our school community strong.”
Through support from the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) grant, Wells Road School held an assembly on Monday, December 14, to kick off the Bullying Hurts: Teaching Kindness Through Read Alouds and Guided Conversations program developed by Lester Laminack and Reba Wadsworth. Earlier this year, Wells Road received the CAS Exemplary School Climate award and during December’s assembly, Dr. Bailey, Wells Road principal, shared with the students, “While winning an award is a great achievement, it does not mean that we have to stop working to keep our school community strong.”
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The “Bullying Hurts” program is supported by mentor texts that are read with the students. The goal of the program is “to promote a proactive stance in leading students to act with kindness and compassion to negate bullying acts before they happen.”
The “read alouds” and guided conversations take place during the Wells Road HOUSES meetings. A guest from the CAS organization helped to kick off the assembly by reading the book Same, Same but Different to the students. After listening to the story, students were dismissed into their Wells Road HOUSE where they discussed the story and then created a bumper sticker of the big idea or theme of the book. The bumper stickers are on display in the main hallway of the school.
Wells Road students created bumper stickers around the theme of “Bullying Hurts.” Submitted photos
The program will continue into the spring with books that move the discussion from understanding that we are not better than others, to understanding differences with dignity and compassion for others who are unlike ourselves.
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