River Vale School District

609 Westwood Avenue

River Vale, New Jersey  07675

www.rivervaleschools.com

 

 

 

CONTACT:  Margie Druss Fodor

(201) 358-9260

mfodor@rivervaleschools.com

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

RIVER VALE EDUCATORS ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO CELEBRATE

KINDNESS WEEK ALL YEAR LONG

 

By Leni Rosenzweig and Maureen Monaghan

 

RIVER VALE, NJ, MARCH 8, 2004 – By writing letters to veterans, as well as family and friends, and by listening to ways to communicate effectively with one another, students at River Vale’s Holdrum Middle School celebrated Random Acts of Kindness Week.

To start the week, held at Holdrum from Feb. 9 through Feb. 13, students attended an assembly called “How to Create a Bully Free School.” Jim Burns, a former administrator and teacher, and a member of Proactive Educational Concepts, gave the students strategies to help them improve their coping skills. He also explained various types of bullying including physical, emotional, and verbal bullying.

The week included many activities. Students created Valentine’s Day cards, which were sent to the East Orange Veterans’ Hospital. They also wrote letters to thank a friend, family member, coach, or teacher for being especially kind to them. These letters were judged by the faculty for content and form and those students selected from each grade level and their recipients will be invited to a special breakfast in the school.

            Teachers also recognized random acts of kindness from their students. Their names were put in a large jar in the main office and at the end of each day several of these cards were selected randomly and the recipients were called to the office for prizes. How great to be called down to the office for a reward for something good!

The success of the week for the students and faculty has prompted Principal Jaynellen Behre Jenkins and Guidance Counselor Maureen Monaghan to support these random acts of kindness throughout the entire school year.

 

Leni Rosenzweig is the Special Projects Coordinator and Maureen Monaghan is the Guidance Counselor, both at Holdrum Middle School in River Vale.

 

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