This week, students learned about making healthy lifestyle choices like getting enough exercise, water, sleep, healthy foods and positive thinking, while choosing to solve life's problems drug-free. Additionally, they learned how to recognize bullying separately from unkindness. Bullying occurs when someone is mean, on purpose, over and over again, even after being told to stop. Unkindness is not OK either and must be dealt with, while bullying is a distinct pattern of behavior that can never be tolerated. Students learned how to respond to bullying in their own lives and the lives of their peers by not being a bully themselves, making choices that keep themselves and others safe, how to stand up for themselves and others, and how and when to report bullying behaviors.
This year, we decided to make our Red Ribbon Week banner, in house, with help from some creators in our building, and it is my favorite one yet! Students in grades 2-4, who wanted to participate, colored individual puzzle pieces adding them to the banner consistent with this year's theme - Life is a puzzle. Solve it drug free. Some students made a commitment to live a drug-free life after discussing our lesson.
Please talk with your children about living a drug-free life explaining to them the dangers and destruction caused when people choose drugs or bullying in response to their problems. There's always a better way!
As always, please feel free to contact me with your questions, concerns and suggestions for our school counseling program.
--Angie Kerns, School Counselor, Anna Jarvis Elementary School, 304-265-4090, Email