Giraffes #stickyourneckout Community Meeting

Hello!
A wave of positivity rushed through the ESM Middle School community during a much needed recognition of student and staff Giraffes.  Huh? Giraffes? http://www.giraffe.org is a place to read about and recognize everyday people who care beyond themselves by sticking their neck out and doing the right thing for others.  This is not as easy as it seems! Sticking your neck out means being courageous, brave, resilient and motivated to give big and small.  Our community meeting was full of musical performances, inspirational quotes about actions speaking louder than words, a Student Rep original skit about bystanders and a presentation of blow-up giraffes (a “gir-affle”!).
Are you a giraffe?
Why is it hard to stick your neck out for others?
What are easy ways to be a giraffe?
Pics below courtesy of Mr. David Cappaert.

A WHOLE SCHOOL round of rock, paper, scissors. “The biggest Fan” is played when everyone pairs off and plays rock, paper, scissors.  The winner then goes on to find a new opponent while the loser of that round becomes their opponent’s BIGGEST FAN! Cheers and screams of glee were heard as the gym erupted in spirited middle schoolers. 

Jirmani (8th grader) tells us about how she sticks her neck out in class.  She vocally supports LGBT and black rights and expressed the importance of making your voice heard. 

Advisory survey results!

To continue growing our advisory program and refining what we already do well, students participated in a survey on Friday.
The results showed us we are doing most of the things we intend to accomplish Friday mornings, students feel safe in their small groups, and they even wish they had it more often!  Community meetings need a little more focus, and advisors can continue working on their routines to ensure all advisees are actively becoming part of their group.
See some of the highlights below! (click on them to enlarge.)

Kindness Bombs and antibullying

Greetings,
5 advisory groups were officially.... Kindness Bombed last Friday!
Groups spent the morning putting together bags full of compliments, tasty goodies, school supplies, stickers, feathers, and more.  Kindness bombs are a fun expression of love and kindness dropped off at someone’s door anonymously.  Students who delivered their kindness bags had smiles just as big as those who received the gift of thoughtfulness.  The idea is that by the end of the year, all groups will have paid it forward and enjoyed a personal service project of brightening someone’s day. Try one where you live or work today!