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Valley Stream, NY (November 2021)—Monday, October 25 to Friday, October 29 was Care Week at Valley Stream Memorial Junior High School. Care Week is a time to remind students and staff to use positive words and to spread kindness.
The BRAVE Committee, a collaboration of teachers and administrators who discuss and plan ways to reduce bullying and foster positive character development, planned exciting activities for Care Week, including starting out each day of the week with announcements over the school’s public address system about being kind to one another. Memorial Junior High School students were also invited to participate in Spirit Week by dressing in shirts with kind and positive words and filling out pledge cards on different ways to be kind.
“Care Week is a week not just for our students but for our entire staff. We take great pride in our school’s effort to create a positive learning environment,” said Mr. Bret Strauss, Principal of Memorial Junior High School. “Care Week is one of the many initiatives we have here at Memorial that addresses the mental and emotional well-being of students and school personnel, which we realize is especially important as we all readjust to full-time in-person school after the past two school years.”
Outside the school’s cafeteria, there were displays for students to “take what they need.” If a student needed a “paper hug” or an uplifting message, it was there for them. The 8th-Grade Class Council, Hope Club and National Junior Honor Society created kindness posters that were displayed throughout the school building.
“Care Week was successful. We had interactive activities planned for staff and students aimed at practicing care for ourselves, each other, and the community,” said Chanei Patterson, School Psychologist of Valley Stream Memorial Junior High School. “This is an activity I hope becomes a tradition here at Memorial.”
For more information about the Valley Stream Central High School District, please visit: https://www.vschsd.org and ‘like’ our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ValleyStreamCentralHighSchoolDistrict