Week #24- February 10, 2025
This week is designated as Kindness Week across the country and beyond. The Virginia Department of Education has developed many resources in support of this designation. MES will engage with students this week about kindness.
One of the challenges faced in K-12 public education in recent years is that students and staff are reporting increased feelings of stress. Can kindness help with the stress levels?
A growing body of research is demonstrating that being kind can counter stress. A study done in 2019 investigated whether daily help-giving has unique benefits for adolescents experiencing emotional distress. For ten days, the participants reported their acts of kindness (prosocial behavior) as well as their mood. Participants experienced increased positive mood on days that they were more prosocial; which highlights the unique benefits of prosocial efforts in adolescents' daily lives, suggesting that everyday help-giving can improve adolescents’ ability to cope with stress (Schacter, Margolin, 2019).
Similar results were found to be true with adults. In a Yale University study, participants filled out an online assessment each day for two weeks where they logged acts of kindness that they did as well as stressful life events. The key finding of that study was that on days where participants engaged in acts of kindness (i.e. helping others), they experienced less stress; on the other hand, on days where they engaged in less acts of kindness, they experienced more stress (Raposa, Laws, Ansell, 2016). Source: Virginia Department of Education
VDOE resources for this week also include a Kindness Challenge Idea Bank document. This activity would be a great tool to help facilitate conversations at home throughout the week. Email me if you would like a printed copy of this document.
Thanks for all you do to support kindness and healthy relationships at MES.
Have a great week!!
Other Announcements/Reminders from the MES Office:
10-Day Attendance Challenge! All students with perfect attendance February 3-14 will receive free ice cream and will be entered into a drawing for other prizes. The dates for the challenge will be adjusted according to RCPS calendar changes and school closings.
ERHS Presents PETER PAN. Three Shows: February 20 - 22 @ 7pm, February 23 @ 3pm. Tickets
Duke Dog Reading Program- Click HERE for complete information.
MES Library Information: Library Catalog Tutorial explains how families can access the MES Library Catalog and how to use the search, history and hold features of the catalog. Learn more at the MES Library Website.
Attendance Tip: Just as kindness can help create a positive environment for students, acts of unkind behavior can impede student learning and impact attendance. If you are aware of this type of impact on your child, please report that to school administration or the school counselor.
Parent & Family Resources & Information:
Activities & Events at MES:
Vision Screenings- February 14 (tentative)
RCPS Calendar Change- Students Attend School- February 17 &18
MES PTO Glow Run- February 21
Regional Spelling Bee- March 1 (Skyline Middle School)
Read Across our Community Day- March 3
PK Application/Screening- March 5 & 6