Bulletin #12 | November 20th, 2019

November 13, last Wednesday, was World Kindness Day, something celebrated in a growing number of countries each year. It is a day that, to be honest, I had not heard about before, but one that I really do feel is such a good idea. The idea is to highlight the good deeds done by people in their communities, and it got me thinking about our wonderful community.

A kind word, a kind act, is never amiss. Kindness is something that we all want to receive, and are all capable of giving. We all have our own challenges in life and even though we can all make mistakes and poor decisions, most people do get up in the morning with the intention of doing things right, of adding to and not subtracting from, the harmony that we all wish for in life.

When we decide to challenge others on what they have said or done, it costs nothing to pause for a moment. It costs nothing to ask ourselves what may have been the cause, or what challenges might the other person be facing today that led to what they did. A little kindness really does go a long way.
Following the vision of the IB, which our school has aligned with, we must remember and understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right. Kindness can bridge the divides of race, religion, politics, and can even bridge the differences among us all in our incredible JFK community.

Our own primary school values: Respect, Responsibility and Honesty, go a long way to remind us all of the importance of treating others, and ourselves, with kindness. Our numbers for bullying, and theft, and many other negative factors at school may be improving over time, but are all still too high. One single act of aggression or unkindness, is one act too many. We all have the responsibility to look out for others, to support and protect them, and to remind those that enjoy being unkind that there is always a better way to manage things. Moreover, being kind will make all of us feel happier with our lives too.

Early next semester we will be participating in the Random Acts of Kindness challenge along with many other schools, but let us all not forget that kindness shouldn’t be a once per year activity, it should be a habit and at school we should all feel that being kind is ‘the way we do things around here’. Being kind takes strength of character; it shows an understanding of others and the ability to make choices and decisions that work to build relationships, not to bring them down.

We are all so privileged to be part of this school, to share so many hours together and away from all that is happening out in the world. What a wonderful thing it would be if we were all to make a conscious decision to find ways to purposefully build an extra act of kindness in to our way of living and working together, and in doing so strengthen this wonderful community just that little bit more.

 

Debra Cortney

 

• We have a Parent Talk this Thursday, November 21 at 9:30 am, about the issues our children face using their phones and tablets, social media, and other applications.
• The Middle School play is next week! Come out to support our young thespians, Tuesday 26th or Wednesday 27th, at 5pm or 7pm.
• Hunger is a global problem that also manifests itself here in Queretaro. NJHS’s food drive will end next week. NJHS members will be available in the mornings with their House buckets to collect more rice, beans, and sugar.
• Congratulations to all MiddleMUN delegates, especially to Manuel Junco, Maxime Bron, and Claire Rimond for their outstanding performance over the weekend at CBMUN. Manuel and Claire received the Best Delegate recognitions, and Maxime was awarded Honorable Mention. Thank you to advisors Miss Tania and Miss Ana! 

Camille Casses
Middle School Principal