More About 363 Days
About Minneapolis Recreation Development: “Love One Another”http://www.363days.org/index.html
Minneapolis Recreation Development is dedicated to serving the homeless community, vulnerable individuals, disadvantaged youth, and their families in the Twin Cities through our Three Programs. Enabled by the generous support of our donor community, from 9pm to10am every night Founder Allan Law drives throughout the Twin Cities serving people in urgent need in homeless shelters, and on the street. Making as many as 50 stops a night, he distributes donated sandwiches, basic necessities, and encouragement to the homeless from the back of the MRD minivan. He volunteers overnight because that’s when shelters are closed, and homeless people living on the street are most vulnerable. He also responds to several calls a day 24/7 from people in crisis, with requests ranging from critical immediate needs, to others like help finding a job or temporary housing. 

On any given night there are an estimated 7,000 homeless people in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area, and 2,200 of them are children under 17. The goal of MRD is to feed, and provide emergency assistance to as many of them every day as possible. In 2012 MRD will serve over 100,000 people in urgent need, which is made possible by the incredible outpouring of both the time and resources of our donor community, and a handful of dedicated volunteers.

Susan Lindgren 5th Graders had the chance to participate in Youth Frontiers Kindness Retreat this Week!   
Students were welcomed into the retreat by 16 cheering St. Louis Park Senior High student volunteers and the Youth Frontiers leaders, Joe and Jonny.  The morning was filled with music and games while students got warmed up and comfortable with the SLP High School leaders. The topic of the day was Kindness.  Students were broken up into small groups throughout the day, lead by a SLP High School student.  In their groups students discussed moments and things that they have seen at Susan Lindgren that have been unkind and then were given the chance to discuss how those things could be changed.  Towards the end of the day, each student is given the opportunity to reflect and think about what they personally can do to make their school and classroom a more kind place to be.  

5th Graders at Peter Hobart, Aquila and Park Spanish Immersion  attended Youth Frontiers' Kindness Retreats during the month of December.
(Susan Lindgren 5th Graders will attend in February)

Since 1987 Youth Frontiers, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis, has been delivering programs to build positive school communities that help young people realize the importance of respecting themselves and others. Their vision is to change the way young people treat each other in every hallway, lunch line and classroom of every school in America so that today’s young people make tomorrow’s world better. Last year, Youth Frontiers worked with nearly 100,000 students and educators throughout the country.

On the Kindness Retreat, the Youth Frontiers retreat staff focus on creating a more positive school community by engaging students in a variety of activities that build students’ empathy skills and teach safe ways to help prevent bullying.

For more information on Youth Frontiers and/or the Kindness Retreat click the button below.

Can We Be Friends?

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
Kindergartners will be working with their counselor this month on the skill of showing kindness by sharing and accepting others even if they are different.  Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister is the perfect book to help with this theme.  

The Meanest Thing To Say 

The Meanest Thing to Say by Bill Cosby
Little Bill, Best of Volume 1 on iTunes 
First Graders continue to work with Counselors this month on Friendship Skills.  Last month students learned how to not judge someone before you get to know them; learning to give others a chance.  This month is focusing on how to handle the trickier situations in a friendship:  when we disagree, argue, and/or hurt each other's feelings.  

Counselors are using Bill Cosby's, The Meanest Thing to Say, story and video to help students understand more about friendship and that our words can really hurt each other.  Sometimes friends tease each other, thinking that it is funny and that it is fun but often someone is not having fun and actually feelings are being hurt.  Does that mean we cannot be friends anymore?  Little Bill, with the help of his Dad, shows students that there are other ways to handle the situation that still allow us to be friends.  

Random Acts of Kindness

Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
The perfect story for the holiday season!  What do you do when you really want something but maybe you don't quite need it?  What do you do when you meet someone who really needs something but doesn't have a way to get it?  

Counselors will be sharing the book Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts and discussing with students the feelings of wanting something versus needing something.  Students will also be looking at how we can do little things for others to show kindness.  

"I am only one; but still I am one.  I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.  I will not refuse to do the something I can do."  - Helen Keller

Counselors are wrapping up their classroom lessons on the topic, Being an Upstander, this month.  Students and teachers have been participating in many conversations on what it means to be an Upstander and ways that we can practice being one.  

Here are a few ideas:

1.  Choose not to join in when people are picking on or laughing at someone.
2.  Speak out against unkind words or actions.
3.  Say something helpful to the person who's being picked on or laughed at.
4.  Ask people who are teasing how it would feel if they were the ones being teased.
5.  Ask the person who's being left out or picked on to join you in an activity.
6.  Let an adult know what's going on.

What other ideas can you come up with as a family?

All four elementary buildings took part in our Stand for Kindness Day on October 10th.  Students and staff were encouraged to wear orange that day to show their Pride and willingness to be an Upstander.

An Introduction To Sparks

Leo the Lightning Bug by Eric Drachman
Kindergartners started the month of October with an introduction to Sparks.  Counselors shared the story Leo the Lightning Bug (a student favorite).  Leo is a lightning bug who has just one wish, one goal:  to light up like all the other lightning bugs.  Lighting Up is Leo's Spark!  He wakes up each morning excited and thinking about it.  With the help of Leo's mom and practice, Leo is able to show the other lightning bugs that he can do it!  This is a great story about persistance.

Kindergartners got the opportunity to share their Sparks!  What gets them out of bed in the morning, full of excitement?

Rekindling Our Spark Conversation!

Odd Velvet by Mary E. Whitcomb
First graders started the month off with Odd Velvet, a girl who seems to have odd interests and hobbies.  The other kids aren't sure what to think of her, not sure if they want to play with her or attend her birthday party.  The students who decide to give Velvet a chance learn that her Spark is science and drawing.  Velvet teaches them to draw and teaches them how to use their imaginations.  

First graders are drawn to this story and enjoy learning about Velvet's sparks.  This story is a great introduction into the conversation of each students' own spark.  First Graders love to share what gets them out of bed, excited and ready for more!

How Full Is Your Bucket?

How Full Is Your Bucket For Kids?  By Tom Rath and Mary Rechmeyer
Kindergartners and First Graders worked with their counselor at the end of the month on bucket filling. Students learned that everyone has an imaginary bucket and we either fill each other's buckets or we dip from them each day.  Bucket Filling is when we do kind things for others, give compliments, invite others to play, Upstander Behaviors. Bucket Dipping is when we hurt others (intentionally or unintentionally):  teasing, excluding, tattling on others.

Kindergartners and First Graders are going to work on being Bucket Fillers!