November 10, 2020
SKILL OF THE WEEK: World Kindness Day 2020
Dear Students, Families, and Teachers,
World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. This day, celebrated on November 13 of each year, has the purpose to help everyone 
understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together. World Kindness Day is a day to highlight good deeds in our community focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us. Kindness is a fundamental part of the human condition which bridges the divides of race, religion, politics, gender and zip codes. This understanding has the power to bridge the gap between people!
Your act of kindness changes peoples lives every single day. It will never end. You may not realize it, but we naturally do acts of kindness every day — without even knowing. Putting your dishes away, doing nice things without being asked, or feeding your pet are all small acts of kindness.
I encourage you to watch this video about kindness and the power of acts of kindness on others.
https://vimeo.com/367295122
In Spanish, Be Kind is translated to Se Amable.
In Hupa, Xo’niniste Xoniwh-te (pronounced: ho-nin-nis-teh, ho-new-teh) translates to “their body is happy” which is how people feel when others are kind.
In Wiyot, Rra’wuruquk means friendliness.
I can’t tell you how many times I have felt sad or angry about a situation or interaction with someone and wanted to react with revenge. However, I am trying my best to instead treat the person who I feel angry with in a kind way, because I don’t know how they are feeling or what they are going through. This is empathy! I am
not perfect at this and make many mistakes and have apologized to a person for being unkind or impatient. But I am making an effort to acknowledge my feelings and channel my energy towards kindness. I encourage you to do the same, especially during these hard times with Covid. I think more than ever we have learned that having empathy and being kind is what makes the world a better place. And did you know that when you do something kind our brain releases the hormone oxytocin. It is also important to be kind to yourself. Practice self care and compassion towards yourself. Be kind to yourself and tell yourself positive things about yourself, sometimes that can be something like, “I am trying my best!” Being kind to yourself is a way to spread kindness to the world.
Be the change you want to see in this world! Be kind.
Sincerely,
Ms. Sandy (707) 834-2861 sradic-oshiro@hcoe.org
P.S. Kassandra Talvera, an 8th grade student in Ms. Osell’s class, favorite movie is The Help. I highly recommend this movie! To quote from the movie: You are smart. You are kind. You are important.
You matter!