POB Elementary Schools Celebrate Start With Hello Week

Plainview-Old Bethpage elementary schools celebrated the District’s ninth annual Start With Hello Week from September 14–19, bringing students and staff together for a week focused on kindness, inclusion and connection.

Start With Hello, a prevention program created by Sandy Hook Promise, encourages students to take small but meaningful steps to help others feel welcomed and valued. This year’s theme, “Kindness is Sweet, Sprinkle it Everywhere,” was incorporated throughout the week through a variety of activities designed to promote friendship and strengthen connections across the school community.

The week began with an introduction video created by the previous year’s fourth-grade Student Leaders. Students designed kindness-themed coloring pages, participated in the No One Eats Alone activity and celebrated Hello Day by wearing colorful name tags. They also took part in classroom icebreakers and contributed to a schoolwide collaborative bulletin board centered on kindness. The week concluded with Sweet Friendship Day, which featured a special read-aloud with adults from across the District.

Start With Hello Week was part of the District’s No Place for Hate (NPFH) initiative, a yearlong program across the elementary schools that promotes kindness, anti-bullying and anti-bias through meaningful schoolwide activities. Through the week’s activities, students had opportunities to build new connections, spread kindness and help create an inclusive school community.