Beachwood City Schools Celebrates Start with Hello Week

Beachwood City Schools is excited to celebrate Start with Hello week (September 16-20) as part of our commitment to promoting a safer, more connected school environment. Start With Hello is a student-focused initiative to create a culture of inclusion that values each individual in our schools. Students in preschool through 12th-grade will learn to take small but powerful actions to build connections, end loneliness, and support one another.

Start with Hello Week aligns with our district’s expanded health education curriculum, which includes safety training, violence prevention, suicide awareness, and social inclusion, as required by HB 123, the Safety and Violence Education (SAVE) Students Act. The program teaches students to recognize signs of social isolation and take steps to create a more inclusive school culture.

Throughout the week, students across Beachwood City Schools will participate in a variety of activities that promote kindness, gratitude, and a sense of belonging. Younger students at the Fairmount Early Childhood Center and Bryden Elementary will engage in daily acts of kindness, such as making others smile, giving compliments, and reaching out to new classmates. They will explore themes of empathy through stories such as “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” by Carol McCloud. Fairmount and Bryden students will conclude the week by showing their school spirit with Bison gear to emphasize that everyone is part of the same team.

Hilltop Elementary students will start the week by reflecting on what they are grateful for, playing Buddy Bingo, and participating in mindfulness activities. They will also take part in a “Mix It Up” lunch, where they will sit with new peers and use conversation starter cards to foster new friendships.

Middle and high school students will have opportunities to express gratitude, write thank you notes to trusted adults, and reach out with kind messages to peers they may not know well. High school students will be invited to sign a pledge to show empathy for others, be an upstander, and reach out to those who seem isolated. The signed pledges will be displayed in the building.

Beachwood City Schools is proud to join schools nationwide in creating a culture of kindness and empowering students to make meaningful connections. Learn more about Start with Hello.