Roanoke Avenue Elementary School celebrated P.S. I Love You Day this year by expanding it into a week of activities teaching kindness, empathy, friendship, and anti-bullying.
“This year, we have created a small activity for each day. Students were each given a choice of a cup ‘to fill with kindness and love.’ They decorated their cups in the beginning of the week and added to each cup as the week went on,” teacher Kelly Dillon said.
Monday was P.S. I Love Myself: Students received hearts to decorate. They drew or wrote one thing they loved about themselves and pasted it on their cup.
Tuesday was P.S. I Love My Friends: On another heart, students each wrote a heart for a friend telling them why they are a good friend or what they think that person is really good at, Dillon said.
Wednesday was P.S. I Love My Community: The entire school created Valentines for all the residents at the Westhampton Care Center. Combined they created over 400 valentines for the residents and staff at the center, Dillon said.
Thursday was P.S. I Love My School: Students used another heart to write one thing they love about Roanoke Avenue Elementary School. Dillon said students throughout the school decorated the hearts and displayed them for all students and staff to see why Roanoke Avenue Elementary School is such an amazing place to learn.
Also on Thursday, the Roanoke Avenue Student Council members visited Westhampton Care Center and gave their valentines out.
Friday was P.S. I Love You Day. The day was started by a young woman from West Islip whose father died by suicide in 2010, when she was in middle school. His last words to her when he dropped her off at school that morning were “I love you.” She created P.S. I Love You Day when she was in high school to remind people that they are not alone.
“On this day we ask everyone to wear purple to stand up against bullying, help end depression, and ultimately prevent suicide. We hope that on this day you walk around your community, school, or work office and see a sea of purple. We hope that you hear nothing but positive messages that make you feel special, loved, and remind you that you are never alone,” the P.S. I Love You team says on its website.
Roanoke Avenue Elementary School was a sea of purple Friday, Dillon said. The school’s theme this year is the ocean. All students are being read “The Starfish Story” adapted from Loren Eisley’s “The Star Thrower,” she said. The message of the story is that you should embrace your unique self and love yourself the way you are! Everyone is different, yet everyone is important.”
Students decorated a fish and added it to the Roanoke Fish Tank in the school cafeteria, representing all the unique students in our building, Dillon said. The students’ sea of purple assembled in the auditorium to finish off the week and celebrate P.S. I Love You Day together.
It was “an exciting and eventful week at Roanoke” and students truly enjoyed it,” Dillon said.
Photos courtesy of Kelly Dillon
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