Hartford elementary building citizenship

At Hartford Elementary School, Principal Beth Mannix says the first week will be focused on getting students back into a routine.

In a change from previous years, the prekindergarten classes will start on Sept, 5, along with all the other grades.

The school held a kindergarten orientation for parents and students that allowed the new kindergarteners to meet their classmates and their teachers, The prekindergarten students have a get-together today to meet their classmates, aide and teacher.

Mannix’s hope is that all the students will be “bucket fillers” this year. Each year, she reads the younger students a book called “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?  A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids,” which focuses on ways to make others feel good.

“We talk about everyone having an invisible bucket that gets filled by others being nice to us (a smile, a kind word, a compliment, etc.), but people can also be “bucket dippers” when they hurt people’s feelings,” she said. “This is a great discussion on helping children to learn how to express kindness and love in an effort to leading a happier life.”

By the end of September, the school will host its first citizens’ assembly to recognize citizens of the month, September and October birthdays, bus riders of the month and any student who had their writing published in local media.