Yeshivat He’Atid fifth graders and their parents recently participated in a meaningful and engaging “Night of Kavod V’Kehilah,” an evening designed to encourage parents and students to discuss the complex issues of peer relationships. The program aimed to foster collaboration and conversation on the themes of community and kindness.

The program was led and created by Yeshivat He’Atid’s Director of Guidance Ariela Brum and consisted of multiple learning modules and group activities centered around kavod v’kehila (respect and community), one of the school’s four core values.

To start, students and parents worked in small groups to categorize real-life scenarios relevant to their own social lives, emotions and relationships. They were asked to categorize each scenario as “OK,” “not OK” or “maybe OK.” Examples of scenarios include: telling someone they cannot join in the middle of a game at recess; inviting some people to your birthday party; having a group chat; and having a best friend.

This activity sparked enriching conversations amongst the children, while also requiring them to practice and apply both their critical thinking and decision making skills as they worked through the categorization process.The exercise also provided parents with insight into how their children and their children’s peers view these sometimes tricky situations.

The group also watched short clips from the movie “Wonder” (which many of the students read in fourth grade), touching on a variety of themes including inclusivity, talking about someone behind their back, the meaning of friendship and giving people second chances. Parent/child pairs then answered prompts and questions aimed at helping them further explore the often complex issues portrayed in each scene. Everyone then came together for a wider conversation with the whole group.

Parents and students expressed how much they both enjoyed and learned from the program.

Fifth grader Caleb shared that the program “was really good and it will be really fun to continue. I liked the always, maybe, never sorting activity because it showed me that other people have different opinions on different things.” One student expressed that she really enjoyed discussing these issues with her parents. And another fifth grader shared, “I think learning about these values will help the classroom do better and be kinder.”

This program is the launch of a yearlong social-emotional curriculum to set them on a successful path through middle school and beyond.