Harborfields Central School District

The Harborfields Central School District proudly joined schools across the country in celebrating #StartWithHelloWeek, a national initiative from Sandy Hook Promise designed to build connections, encourage inclusion, and strengthen our school community through small but meaningful gestures of kindness. 

Throughout the week, students and staff participated in activities that brought the Harborfields community closer together, sparking conversations, building new friendships, and reminding everyone that even a simple “hello” can make a big difference. Each building hosted daily activities centered on connection and inclusion: 

• Monday at Washington Drive… School Resource Officer Ciaramitaro visited WDPS and shared helpful tips on the morning announcements. 
• Tuesday at Thomas J. Lahey… Students were encouraged to find someone wearing the same color name tag at recess and start a conversation. 
• Wednesday across the district… Everyone wore green as a symbol of unity. Not only is green a Harborfields color, but its the color of Sandy Hook Promise. 
• Thursday at Oldfield Middle School… Students wrote acts of kindness on slips of paper that were linked together to create a giant chain of connection. 
• Friday at Harborfields High School… It was “Fist Bump Friday!” Teachers handed out green smiley face stickers to students caught spreading kindness through fist bumps. 

“When I visited the buildings all week, they were buzzing with activities,” said Dr. Rory Manning, Superintendent of Schools. “I was so proud to see students meeting someone new, giving compliments to friends and teachers, identifying a trusted adult, and, of course, signing the pledge to be an upstander for other students.” 

While #StartWithHelloWeek is just five days long, its message will carry on throughout the Harborfields community during the school year and beyond.