It's time to register for Connecticut's Kid Governor 2016-2017!

After a successful pilot year, the Connecticut Public Affairs Network at Connecticut's Old State House is excited to announce the second year of Connecticut's Kid Governor!

This fall, Connecticut 5th graders will participate in a statewide election for Connecticut's next Kid Governor. Through educational toolkits, which contain in-class lessons, and the 2016 election, students will learn about our three branches of state government, the history & process of voting, and the importance of civic engagement...all from the comfort of the classroom!

All 5th grade classes in Connecticut are invited to participate in this program by either nominating a student candidate from their school and voting in the election - or by just voting in the election. Don't miss your chance to participate in this FREE program...the next Connecticut's Kid Governor (CKG) could be YOUR student!

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• Register your class for CKG 2016 -2017!

• Check out our toolkits of in-class lessons

• Sign-up for our Tuesday, September 27 workshop or Wednesday, September 28 webinar to learn more about CKG

• Review the official Rules & Regulations, Entry Form, and Photography & Media Release for student candidates

 

Connecticut's Kid Governor is aligned with the Connecticut Core Standards & Connecticut Social Studies Frameworks. It provides an innovative way to incorporate civics and taking informed action into your classroom. The program also fulfills standards set in the new Red, White & Blue Schools program launched by the Connecticut Department of Education and the Office of the Secretary of the State.

 For more information about Connecticut's Kid Governor: Visit CT.KidGovernor.org

or contact Head of Education Brian Cofrancesco at Brian.Cofrancesco@kidgovernor.org.

 

Get ready for Kindness Day on September 13!

Hi friends, it's Elena here with another blog post!! 

I once again have ten kindness suggestions for this month's Kindness Day on September 13. I will focus on doing acts of kindness at school because I know many of you are back at school!

1. If you see someone sitting alone, invite them to come sit next to you or go sit with them!!!! 
2. Make your teacher a card telling them some things about you and how you can't wait to be in their class!! 
3. Bake your teacher or bus driver or even your class some baked goods! 
4. Bring a card to your bus driver telling him or her "thank you" for driving you!! 
5. Donate one of your old books to your classroom!! 
6. See if your school librarian needs any help shelving books!! 
7. If someone drops something go pick it up for them!! 
8. Compliment someone's outfit or hair or shoes!! 
9. Start a game on the playground and invite everyone to play!! 
10. Help someone up if they fall!! 

So these are the kindness suggestions for the month!!

Me talking with kids at the New Haven Public Library about my campaign for kindness during my Summer Library Circuit!

Also remember to write down your act of kindness for Kindness Day on a paper hand - or your own hand! - and share it through social media using #HandsofKindness. This will share my campaign for kindness with lots of people!

This month I would like to give a shout out to my grandmothers Fene and Mema!! Good job being kind!! And also shout out to Ms. Joyce Lesich from the Kiwanis of Charlottesville Virginia!! Thank you for that kind email!! 

That's all for this month talk to you next month bye!!!!!!

- Elena

Start your school year off with kindness!

A message from your friends at the Connecticut Public Affairs Network...

Hey there students and teachers! Welcome back to class for another great year! Elena’s Campaign for Kindness has had an active summer, and we’re very excited to see it continue into this school year. Each new school year brings new experiences: new teachers, new students, and new friendships!

The start of school is the perfect time to think about ways to spread kindness in your classroom, school, community, and beyond. What are some ways that you plan to be kind this year? Whether it’s starting the day with a smile, sitting with someone new at lunch, or filling your classroom with kindness-themed quotes, there’s no act of kindness that’s too big or too small to make a difference!

Need some more ideas? Let’s look at what some of Elena’s constituents – your fellow students and teachers from across the state – are doing to celebrate kindness:

• Enfield’s middle school and high school students hosted a pancake breakfast to raise money and non-perishable food items for local charities, and they even held a Kindness Carnival to reward the town’s younger students for their acts of kindness!
• High school students in Enfield also paired up with elementary schools to mentor 2nd graders, giving them great advice on how to do well in school and how to spread kindness.
• A retired teacher from West Hartford suggests starting each day with a “Circle of Love” – students and teachers all sit together and take turns wishing kindness and good luck to friends, family, or classmates.
• Chaplin Elementary School starts every day with the following “kindness pledge,” and they encourage other classrooms to use it, too!: 
• I pledge to myself on this day,
  To try and be kind in every way.
  To every person big and small,
  I will help them if they fall.
  When I love myself and others too,
  That is the best that I can do.
• Mrs. Finch's classroom at Center School in East Hampton celebrated Kindness Day on the 13th of each month by making a kindness banner for the hallway and collecting items for a local food bank!
• Pleasant Valley Elementary School in South Windsor and Reynolds School in Newington are both getting Buddy Benches for their playgrounds, and East Hartford Rotary has purchased eleven Buddy Benches for the town’s elementary schools!

Do you have other suggestions on how to spread kindness? Write to Elena at CKGElena@kidgovernor.org to share your ideas! Or, if you end up trying one of the ideas from this post, write to us at Brian.Cofrancesco@kidgovernor.org and let us know how it turned out for your class!

Welcome back to school! 

It's time for August Kindness Day!

Hi friends, it's Elena again here with another blog post!!

I once again have ten kindness suggestions for this month's Kindness Day on August 13th!

1. Do a chore for your family without them knowing!
2. Let someone go ahead of you in line! 
3. Donate food to you local food pantry!
4. Read a book to your younger siblings!  
5. Make someone else's bed!
6. Say "thank you" to service worker! 
7. Volunteer at a soup kitchen! 
8. Bring some play dough to a preschool class! 
9. Make a thank you card for your librarian! 
10. Visit your local retirement home and visit a resident!

So these are the kindness suggestions for the month!! What will you do?? Let me know what you're doing this month by emailing me at CKGElena@kidgovernor.org.

Also, new this month! You can write down your act of kindness for Kindness Day on a paper hand - or your own hand! - and share it through social media using #HandsofKindness. This will share my campaign for kindness with lots of people!

  

#HandsofKindness

This month I would like to give a few shout outs:

• To the East Hartford Rotary Club for donating eleven Buddy Benches to East Hartford elementary schools!! 
• To the HOT Schools Summer Institute for letting me speak at their annual conference and spread the word about kindness! 
• HOT Schools Coaches Donna Fitzgerald, Betty Hadlock and Carol Kennedy for their email and support!
• Also big shout out to Joyce Lesich from the Kiwanis Club of Charlottesville, VA - thank you for the email and for helping with the Kiwanis 5k run to benefit kids with medical concerns!! 

Talk to you guys soon!!

- Elena

Announcing CKG Elena's Summer Library Circuit - meet Elena at a local library near you!

A message from your friends at the Connecticut Public Affairs Network...

The Connecticut Public Affairs Network is excited to announce 

Connecticut’s Kid Governor Elena Tipton’s 

2016 Summer Library Circuit 

Meet Governor Elena and learn about her Campaign for Kindness!

Connecticut’s Kid Governor Elena Tipton will visit five libraries across Connecticut as part of her 2016 Summer Library Circuit. Governor Tipton, a recent graduate of Dr. Thomas S. O’Connell Elementary School in East Hartford, will present her Campaign for Kindness platform and discuss how she and other students are working to make Connecticut a kinder state. Elena will also share her vision of installing “Buddy Benches” at 10 Connecticut playgrounds and explain how kids, adults, schools and civic groups can work together to fulfill her goal. The programs are free and open to kids and adults alike, and all attendees will get to participate in a kindness activity! 

Don’t miss your chance to Meet Elena at:

• Hartford Public Library (Downtown, 500 Main Street) on Tuesday, August 9 at 11:00am in the 3rd floor Children’s Department 
• Russell Library (123 Broad Street, Middletown) on Monday, August 15 at 1:00pm in the Children’s Activity Room
• New Haven Free Public Library (Ives Branch, 133 Elm Street) on Monday, August 15 at 4:00pm in the Young Minds and Family Learning Program Room
• Farmington Public Library (Main Library, 6 Monteith Drive) on Wednesday, August 17 at 1:15pm in the Community Room
• Meriden Public Library (105 Miller Street) on Wednesday, August 17 at 4:00pm in the Griffin Room

For more information, please contact Brian Cofrancesco at Brian.Cofrancesco@kidgovernor.org or visit facebook.com/CTKidGovernor.  

This past November, hundreds of 5th graders across the state elected Elena Tipton as the first ever Connecticut’s Kid Governor through a pilot program created by the Connecticut Public Affairs Network (CPAN). Governor Tipton is making several appearances at local libraries as part of her Connecticut’s Kid Governor Summer Library Circuit to share her platform and ways to take action. 

For more information about Governor Tipton’s platform and the Connecticut’s Kid Governor program, please visit CT.KidGovernor.org. 

Bring a "Buddy Bench" to your school or community playground!

Hi everyone, it's Elena here again!! In today's blog post I will be talking all about Buddy Benches and my platform goal of getting 10 schools or communities to bring Buddy Benches to their local playgrounds or parks!! 

So a Buddy Bench is a bench that is out at a school playground or local park and it says "Buddy Bench" on it. When somebody doesn't have anyone to play with they can go sit on that bench and another person goes up to them and says "Hey, why don't you come play with me?" Saying that simple thing gives that person someone to play with and can change their whole day!! Watch my latest video below or HERE to learn more about Buddy Benches!

Now this whole Buddy Bench idea was not my idea - it was started by a superstar kid named Christian Bucks and his principal!! I want to give a huge shout out to him!! Check out his website BuddyBench.org to learn more about him and the story of Buddy Benches!

As I mentioned in the video, there are a few ways you can bring a buddy bench at your school or local playground. You can:

• Paint a bench that is already there and put the words "Buddy Bench" on it!! 
• Find a person or group to build a new Buddy Bench!!
• Buy a custom Buddy Bench online!

There are many ways to raise money for a Buddy Bench! You can have a school fundraiser, contact a community or civic group in your town, or even contact your local Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts about building a bench!! My friends at the Connecticut Public Affairs Network have created a handy Buddy Bench Planning Worksheet available HERE to help you plan your project.

Will you be one of the 10 schools that commits to bringing a Buddy Bench to their community?? I hope you consider it! And if you do please contact me at CKGElena@kidgovernor.org and you will for sure get a shout out in my next blog post - I want to know who's excited to start a Buddy Bench project!

Special shout-outs to Pleasant Valley Elementary School in South Windsor and Reynolds School in Newington who are bringing Buddy Benches to their schools, and the East Hartford Rotary Club who is buying 11 Buddy Benches for our local East Hartford schools!! 

If we work together, we can make Connecticut kinder through Buddy Benches!

For more information about my platform and the Connecticut’s Kid Governor, please visit CT.KidGovernor.org. I will talk to you later – bye!

- Elena

July Kindness Day is Here!

Hey friends it's Elena again - can you believe it's already July?? This year has been going by so fast!

This month, I have 10 new suggested acts of kindness for you to do this Wednesday, July 13th:

1. Your neighbors might need some help with jobs like mowing the lawn or walking the dog - ask them if they need any help!! 
2. Setup a lemonade stand and give all the money you raise to a charity. Maybe you can give to Alex's Lemonade Stand for Childhood Cancer!!! 
3. Make cards for your friends or family but put a twist on it!! Make a card full of things that you love about that person and put it in an envelope - you can do this a bunch of times and hand them out to your friends. 
4. Go through your toys and give the ones that you really don't use anymore to a younger sibling or a friend's younger sibling!! 
5. When you take out a library book, write a secret happy letter on a piece of paper and leave it inside the book - when someone takes that book out they will find a happy letter in the book!!
6. Let someone go in front of you in line!! 
7. Bake a yummy desert for a neighbor!!
8. Fill a jar with candy, label it the "Kindness Jar," then give it to a family member or someone in your neighborhood.
9. If you know someone who is sick, make a "get well soon" card for them. 
10. If you have some books that you don't read anymore, donate them to your local library!! 

Those are my kindness suggestions for this month!! Which of them will you do? What other acts of kindness do you have in mind?? Be sure to share them with me at CKGElena@kidgovernor.org or post a comment below!

This month I have two shout-outs! One is to this amazing dog I met named Gizmo!! He is super awesome and kind!! 

Me with Gizmo at the Farmers Market at the Old State House in Hartford.

I also met Bessie the Cow at the Farmers Market!

Also shout-out to the Rotary Club of East Hartford for letting me speak about my campaign for kindness at their meeting!!

 

Photos from the East Hartford Rotary Meeting: me with the club's banner; me with President Glass, East Hartford Mayor Leclerc, and East Hartford Superintendent Quesnel; and me speaking to the club about my kindness platform. 

Be sure to email me the kindness acts you do this month at CKGElena@kidgovernor.org so I can give you a shout-out!! Talk to you in my next blogpost!! Be kind!!

- Elena