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Actress Goldie Hawn Teams Up With Miami-Dade School Board

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Actress Goldie Hawn has teamed up with the Miami-Dade School Board to help students of South Florida deal with stress management.

The Oscar Award winning actress made a surprise appearance at a School Board meeting Wednesday to unveil a partnership agreement that will benefit children at selection Miami-Dade public schools.

Hawn established a foundation, called the Hawn Foundation, nearly a decade ago. It is dedicated to the development of programs to help children acquire social and emotional skills they will need in order to lead smarter, healthier and more resilient lives.

The MindUP Program's curriculum focuses on reducing stress and anxiety; improving concentration, focus and academic performance; gaining greater self-insight and awareness; reducing peer-to-peer conflict such as bullying; and learning to more rapidly appreciate the many differences and qualities of others especially when different from one's own. The curriculum is implemented through 15 lessons that are presented in three developmentally appropriate levels: pre-K through 2nd grade, 3rd grade through 5th grade, and 6th through 8th grade.

The schools involved in the program in Miami-Dade will be Coconut Palm K-8 Academy and William Lehman Elementary School.

Hawn said she started the foundation after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, concerned about the stresses facing school-age children.

"A kid can earn straight A's and end up killing themselves because they're overworked, overpressured," Hawn told CBS4 News partner The Miami Herald.

After stopping for photos with the School Board, Hawn was escorted out of the meeting by Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report.)

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