Highland View

Click here for information Character Education activities around Greendale Schools.

We began a new Character Education program at all three elementary schools in Greendale in the 2008-2009 school year. This effort represented a natural evolution of Guidance services at the elementary level with the intent of incorporating Character Education into all aspects of instruction rather than in isolation in weekly Guidance lessons. The theme is, “Students in Greendale CARE even when no one is looking.” CARE stands for Community, Attitude, Respect, and Empathy. The overall goal is to build intrinsic motivation in students so that they give of themselves without wanting anything in return.

Each school develops the CARE themes primarily through weekly lessons and class meetings facilitated by classroom teachers with their homeroom students. Staff model expected behavior and use common language with the students in the context of monthly character trait topics. Students give examples of positive behavior during weekly announcements and monthly assemblies. Finally, we incorporated the CARE philosophy into our existing behavior plans in order to create a positive, proactive approach to managing student behavior. Each building has a bulletin board that explains the CARE philosophy and provides examples of students who exemplify CARE behavior.

A CARE Committee at each building monitors the implementation of the program on an ongoing basis. This group is comprised of the teachers who developed the program during Summer 2008, and they meet on a regular basis with the building principal during the school year to assess progress and recommend changes. Committee members are given time at faculty meetings in order to listen to feedback and provide suggestions as well as share ideas.

Elementary Guidance was restructured for the 2009-2010 school year. Students will continue to receive support in making appropriate decisions and understanding community connections. This will be done through classroom work, a common language of expectations, Pupil Services support, and parent communication. Although the model may appear different from the past, the goal of helping our children become responsible citizens will continue to be the main focus of the program.

The monthly Guidance themes will continue to be utilized with some minor changes to more closely reflect the CARE philosophy. Teachers will include these themes in classroom meetings and through connections to literature, writing, Social Studies, and other appropriate situations. The integration of the CARE philosophy into the curriculum allows for “real world” application by students so that the traits become a natural part of their lives.

Pupil Services staff members assigned to each school will be asked to take a leadership role on School Climate committees in order to encourage and promote school-wide initiatives related to CARE. They will provide training, as needed, through staff meetings to help teachers create meaningful strategies to address monthly themes in their classroom. In addition, Pupil Services staff will continue to provide classroom instruction for sensitive topics and begin running small groups, as needed, to encourage responsibility, enhance social skills, and deal with other issues of concern for students. Individual assistance for students in need of support will also continue to be available.

Monthly Themes

• September – Building Community (former monthly theme of Compassion/Kindness)
• October – Responsibility
• November – Attitude (former monthly theme of Self-Discipline)
• December– Respect
• January – Empathy (former monthly theme of Perseverance)
• February – Perseverance/Honesty (combine former themes of January and February)
• March – Fairness/Sportsmanship (tie into building a positive community)
• April – Self-Esteem and Protective Behaviors
• May – Citizenship