The character pillar for the month of March is Responsibility.
Naturally, a child’s concerns are for himself and generally limited to the here and now. But, that is where the seeds of responsibility are planted. The first steps toward growth occur when a child begins to take responsibility for himself. Even a young child can do this. This month children will learn to recognize their share of responsibility in a situation. The will learn that they have responsibilities as members of groups – family, school, community and global. I plan to stress the importance of taking responsibility for the Earth. We ill discuss ways to help the environment, and that by doing so, ultimately helps us as the human inhabitants.
Please remember there are so many ways you can help the Earth! Please discuss with your child the importance of turning off TV’s, lights, when you leave a room. Use less water. Use cloth shopping bags. REDUCE! This is the first strategy because we need to take a hard look at our consumerism. Do we really need one more (blouse, TV, pair of shoes, etc.)? REUSE! Plastic containers, bags….. RECYCLE! Anything and everything you can. Check out Montgomery County’s website for items that are acceptable to recycle:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov
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We will continue to learn about bullies, victims, and bystanders. Bullying is when someone (or more) uses power with the aim of hurting another person, over and over again. This imbalance of power makes it hard for the victim to defend him or herself. A victim usually doesn't know how to speak up for him/herself and feels powerless, afraid, weak, and angry, although this is not always the case. Bystanders are those on the periphery of the bully/victim relationship who do nothing for a variety of reasons, including fear of retribution, being unpopular, or just not caring.
We have learned the DeBug system of conflict resolution. This involves 5 levels, or steps, that students are encouraged to use to resolve or prevent a conflict. The steps are:
1. Ignore
2. Walk away (if possible)
3. Use friendly words to ask the person to stop.
4. Use firm words if the friendly words don't work.
5. Seek adult help
Students are taught to seek adult help right away if they or someone else is being hurt or threatened. This system encourages students to take responsibility for their self-care and actions.
I will speak to the students about Debug and bullying at the Stop & Think Assemblies. I will also go into classrooms to address the issue through guidance lessons. I have encouraged students who feel they might be a victim or bully to go to you, to their teachers, to me, or another trusted adult to get help.
Need more information? Check out these websites dedicated to the bullying issue:
Students have many choices and decisions to make throughout their day. They are also faced with many interpersonal, conflict, and problem-solving situations. These factors put them at risk for making inappropriate or harmful decisions. It is important that they learn social skills that will help them to be successful in the classroom and in life. Stop & Think is a step by step social skills program that teaches students to make good social and behavioral choices; even when confronted with difficult situations. The idea that every decision has a consequence is reinforced. Students are taught to reflect - before acting - about what the possible outcome of their decision might be, and then try to make a good choice. Daly Elementary has been using this program successfully. Teachers teach the social skills lessons, and the concept is reinforced by the whole staff. Examples of the lessons being taught at Daly ES:
Listening, Following Directions, Asking for Help, Ignoring Distractions, Accepting Consequences, etc
Familiar Stop & Think language heard around Daly ES is...
| 1. Stop & Think |
| 2. Are you going to make a Good Choice or a Bad Choice? You need to make a Good Choice. |
| 3. What are your Choices or Steps? |
| 4. Just do it! |
| 5. Great job! |
The Stop & think Program was developed by Howard M. Knoff, Ph.D.
Daly Elementary has a very strong recycling program. For several years we have consistently made A’s on our report card from the county! Each classroom has a recycle bin (or two) for paper products, and bins are in the offices and other rooms throughout the building. A team of students goes through the building every day to collect the recyclable materials from the bins. We also recycle glass/plastic bottles, aluminum cans, etc. A big thank you goes to our building service staff for handling this for us!
This is a perfect opportunity to teach children how to RESPECT the environment, to be RESPONSIBLE & CARING, and to show good CITIZENSHIP!
We hope you continue the recycling effort in your homes, and thank you.
And if you're interested in taking this further, check out www.wastefreelunches.org! This program addresses the environmental cost of relying of single-use products that student lunches are packed in. Did you know that in one school year, an average school-age child using a disposable lunch generates about 67 lbs of waste, and that equals to 18,760 lbs of lunch waste for just one average size elementary school! (Information from the website)