Character+Education+Policies+and+Procedures

2.3010 Philosophy
Character Education Program is the foundation of the education program at the School. Character Education, or the teaching of community and societal values, is integrated throughout all curriculum areas is specially designed to ensure Students learn appropriate behavior in addition to developing good character. Helping children develop values such as honesty, courage, respect, cooperation and dependability is as important as teaching them to read or how to cross the street safely. The School’s Character Education component is constantly monitored, evaluated and upgraded to ensure Students are exposed to the most comprehensive program possible.

2.3020 Character Education Policy
The School defines character education as the conscious effort of families, schools and community to teach, advocate and model ethical behavior. One of the most important functions of schools is to reflect and reinforce positive character traits and to teach the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. High standards of conduct are closely related to high levels of academic achievement, and such standards are essential for effective participation in a democratic society. The School strives to develop behavior which reflects widely held community values, including: Caring, Compassion, Cooperation, Good Sportsmanship, Courage, Diligence, Perseverance, Honesty, Fairness, Loyalty, Citizenship, Respect, Tolerance, Patience, Self-esteem, Courtesy and Responsibility. In accepting the responsibility to help Students develop their unique potential and character, the School creates a partnership with Parents, where they work hand-in-hand to instill a sense of ethics and moral judgment. To maintain an educational and work environment that supports character development of Students, we expect that Board members, administrators, teachers, staff, students and volunteers in the school will recognize their role as models for others, consistently exemplifying and enforcing high standards of respect and responsibility. Teachers will integrate character education as it arises naturally in the classroom and curriculum, in interactions with others, and in all school activities.

2.3030 Overview of Character Education
Character Education is the development of knowledge, skills and abilities that encourage the learners to make informed and responsible choices. The values we teach children are their best protection from the influences of peer pressure, the violence that permeates our society, and the temptations of a consumer culture. Character Education enables students to come face to face with the realities of life. It teaches them to think critically and act responsibly. With their own values clearly defined, children can make their own decisions – rather than succumb to peer pressure or merely imitate their friends – and they are equipped to make better decisions.

The focus of the character education program will be on developing positive behaviors which reflect widely accepted community values. The character education program presented will encompass specific traits or “values” that will be taught during the course of the school year. By concentrating on specific areas of character development, children will be provided with ample opportunities to learn, understand, and practice each trait, both in school and at home. The character traits are broader than their titles and contain many facets. These character traits are not hierarchical or bound by sequence. Each is equally important and can be taught in any sequence. Often when examining one value, others come into play. The important concept is that students will obtain a clearer understanding of each value, and thus obtain a clearer understanding of right and wrong, acceptable behavior, and good citizenship.

To be effective, Character Education cannot be an “add on” to a curriculum – it must be integrated throughout the curriculum, extra-curricular activities and social interactions that occur among all members of the school community. This method makes character education more meaningful, and, provides children with opportunities to see the importance of good character traits in many settings and circumstances. Character Education centers around the development of the whole child in an educational climate that nurtures academic success through teaching respect and self-esteem. Students engage in a variety of experiential learning activities that include cooperative learning, role playing, creative thinking, problem-solving and conflict resolution strategies. The “good” character traits, or “values,” are reinforced at each grade level through materials that relate to lessons learned in prior years, but which go more in depth each year.

2.3040 Goals of Character Education
The expectations and goals for the Character Education Program are quite simple:

1. Develop a caring school community that promotes and models the core values. 2. Create a staff with an understanding of its role as character educators and the skills necessary to foster character development in students. 3. Develop Students that learn about, understand, practice and model core values and positive character traits.

2.3050 Character Education Motto
Constellation Schools and the School have adopted the following Character Education Motto: “REMEMBER: We all have choices; choices have consequences; be smart and make the right choices.” This motto will be displayed prominently in the School and each classroom.

2.3060 School Climate
Character education cannot be taught in a vacuum. The general attitudes of teachers, staff and students, together with the appearance and environment of the school, set the tone. Clean hallways and classrooms, respectful behavior towards one another, and high expectations, create an orderly, positive school environment. The School will emphasize and model courtesy and caring in both adult-to-adult and adult-to-student interactions. Adults modeling the behavior they wish to cultivate in students is a powerful tool and sends a strong message to children about respect, caring, responsibility and fairness. The more positive and respectful the school atmosphere, the more conducive it is to high academic achievement.

2.3070 Visual Representations of Positive Character Traits
The School will continuously display multiple representations of the character traits and values that are important in the school community. Each month teachers will display:

Banners with the character trait/value of the month.

Banners with messages relating to the character trait/value of the month.

Bulletin boards focusing on the values.

Newsletters with stories relating to the appropriate character trait.

2.3080 Selected Character Traits
The following character traits will be presented and developed:

__CARING/COMPASSION:__ Be sympathetic, empathetic and understanding toward the needs and feelings of others. Show you care about others through kindness and sharing.

__COOPERATION/GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP:__ Work together for a common purpose; the ability to take winning or losing without gloating or complaining. Be disciplined and exercise self-control.

__COURAGE:__ The willingness to face obstacles and challenges with determination.

__DILIGENCE/PERSEVERANCE:__ Work hard without giving up in a careful, consistent manner. Always do your best. Keep trying, don’t quit or give up easily.

__HONESTY/FAIRNESS:__ Be truthful and just. Listen to others and try to understand what they are saying and feeling. Be sincere, don’t deceive, mislead or be devious or tricky. Don’t betray a trust, steal or cheat.

__LOYALTY:__ Be faithful to a person, a team, your country or an idea. Don’t talk behind someone’s back, spread rumors or engage in gossip. Don’t violate other ethical principles to keep or win a friendship or gain approval. Don’t ask a friend to do something wrong.

__CITIZENSHIP:__ Demonstrate your rights and privileges as a citizen of the United States as well as the school and community. Obey laws, respect authority, and play by the rules. Be charitable and altruistic.

__RESPECT:__ For Others: Judge all people on their merits. Demonstrate tolerance and patience for the individual differences, views and beliefs of others. Don’t abuse, demean, or mistreat, manipulate, exploit or take advantage of others. For Self: Proper satisfaction in your accomplishments and achievements. Demonstrate a positive opinion of oneself. Working to ones best ability.

__COURTESY:__ Demonstrate polite, well-mannered behavior towards others.

__RESPONSIBILITY:__ Carry out a duty or task carefully and thoroughly. Be a person others can count on, depend on or trust. Consider possible consequences before you act. Don’t make excuses or blame others. Set a good example for others.

2.3090 Role of Principal
The Principal is the primary driving force of the Character Education Program. Just as the Principal ensures the academic curriculum is being followed, and provides overall leadership for the faculty, staff and students. The Principal creates and chairs the character education planning committee for the school. The Principal uses the first staff meeting of each month as a “kick-off” for the character trait of the month, and provides opportunities for staff to share character education ideas and successes.

2.3100 Role of Teachers
Teachers, like parents, provide role models for children. To be effective, Teachers must provide impeccable examples for their students and help create a caring classroom community. Teachers treat students with respect, encouraging good behavior and correcting improper behavior. They act as facilitators, ensuring that discussions run smoothly. Teachers: 1. Introduce the lesson/topic. 2. Avoid indicating personal bias concerning the topic. 3. Attempt to include all students in the discussion. 4. Prevent any one member of the class from dominating the discussion. 5. Ask questions to stimulate group members to explore other points of view. 6. At the conclusion of the discussion, review the various points of view. 7. Assist students in understanding more clearly the benefits of making informed and responsible choices. 8. Encourage students to explore a variety of problem-solving techniques as alternatives to antisocial behavior.

In addition, teachers discuss character issues in class as they relate to the various subjects being taught, and integrate character lessons into the existing curriculum, as opportunities arise, using cooperative learning, class meetings, personal reflection journals, role-playing, cooperative projects, debate and discussion, and, Character Education Curriculum.

Focusing on one character trait each month allows teachers to intertwine character development through all phases of the daily routine. The character traits must be emphasized in each classroom in order to reach every child. Specific classroom activities should include, but not be limited to:

· Conscious implementation of strategies designed to develop character · Modeling of appropriate behavior · Exhortations on the traits and behaviors related to the traits · Use of literature that has themes related to the traits · Democratic classroom practices

2.3110 Role of Parents
Parents are an essential part of every child’s character development. Parents provide the first opportunity for children to learn “right and wrong” and “good and bad.” It is important for parents to continue to play this role throughout the development of their children. Parents are an integral part of the Character Education Program at the School and should expect to fully participate in the education of their children. Parents will attend Parent Education events so that they may develop a full understanding of the program and policies of the school, and how they can reinforce the curriculum.

2.3120 Grandparent Caretaker Policy
A grandparent with a grandchild living with them may enroll the grandchild in the School pursuant to the Admission and Lottery Standards Policy No. 241. Such grandparent must provide a Power of Attorney and a Caretaker Authorization Affidavit.

A. Power of Attorney A Power of Attorney is created by a parent, guardian or custodian of any student of the school, and grants to the grandparent of the child with whom the child is residing any of the parent’s, guardian’s or custodian’s rights or responsibilities regarding the care, physical custody and control of the child, including the ability to enroll the child in school, to obtain from the school district educational and behavioral information about the child, to consent to all school-related matters regarding the child, and to consent to medical, psychological or dental treatment for the child. A Power of Attorney does not convey legal custody of the grandchild to the grandparent and does not affect the rights of a parent, guardian or custodian in any future proceedings.

B. Caretaker Authorization Affidavit A Caretaker Authorization Affidavit may be executed by a grandparent who has made reasonable attempts to locate and contact both of the child’s parents or the child’s guardian or custodian, but has been unable to do so. The Caretaker Authorization Affidavit gives the grandparent the authority to exercise care, physical custody and control of the child, including authority to enroll the child in school; discuss with the school the child’s educational progress; consent to all school-related matters regarding the child; and consent to medical, psychological or dental treatment for the child.

C. The execution of a Power of Attorney or Caretaker Authorization Affidavit for the purpose of enrolling the child in a school or school district so that the child may participate in the academic or inter-scholastic athletic programs provided by the school or school district is prohibited. Such falsification is a first degree misdemeanor, and voids the Power of Attorney or Caretaker Authorization Affidavit.

D. Both the Power of Attorney and the Caretaker Authorization Affidavit terminate after the following events: • expiration of one year after execution; • termination of the child’s residence with the grandparent; • termination by the court; or • death of the grandparent.

//R.C. 3109.52; 3109.65//

See the Caretaker Authorization Affidavit and the Caretaker Power of Attorney.

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