- Peabody Elementary School
- Character education
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“Empowering Eagles” Monthly Character Traits 2023-2024 School Year
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August Caring- being compassionate and showing others you care
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I can be friendly and helpful. I can be loving.
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September Respect- showing regard for self, others, property, and environment
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I can show concern, care, and acceptance for myself and for others.
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October Responsibility- willingness to be accountable for your own actions without blaming others
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I can be accountable for my own actions. I can be dependable and reliable.
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November Gratitude- focusing on what's good in our lives and being thankful for the things we have
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I can look for the good in the people around me, in myself, and in what happens in my life.I can be thankful. I can make the best of what I have.
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December Empathy- identifying and understanding others’ feelings in order to get along better with people
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I can be tolerant of others. I can listen without judging. I can question my own biases and assumptions. I matter, and so does every person.
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January Integrity- doing what is right even if it is difficult
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I can make good choices. I can be honest in my words and actions.
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February Peace - living in harmony with others
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I can be content. I can solve problems without angry words or violence. I can be calm.
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March Perseverance- sticking with a task; not giving up
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I can do hard things. I can keep trying. I can learn from my mistakes.
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April Cooperation- working together in a peaceful way
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I can work with others for a common purpose.
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May Self-Discipline- thinking about your words, emotions, and actions and then making choices that are right for you and others.
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I can think before I react. I can think before I speak.
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Empowering Eagle students who model the specific trait well or have made significant improvement will be chosen each month by both a student-led vote and a teacher’s choice and shall:
~ receive a character award certificate,
~ have their picture on the wall celebrating the modeled character trait, &
~ share a special lunch & play time with Mrs. Cueto, the school counselor.
Make sure to “catch” students showing the traits. Use your “eagle eyes” to seek out these strength-based qualities. Praise and recognize them when they show courage, have a grateful attitude, let go of their anger in a healthy way, or show compassion to their classmates, etc. Tell them!
How have you empowered others by __________ ?
How have you empowered yourself using __________ ?
How can we empower our world through __________ ?
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Character means doing the right thing and doing your best work even when no one is looking. The best reason to be honest or to try your best is not to avoid punishment or to receive a treat; rather, the best reason is being able to look at yourself in the mirror and know you did the right thing because that’s the kind of person you want to be. That’s character. Character is the aggregate of who we are; it’s “what’s inside every one of us.” Character is not fixed; it can be grown.
All school staff—teachers, administrators, counselors, paraprofessionals, resource teachers, school psychologists, social workers, nurses, coaches, secretaries, cafeteria workers, playground and classroom aides, bus drivers—share the responsibility to ensure that every young person is practicing and developing the character strengths that will enable them to flourish in school, in relationships, in the workplace, and as citizens.
Let’s champion the belief expressed by Martin Luther King Jr.: “intelligence plus character — that is the goal of a true education.”
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