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WHAT ARE THE LIFESKILLS?

The LIFESKILLS define the Lifelong Guideline of "Personal Best".  The purpose of the LIFESKILLS are to guide children to an understanding of the personal and social behaviors that will enable them to do their personal best and thus enhance the likelihood that they will succeed in attaining their goals in life and in becoming contributing members to society.  There are 19 LIFESKILLS, which paint a rich and concrete picture of what it means to do one's personal best.  If children want to succeed at something, the LIFESKILLS give them a blueprint for how to proceed, how to give something their best shot. 

The Lifelong Guidelines and LIFESKILLS are the same things you are always reminding your children to follow because they are the building blocks for success in life.  They also answer the question, "Who are the heroes in your life and what are the qualities about them that you admire?"  Today, more than ever, children need heroes that demonstrate the qualities necessary for living a full and successful life, personally and as a contributing citizen.  What better heroes than parent?

The aspects of character, values, and attitudes come from the qualities citizens must possess to fully and effectively participate in nurturing our democratic society.  They are universally admired characteristics.  Without them, a democratic society cannot long survive nor can family life provide the supportive, nurturing environment children need and deserve.

The 19 LIFESKILLS are:  Caring, Common Sense, Cooperation, Courage, Creativity, Curiosity, Effort, Flexibility, Friendship, Initiative, Integrity, Organization, Patience, Perseverance, Pride, Problem Solving, Resourcefulness, Responsibility, and Sense of Humor. 

Tune in next week as we explore each Lifelong Guideline and LIFESKILL in more detail.

What are the Lifelong Guidelines?

Emotions play a critical role in learning.  According the Dr. Robert Sylwester of the University of Oregon, "Emotions drive attention and attention drives learning and memory."*  Therefore, the quality and nature of the relationships between parent/teacher and child and among siblings/classmates are vital factors for all learning, including development of character, values, and attitudes.   The behavior guidelines of the Highly Effective Teaching (HET) model are based upon a common-sense respect for self and others.  They provide consistent boundaries and expectations for one's behavior and performance -- now and as an adult.  That is why they are referred to as "lifelong" guidelines.

There are the five Lifelong Guidelines.

Trustworthiness:  To act in a manner that makes one worthy of trust and confidence

Truthfulness:  To act with personal responsibility and mental accountability

Active Listening:  To listen with the intention of understanding what the speaker means to communicate

No Put-Downs:  To never use words, actions, and/or body language that degrade, humiliate, or dishonor others

Personal Best:  To do one's best given the circumstances and available resources

Just imagine what a better place the world would be if each family member, neighbor, co-worker and boss -- everyone -- would practice and live by these guidelines! 

Ask your child to tell you about the Lifelong Guidelines Pledge and what they know and understand about the Lifelong Guidelines.

*See A Celebration of Neurons:  An Educator's Guide to the Human Brain by Dr. Robert Sylwester (Alexandria, VA: ASCD Publications, 1995), p. 86.

Making the Holidays Less Materialistic

One way to curb materialism in your children and reinforce the real reason for the season is to teach them to question marketing messages.  From the TV commercials during cartoons to the ads on cereal boxes, marketing messages target children of all ages.  And to them, everything looks ideal, like something they simply have to have.  It all sounds so appealing -- often, so much better than it really is.

The ads children see around the holidays can help foster unrealistic expectations and lead to disappointment.  After imagining their "wish list" items all around them, it's hard for reality to measure up when they actually open up their gifts.

Of course, it is nearly impossible to eliminate all exposure to marketing messages.  You can certainly turn off the TV or at least limit their screen time, but they'll still see and hear ads for the latest and greatest gizmos and must-haves.

Explain, when your children ask for products they see advertised, that commercials and other ads are designed to make people want things they don't necessarily need.  And these ads are often meant to make us think that these products will make us happier somehow.  Talking to kids about what things are like in reality can help put things into perspective.

Teach children that not everything they want can always be theirs and that a little "want" here and there isn't all bad.  The key is to want things in moderation and to fully appreciate what you're given.  Emphasize that the holidays are a special time, when a lot of love and thought is put into gift giving.

Children Learn What They Live

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealously, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

By Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D.

 

Conference Week Survey Results

Many thanks to all our families for attending the parent-teacher conferences and completing the survey.  The partnership between home and school directly benefits our students and makes Sope Creek one of the most outstanding schools anywhere! The results of the survey are attached. 

 Download 2011 Conference Survey Results

Quote of the Week

"Everything we do with and around children has a potential positive or negative effect on how their brains will function.  Everything our children eat, everything they drink, everything they watch on TV, everything they touch, everything they hear finds its way into their minds."  ~~Daniel Amen, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

Quote of the Week

"The surest path to positive self esteem is to succeed at something which one perceived would be difficult.  Each time we steal a student's struggle, we steal the opportunity for them to build self-confidence.  They must learn to do hard things to feel good about themselves." ~~ Sylvia Rimm

Sope Creek Data Trends

Dear Parents,

Annually, we review the results of the standardized tests we administer to our students to determine if we are meeting our School Strategic Plan (SSP) goals. Our Student Performance Goal is to increase the percentage of students scoring in the "exceeds" range on the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) by 3%. We are very proud to report that we exceeded our goal! In Math, we increased the percentage of students scoring in the "exceeds" range by 5.36% and in Reading/English Language Arts by 9.62%!   Although these results are the scores for third, fourth, and fifth grade students only, they represent the effort and perseverance of all our staff members. Additionally, we are happy to report that the percentage of  students scoring in the "exceeds" range on the Fifth Grade Writing Assessment increased by 3.91%.

These increases in the percentage of students scoring in the "exceeds" range on the CRCT and the Writing Assessment are the direct result of our teachers teaching writing across the curriculum and providing our students with rich, authentic purposes for writing. Research indicates a strong positive correlation between writing and increased student achievement in all content areas. Our focus on writing has yielded positive gains for our students on standardized measures as well as preparing them for the real world where effective written communication skills are essential. We will continue to integrate writing across the curriculum to promote student success in all areas of the curriculum.

Our PE Department has been collecting data on the correlation between cardiovascular fitness and student achievement. The charts below represent a five-­year study (2007-­2011) of 4th grade mile times and corresponding CRCT scores in the areas of Reading, Math, and Science. CRCT scores are reported in the following manner: Below 800- Does Not Meet Standards: 801-­849 - Meets Standards: Above 850 - Exceeds Standards. 2007 Math results were omitted because of a different calibration used that year. The numbers are averages of each subgroup. The positive correlation discovered between physical fitness and student achievement encouraged Coaches Maloney and Hunt to create more opportunities for our students to increase their daily physical activity through the addition of the Sunrise, Body Shop, and Kick-­Start Programs. Join us in the mornings before school to see these programs in action.

Best Wishes,

Martha Whalen

August 2011

Dear Sope Creek Families,

Greetings to all our new and returning families! It is my pleasure and privilege to welcome you to the 2011-2012 school year at Sope Creek. The beginning of the school year always brings excitement and energy to the school and community. There is little in life more satisfying as an educator than to see the enthusiasm and joy in our students as they begin the school year. My hope is that through their experience at Sope Creek we can inspire their love of learning that will last a lifetime!

Our theme this year is Building Brains which aligns perfectly with our upcoming construction. I want to share updates on the SPLOST 3 project for Sope Creek and the potential impact on the school and community. The building of the 12-classroom addition is expected to start in September and continue through the summer of 2012. The entire construction area, which will extend across the front of the track, will be enclosed by a chain-link fence once the project begins. This will not impact the walkers or bikers from either of the Sibley Forest paths. The traffic exit closest to Sibley Forest will be restructured and designated exclusively for construction vehicles. We will lose a portion of the parking spaces at that end of the campus to the construction entrance/exit and as the staging area for materials. This will doubtless create additional congestion during carpool. As a result, I am strongly encouraging everyone to ride the bus this year to eliminate the carpool lines and traffic congestion on Paper Mill Road. Visit our website for details regarding the SPLOST 3 improvements for Sope Creek.

Building Brains for our students means providing curriculum which is rigorous and relevant. Students are more likely to more to make a personal commitment to engage in rigorous learning when they know that teachers, parents, and other students care about them. Relationships are nurtured so new ideas and answers can blossom and emerge. Creating the emotional environment that supports learning begins with building a sense of belonging and establishing procedures such as trustworthiness, truthfulness, no put downs, active listening, and personal best – the Lifelong Guidelines. Once these procedures are in place, real learning based on rigor and relevance begins to accelerate.

We invite you to join us in modeling these Guidelines for our students. As Horatio Sanchez’s research on resiliency tells us, ―As long as we model the right thing our student’s brains will pick up on it.

I look forward to another great year preparing our students for their future!

Thank you for all your support,
Martha Whalen
Principal

SEE Presentation

Download Sope Creek SEE 2011