Welcome to the 2014-2015 School Year!

And here we go!  What a positive, energy-filled, exciting two days we have had back at school!  Students have been so fun, respectful, kind, and ready to learn.  Teachers have started the school year with the mindset of engaging students in learning, supporting the whole child, having fun, and making connections with students.  The only negative thing about this week has been the heat... (insert quote from Elaine/Seinfeld here)!  Certainly it would have been a bit easier to ease into the school year if we had two solid days of rain, but the students (and teachers!) have persevered despite the hot classrooms.

As you may or may not know, a team of teachers have worked hard to develop a new set of core values for the year ahead.  These values were built over the summer after asking for feedback/input from staff, students, and parents (thank you!).  Over the next four weeks, students will be participating in activities and a project in order to truly internalize, and thereby live by (ideally), our new Coolidge Community Core Values.  We are so excited about them, and expect that they will lay a strong foundation for our expectations of each other and for ourselves.  Another important improvement in the values is their title, which involves not just "Coolidge Core Values", but "Coolidge Community Core Values".  

What is a community?  As defined in the dictionary, it is "a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals."  Our attitudes/interests/goals here at Coolidge are shared through our care for our school (namely children!) and our Core Values.  And while you can't teach "feeling" per se, you can build feeling through the teaching of values, and through the rewards one receives by upholding and living by values, and maintaining consistency.  And so a community is built.

Our Coolidge parents are such an important part of our Coolidge community.  Staff and parents share responsibility for the well being of our students.  To that end, I hope that you feel a partnership with us when learning, living by, and modeling these values in matters relating to our students and Coolidge.  We hope that these can act as our "common ground" in the future.  The hope is that we hold ourselves, our students, and each other accountable.

And here they are!

COOLIDGE COMMUNITY CORE VALUES

ALL community members are “PART” of our values!

PERSEVERANCE

·              Always do your personal best

·              Stay committed to your goals

·              Practice consistently

·              Rebound and recover

·              Use various problem solving strategies

·              Take chances; go beyond your comfort zone

·              Advocate for yourself

ACCOUNTABILITY

·              Be honest in your work

·              Think before you act to make good choices

·              Take ownership of your actions

·              Be reflective

·              Honor your commitments

·              Strive to be organized

RESPECT

·              Be honest with yourself and others

·              Appreciate what you have to offer

·              Be kind, caring and courteous

·              Understand and accept differences

·              Use good manners

TEAMWORK

·              Present your most positive self

·              Be reliable

·              Be a good listener

·              Be inclusive

·              Stand up for others even when it’s uncomfortable

·              Solve problems collaboratively and peacefully