Reaching Out for Information, Knowledge and Resources
At Guidepost #2, your school or district is taking definite steps to formulate a plan with specific targeted goals to improve school climate. An easy way is to have a representative committee (administrators, teachers, parents, students, community members) assess your school.
Have the committee members take the Quality Standards of the Character Education Partnership and then branch out into individual committees to research and report on areas that receive low ratings. Perhaps a specific evidence-based program already has a champion because someone used it successfully in another school, but few people know much about it. This Guidepost suggests that you and your leadership team have found it necessary to do some homework before you attempt to launch a new program. You have gleaned ideas from experts in the field and also have more specific information about your school or district that helps you set goals.
A Closer Look at Guidepost #2 Within Schools
Radix Elementary School
Zane North Elementary School
Carl W. Goetz Middle School
Memorial Middle School
Pequannock Valley School
School: Radix Elementary School, Williamstown NJ
Grade Levels: PreK – 4
CONTACT
Raymond C. Dinovi, Jr.
Principal
(856) 728-8650
E-mail: rdinovi@monroetwp.k12.nj.us
Website: http://www.monroetwp.k12.nj.us/es/radix/radix.htm
Guidepost #2: Reaching Out for Information, Knowledge, and Resources
At this same time, the faculty wanted to further educate themselves on character education and did so through attending various conferences, workshops and visiting other schools that had successful programs. The student council and site based management committee continued to be the effective avenues for communication. Radix at that time, had received money through a Goals 2000 Grant and this provided the necessary money for substitutes. Radix also was awarded a New Jersey State Character Education Grant that afforded the school the money to bring in an outstanding national speaker, Dr. Phillip Vincent, as well as receive training from an NCLB approved program Community of Caring. This program was selected by the stakeholders to serve as a common thread that connected all of the great lessons being taught in each individual classroom. This program also mirrored what was echoed in the focus group meetings.
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School: Zane North Elementary School, Collingswood NJ
Grade Levels: PreK – 6
CONTACT
Thomas Santo
Principal
(856) 962-5710
E-mail: santo@collingswood.k12.nj.us
Website: http://zane.collingswood.k12.nj.us/index.jsp
Guidepost #2: Reaching Out for Information, Knowledge, and Resources
Prior to our character education plan, Zane North lacked a comprehensive coordinated initiative. Observing this trend, the principal attended New Jersey Character Education Partnership training, EIRC schooling, CEP National Conventions, and the Principals Institute at Princeton. Further contact with the New Jersey Center for Character Education facilitated training for the Zane North team. A long-range vision was born, which incorporated a team concept emphasizing individual character lifestyle choices. This all-encompassing approach included students, teachers, parents, the Superintendent, and community members. Teamwork ignited a spirit of collaboration and transformation of the Zane North school climate.
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School: Carl W. Goetz Middle School, Jackson, NJ
Grade Levels: 6 - 8
CONTACT
Carol Lawrence
7th grade Literacy Teacher
(732) 833-4610
E-mail: calawrence@jacksonsd.org
Website: http://goetz.jacksonsd.org/home.aspx
Guidepost #2: Reaching Out for Information, Knowledge, and Resources
To collect information members of the Character Education/Service-Learning Committee attended NJEA workshops and articulated with other schools on both a professional and personal level. While participating in the PACES Project, the Goetz PACES team acted like a sponge and soaked up information from our partner schools, mentor school, and the Center for Character Education at Rutgers University. Eileen Dachnowicz, a motivational speaker, spoke to the Goetz faculty and staff to boost the awareness and validity of our character education efforts. Additionally, the grant money from the PACES program allowed Goetz to enlist the services of a student empowerment program called “Ignite”. Together this assemblage of knowledge, information, and resources paved the way for the continued success of the growing Character Education and Service-Learning Programs.
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School: Memorial Middle School, Fair Lawn, NJ
Grade Levels: 6 - 8
CONTACT
Laurianne Brunetti
Character Education Coordinator/7th-8th LAL
(201) 401-2351
E-mail: lbrunetti@fairlawnschools.org
Website: https://www.edline.net/GroupHome.page
Guidepost #2: Reaching Out for Information, Knowledge, and Resources
One of the most popular posters displayed in a classroom is a poster with a picture of a globe and written across the image are the words, “The world is your classroom.” This expression is not only true for students, but it is also true for educators. One of the most important first steps in beginning any journey is to find out something about where you are going. In order to do this, it is not only important, but it is vital to reach out for information, knowledge and resources.
Information continues to flood our lives at every turn. Whether it is in the form of personal experience stories, research or statistics, information is what connects us to one another and to our world. It is important to gather information not only from your immediate surroundings and from your own perspective, but also from the “outside.” Talking with colleagues, parents, students and administrators within your own school is just one piece of the puzzle. Contacting other educators, visiting other schools, researching other programs and information on the internet or within a professional network allows you to establish a frame of reference and to also develop a new perspective of where you are and where you hope to go. This information will become a valuable knowledge base that will continue to grow as you build your own program and develop your school plan. It will also provide you with a resource network that will allow you to review, relate to and consider the experiences and initiatives that have withstood the test of time in other places and will provide you with some basic guidelines that will serve as a support as you continue along your journey. The Character Education Partnership, and Character Counts! are two of the most renowned national networks of character-based resources including a wide-variety of organizations, programs and workshops designed to empower and educate.
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School: Pequannock Valley School, Pompton Plains, NJ
Grade Levels: 6 - 8
CONTACT
Dr. William H. Trusheim
Principal
(973) 616-6050
E-mail: william.trusheim@pequannock.org
Website: http://pvms.pequannock.org/index.cfm?sid=39
Guidepost #2: Reaching Out for Information, Knowledge, and Resources
In an attempt to better understand future directions for our character education program we have recently completed two school climate inventories, providing us with fresh insight into student and faculty attitudes. Students were given the opportunity to identify areas of their education that needed improvement. In this way the Character Education Committee and administration collected significant data with which to assess school climate. Similarly the faculty recently completed a survey. Most noteworthy was the feedback given regarding the recent changes to the schedule. Through these surveys students and faculty were given the chance to reflect and give voice to their “joys and concerns.”
Our Character Education Committee has diligently pursued web-based sources. Countless lesson plans, examples of school-wide celebrations, and model programs for advisories have helped us as we have constructed our program in Pequannock.
We have reached out at the recent New Jersey Middle School Association conference. Our team presented our “Best Practice” on Service Learning and Take Action projects. At that conference we were able to network with interesting character education leaders from around the state. Our principal attended the “Eleven Principles” Training. In addition members of our team attended the Northern New Jersey Character Education Conference and again presented an aspect of our program. In October 2006, we sent a team from our character education committee to the CEP National Conference where we were recognized as a finalist for National School of Character and had the opportunity to meet and attend workshops given by leaders in the field. We have spent time at the Rutgers University forums interacting with other New Jersey Schools of Character, learning from these outstanding models. We are currently involved in a peer coaching process with Oxford School. This relationship has energized our own program.
We have just recently submitted a grant proposal for the SPRINT Ahead for Education Grant Program to fund the expansion of our district program to all five schools in our district. This will give our school additional opportunities to mentor the other schools in our own district. We have been involved in recent years in working with one of our three elementary schools on character-based projects which provide a big brother/big sister relationship with our sixth graders and a second grade class. Should the grant be awarded to us, we have identified a program called “Heroes And Cool Kids” which will provide a mentoring program led by former professional athletes from the NFL and other professional sports leagues. This should be an outstanding resource for our program. We are looking forward to having more resources to create similar experiences with the other schools in our community.
In these ways our school has gleaned valuable information about character education. We have immersed ourselves in the rich variety of information available.
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