Ironia PTA

Show You Panther Pride

Ironia Elementary School

Character Education Monthly Themes

September Theme:� Friendship

Friendship is an interesting word.� A friend is someone who knows all about you and likes you for who

you are.� A ship, of course, is a large boat.� So that means that a "friend-ship" is a boat that holds

friends!� A friend-ship can help you reach your dreams and goals in life.� A friend-ship can carry you

over the roughest waters in the hardest of times.� A friend-ship can give you a safe harbor when you

are hurt.

"Friendships are glued together with little kindnesses." -- American proverb

October Theme:� Responsibility

The definition of responsibility is:� being accountable for your own actions.� Some of the classrooms

talked about people from history who were responsible leaders and looked at the qualities that made

the person such a good leader.� To reinforce what your child is learning in school, discuss the concept

of responsibility with your child.� Share with your child some of the many ways that adults must be

responsible (going to work, taking care of a home, raising children, etc.)� If your child has chores to

do, explain that chores help children learn to handle responsibility so they are better prepared when

they grow up.

November Theme:� Citizenship

Good citizenship means doing your best for your school, community and country.� Students can show

good citizenship by taking part in activities to make their school and community better.� During Red

Ribbon Week, our students collected hundreds of cans of food to donate to the Randolph Food Pantry

to benefit those who are in need.� Lessons such as this can be reinforced at home and in the community.

Many of our classrooms will take the opportunity of Election Day to teach that good citizens participate

in our democratic system by voting.

December Theme:� Caring

Caring means feeling and exhibiting concern and empathy for others.� The truth is that we have many

people that care and want to see you succeed.� At Ironia, our teachers, Dr. Copeland, Miss Fano and

Miss Zemlanicky care about us as well as our friends.� At home, those who care for us are neighbors,

family and most of all, our parents.� We all have many people who care about us.� But what can you do?

Are You a Caring Person?

Are you sensitive to people's feelings?

Do you treat people with kindness and generosity?

Do you think about how your actions will affect others?

Do you try not to be mean or hurtful?

Do you help people in need?

Always remember:� we become caring by doing caring things.

January Theme:� Diversity / Tolerance

In the words of Juan Mascara, "Each of us is a unique event in the universe."� There are billions

of human beings in the world and no two are exactly alike.� Being tolerant and understanding of those

differences is our educational goal for the month.

When children (and grownups) feel safe, respected and accepted for who they are - regardless of race,

color, religion, the foods they eat, the clothes they wear, their country of origin - they are happier and

their academic performance can improve.

Let's all work together to keep our school a place where . . .�

We don't all have to be the same.

We like it that people are different.

We have the right to be ourselves.

We honor different ways of being, acting and believing - even when we don't agree with them.

We do our best to solve problems peacefully.

We speak up if we see others being treated unfairly.

We treat each other the way we'd like to be treated.

February Theme:� Trustworthiness / Honesty

Have you ever noticed how happy it makes others when we do the right thing like holding the door�

open for someone who has an armful of books . . . or pitching in to help when it is not expected?

Our children show trustworthiness by being respectful to parents, teachers and friends.� Every day

in our school we see examples of students who are honest, hard working and fulfilling promises

made to themselves and others.� As parents and educators, we can encourage trustworthiness by

recognizing students who exhibit good character and good behavior choices.

March Theme:� Courage

Courage can be many things.� It may be bravery under extreme conditions or emergencies.� It can be

overcoming a difficult physical challenge.� It can be conquering fears, coping with dangers, overcoming

difficulties.� Courage can be saying no to friends.� It may be standing up for someone who is being

bullied.� Courage can be deciding not to act in some way that might hurt yourself or others.� Sometimes

it take courage to try something for the first time, to try learning something new.

"You cannot discover new oceans until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." -- Anonymous

April Theme:� Respect for Self, Others & the Earth

Respect is a critical element in all healthy relationships.� When students respect others, they treat

people with consideration and courtesy.� Respect for others should be woven into the fabric of each

student's life and characterize all of their relationships.� It is a fundamental character trait that prepares

students to live productive lives as they relate to and work with others.

Give praise and recognition to others whenever it is deserved.

Encourage children to participate in activities that promote a healthy, safe environment.

Give criticism to others without attacking their character.� Criticize the behavior, not the�

person.

Show others that they are important to you.� Spend time with them and talk to them about

their activities.� Share who you are with them and give them time to share with you.

Be an active listener.

Treat others the way that you would like to be treated.

May Theme:� Teamwork / Fairness

From performing in the Spring Concert to participating in field day, cooperation and teamwork are the

essence of May in the Randolph Elementary Schools.� The definition of teamwork is to be willing to

work or act together for the common purpose or benefit.

Just about everyone has seen a championship team play.� What would happen if one person tried to

play all the positions?� He or she would probably get worn out very quickly and the team would lose

the game.� Everyone has different strengths and skill levels.� You might be good at one thing while

someone else might be good at something else.� Through teamwork, all those strengths and skills can be

used to the team's advantage.� The next time you are playing a game or working on a class project,

remember to be cooperative.� It's the best way to get things done.

In the words of Helen Keller, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."

June Theme:� Peace / Hope

"The Grand essentials of happiness are:� something to do, something to love and something to

hope for."� -- Allan Chalmers

The word hope means to trust that what has been prepared for, will or should happen; to expect,

anticipate, wish and have faith with hopefulness; look forward to; inspired.� The word peace is the

freedom from disagreement or quarrels; harmony; concord an undisturbed state of mind; absence of

mental conflict; serenity.

Both of these feelings are essential in our lives.� With hope we anticipate and look forward to

something in the future.� Perhaps we hope for a family vacation, relaxation, or even the opportunity of

a new school year.� With peace, we look for freedom from conflict with others as well as harmony in

our lives.

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