Character, Leadership & Service  How is your school demonstrating Character, Leadership, and Service during the 2017-2018 school year?  Share your examples by sending photos, videos, articles, websites, etc. to Justyn.Knox@dpi.nc.gov with a brief explantation of an activity or project that exemplifies good character. Selected exemplars will be placed on the Character Matters website.  To receive the Character Education Update please sign up here. Character Matters is now on facebook.  To like and follow our page click here.

UPDATE INCLUDES: 

SHARE YOUR STORIES  

• NC Senate Youth Recognized at State Board Meeting 
• Carrington Students Start the Year off with the Right Mindset 
• South Edgecombe Students Show Respect 
• Nash Central Students Preserve History in Their Local Community 

OPPORTUNITIES and AWARDS   

• Apply to Become a 2018 State and National School of Character
• Application Writing Workshop for Schools of Character 
• NC Service Learning Coalition Summit 
• National Forum on Character Education 
• Global Education Symposium: Human Rights and Social Justice 
• Connecting Communities of Education Stakeholders (CCES) Call For Proposals 
• Join Rebuild NC for A Day of Service 

INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS & RESOURCES

• Bullying Prevention Awareness Month  
• Make a Difference Day 
• District and School Improvement Planning 
• Stay Connected: Character Matters is Now On Facebook 

NC Senate Youth recognized at State Board Meeting    On September 7, 2017 the State Superintendent, Mark Johnson, the State Board of Education, and the K-12 Social Studies team celebrated the two North Carolina 2017 U.S. Senate Youth Scholarship recipients, Joseph Chong, pictured below and Ryan Wallace who, having just begun freshman classes at UNC Chapel Hill, was unable to attend.    The U.S. Senate Youth Program is merit-based and highly competitive.  Qualified junior or senior high school students applying for this opportunity must show demonstrated leadership through public service in elected or appointed positions where they are actively representing a constituency in organizations that relate to government, public affairs, history and/or community service. For more information on the NC Senate Youth Program click here or contact Michelle McLaughlin at michelle.mclaughlin@dpi.nc.gov.

Carrington Students Start the Year Off With the Right Mindset   Heather Althaus is a 6th-grade math teacher at Carrington Middle School in Durham, North Carolina.  She wanted to start the year off with an assignment that helped students develop a growth mindset and understand perseverance.   Click here to read about how her students learned about perseverance and used this assignment to create their team motto. This is an excellent character lesson for students at the beginning of the year.

South Edgecombe Students Show Respect  South Edgecombe Middle School started their school year off with “Respect” to show how #CharacterMatters.   Check out one of their activities. Students were able to demonstrate and show others the many different ways respect can be shown.  In the photo, students sign a banner in the school lobby with one manner respect can be given.

Nash Central Students Preserve History in Their Local Community The advanced placement U.S. history class at Nash Central High School is making history and giving back to their local community. Coach Renny Taylor’s students have spent the last few years creating video documentaries of the local community in Rocky Mount.     Click here to learn more and watch the videos.

Apply To Become a 2018 State and National School of Character

As the Schools of Character Program moves into its 21st year, Character.org has updated the application process. While we are still in communication with Character.org in regards to the specific details, we wanted to communicate this with you now, as many of you are currently undertaking the journey to become recognized as a School of Character. 

Two of the most impactful changes in their process include: 

• New pathway options for receiving feedback and 
• The fee for applying to receive feedback and/or be considered for SSOC and NSOC recognition.

You can find Character.org’s memorandum regarding these changes here. Their website with more information on these changes can be found here. 

Please contact Justyn Knox at Justyn.Knox@dpi.nc.gov or 919-807-3835 if you have any questions or need support in the application process.  

Application Writing Workshop for Schools of Character    Is your school or district committed to character development? The Schools of Character Program is a school improvement process that offers the opportunity for self-assessment and expert feedback to schools and districts engaged in character education. Join NCDPI for a FREE workshop to learn how to apply to become a State and National School of Character for 2018 and gain support to assist your school or district in the application process. Participants will be able to collaborate and share examples of exemplary evidence.   Date: November 03, 2017 | Raleigh NC  Location: 301 N Wilmington St, Raleigh NC 27601 | Room 150 Time: 9am-3pm Registration Link   For More Information Contact:  Justyn.Knox@dpi.nc.gov 919-807-3835.

NC Service Learning Coalition Summit 

Call for Proposals for NC Service Learning Coalition 

The North Carolina Service-Learning Coalition (NCSLC) requests workshop proposals and showcase presentations for the 2017 NC Statewide Service-Learning Summit to be held Thursday, November 16, 2017 at UNC-Pembroke.  All Requests for Proposals must be received no later than Friday, September 22, 2017. 

All workshop presenters and showcase providers must Register For The Summit.

Submit Your Proposals All presenters and showcases will be notified by October 10, 2017. 

National Forum on Character Education October 20-21, 2017  Integrity. Community. Respect. Empathy. The world is hurting right now, but we can and we will make it better. We can develop caring communities, ethical leaders and safe havens. And we can do that through character. Don’t miss this opportunity to interact with noted educators and researchers (like Harvard University’s Richard Weissbourd). Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Schools of Character and discover the latest products and services that support character education in our exhibit hall. Register Now!

WORLD VIEW   GLOBAL EDUCATION SYMPOSIUM Human Rights and Social Justice October 26-27, 2017      Location: The Friday Conference Center, Chapel Hill, NC Cost: $175 per person, $600 for a team of four CEU:1.5 CEUs will be awarded upon completion of program study guide   Join hundreds of educators from across the state for World View’s 2017 global education symposium focusing on Human Rights and Social Justice. Experts and practitioners will offer short plenary talks and sessions to increase awareness of human rights and social justice issues and to provide pedagogical strategies and resources for integrating critical global issues into teaching. This program is designed to meet the global education needs of all K-12 educators wishing to build capacity and competency in global education, including contact hours for those seeking the N.C. Global Educator Digital Badge. Visit worldview.unc.edu and register today!

CCES CALL FOR PROPOSALS

March 11-15, 2018 

Koury Convention Center, Greensboro NC 

The Conference Planning Committee seeks proposals for the CCES 2018 Conference.  Preference will be given to proposals that address this year’s conference theme, “Fostering Innovation Across Our State” as well as highlighting one or more of the four conference goals, listed below:

1. To provide educators and leaders relevant, research-based strategies to affect short- and long-term change in adult practices that foster innovative practices for student success;
2. To provide support staff with professional learning and resources for the daily operations and needs of school communities;
3. To support student and educator growth through the dissemination of data-driven strategies and resources;   
4. To recognize and encourage the collective contribution of communities of education stakeholders in individual and community-wide growth.

Click here for more information. 

Join Rebuild NC for a Day of Service    October 7, 2017     Join Governor Roy Cooper and State Cabinet Secretaries on Saturday, October 7 for the Rebuild NC Day of Service—a volunteer day to help those families and communities recovering from Hurricane Matthew one year since the storm. Nearly a year ago, Hurricane Matthew damaged communities across our state and many are still working to recover. Sign up to volunteer with long-term recovery organizations working in these communities for a day of service. Come on your own, or bring a team. Information on how to sign up is below. Lumberton NC Baptist Men Disaster Relief - Please sign up online individually or as a team.   Princeville United Methodist Church NCC - Please contact disasterresponse@nccumc.org or 888-440-9167   Kinston Kinston Area Recovery Efforts (K.A.R.E) - Please contact 252-525-6139   Goldsboro NC Baptist Men Disaster Relief - Please sign up online individually or as a team.   Fayetteville Fayetteville Habitat for Humanity - Please register online.

October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month

This month, the world comes together to raise awareness for bullying prevention and to reflect on where we have been, where we are now, and where we hope to be in the years to come. This month serves as a reminder that bullying prevention must be addressed, and one way to accomplish this is through educating ourselves, our communities and the youth in our lives. 

For more information on resources and ideas visit PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center. 

Access Free Year-Long Classroom Resources designed to create environments in which every student is included, involved and invested in preventing and addressing bullying. 

Make a Difference Day 

Make A Difference Day is celebrated annually on the fourth Saturday in October and connects people with opportunities to serve, increases the strength of communities and promotes civic engagement. 

If you're planning on project on October 28, 2017, register it on the Make A Difference Day website. Any project that is registered on the website qualifies for one of fourteen $10,000 grants that can make an even bigger impact on your project and those in need.

2017-2018 District and School Improvement Planning 

As you plan your 2017-2018 school year the 11 Principles of Effective Character Education and 11 Principles Action Plan are excellent resources. Character Education provides effective solutions to ethical and academic issues that are of growing concern. Educators have successfully used character education to transform their schools, improve school culture, increase achievement for all learners, develop global citizens, restore civility, prevent anti-social and unhealthy behaviors, and improve job satisfaction and retention among teachers.

The 11 Principles of Effective Character Education form the cornerstone of Character.org’s philosophy on how best to develop and implement high-quality character education initiatives. As broad principles that define excellence in character education, the 11 Principles serve as guideposts that schools and  districts can use to plan and evaluate their programs.

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