Character Education News & Updates: December 2017

North Carolina Public Schools sent this bulletin at 12/05/2017 04:42 PM EST

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December 2017

Character Education

K-12 Standards Curriculum and Instruction

ACADEMIC AND DIGITAL LEARNING

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 explanation 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

Unity Day
Hats for Hope
New Hanover High School Students Find Their Voice Through Service Learning

OPPORTUNITIES and AWARDS

Apply to Become a 2018 State and National School of Character: Deadline is December 8
The Connecting Communities of Education Stakeholders Conference (CCES): Student Proposals
Student Summit about Digital Citizenship
NYLC Service Learning Conference
Grant Opportunities

INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS & RESOURCES

Teaching Guides for K-12 Character Education
Teaching about Perseverance
Upcoming Service and Awareness Dates
Stay Connected: Character Matters is Now On Facebook

Unity Day

Click here to check out how Brightwood Elementary School celebrated "Unity Day."

Hats for Hope

Click here to see how first graders at General Greene are collecting 400 new hats to send to the Hats for Hope organization and Brenner’s Children’s Hospital.

New Hanover High School Students Find Their Voice Through Service Learning

New Hanover High School offers a service-learning course. Their teacher Elizabeth Felts understands the importance of focusing on issues in the community and the world, on leadership, and other skills. Click here to take a look at the impact that service learning has had on help students find their voice. In this video students discuss how they unlocked their identities and grew as citizens, because of Service Learning.

Apply To Become a 2018 State and National School of Character

Deadline is December 8, 2017

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.

The Connecting Communities of Education Stakeholders Conference (CCES):

Student Proposals

We are pleased to announce that the Conference Planning Committee is seeking student-led proposals for The Connecting Communities of Education Stakeholders Conference (CCES), formerly the Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement (CCSA). 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.

CCES 2018 Conference Goals

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
To provide support staff with professional learning and resources for the daily operations and needs of school communities
To support student and educator growth through the dissemination of data-driven strategies and resources
To recognize and encourage the collective contribution of communities of education stakeholders in individual and community-wide growth

If you are aware of students who could present on one of the goals and highlight practices that improve educational outcomes at the CCES conference on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, please complete the Student Session Proposal Form. Proposals must be submitted before January 4, 2018. If you have any questions about the sessions, please contact Phylisha.Sanders@dpi.nc.gov or Thomas.Daugherty@dpi.nc.gov.

The concurrent session proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

(1) 45-minutes in length

(2) presenter’s experience presenting before an adult audience

(3) alignment to one of the 14 topic categories

(4) participant engagement

Access the Proposal Form: HERE

Student Summit on Digital Citizenship for Middle School Students

Thursday, December 14
8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Lunch will be provided.

EducationPlus is excited to have two programs, CharacterPlus and the Midwest Education Technology Community (METC) bring you this powerful event.

This student summit is designed as a comprehensive approach to impact behaviors of the 21st century learner through decision-making and personal goals. Schools are encouraged to bring a school team that includes one sponsor (administrator, counselor, student council advisor) and a team of 6 student leaders.

This interactive day will provide school teams with a toolbox of strategies aligned to the three REPs; Respect, Educate and Protect. Each school team will develop a plan to implement a broad approach to support digital citizenship through respect and education. Student teams from up to 10 middle schools will learn about the latest research in digital citizenship. Teams will develop a plan that they will launch simultaneously at each of their schools using the Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship: Access, Commerce, Communication, Literacy, Etiquette, Law, Responsibilities, Security and Wellness based on the research of Dr. Mike Ribble. Students will engage in hands on activities that support a process to develop personal and school wide procedures and etiquette for a positive transformation.

For additional information and to register, please visit edplus.org and click on the PD Calendar.

Education Plus, 1460 Craig Road, Saint Louis, 63146

NYLC Service Learning Conference

Each year the National Service-Learning Conference brings together more than 700 educators, administrators, higher-education faculty, non-profit leaders, government officials, AmeriCorps members, and students from across the nation and around the world for three days of learning, connection, and inspiration. This year, the National Service-Learning Conference’s theme is Justice in Action.

The conference provides more than 100 hands-on learning opportunities through workshops, keynote and thought leader sessions. Topics range from social-emotional learning and civic education to youth leadership and international service-learning. Youth of all ages are welcome at the event (with an adult mentor).

Click Here For Registration

Grant Opportunities

Know a young (ages 6-17) humanitarian doing good in their community? Nominate them at The Future of Good to win $1,000 for their cause! Grant recipients will be announced January 18.
High school juniors and seniors can apply for the Bank of America Student Leaders program, an eight-week paid internship at a local nonprofit organization where they will learn first-hand about the needs of your community and the critical role nonprofits play. Learn more and apply by February 2.
Apply for a Walmart Community Grant for up to $2,500 for your organization! Walmart is funding groups working on 8 different areas: Hunger relief and healthy eating, health and human service, quality of life, education, community and economic development, diversity and Inclusion, public safety, and environmental sustainability. Apply by December 31!
Sign up for The Great Kindness Challenge! This one-week program is centered on a 50 item checklist, which is comprised of kind acts created and performed by youth. The goal is to empower students by cultivating compassion, kindness and empathy in the classroom and beyond. The upcoming challenge is scheduled for January 22-26, 2018.

TEACHING GUIDES FOR K-12 CHARACTER EDUCATION

These guides are packed with discussion questions, writing assignments, and student activities that you can use to create your own lesson plans. Click on your grade level:

Teaching about Perseverance

Check out these middle school units and lessons that explore the role perseverance plays in relationships and life success. How can developing perseverance equip people as world citizens who contribute to the common good?

In the Sixth Grade Unit students analyze how Martin Luther King Jr. used perseverance. Goals and setting strategies to achieve their goals are also components of this unit.
In the Seventh Grade Unit students are able to focus on the concept of working toward their personal best. They relate this concept to perseverance and how they can use those skills to help address causes or issues they care about.
In the Eighth Grade Unit students discuss the obstacles and barriers that may make achieving their goals more difficult. In addition, they also brainstorm ways to overcome hardships through humor and creativity.