UPDATE INCLUDES: 

OPPORTUNITIES & AWARDS  

• Bullying Prevention Month 
• NC Youth Leadership Training 
• Become a State and National School of Character 

• Character.org Forum

• Grant Opportunities

INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS & RESOURCES  

• Character Education Mini Course 

• Professional Learning Opportunity: How to integrate Character Education in ELA & Social Studies by learning about the Holocaust

• Webinar Series: Integrating SEL and Character Education into Your Social Studies Classroom 
• On-Demand Professional Learning 

• Office of Academic Standards Yearlong Outlook 

October is Bullying Prevention Month

YRBS Data Briefs

Bullying is something that no child should ever experience. It disrupts the educational process and results in the victim viewing school as a negative experience. Unfortunately, with the prevalence of social media, bullying can follow a child home. An effective way to promote a positive school climate is to eliminate bullying from a school. 

Wear orange on Unity Day, Wednesday, October 18th. Unity Day promotes kindness, acceptance and inclusion. Orange is worn because it’s a warm color associated with safety.

For information on how you can help end bullying, visit:

Pacer.org

StopBullying.gov

N.C. Youth Leadership Training

N.C. Youth Leadership Training will be held on Friday, Oct. 20 in Research Triangle Park. North Carolina SAVE Promise Clubs will come together to learn and experience activities from the Start With Hello and Say Something programs from Sandy Hook Promise. Click here to register.

Become a State and National School of Character    Has your school or district cultivated a supportive and caring community? Do you think your staff, students, and the larger community have successfully implemented the 11 Principles of Effective Character? Apply this fall for State and National School of Character to receive valuable feedback for improvement whether you reach School of Character status this year or not. The 2023 School of Character Application deadline is November 10, 2023   If you need funding to apply please contact Justyn Burgess at Justyn.Burgess@dpi.nc.gov   Learn More and Get Started!

Character.org Forum  November 6-7 2023, Washington D.C. REGISTER    ✓ Keynote speakers to inspire you ✓  Celebrate the 2023 National Schools of Character ✓  60+ Breakout sessions on emerging practices and strategies ✓  Networking opportunities with experts and school leaders ✓  Learn from 2023 Promising Practices ✓  Moonlight monument tour ✓  25+ Exhibitor Booths   CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman and his kids are sharing stories built around themes of kindness, character, and the people who've mastered both. He will also be the Forum Keynote talking about how character can transform the world.   Enjoy this lesson in hope and giving back.  Watch Now

Grants

MLK Day & GYSD Lead Agency Grants - Deadline: Oct. 27

Youth Service America will award $2,500 or $5,000 Lead Agency Grants to organizations leading a coalition of project planning partners to increase youth participation on MLK Day of Service and Global Youth Service Day/Youth Service Month.

Read more

Youth Service AmeriCorps Site Application - Deadline: Nov. 1

YSA is designing a new, national AmeriCorps program focused on expanding opportunities for and reducing barriers to youth participation! Applications for organizations interested in hosting a member for the 2024-2025 academic year are now open.

Read more

Character Education Mini-Course

The Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) has created a self-paced online course for educators who are new to character education or would like to brush up on their content knowledge.

GGSC has generously offered to sign everyone up for FREE through the month of October by using the code: characterdotorg 

Register Here.

Professional Learning Opportunity: How to integrate Character Education in English Language Arts & Social Studies by learning about the Holocaust    Looking for ways to implement both Character Education and the Gizella Abramson Holocaust Education Act in ELA and Social Studies classrooms?    Learning about the Holocaust allows students to build character and develop skills like empathy and social awareness. In an effort to foster these skills, NCDPI partnered with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to create standards-based resources for implementation in secondary grades. These resources are based on using the texts Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and Night by Elie Wiesel. The goal of the resources is for teachers to be able to embed both character education and Holocaust education seamlessly into the core curriculum.    Contact Thomas.Daugherty@dpi.nc.gov and Kelly.Schultz@dpi.nc.gov to set up a professional learning experience or to learn more about these resources and how they can be used in your classrooms.

Embracing Failure and Encouraging Resilience

Discover the secrets to achieving academic and personal success in this interactive edWebinar! Join us as we delve into the vital domains of developing growth mindsets and nurturing student resilience. Beyond textbooks and tests, we’ll explore the power of adaptability, embracing challenges, and learning from setbacks.

In this engaging session, we invite you to uncover practical strategies beyond traditional teaching methods. Learn how to inspire your students to persist and persevere in adversity, equipping them with essential life skills. We’ll also delve into the profound impact of responding to students’ challenges with grace and understanding, igniting the flame of a growth mindset within them.

Checking In On School Climate

Measuring community experiences—those of students, staff, and parents—can provide strategic insights and can impact educator growth, student outcomes, and community support. Attend this edWebinar to uncover the transformative value of community experience and explore how we move from data, to stories, to action.

Join us to learn from education leaders who use surveys to discover actionable strategies for fostering safe and inclusive school environments. Explore examples of turning data into meaningful change—improving student experiences and, most importantly, student outcomes.

Webinar: Integrating SEL and Character into Your Social Studies Classroom

December 6, 2023 @ 4-5pm EST 

Register

2023-2024 On-Demand Professional Learning 

How to Become a State and National School of Character 

Watch this recorded presentation to help you complete the application for the State and/or National School of Character. The webinar will help you navigate the application. Participants will also understand how to write the best narrative and provide the best artifacts that support the implementation of the 11 principles of character education.

Watch Here 

Password: Character1 (Case Sensitive)

Helpful resources included in the professional development include:

• Action Plan for Writing Your Application
• Scoring guide
• Capsule summary sheet

Integrating Character Education and Social-Emotional 

Watch this recorded presentation to help you enhance your classroom experience and empower your students to become more empathetic, responsible, and caring citizens. This presentation will help you discover practical strategies to help your students regulate emotions, set goals, and demonstrate self-discipline.

Watch Here

Password: Selfmanagement1 (Case Sensitive)

Office of Academic Standards Yearlong Outlook 

The Office of Academic Standards is excited to share a yearlong look of upcoming webinars, resources, and leaders’ meetings.  This link will stay live and will be updated periodically.  

The links in this newsletter will bring you to third party websites, owned and operated by independent parties over which NCDPI has no control.  Any use of these 3rd Party Websites and any information you provide will be subject to and governed by the terms of the 3rd Party Website, including those relating to confidentiality, data privacy and security. Unless otherwise expressly agreed in writing, NCDPI is not in any way associated with the owner or operator of any of the 3rd Party Websites or responsible or liable for the goods and services offered by them or for anything in connection with such 3rd Party Websites. NCDPI does not endorse and makes no warranties, representations or undertakings relating to the content of any 3rd Party Website.