UPDATE INCLUDES: 

SPOTLIGHT ON CHARACTER

• Building Lifelong Readers wIth Character

OPPORTUNITIES & AWARDS 

• Youth Service Month 
• Character Education Professional Development Opportunities
• Webinar Opportunities
• Grants

INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS & RESOURCES  

• Crosswalk of Instructional Practices
• 11 Principles of Character Revised Guidebook 
• Professional Learning Opportunity: How to integrate Character Education in ELA & Social Studies by learning about the Holocaust 
• On-Demand Professional Learning 

• Office of Academic Standards Yearlong Outlook 

Building Lifelong Readers with Character   This month's spotlight on character shines on Farmer Elementary School and their innovative principal, Judy Kagel! Watch this video to see how Ms. Kagel recognized the importance of fostering a love of reading in her students. To address this, she championed the installation of a book vending machine – filled with exciting new books – in the school's entrance! This unique approach allows students to earn tokens for good behavior and positive choices, which they can then redeem for a free book. This program not only incentivizes positive character but also creates a fun and engaging way for students to explore the joy of reading.   Farmer Elementary's initiative is a fantastic example of how creativity and dedication can spark a lifelong love of learning in young people.

Youth Service Month is April 12 - May 12

Global Youth Service Day is April 26 - 28

The 36th Annual Global Youth Service Day is April 26-28.  There are many days of service that take place during this time. You can choose to participate in one (or more) of the choices below and be a part of multiple national or global events with a single activity. 

• Great American Cleanup - March 20 - June 21

• GLSEN Day of Silence - April 12

• J-Serve International Day of Jewish Youth Service - April 14

• Good Deeds Day - April 14

• National Week of Conversation - April 15-21

• Healthy Kids Day - April 20

• National Parks Week - April 20-28

• Month of the Military Child - April and Purple Up Day - April 21

• Global Volunteer Month - April and National Volunteer Week - April 21-27

• Earth Day - April 22

• National Student Leadership Week - April 22-26

• National Youth Violence Prevention Week - April 22-26

• Alpha Phi Omega’s Spring Youth Service Day - April 26-28

• Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s True Gentleman Day of Service - Ongoing

• Citizen Science Month - April 1-30

• SkillsUSA National Week of Service - May 5-11

• Kids to Parks Day - May 18

• Sodexo Servathon - April 1 - May 31

Would You Like To Learn More About Character Education?      Are you eager to create a culture of character in your classroom, school, and district using the 11 Principles of Character Education? NCDPI has professional learning opportunities to assist your school or district with your character education journey. If your school or district is interested in hosting a Character Education Professional Learning Opportunity, please take a moment to complete this survey to help our NCDPI team understand your needs.   Please contact Justyn Burgess, the state coordinator for character education, if you have questions.

Webinar: Integrating “Relationship Skills” in Your Classroom

April 17, 2024, 4-5 pm EST 

REGISTER

Join our 2023-2024 webinar series dedicated to integrating Character Education and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into your social studies curriculum. The fourth webinar in our series will focus on Relationship Skills. In this session, discover effective strategies to help your students cultivate strong interpersonal connections, communication skills, and conflict resolution.

Webinar: Leading With Character

Wednesday, May 8, 2024 @ 3:30 pm - 4:00 pm EST 

REGISTER 

Do you want to change your school's climate and culture? Are you seeking strategies to enhance your character development efforts? Join NCDPI and Person Early College for Innovation and Leadership to learn how to use the 11 Principles of Effective Character Education to evaluate your school, district, and/or community climate.

Grant Opportunities 

Building Socially Connected Communities - Deadline: April 5

The Action Guide Planning and Technical Assistance Program is focused on Building Socially Connected Communities. These grants provide a one-time stipend of up to $7,500 to support four community partnerships in conducting community listening sessions, workshops, and creating local plans for social connection.  

Read more

Crosswalk of Instructional Practices  The Literacy Instruction Standards and Content Area Practices Resource aims to provide teachers of all content areas and character education with an understanding of how current domains of instructional practice found within the content areas align with the LIS. Since the alignment between the LIS and instructional practices in various content areas exists, all educators, regardless of their discipline, participate in literacy instruction.    Teachers should reference this document when planning content area and literacy instruction to ensure students are fully meeting the demands of the NCSCOS.

11 Principles Guidebook

Character.org has released the newly revised version of the 11 Principles Framework for Schools: A Guide to Cultivating a Culture of Character. The Guidebook explains each principle and key indicators, along with recent school-based examples. 

Learn More or Purchase.

Professional Learning Opportunity: How to integrate Character Education in English Language Arts & Social Studies through Holocaust Education   Are you looking for ways to implement both Character Education and the Gizella Abramson Holocaust Education Act in ELA and Social Studies classrooms?    Learning about character through the the lens of Holocaust education 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.

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.  

2023-2024 On-Demand Professional Learning 

Integrate Character Education & Social-Emotional Learning in Your Classroom

Take advantage of recordings of NCDPI Character Education & Social-Emotional Learning on-demand webinars.  Watch these recorded presentations to help you enhance your classroom experience and empower your students to become more empathetic, responsible, and caring citizens. These webinars will help you discover practical strategies to help your students regulate emotions, set goals, and demonstrate self-discipline.

Self Management: Discover practical strategies to help your students regulate emotions, set goals, and demonstrate self-discipline. 

Password: Selfmanagement1 (Case Sensitive)

Responsible Decision-Making:  Discover strategies to empower your students to think critically, make ethical choices, and contribute positively to society.

Password: Responsible1  (Case Sensitive)

Self and Social Awareness:  Discover strategies to help your students develop a deep understanding of themselves and others, fostering empathy, emotional intelligence, and positive social interactions 

Password: Character1  (Case Sensitive)

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