Principal's Message
Hello Families,
We are excited to tell you that we will be using a program called PurposeFull People this year. It is part of the Character Strong Curriculum recently adopted in Norwood. This program teaches skills that will help students be successful in school and in life. We believe that students should have safe, predictable places to learn where they feel included. Students should have healthy and helpful connections with teachers and classmates. They should also experience learning that will help them tackle challenges inside and outside of school. PurposeFull People is more than a set of lessons - it is a partnership between schools and families to create a place where students feel like they belong and learn skills that will help them be the best they can be! Purposefull People has three main goals for students: Be Kind, Be Strong, and Be Well.
- Be Kind: Social skills like listening, friendship, solving conflicts, and leadership.
- These skills are taught alongside Empathy, Respect, & Cooperation
- Be Strong: Skills that help students focus, stay organized, and set goals.
- These skills are taught alongside Responsibility, Courage, & Perseverance
- Be Well: Skills that help students handle their emotions and deal with stress.
- These skills are taught alongside Gratitude, Honesty, & Creativity
This month’s focus is Respect. One way to think about Respect is “seeing value in all people and things & treating them with care.” Many people feel Respected in different ways. We hope this month inspires discussions with your family about what Respect means to you and how you can practice it together! Respect is 1 of 3 traits we will focus on throughout the year that helps students Be Kind. Across grade levels, students will be developing skills like perspective-taking, conflict resolution, and leadership.
Have some fun connecting as a family this month while practicing Respect. Here are 2 “PurposeFull Pursuits” you can complete together!
#1 A fun way to remind students to show Respect to others is to create a non-verbal cue. As a family, come up with a non-verbal way to cue your student to remember to show Respect to others. An example of this would be anytime you raise the “Respect Rooster” on your hand by closing the middle 2 fingers and bringing your pointer finger and pinky finger up, your student would be reminded to practice living out Respect.
#2 Review Respect as a family! In our lessons we are teaching that Respect means to see value in people and things and treat them with care. Agree as a family to set aside a certain time each day this week to unplug from devices and plug into family time. It shows Respect to practice being present in the moment without the distractions that can come from technology. Debrief and discuss this challenge afterward. Consider to embracing this practice at least 1 day each week!
The path forward is full of growth! We cannot wait to partner with you in this work…
- To teach students how to build strong friendships
- To work together to solve problems, big and small
- To grow skills for life
- To become PurposeFull People
Best,
Steven Olsen, Principal
