Our elementary Character Education Program is designed to teach children about the six pillars of character:  respect, caring, fairness, trustworthiness, responsibility, and citizenship.  As students have increased their awareness in these six key areas, we have seen positive growth in students as individuals and as members of our school community.   

Character education is a daily event at Fonda-Fultonville Elementary School, and our entire staff, our families, and our community play a vital role in supporting our students in their character development.  Committee led school-wide activities and assemblies form the basis of our program, but day-to-day interactions with students in the classroom, playground, hallways, at home, and in our community help to reinforce key character education concepts.

Early in the 2008-2009 school year, Mrs. Henry, our principal, will be visiting all of the grade levels to conduct mini-lessons and facilitate discussions regarding the six pillars--respect, caring, fairness, trustworthiness, responsibility, and citizenship. Mrs. Henry will be reading stories, having discussions, and completing fun and meaningful character education activities.

That's not all that is new for the 2008-2009 school year. Our Star Student Assemblies will be replaced with Kids with Character Assemblies. Students honored during our Kids with Character Assemblies can be nominated by a classroom teacher or a special area teacher. In past years, pillars were assigned by month, causing teachers to wait before selecting a particular student. Now teachers can select a student based on any of the six character pillars throughout the school year. This will allow for students to be selected when they are demonstrating a particular pillar during the month. Parents will receive a letter from Mrs. Henry if their child is being honored at a Kids with Character Assembly. The following dates are reserved for our Kids with Character Assemblies:

November 14, 2008

December 12, 2008

January 09, 2009

February 06, 2009

March 13, 2009

April 03, 2009

All awards assemblies are held in the K-12 auditorium and begin at 8:15 am and end at approximately 9:00 am.

Our elementary Citizens of the Year will be honored on May 29, 2009. Citizens of the Year are selected by the classroom teacher based upon how consistently students have demonstrated the six pillars of character. All Citizens of the Year are listed on a plaque which is proudly displayed on Best Behavior Boulevard. Please view our plaques with past FFE Citizens of the Year winners when you are visiting our building.

This year's Celebration of Learning Assemblies are scheduled as follows:  Thursday, June 11, 2009 for our K, 1 assembly and Friday, June 12, 2009 for our grades 2, 3, and 4 assembly. Students are honored for a variety of academic and behavioral areas, including good behavior, reading and math achievement, perfect attendance, improvement, effort, content area achievement, and more.

School-wide Reading Theme

Get your best saddle and your ten-gallon hats ready, cowpokes! We are going to "Saddle Up and Read, Bookaroos!" during the 2008-2009 school year. The Character Education Committee can't wait to saddle up for our reading kickoff on Friday, October 17th. We are also conducting a T-shirt fundraising early in September. The monies raised will assist in funding school-wide reading activities throughout the year. Mrs. Henry will be sending a fundraiser flyer with your child's welcome letter. The flyer should be arriving in the mail by mid-August.

Families are encouraged to read nightly with their children. Students can read on their own or be read to, or pair read with a sibling, relative, or parent. Get in the habit of reading... it makes a world of difference for ALL students. The following are reading recommendations:

K: 10 minutes per night/250 per month

1^st and 2^nd: 15 minutes per night/ 360 per month

            3^rd and 4^th: 20 minutes per night/480 per month

Each month this year, the top reader in each homeroom class will have their picture placed on the classroom door in a "Wanted Reader" frame. The top class with the most reading minutes will receive a special treat from Mrs. Henry each month. Trustworthiness counts when filling our the student reading logs. Support your child's positive reading growth by reading 5 - 7 nights per week.

Pecos Bill and the Oregon Trail Assembly

Get ready to tame the wild west! Pecos Bill will be here in March to teach you everything you need to know about the Oregon Trail. Learn about Pecos Bill through storytelling, lariat tricks, and horse lore. We will be welcoming Pecos Bill in early March. 

Good Character Wall

Throughout each month, students will be adding colorful paper cowboy boots to the Good Character Wall. Students can receive a cowboy boot from a staff member when they are demonstrating a good character pillar trait. At the end of each month, the boots are collected and sent home with a Kids with Character certificate.

Breakfast with Mrs. Henry

Once all of the good character cowboy boots are collected at the end of each month, two students from each grade level are selected to have breakfast with Mrs. Henry. Students selected receive a great breakfast of cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt, and more. The following dates are reserved for Breakfast with Mrs. Henry:  October 6th, November 17th, December 15th, January 12, February 9th, March 16th, April 6th, May 18th, and June 8th. All dates are on a Monday. Parents will receive a letter if their child is selected for our Character Education breakfast.

The Character Education Committee meets during the summer and throughout the year to instill positive values in all of our students. We welcome positive feedback and suggestions.

You can email us at swolf@ffcsd.org.

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