This Month's Best Practice

Each Month the Maryland Center for Character Education (MCCE) picks one of the Best Practices from a Character Education award winning school to share with you.

MAY

This month's Best Practices is from an award winning school from 2004-2005.

 

BEST CHARACTER EDUCATION PRACTICES

 

School: Middletown Elementary School

Address: 210 East Greet Street, Middletown, MD 21769
Contact: Suzanne O'Toole, Principal   or
         David Shafer, Guidance Counselor
Phone: 240-236-1100
E-Mail: Suzanne.OToole@fcps.org
              David.Shafer@fcps.org

 

 

Title of Best Practice: All Together (Together We Can Make a Difference)

Primary Character Trait(s) Emphasized: All six pillars of character (Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, Citizenship) are incorporated into every aspect of our school's daily operations.

Objective(s): To develop the most positive and caring educational community for all students, parents and staff at Middletown Elementary School. To work together so that our care and concern for others are put into action, making a noticeable difference for all.

Brief Description (including such items as materials needed, persons responsible, sequence of activities, observable results, references, etc.)

Description:

Caring is evident in the heart of a person of good character. Caring people love, help, give, and are kind. You can tell a caring person by what she or he does, for caring is more than just a feeling. Caring people show their concern for others in an active way. Students at Middletown Elementary are taught that you’re never too young to help. Starting in kindergarten, MES students are so excited to tell you about their “free gift project.” A free gift is something done for someone that makes both the giver and the recipient feel happy. A free gift is not bought. Students plan the project and do the work or special activity showing their concern for others. Students draw or take pictures of the activity and write a story about their project.

 

We are thankful for the response to our “spare change” drive for those affected by the tsunami. Those pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters really added up. Our total spare change contribution to UNICEF was an amazing $4,180.36. Our community deserves a heartfelt “thank you” for sincerely caring about others.

 

We appreciate and congratulate the 195 MES students who participated and raised $11,326 during this year’s Jump Rope for Heart. We also appreciate and congratulate our 50 first graders who participated in the poster contest. This type of event could not be successful without all of the 45 wonderful parent volunteers.

 

Fifth grade students in the student government and peer mentor program at MES have been working hard to set an example of leadership and service. At least once a month students stay after school to perform “Project Clean Sweep.” “Project Clean Sweep” involves 15 to 20 students who stay after school to gather up all the trash and recycling materials. The mentors are also working on several skits that they will perform for the whole school. These skits focus on the importance of character and solving problems in positive ways.

Activities: Other activities and projects at our school, which teach and show our emphases for the importance of good character include:

•   The 12th Annual Teddy Bear Picnic. The theme as “Character Counts.” Each game and activity highlighted one for the six pillars of character. All the first graders at MES brought in extra change from home as a donation for the new Middletown Fir Hall. Over $300 was collected.

•   Writing Letters. Our school wrote letters to military men and women who are stationed overseas.

•   Cross-Grade Tutoring Program. This initiative continues to be very effective and well received. Students from fifth grade go into classrooms to tutor and help other students throughout the school.

•   The mentoring program has been another successful initiative at MES. Twenty-six members of our staff have adopted thirty students in our school. The mentoring program began with a group of staff members who volunteer to become a “special friend” to students who have been identified as “at risk.”

•   Character Counts Game. Students hunt for clues that explain or tell about the pillars of character. The class that finds all the clues first has a Character Counts party, which includes cookies/ice cream, and a lesson related to character by the school counselor.

•   The Middletown PTA Sponsored Three Cultural Arts Programs for the school. These programs focused on the themes of courage, cultural diversity, and stories about the early Americans.

• Multi-Cultural Week –International Day. The theme this year was to focus on our unique cultural and historical roots. Students learned about the culture and ethnicity of friends and classmates. Parents/grandparents, family members shared some of their customs, beliefs, traditions or celebrations from countries they are from, have lived in, visited, or researched.

• Family Fun Night was sponsored by the PTA to promote community unity of the family and school. This activity provided fun, food, and opportunities for people form the community to get to know one another.

• Twenty presenters shared their careers with students in third, fourth and fifth grade. The hands-on activities stressed the importance for our students to see the connection between school, careers, character, and the world of work.

• The Giving Tree is a way to provide holiday and year-round assistance for families in need. Three families in our school received monetary assistance for food, clothing, and other items of need. We continue to coordinate and connect numerous local and county organizations with families in our community. We had 70 to 80 families who received assistance from the Middletown Valley People Helping People organization, which we help and support.

• Musical songs and lessons related to Character Counts. Patriotic songs were taught to all students. During our Veterans Day program all students from the entire school participated and sang many songs together. It was a very heart warming and positive program for students and parents alike.

• Homework Club is for any students at MES who want to attend. Twenty to thirty students get help at the Homework Club, two days a week. Teachers, high school students and the school counselor run it.

• At MES we make monthly collections to benefit the Middletown Food Bank. During the Valentine Party and Harvest Party, one half of the students brought in food for their class parties while the other half brought in food for the food bank.

 

Outcomes:

At Middletown Elementary school you will see and feel a genuine concern for others as a sign of growing up. At MES we are striving to put our concern for others into action.

 

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The Maryland Center for Character Education
29 West Susquehanna Ave., Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21204

Phone: 410-823-4902
Fax: 410-828-9661
E-Mail: MCCEcharacter@aol.com