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 Last
week’s end to the second academic quarter and the approach
of our “100th Day of School” celebration mean that we have
officially reached the halfway point of the 2011-2012
school year. With a great deal of hard work behind us and
so much left to learn, the Glebe Street Elementary School
community is recharging its batteries and fueling up its
engines with its campaign to “Pump Up The Paws!”
At Glebe, the pillars that support our entranceway,
through which all of our students, staff, and families
pass each day, are more than a structural or even
decorative element of our school- they represent the six
Character Pillars that we strive to promote and uphold in
all that we do. Those six Pillars- Responsibility,
Caring, Fairness, Respect, Trustworthiness, and
Citizenship- are the foundation of the Glebe Panther
Pledge, which we begin each day by reciting together; and
they guide the Character Pillars program by which we
educate our students in the meaning of each Pillar and
celebrate the individual and collective demonstrations of
each Pillar in action.
At six times throughout the year, Glebe students and staff
come together in an assembly to introduce and define the
Character Pillar that we will begin to recognize as a
building, and we review what we understand of the Pillar
whose formal recognition concludes. In our most recent
assembly we looked to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as role
model of Fairness at the conclusion of that
Pillar’s formal recognition, and Respect, which we
have just begun to celebrate. This means that for the next
several weeks classroom teachers will reward their own
students with Panther Points for demonstrations of
respectful behavior within their classrooms, and
students and classes will earn Community Paws from all
other staff members for demonstrations of respect
outside of the classroom and throughout the school
community.
At this last assembly I identified six specific ways in
which every class could demonstrate their Respect
for others, their school, their learning, and themselves.
These include:
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Perfect punctuality for the class.
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A lunch table and cafeteria floor left free of
trash
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A good behavior report from our recess teachers.
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100% preparedness for outdoor winter recess.
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A neat and clear classroom floor at the end of the
day.
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A neat and orderly hallway/locker area outside of
the classroom
I pointed out to students that a class could potentially
earn around 175 Community Paws before our next assembly by
demonstrating Respect in these ways every day, and
I issued a challenge to all. Classes who Pump Up The
Paws in a big way by earning 100 Community Paws for
Respect will earn a special reward in addition to their
eligibility for the already exciting prize of a unique
learning opportunity for the class that earns the most
Community Paws for this Pillar.
Glebe students and teachers accepted the challenge,
chanting “Pump Up The Paws!” while making boastful
promises to beat the 100-Paw goal and claim the
distinction of Community Paws winner for Respect
for their classes. Please join us in Pumping Up The
Paws and promoting respectful behavior by encouraging
your own Glebe Panthers to help their classes earn
Community Paws in the above ways and by checking in on
their progress. Happy 100th Day!
Sincerely,
Mr. Carroll
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