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Quotes:
The reason why the world lacks unity, and
lies broken and in heaps, is, because man is disunited with himself"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The point in history at which we stand is full of promise and
danger. The world will either move forward toward unity and widely shared
prosperity - or it will move apart."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
In love all the contradiction of existence merge themselves and are
lost. Only in love are unity and duality not at variance. Love must be
one and two at the same time. Only love is motion and rest in one. Our
heart ever changes its place till it finishes"
Rabindranath Tagore
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President's
Newsletter
Value
Focus: Unity
I was recently reminded of a story about Martin Luther King. Someone
asked Dr. King how it was possible for him to confront such strident
racism and maintain his composure and peaceful attitude. He
replied that he always had a "bubble" around his head where
he only saw the world he wanted to create. He travelled through
life with a vision of Peace and Harmony for all. This is the
Living Values vision as well! We hold this vision as we hope to
engage more children, families, and schools in creating a peaceful
world!
Our focus this month is on Unity, and we have included a thoughtful
article about Unity by one of our Board Members.
As you reflect on Unity in your own home and life, find opportunities
to positively remark when your family works on something
together. It feels good to have Unity! Discuss a shared
goal, hope or vision. Think about ideas, and then make a plan to
put them into action. Accomplish your plans with a sense of
togetherness and unity!
Kathleen A. Shea, Ph.D
LVEP President
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SOME REFLECTIONS ON UNITY
Unity is harmony within and among individuals in a group. This
value implies concentration, energy and focus of
thoughts. It is accepting and appreciating the value of the rich
array of participants and the unique contribution each can make
by remaining loyal not only to one another but also to the task. Values
are read in the core of our actions. Every single action we take
conveys a value and has consequences for us and for others. At the
present time we observe how difficult it is to reach Unity as a
consequence of what we do. In this new century people have
reached great advantages to improve the quality of their daily
lives. Technology became the big tool to grant access to unthinkable
zones and allow us to go beyond our own limits. Technology has opened
much better choices for comfort, health, and general improvement but,
it has a dark side which puts vital principles of civilization at risk.
People expect instant results, their own ideas are better than
consensus, a "take it or leave it" mentality. It is called individualism.
The most remarkable thinkers and doers are concerned with what is going
on with the sense of community. Unity has the paradoxical
characteristic of putting together the singular difference of each
human being with the concord. We should say Unity is about
accomplishing harmony with disparity. Sustaining that Unity is
harmony made of disparity which may be a paradox but not a
contradiction. It just shows the complex interweave of this value.
Unity is the value that strongly indicates the importance of building a
bond among human beings. We can be more precise and state that
Unity is about linking the differences, the disparity and, the
particular trait of each person. From the beginning, the Western
history has a tradition of dividing the world to get a better
understanding of it. Our thought trends to separate things that are
naturally connected. For example we separate body and mind and in that
way we assume that we can reach deeper knowledge about each one of
them. That is the way we have been experiencing the world: we
split unities and we have separated approaches to each part. Each
person assumes that they have a way to gain control over the mysteries
of life and cosmos. This historical perspective about how the we split
our worlds has two consequences: The world as a Unit is divided in
small unities. Each of those small unities works alone. In such a way
they lose connection except with those other small unties that belong
to the same group. Unity is a value that gives us the possibility of
encountering common points and working together. When we can find the
way to interweave the differences toward a common goal the unthinkable
tasks become possible. But, what we see very often is how difficult it
is integrating all the pieces belonging to a common project.
For instance, one frequent split of a unit is to think about parent and
children but, the unit is the family. Another example is thinking about
teacher and student but, the unity is the school. Each one of these
institutions, Family and School, should work in a more integrative way
if differences among the members reach a relational dynamic. What it is
usually observed when adults interact with children, is mostly a
concern about setting differences or limits. It very frequently means to
build a wall between them. After raising these barriers it is not easy
to share common aims and there is no pleasure spending time
together. Unity faces the challenge of setting differences in a
more dynamic way. That requires finding the similar in the difference
and the difference in the similarity. And, as we stated before, it's
only an apparent contradiction. For example, that is one of the most
important points that should be considered about human relations or
multicultural issues. Working with divergence in a more dynamic
way is a daily life experience because we are permanently required to
make a choice and the most common way to make decisions is accepting
what we like and refusing what we do not like. But, proceeding in a
more dynamic way we should built bridges, in other words we should find
the good in the bad Each members needs to develop the art of the
group regarding their ability to be touched by the difference. It means
not denying dissimilarities, first defensive response in front of the
unknown, and making room for a plural thought. Being aware of the
different characteristics and interest of each part concerned, makes it
possible to understand in what way one peculiarity integrate and
modify the group. When in a group its members are able to read
differences and have the tools to connect those peculiarities, the
possibility of building a shared goal is reached. Leading differences
in that way includes everybody's feelings and community sense becomes
real.
Monica Prandi
LVEP Board Member
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
NORTHWEST
Living Values Support Group Meeting in the
Seattle
Area
The above support group will be meeting every 3rd Monday of the month.
Teachers who are using Living Values in their schools and parents who
are interested are welcome. Meeting will be held at various
Seattle
schools
or homes as people volunteer. For more information and meeting place,
please call Mari at 206-524-6258
STARS 10 hour training
Date: Friday, April 3, 2009
Topic: Let's have fun with team building strategies and sensory
activities to create effective climate for learning
Location: Shoreline Montessori.
105 NE 193rd St
,
Shoreline
,
WA
98155
Phone: 206-524-6258
WAEYC's 33rd Annual Conference (
Washington
Association for the Education of Young Children) 253-854-2565
October 15 -17, 2009 to be held in
Bellevue
,
Washington
.
Values make learning easy
Fun activities for school readiness.
SOUTHEAST
March 9th
6:30 - 8:30 PM
Village
Methodist
Day
School
North
Ft.
Lauderdale
http://www.gbgm-umc.org/villageumc/flyer.pdf
(in case you know anyone looking for a position)
Monica Pujol will be hosting and presenting LVEP
to Broward program directors and teachers from pre-schools funded
by Family Central
April 15, 2009
Living Values Parent Workshops:
Aventura
City
of
Excellence
School
Aventura, FloridaLiving Values Education Program, Inc.
Living Values volunteers conduct monthly workshops for parents designed
to bring values into focus both at home and at school. Parents' study
and practice effective parenting skills including communicating with
children, designing appropriate consequences, and strategies to build
positive behaviors in children. For more information, contact Kathy
Shea at 305-773- 4500 or lvepmiami@aol.com.
NORTHEAST
The Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character
at Boston University is offering workshop on:
Educating for Citizenship
Thursday & Friday, April 16-17, 2009
Boston University
The CAEC's Spring Institute is a stimulating retreat that cultivates
the intellectual lives of educators, inspires them to embrace a renewed
sense of responsibility and dedication to the art of teaching, and
instills in them a deeper understanding of how to educate for
character. Plenary presentations by
Boston
University
scholars and CAEC members explain relevant philosophical principles and
demonstrate how sources of wisdom can be mined for enduring lessons.
This year we will examine citizenship from a variety of perspectives,
including global citizenship, sports, and more. Registration Form:
http://www.bu.edu/sed/caec/files/registration%20form.doc
June 19-21st ( Father's Day Weekend) Parent/Child LVEP Retreat at
Peace
Village
.
More information in next newsletter.
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IN THE WORDS OF A RECENT LVEP PARTICIPANT:
VALUES
PROGRAM at
Aoba-Japanese
International
School
By Kristine
Bordner, Values/Ethics Coordinator
Tokyo
,
Japan
December, 2008 (LVEP participant N.Y. Summer, 2008)
"I don't have anyone to play with." I heard this
repeatedly as I observed and talked to children who seemed sad or
lonely on the playground and they were all saying the same
thing-"I feel bad". Whether they were feeling left out due to
their own behavior, or that of others, these children were feeling
lonely and hurt. And let's face it, most of us have felt these feelings
as a child (and as adults), and it's just not pleasant.
Although I understood that children's social behavior changed daily,
and kids not playing one day may be the most popular children the next,
I felt there was something missing at our school. I had a vision
of all children happy and empathetic to one another, with no one feeling
excluded. What could I do as a staff member, and did anyone else
share this vision?
As the Elementary Principal and I sat down to look at the current
values program at our school we decided to take a survey from teachers
and students. We asked teachers to list what values resources they were
using, what were some of the social/emotional needs of their students
and how teachers were addressing those needs. The student questionnaire
was confidential and requested students to answer questions based on what
they felt their social/emotional needs were. Our findings were as
suspected. Students needed help making/maintaining friends and
accepting/tolerating others. Several students reported bullying; either
they had been bullied or admitted to being the bully. The staff
needed assistance on how to help the students become more cooperative,
respectful and empathetic and requested a cohesive program addressing
simple core values that we could all work together to exemplify.
The Values Focus Group (VFG) was formed, and we were on our way. We had
a dream, a vision and a mission to make our school a better place. We
divided the tasks and researched what resources we had at the school,
what was available outside of the school, and what different programs
existed. We decided I would attend the LVEP training in NY in July of
2008.
After completing the training, I took the resources, information, and
my training certificate and discussed the LVE program with the
Headmistress of the school. She had already been adjusting the middle
school ethics program and felt that using similar resources for the
elementary and middle school students would make a more cohesive
program. She was sold! Upon presenting the information to the VFG, they
too felt that the LVE program would benefit the school, the students
and themselves. We held an initial training for staff, and school
began.
Are we having success? Absolutely! The VFG meets regularly to reflect
on the progress of the program, make any adjustments, give suggestions
and share values lessons. The elementary division of the school
celebrates with values assemblies once a month where 2 classes
represent the core value, and student work, posters and values boards
are hung throughout the school that reflect the core values of the
program. The middle school staff who teach Values/Ethics meet monthly
to discuss ideas and reflect on the progress of the program and the
students. I've heard some wonderful stories and seen some amazing work.
We have incorporated values quotes and reflection points into our daily
bulletin; have had small skits over the announcements that reflect the
value of the month, and staff use the same vocabulary used in the
program to have consistency on expectations for behavior. To inform the
families, there are monthly parent newsletters discussing the core
value of the month and tips on creating a more peaceful and harmonious
household. The ideas on how to incorporate the core values throughout
the school and curriculum continue to grow.
How are we measuring success of the program with the students? We
realize this will be an ongoing process and will be not only seen but
felt throughout the school. We will compile data from mid/post year
evaluations of the program, but realize that is only one component to measuring
success. The real success is what is reflected in the students'
behavior.
We have an idea of what we want our school to look and feel like. That
every child feels valued. That every student feels responsible for
their own behavior. A place where students are tolerant and accepting
of one another, where they feel safe and can take chances, empathy is
shown in the good deeds of one student to another. We realize we have
some fine tuning and alterations to the program to increase the
possibility of success for all, and this is an ongoing, evolving
project that will never be stagnant. We are on our way, and with the
help of LVEP resources and the continued support available, our
school feels we have made many steps in the right direction.
Thank you LVEP!
(Note from LVEP: According to the National
Association of School Psychologists, nearly 160,000 students stay home
every day because of bullying. Bullying directly affects about five
million elementary and junior high school students in the United States
every year. Each year LVEP strives to help schools nationwide measure
and improve their climate for learning.
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We
would love to hear that you want to honor an educator or special
community member with a gift donation to Living Values
Education Program or make a donation to our program.
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RESOURCES
ON UNITY:
For
activities on Unity, see LVEP's resource books:
Living
Values Activities for Children Ages 3 - 7
Living Values Activities for Children Ages 8 - 14
Living Values Activities for Young Adults
Oder your books from LVEP at a special price
by going to:
http://www.livingvalueseducation.org/Resources/Book_Overview/Book_Overview.htm |
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Great News!
ACES is a Living
Values Charter
School in Aventura, Florida
Read the Great News Below
Press Release -
2009 National Finalists
For Immediate Release
TWENTY-SEVEN
SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS SELECTED AS NATIONAL FINALISTS IN PRESTIGIOUS
CHARACTER EDUCATION COMPETITION
Winners to be selected in late May
February 25, 2009 . . .
Washington
,
DC
- The Character
Education Partnership (CEP) has named twenty-five schools and two
districts as National Finalists in its National Schools of Character
(NSOC) awards program. CEP, the nation's leading advocate for quality
character education, chose the 27 National Finalists from a record 185
applicants across the
United
States
. CEP will be conducting site
visits to all National Finalists throughout the end of April. CEP's
Blue Ribbon Panel will then meet to select approximately 10 winners in
May.
"CEP congratulates all the applicants and commends them for the
important work they are doing to develop young people of good
character," CEP Executive Director Joe Mazzola said.
"Character education has never been more important. It is a
genuine honor to recognize these exemplar schools that are setting the
standard for the rest of the nation."
Schools or districts selected as the 2009 National Schools of Character
will receive the award, national recognition, and a financial grant at
CEP's 16th National Forum on Character Education, Citizens of Character
- the Foundation of Democracy, to be held October 29-31, 2009, at the
Hilton
Alexandria
Mark
Center
outside of
Washington
,
DC
. Having demonstrated
the success of their initiatives through the rigorous NSOC application
and screening process, winners use their grants to serve as national
leaders and models for other schools and districts seeking to improve
their character education efforts.
"We know the NSOC application process is time-consuming and
demanding," NSOC Director Janice Stoodley said. "But
applicants repeatedly tell us they benefit from applying. We know the
process works. We are able to find schools and districts doing
innovative things to connect with kids and connect kids to their
communities. We see first-hand the remarkable results these schools are
able to achieve in terms of academic achievement and school
climate."
CEP selects the National Finalists on the strength of their written
applications, which demonstrate their outstanding work in encouraging
the ethical, social, and academic growth of their students through
effective character education. In addition to the 27 National
Finalists, 28 schools will receive national honorable mention as a
result of the strength of their work. CEP's Eleven Principles of
Effective Character Education, which defines excellence in character
education, guides the evaluation and selection of finalists and
winners.
Each year since 1998, the NSOC awards program has recognized K-12 schools
and districts that provide exemplary comprehensive character education
programs that consistently yield positive results in student behavior,
citizenship, school climate, and academic performance. For more
information about CEP or the NSOC awards program, visit
www.character.org.
Character Education Partnership
2009 National Schools of Character Award National Finalists
Alta
S.
Leary
Elementary
School
,
Warminster
,
Pennsylvania
Ashland
High
School
,
Ashland
,
Ohio
Aventura
City
of
Excellence
School
,
Aventura
,
Florida
Bayless Elementary School,
St.
Louis
,
Missouri
Bayless Junior High School,
St.
Louis
,
Missouri
Beverly
Elementary
School
,
Beverly
Hills
,
Michigan
Beverly
Woods
Elementary School
,
Charlotte
,
North
Carolina
The
Blake
School
,
Hopkins
,
Minnesota
Brigantine
Elementary
School
, Brigantine,
New Jersey
Col. John Robinson School,
Westford
,
Massachusetts
First
Philadelphia
Charter
School
for Literacy,
Philadelphia
,
Pennsylvania
Fox C-6 School District,
Arnold
,
Missouri
Fuguitt
Elementary
School
,
Largo
,
Florida
Greenfield
Elementary
School
,
Beverly
Hills
,
Michigan
Hamilton
Township
School District
,
Hamilton
,
New
Jersey
Kehrs
Mill
Elementary School
,
Chesterfield
,
Missouri
Lake
Riviera
Middle School
, Brick,
New Jersey
Long
Elementary
School
,
Crestwood
,
Missouri
Lore
Elementary
School
,
Ewing
,
New Jersey
Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy,
Alexandria
,
Virginia
Milwaukee
College
Prep School
,
Milwaukee
,
Wisconsin
Parkside
Primary
Center
,
Bethalto
,
Illinois
Peak to
Peak
Charter
School
,
Lafayette
,
Colorado
Seminole
Elementary
School
, Seminole,
Florida
Sullivan
Primary
School
,
Sullivan
,
Missouri
Walnut
Street
Elementary School
,
Uniondale
,
New
York
Westwood
Elementary
School
,
Friendswood
,
Texas
Geographic distribution:
The 2009 National Finalists represent 15 states. Five states have two
or more National Finalists:
Missouri
(6),
New Jersey
(4),
Florida
(3),
Michigan
(2), and
Pennsylvania
(2). In 2009, 26 states participated in the State Schools of Character
awards program, a preliminary step in reaching the national level of
competition. All of the 27 National Finalists were part of this process
and named State Finalists in their states.
Demographics:
Most of the 2009 National Finalists are public schools although two are
districts and one is a private school. Nineteen of the twenty-five
schools are elementary schools, two are middle schools, one is a high
school, and three have a mix of grade levels. Most National Finalists
are located in suburban settings, although nine of the schools are
urban and one of the schools is located in a rural area. A number of
the National Finalists have student populations that may be described
as low-income; 10 have one-third or more of their students eligible for
free and reduced price lunch.
Contact:
Rebecca Sipos, rsipos@character.org,
(202) 296-7743
Character
Education Partnership
1025 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite
1011
Washington
,
DC
20036
(800) 988-8081
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