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Character Education

Words Count

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We are excited to announce a proactive program to promote positive relationships within our school community. Our goal is to put an end to mean actions, teasing and exclusion. The focus of the program is on empowering parents, teachers, and students to take an active role in “cultivating community” here at ACES.

To support us in our efforts we have partnered with Words Count. Words Count teaches simple ways to implement research based tools that help everyone to be a part of creating and maintaining a collegial community.

By providing strategies and a COMMON LANGUAGE for everyone (students, parents, staff, other adults in school), we create a new culture of inclusion and being there for each other. Focusing on bullying prevention provides quicker and more effective results than traditional anti-bullying programs.

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Empowering bystanders to become upstanders with effective tools will help a positive and kind culture emerge.  However, being an upstander does not mean confrontation with the aggressor.  The focus of the program is to teach skills and tools to support the targeted person while avoiding confrontation.

Once we become UPSTANDERS, instead of bystanders, the aggressors naturally stop their negative behaviors because it becomes less popular. At the same time, the targeted persons stand up for themselves because they feel supported, not alone. They stop thinking “what am I doing to deserve this?” and start thinking “not everyone agrees that I have to be mistreated, so I don´t deserve this!”

This program is implemented by a committee of dedicated staff who expose students to lessons on a monthly basis to strengthen their skills and abilities to recognize unkind behaviors and become upstanders.  Activities are age appropriate, engaging and hands on.  They include the use of videos, simulations and literature.

Words really DO count! What we say to ourselves and the way we translate our ideas into words and then to actions is paramount.  We hope you will join with us in learning about and actively engaging in building healthy relationships. We need everyone to be a part of cultivating the ACES community and we count on your participation. As an ACES family everyone in your household is a critical part of this initiative. We want to work as a team to address concerns, implement suggestions and ensure that everyone has a positive learning environment where they feel welcome.

Blue

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Blue is a quiet color. Red’s a hothead who likes to pick on Blue. Yellow, Orange, Green, and Purple don’t like what they see, but what can they do? When no one speaks up, things get out of hand — until One comes along and shows all the colors how to stand up, stand together, and count.

Stand In My Shoes

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When Emily asks her big sister what the word empathy means, Emily has no idea that knowing the answer will change how she looks at people. But does it really matter to others if Emily notices how they're feeling? Stand in My Shoes shows kids how easy it is to develop empathy toward those around them. Empathy is the ability to notice what other people feel. Empathy leads to the social skills and personal relationships which make our lives rich and beautiful, and it is something we can help our children learn. This book teaches young children the value of noticing how other people feel.

Mr. Peabody's Apples

Mr. Peabody's Apples

Mr. Peabody is a beloved elementary school teacher and baseball coach in 1949 Happville, USA, who one day finds himself ostracized when rumors spread through the small town. Mr. Peabody silences the gossip with an unforgettable and poignant lesson about how we must choose our words carefully to avoid causing harm to others.