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Program : Character Education Character matters [top] The atmosphere of a school is as important as its academic curriculum. Students take in vital life lessons every day at school as they interact with peers and adults, and as they observe the way adults work together. Our school’s explicit emphasis on the importance of character means that your children can be in an environment where the framework of values and expectations mirrors those of the family. The school’s list of Character Building Qualities (CBQs) gives the community a common language and a common set of expectations. They help to clarify the complexities young people face by providing consistent answers to questions and pressures that arise in day-to-day life. Teachers use a values-based curriculum to reinforce the CBQ’s on a regular basis. Through setting expectations and modeling appropriate conduct, FRCDS faculty and staff teach appreciation for one another and for qualities that build character. Character Building Qualities, our common vocabulary [top] We value… self-respect, a proper sense of right and wrong, compassion and caring, responsibility as an individual and as a member of a community, and moral courage Our CBQs have been in place for decades and thus have permeated school life in deep and natural ways.
Assembly, our family time [top] On Monday & Friday mornings faculty, staff, and students in Grades 1-8 gather for Assembly. The purpose of this gathering is to bring the community together in order to highlight community values represented by the CBQs. The teacher on duty for the week shares ideas and reflections on the CBQ of the week, and groups of students take part regularly in this community activity where goodness is honored and a sense of shared purpose is reinforced. Character across the curriculum [top] From the moment they arrive at school, Preschool students are encouraged to express the CBQs in their daily work and play. They are surrounded by the faculty’s happy expectation of goodness, which nurtures a child’s desire to be good. When a little one falls down, the others are encouraged to “Help a friend up.” If a couple of students are becoming more boisterous than necessary, rather than reprimanding them first, the teacher will remind them of ways to show the respect and kindness that children come by naturally. Teachers make a habit of pointing out expressions of goodness so that students learn to recognize and value them. In addition to maintaining high standards of respect and kindness, Lower School teachers incorporate character issues into the curriculum. Listen in at classroom doors, and you might hear: In their classes, Middle School students often find themselves engaged in discussion about values and character, in the context of their course work. As a middle schooler you can expect to Ethics Class, building strong thinkers [top] Students in Grade 8 take part in a class on ethics, led by a member of the Board of Trustees, who is a trained facilitator in the field of
ethics. The curriculum grows out of the Institute for Global Ethics. Our students learn to think and act based
upon values and reasoning. Participation in this class leads students towards meaningful leadership roles in Middle School and beyond. The Middle School at Fox River Country Day School provides an oasis of calm for developing independent reasoning skills and a strong sense of self, both of which will contribute to students’ future happiness and success. Middle School Advisory, a support network [top] The Middle School Advisory Program is central to character education as it provides a caring environment where students can analyze and discuss issues they face in everyday life. During advisor time small groups of students get to know one another and their advisor through hearty discussion, service projects, conversations about character and ethics, and problem-solving activities. |
1600 Dundee Ave. | Elgin, IL 60120 | phone: 847-888-7910 | email: info@frcds.org