Each day during the morning announcements after the Pledge of Allegiance and Texas
Pledge, our students recite the “Southside Pledge”. The pledge states, “Today, I will do more than I have to do.
I will treat others the way I want to be treated, and I will try to become a better person.”

Each day after the morning announcements the “Anti-Bully Pledge” is recited by all
students as a school community. The pledge states, “We will not bully others. We will try to help friends that
are being bullied. We will try to include students that are left out. If we know that someone is being bullied, we
will tell an adult at school and at home”.

Each month a different character value is highlighted, and we call it the “Big Idea
of the Month”. At the end of each month, the assigned grade level has students present a “Big Idea Wrap Up” to
the entire school community during morning announcements summarizing the “Big Idea of the Month” in a
unique, creative way. The Core Essential Values curriculum uses these values to set the stage for a common
language to be used across our entire school. Each month, videos, activities and lessons all center around a
value word and its accompanying definition (or application). -from coreessentials.org

This is Southside’s character education curriculum. It is based on a monthly value
that teaches kids, families, and staff how to treat others right, make smart decisions, and maximize potential.
Our morning announcements include a “Monday Morning Video Lesson” on Mondays and information about
the “Big Idea of the Month” each day. The Core Essential Values curriculum works to build a better future for
kids. So what does that future look like? If you list every quality, trait, and skill that kids need to ensure for
themselves a better future, you’d have a really long list! But over time, if you looked carefully at that list,
grouped those qualities into a few buckets, chances are you would come up with something close to this list of
three basic goals. One would involve qualities needed to build and maintain relationships, one would likely
involve decision making or problem solving qualities, and one would involve skill development, perseverance
and goal setting qualities. We group those into the Big 3: Treat Others Right; Make Smart Decisions; and
Maximize Potential. -from coreessentials.org

“At Southside, your character counts!” Students will hear this each day during the
morning announcements. Interactions and discussions about “being a person of good character” will incorporate
references to character traits such as trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. To
gain the attention of a large group, an adult will say to students “Character Counts!”, and students will respond
with, “All the time!” The adult says, “All the time”, and students finish with “Character Counts!”

Our counselor uses Kelso’s Choice tool for teaching
conflict management skills to K – 5th grade students.

Kelso's Choice Wheel

The CCC consists of a member from every grade level and specials.
They meet monthly to address character education, parent involvement, and bullying. In addition, grade level
responsibilities are assigned and progress of those responsibilities is monitored. Grade level responsibilities are
assigned at the beginning of the school year and could include: posting messages about the monthly “Big Idea”,
greeting students upon arrival, monitoring the cleanliness of the school’s restrooms and awarding “The Golden
Plunger”, organizing “The Marquee Club”, or organizing our “Safety Crew”. The Character Counts Crew
sponsors annual events such as The Great Kindness Challenge, Random Acts of Kindness Week, and the
Heavenly Hats Fundraiser/Hat Parade. “The 11 Principles of Effective Character Education” from character.org
are used as a guide for implementing, assessing, and improving character education initiatives at Southside.

At the end of each school year, third and fourth grade students are given the opportunity to apply to
become a member of PALS. There is an application and selection process. Students are selected by year’s end.
As a 4th or 5th grade member of PALS, students dedicate their time to helping other students through leadership,
mentoring, and mediation.

Students in 3rd – 5th grade are given the opportunity to become a classroom student council representative. Student council members meet weekly and reinforce character education, sponsor school-wide
activities including fundraising for items benefitting the school, and participate in community activities.

Teachers read “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” to their class during the first week of school. Throughout the school year,
teachers refer to the metaphor of a dipper and a bucket when reinforcing appropriate interactions (filling
someone’s bucket) or correcting inappropriate interactions (dipping from someone’s bucket).

As our district has transitioned to Capturing Kids’ Hearts for SEL
curriculum, we collectively create social contracts that hold us accountable for how we interact with one another.
Social contracts are developed by students and teachers in each classroom including music, Library, and P.E.
In addition, grade levels create a cafeteria social contract outlining expectations at lunch. Students hold each other accountable for the agreed upon expectations of our social contracts. The faculty also has a social contract that is upheld.

Each Friday morning, the
recipients of the “Golden Awards” are announced. The gender with the cleanest restrooms for the week is
awarded with the “Golden Plunger”. The grade level who has displayed the most appropriate lunch behavior
consistently throughout the week is awarded the “Golden Fork”. Appropriate lunch behavior includes keeping
voices low, staying seated, and keeping the tables and floor clean, and walking to and from the trash can. The
grade level with the highest attendance for the week is awarded the “Golden A”. The “Golden Fork” and
“Golden A” are displayed near the teachers’ classrooms throughout the next week.

The acronym O.S.C.A.R. stands for “Our Students Can Act Responsibly”. Each grade
level Character Counts Crew representative distributes O.S.C.A.R. cards on their grade level’s designated color
to the teachers of their grade level. Teachers may give two O.S.C.A.R. cards to two students in their classroom
displaying appropriate behaviors while waiting to be picked up from the cafeteria. During Friday morning
announcements, two names per grade level are pulled from the O.S.C.A.R. box and those students each lunch
with the principal.

The term “restorative practices” was derived from a significant
development in the criminal justice field called “restorative justice.” Rather than simply punishing offenders,
restorative justice holds offenders accountable for their crimes by involving them in face-to-face encounters
with the people they have harmed. Research in restorative justice has revealed very positive outcomes for
victims and offenders alike, including reduction in reoffending. Similar restorative practices in schools have
yielded significant improvements in behavior and school climate. The restorative practices movement seeks to
develop good relationships and restore a sense of community in an increasingly disconnected world. While
teachers have found these concepts and practices helpful in managing their classrooms, the whole notion of

actively engaging students and allowing them to take greater responsibility enhances the quality of teaching and
learning in general.
As a symbol of community, circles are one of the most distinctive and flexible forms of restorative practices.
While circles can be used as a response to wrongdoing, they are also very effective as a proactive process for
building social capital and creating classroom norms. Teachers can use circles to check in with students at the
beginning of the day or before certain classes to help students with planning, to set ground rules for projects and
activities, and to deal with more serious problems in a class. The most common way to do a circle meeting is to
arrange students’ chairs in a circle, ask a question, and have students respond in turn going around the circle. It
helps to use a “talking piece,” an object that can be passed from student to student, designating the only person
who has the right to speak. Circles can merge the goals of community building and academic achievement so
that students are strengthening relationships while addressing content areas. From a classroom management
perspective, when people feel connected to one another through mutual understanding and empathy, they are
less likely to misbehave or treat each other disrespectfully. Circles are conducted weekly in K – 5
th grade
classrooms. -from The Restorative Practices Handbook for Teachers, Disciplinarians, and Administrators

Morning Meetings, sometimes called “Class Meetings” depending on the time of day or
grade level, is a time where students are able to share with their peers and teacher. Students may share good
news, bad news, happy news, or sad news. If students do not wish to share, they may “pass”. During this time,
character education concepts may be reinforced. It is a time for informal conversations that help build
relationships among peers and between students and their teacher. “Morning Meeting is a powerful teaching
tool for building community, increasing student investment, and improving academic and social skills. The time
one commits to Morning Meeting is an investment which is repaid many times over...Morning Meeting is a
microcosm of the way we wish our schools to be—communities full of learning, safe and respectful and
challenging for all.” -from the Morning Meeting Book