How To Use Core Essentials
To make the Core Essentials program a success in your school and implement the program school-wide, you will need four different groups of people-a coordinator for the program, teachers, media specialist, and administrative staff.
The following is a breakdown of how to best use Core Essentials school-wide, and suggestions on how each of those groups can play a part in making the program effective. Keep in mind that we've done a lot of the work for you. Core Essentials is designed to fit into your school's already hectic schedule. These roles primarily involve the distribution of the materials and how the program can be cross-promoted throughout your school building.
Also, we've posted some additional ways the program is being implemented at other Core Essentials schools. Utilize the best practices of other schools to determine how Core Essentials fits into your particular environment.
Core Essentials Coordinator
To ensure that everyone has the resources they need, it would be best to designate one or more Core Essentials Coordinators for your school. These individuals could be a school guidance counselor, vice principal, lead teachers for each grade levels-whatever works for your school.
The Core Essentials Coordinator would be the primary user on the online account. Secondary users can also be designated.
The primary responsibilities of the Core Essentials Coordinator are:
Teachers
Teachers play a key role in introducing and helping students internalize the values being taught. We realize that teaching values are a small part of what is already on a teacher's list of responsibilites, but we also know that when students internalize the values it makes the environment of the classroom function better as well.
We have created resources that can be implemented in the classroom with minimal effort from the teacher. The primary responsibilities of the teachers are:
Media Specialist
If emphasizing the program school-wide, the Media Specialist can play a key supportive role in helping students learn more about the featured value. The primary responsibility of the media specialist is to utilize the suggested reading list featured in the monthly teacher's guide and set up a display featuring the recommended books that tie-in with the featured value. Depending on availability, the specialist may also want to add additional books to the list as well based on the definitions of the featured value. Administration
The administration at the school also plays an important role in ensuring the featured values are being emphasized school-wide. By incorporating the values into the school's communication, the administration can let students know that the values are what is on everyone's mind that month. Suggested weekly announcements are provided in the teacher's guide. Also, text that can be cut/pasted into communication pieces (web site, newsletters) is provided as a download from your Core Essentials account.
To make the Core Essentials program a success in your school and implement the program school-wide, you will need four different groups of people-a coordinator for the program, teachers, media specialist, and administrative staff.
The following is a breakdown of how to best use Core Essentials school-wide, and suggestions on how each of those groups can play a part in making the program effective. Keep in mind that we've done a lot of the work for you. Core Essentials is designed to fit into your school's already hectic schedule. These roles primarily involve the distribution of the materials and how the program can be cross-promoted throughout your school building.
Also, we've posted some additional ways the program is being implemented at other Core Essentials schools. Utilize the best practices of other schools to determine how Core Essentials fits into your particular environment.
Core Essentials Coordinator
To ensure that everyone has the resources they need, it would be best to designate one or more Core Essentials Coordinators for your school. These individuals could be a school guidance counselor, vice principal, lead teachers for each grade levels-whatever works for your school.
The Core Essentials Coordinator would be the primary user on the online account. Secondary users can also be designated.
The primary responsibilities of the Core Essentials Coordinator are:
- Distributing the downloadable resources that are posted quarterly. The CE Coordinator can log into his or her account and download the posted resources (teacher's guides, newsletter inserts, takehome sheets, coloring pages) for distribution to teachers, media specialists, and the administrative staff. The CE Coordinator can print the items for distribution or simply email the electronic files (PDF and Word documents) to the school staff. If desired, the CE Coordinator can also give access to the school's CE account by giving out the username/password or set up secondary users on the account so that other key personnel can help with the distribution of the materials.
- Finding reward incentives to use for students who are "caught" displaying the featured values during the school year. The CE Coordinator can work with the school administrative staff and PTA volunteers to find educational partners in the community who will provide rewards and recognition for students who are putting into practice one of the nine values featured during the school year. This incentive is great for kids, and we recommend having enough rewards to recognize each student three times during the school year.
Teachers
Teachers play a key role in introducing and helping students internalize the values being taught. We realize that teaching values are a small part of what is already on a teacher's list of responsibilites, but we also know that when students internalize the values it makes the environment of the classroom function better as well.
We have created resources that can be implemented in the classroom with minimal effort from the teacher. The primary responsibilities of the teachers are:
- Utilize the monthly teacher's guides to teach the values. The teacher's guides include lesson plans for both K-2 and 3-5 grade levels. The guides also give ideas for bulletin board ideas to help create an environment that communicates the values as well. The "Nature's Way" section of the guide provides information on how the featured value is demonstrated by the iconic animal. We also provide quotes about the value and ideas for catching kids who display the values in everyday life. The guides are posted quarterly and are uploaded one month prior to the first featured month. For example, the September/October/November guides are uploaded August 1.
- Utilize the additional resources, like the coloring pages and newsletter inserts. Cut and paste the content from the Newsletter insert into your weekly communication with parents. Print out the coloring pages for students to color the featured animal icon for that month's value.
- Send home the TakeHome sheets. The bilingual TakeHome sheets are a key way for you to partner with the homes of your students. The sheets provide ideas for family discussion and activities that reinforce the values you are teaching in the classroom. The English version of the TakeHome sheets are also posted on the Core Essentials web site in the "parents" section. We've also provided a place for parents to brag on how they've caught their child displaying the featured values.
- Print the mini-posters and create visual reminders in your classroom of the monthly featured value.
- Provide rewards for students who are caught displaying the value.
Media Specialist
If emphasizing the program school-wide, the Media Specialist can play a key supportive role in helping students learn more about the featured value. The primary responsibility of the media specialist is to utilize the suggested reading list featured in the monthly teacher's guide and set up a display featuring the recommended books that tie-in with the featured value. Depending on availability, the specialist may also want to add additional books to the list as well based on the definitions of the featured value. Administration
The administration at the school also plays an important role in ensuring the featured values are being emphasized school-wide. By incorporating the values into the school's communication, the administration can let students know that the values are what is on everyone's mind that month. Suggested weekly announcements are provided in the teacher's guide. Also, text that can be cut/pasted into communication pieces (web site, newsletters) is provided as a download from your Core Essentials account.
