In our 2011 spring parent survey, two questions indicated that our parents believed Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District was meeting the strategic objective focusing on providing a strong learning environment for students.
- 92 percent said that they believed there is "a healthy and productive level of classroom discipline" found on their child's campus.
- 92.6 percent of parents responding said that "their child's school provides a safe environment".
A relatively new program that we are using in our elementary schools is R time. We are finding this program very beneficial because it emphasizes C-FB ISD's long-established character values as well as promoting courtesy and good manners.
Our elementary teachers find R time helps our students build stronger relationships with one another and adults. We know when people feel good about themselves and their environment, they are more productive. In essence, by having a positive "work" environment, we can accelerate learning.
R time occurs one time a week for 15 to 20 minutes. Teachers use activities developed specifically for their grade levels. Randomly paired, students are taught how to introduce themselves to their partner, during a special introduction time. After the introduction, the students are involved in a special activity that includes thinking, preparation and action times.
After the activity, there are processing and feedback times. And, finally, the students conclude by thanking their partners for their participation in the session. The weekly reinforcement of courtesy, respect, good manners and listening skills helps our elementary students not only with their academic achievement but also with their emotional and behavioral well being.
An extension of R time, Negotiate is a program C-FB ISD is using at our six middle schools. As in the elementary schools with R time, Negotiate has 15 to 20-minute weekly sessions.
The sessions follow a similar process and require cooperation with a randomly chosen partner. Fundamental to Negotiate is the expectation and use of good manners, appropriate body language and courtesy, while students are engaged in mutually respectful and productive dialogue.
Negotiate provides a forum in which the students explore and share their views on a whole range topics, including how to make and maintain friends, how to resolve conflicts and problems, how to plan and work cooperatively.
Through the sessions, we want to students learn that they may not always agree with their partner's viewpoint, but they can exchange ideas and learn to respect and value any differences. As with R time, at the end of each Negotiate time, students thank their partners.
We also emphasize to our students the importance of keeping safe in a globally digitized world. Our school librarians led a "Be Safe in Cyberspace" message during February 2012 for Internet Safety Month.
During this time, our campuses took an extra effort to talk about such issues as cyber safety, social networking, and phone texting. We know that being safe online is a major concern for families and students. That is why, our librarians oversaw the district's efforts in teaching our students about Internet safety and Twenty-first technology skills. Our teachers, librarians, and instructional technology specialists were all instrumental in providing Internet safety training.
We know that Internet safety is an ongoing topic, and we encourage families and students to continue studying. For our families, here are several Internet resources suggested by our librarians:
We know that Internet safety is an ongoing topic, and we encourage families and students to continue studying. For our families, here are several Internet resources suggested by our librarians:
We believe to meet our goal of high achievement for all students, the schools and classrooms must be safe and promote learning. By having a variety of strategies in place to promote safety, cooperation, respect and conflict resolution, we are teaching our students valuable tools for life after public school.
In the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District, we are fortunate to have a strong partnership with the educational team, families, and the community. When we work together, our students are the ones who are the winners.
In the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District, we are fortunate to have a strong partnership with the educational team, families, and the community. When we work together, our students are the ones who are the winners.
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