PCM Elementary School
Leader in Me Newsletter
October 2023
Habit of the Month
Habit 1: Be Proactive "I'm In Charge of Me!"
This month, our elementary focused on Habit 1- Be Proactive. Being proactive means taking responsibility for your choices and behaviors. Habit 1 is key to all of the 7 Habits- that is why it comes first!
A proactive person says "I am in charge of my own life. I am responsible for whether I am happy or sad. I can choose how I react to other people. I am in the driver's seat."
Young children can learn that different choices yield different results. The goal is to teach them to think about those results before they decide what to do.
Discussions with your child focused around Habit 1 could include talking about taking care of themselves, taking care of their things, reacting or not reacting to others' behaviors, planning ahead, and thinking about what the right thing is to do.
Year 2 Kickoff Assembly
Mrs. Geetings meeting with all K-5 classes for our Leader in Me Kickoff assembly! She discussed some of the Year 2 Highlights with all students and talked with the students about ways they can be a leader!
Running Mustangs Club
The PCM Running Mustang Club is in full swing! Students have the option to run or walk laps on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It's been awesome to see students working hard and setting goals!
Goal Setting
Students are learning about setting WIGs- Wildly Important Goals. This is one from 2L setting goals for reading!
Teacher Teams Update
Physical Environment Team
At PCE, we are working hard to add elements to our hallways and school-wide spaces to show the 7 Habits! This month, our Physical Environment Team is adding staff nameplates by each classroom door. They also planned an activity for all students to make self portraits- showing their leadership abilities and unique qualities. Coming up next, they will be adding more bulletin boards and more in the hallways!
The Facilities/Environmental Team at Monroe is excited to be working towards providing a stronger sense of Leader in Me materials and verbiage in common places at school! They are hanging 7 Habit Banners down the main hallway, as well as having students fill in our "Habit of the Month" bulletin shoutout board! Next up, they are excited to get teacher mission statements, their personal WIG's, and their WIG data sheets up outside their classroom door!
Social Emotional Team
This month, this team has set a goal to work on building positive, safe, and trusting relationships between students and staff. They are having students take a survey about this, and are also planning things to help students get to know all our teachers and staff.
Activities Team
This month, the activities teams in both buildings got our Running Mustangs Club going! They have planned goals for students to keep track of their laps each week. They also have been working this month on getting Leader in Me student jobs and teams going, including students applications and job descriptions.
Academics Team
The academic team at ME has been getting the READ READ READ program up and running! In September, they had 84% of students complete a READ READ READ card. Students got to celebrate with a foam party! This month, preschool will join in on the program too.
Teams about both buildings are also working on a new goal to support staff and students in setting WIGs- Wildly Important Goals. We will set more class goals, but soon students will be learning how to set personal goals and academic goals.
Student Lighthouse Update
Student Lighthouse Team will be a team that works very closely with our Staff Lighthouse Team. They will be positive role models for our school and show the 7 Habits. They also will plan Leader in Me events for our school, and also speak and lead at these events.
At Home Connection
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Try being proactive as a family:
- The next time you may feel bored, do something nice for someone else!
- Try doing something today that you've maybe been scared to try to do. Make a new friend, help clean up after dinner, practice riding your bike, or learn a new skill!
- The next time you get mad and feel like saying something unkind, pause and think, hold in your words.
- If you do something wrong, say you're sorry before someone asks you to apologize.
- Make a list of things as a family you can do to be proactive at home! Examples: Picking out clothes at night, getting dressed in the morning, making their beds, cleaning their rooms, packing their lunch and backpack for school. What other things do you do every day at home that you could be proactive?
Read About Habit 1: Be Proactive
The Berenstain Bears and the Bad Habit By Stan and Jan Berenstain
Salt In His Shoes, Michael Jordan: In Pursuit of a Dream By Deloris Jordan
Clean Your Room, Harvey Moon! By Pat Cummings
Leader in Me Resources
Habit 1 Video: Proactive vs. Reactive
Click the link to watch a short video about being proactive vs. reactive.
Habit 1 At Home
This guide gives ideas and activities to try at home as a family when having discussions focused on Habit 1: Be Proactive.
Proactive Language
Here is a resource to have discussions about using proactive language at school, at home, and in the community.