| 2007 Westwood named first-ever Texas
State School of Character |
| 2008 Westwood named Texas
State School of Character |
| 2009 National School of Character |
| Respect |
Responsibility |
Citizenship |
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Caring |
Fariness |
Trustworthiness |
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WESTWOOD PLEDGE
I will make good choices
today.
I will respect myself,
my teachers, and others.
And give my best effort
in all I do. |
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 Andrea Varnado Performs Original Song
Westwood parent Jean Varnado and his daughter, Andrea, have collaborated to create a song inspired by Westwood's character education efforts. Click here to enjoy Character Counts, performed by third-grade Andrea Varnado and accompanied by her father. We post their work with their permission and we thank the duo for their willingness to share this musical message with us. |
Books That Teach
Are you looking for a children's book which focuses on a particular character trait? Check out this list of our counselor's favorite books which she uses in guidance (and at home) to reinforce important character values. |
Bucket-Filling 101
Have You Filled A Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud challenges its readers to care for others by making deposits in their invisible buckets. Click here to see how students at Westwood reacted to a read-aloud with the Counselor using the Bucket Book. You can also read a review of the book in the August 2008 Josephson Institute's Character Chronicle. |
Budding Buddies
The Book Buddy Program pairs third graders with first graders and second graders with kindergarteners to give students a weekly visit with their cross-aged peers to read books and build relationships. |
Character Building Activities 09-10
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Character Building Activities
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Monthly Pillar Archives: 07-08 • 08-09 |
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Character Carnations
Character is in full bloom when your little florists fill in and color this  bouquet of carnations. Have students brainstorm character traits or values that they'll need as they grow, or have them pick the traits that their heroes naturally model, one for each flower.Then have them color the flowers, cut the bouquet out, and wrap it up in green tissue paper like this one, made by our counselor's third-grade daughter as a Mothers' Day gift. |
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 The Character Connection
Do you want a fun activity that will get your students moving and challenge their listening skills? The Character Connection is sure to get them going and maybe even add some laughter to the room. |
Bulletin Boards Showcase Character
One way to share how much Character Counts! is by posting it on bulletin boards around the school. Here are some of our most creative ideas for making character visible. |
Character Cubes
This template for a Character Cube will entertain your students while it engages them in a lively pillar discussion. Print the cubes on card stock. Have students write one pillar word on each of the six squares and draw and color an illustration of that pillar in action. Students then cut it out and fold it on the lines, taping the sides to make the shape of a cute. With a buddy, students roll the cube to see which side faces up. They then explain how what's happening in the little illustration shows that pillar and their buddy can give another example of that pillar. Switch cubes or partners multiple times for some riveting game time. Or, let the students think up a dilemma about that pillar. |
 Character in the Curriculum
At the Josephson Institute of Ethics, they understand the time constraints educators face, and their Lesson Plan Bank will make things much easier. All of their lessons are aligned with one or more of the Six Pillars of Character (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship) and you can search by Pillar, age-group, or subject. All lessons are aligned with McREL standards, making curricular integration seamless. One of the Responsibility lessons was written and tested out at Westwood by counselor Barbara Gruener. Click here to visit the Bank and invest in your character building. |
 Character Rocks
Character ROCKS! Are you looking for a creative way to visibly show that your character counts! Click here for a rockin' activity. |
Hometown Heroes
Hometown Heroes too numerous to count rose bright and early Wednesday morning to make tracks to Westwood so that they could help lead the annual Character Counts!/Red Ribbon Week Pep Rally. |
In Our Global Village
Third-grade teacher Deanna Ellisor found an innovative and engaging way to enrich the Friendswood Unit in their social studies curriculum. After studying all about their community, the class decided to author a book to share with the world through the In Our Global Village Service-Learning Project. We are so proud of the way they told our story that we're eager for you to read all about it. |
Knitting
Club
KPRC Video
KTRK Video
Warm Up America!, Westwood's third-grade knitting club, makes afghans for people in need.
Bookmark It! |
L.I.N.K.
Let's Include New Kids (L.I.N.K.) program at Westwood makes Westwood a warm and welcoming place to our newcomers. |
PALS
PALs are a unique group of specially-trained teenaged mentors who make a positive impact on the lives of tomorrow's leaders by building relationships and modeling healthy choices. |
Promoting
Character Education
Looking for ways to promote character education in your classroom, your school, or even your home? Click here for ideas to help get your character education initiative off the ground or to strengthen your existing efforts. |
'Rapping'
It Up
Want to know more about the Six Pillars of Character? Here's a little rap to help people understand the Character Counts! framework. |
 Red Ribbon Week
In conjunction with National Red Ribbon Week, Character Counts! Week will be celebrated at Westwood from Wednesday, October 21 through Wednesday, October 28, 2009. Wrap the Town Red will take place at Stevenson Park on October 24 from 8:30 - 9:30 am. Our theme this year, Drug-Free: The Character Way To Be! , will serve to integrate the two important campaigns we're joining, building character and being drug-free. Our plans include a school-wide wellness walk, a pep rally with our Hometown Heroes, and Grandparents' Day for our third graders. |
Singing About Character is a Snap
Here's a song that we have tons of fun with at Westwood. Written by Counselor Barbara Gruener, this catchy little ditty is sung to the tune of the Adamms' Family. Get your snappin fingers ready! |
Social Contracts
What is a social contract? An important part of the Capturing Kids' Hearts self-managing classroom program, it's a promise or an agreement made between student and teacher as well as between student and student, compiled by the class as their answer questions, posed by the teacher. |
Three Cheers For Character
A big part of being a character mentor is cheering our kids on as they progress down Character Road and experience successes in the classrom. |
The Six Pillar Shuffle
Looking for a fun dance number that your kids are going to love? Look no further! If you've been to one of my Sing, Dance, Laugh, and Build Character workshops, it's likely you've already danced the Six Pillar Shuffle with me. The sheet music is now available online at the official Character Counts! website in their Lesson Plan Bank. Download it today and get ready for a rockin' good time! |
Weekly Character Words
& Manner
Monday's Message
for the school year |
Wednesday
Warbles
The Westwood family gathers every Wednesday morning in the gym for a special community meeting to encourage camaraderie within the school body. |
Westwood's NSOC Portfolio and Application
As part of the Character Education Partnership's (CEP) State and National School of Character application process, schools must submit a seven-page narrative (and a portfolio) aligning their character-education program with CEP's 11 Principles of Effective Character Education. We're posting our application so you can read all about Westwood's journey down Character Road. Click here to read our story as told in CEP's 2009 National Schools of Character publication. |
 The Whole Child
Nurturing the whole child is key to a comfortable classroom climate where learning can take place and students can feel successful. If you want to capture your students' hearts, you need to really know them. Get in touch with their learning style, personality type, and love language and try these ideas for motivating, rewarding, and affirming your students. Activity |
 Worth Repeating
Want to inspire greatness in your students through reflective writing? Using words of wisdom from our role models past and present is a great place to start. Click here for a few sample essays and some quotes worth repeating. |
