We are celebrating the OCDSB’s character initiative this year at Dunlop by discussing one theme per month at school.  

February is the month that we celebrate Cooperation.  This Character Trait has three pillars.  They are:

• I work with others to make a peaceful community

• I am willing to listen to others’ ideas and suggestions

• I compromise and negotiate to solve problems and differences of opinion

There are many ways you can discuss Cooperation with your children.  One way is through children’s literature.  You may have some of these titles already in your home, but here are some names of books that you can use to ready to your children about the topic:

• Swimmy (written by Leo Lionni)

• Bully on the Bus (written by Carl Bosh)

• The Gnats of Knotty Pine (written by Bill Peet)

• Big Al (written by Andrew Clements)

• Frog and Toad are Friends (written buy Arnold Lobel)

• Stellaluna (written by Janell Cannon)

February’s month of Cooperation can be summed up in the phrase “I am because we are.”  Think about what this phrase means and discuss it with your child.

October’s theme was RESPONSIBILITY.  Our focus was Responsibility on the announcements in the morning and teachers embedded the concepts in their daily lessons.  When students were caught showing the trait, we nominated them for doing so.  At the end of each month, we had exciting prizes and recognition for all who demonstrated the trait.

Parents can talk to their children about all the character traits at home.  Please make it part of your daily lives at home to further embed in our children that we all need to live having “a quality character.”

Responsibility is:
-I am accountable for the decisions I make
-I realize that the decisions I make impact my community
-I honour my commitments