Presidio feels strongly about Character Education. Character Education means focusing on the whole student, not just certain characteristics. The curriculum we use to create a consistent vocabulary and culture at Presidio is Character Counts. Character Counts focusses on the 6 Pillars of Character- Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship. The belief is that most desirable character traits will fall under one of these 6 pillars, and each of these pillars is needed to truly be an individual of good character. A drug dealer may be a hard worker with an excellent work ethic, however, would you say this individual is a good citizen, who is caring and responsible? The 6 pillars combined provide a consistent framework and culture of expectations for our students to follow. The expectation is the same when they are in kindergarten as when they are seniors in high school; whether they are in a classroom, on the playground, or in the front office; the same vocabulary is utilized ensuring our students understand when they are showing poor character and rewarded when they exhibit good character. There are several ways in which we reinforce and nurture good character in our students. Each student K-8 is given a Character Card, these cards serve as a written record for parents, and other teachers to view how well a student is following the 6 pillars of character. Our high school has formed a Character Council, these students assist the younger grades in understanding the importance of character through mediation and activities. We participate in school wide service projects focusing on citizenship. In addition, the school itself recognizes students publicly who have demonstrated excellent character in the form of bulletin boards and reward days. It is our hope that parents will also become familiar with the Character Counts program and vocabulary. To help parents do this we have created a board on our Pinterest page with activities that can be done at home to help students understand each of the 6 pillars more fully. We hope you will take some time to look through the activities and maybe even give one or two a try. Click HEREto access our Pinterest page.