“I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.”
~Abraham Lincoln
Our character trait focus this month is Citizenship:
Recognizing one's place in the greater communities (family, school, local and country) through active service and respectful devotion to the community's members, values and standards.
Catch phrase: Everyone counts.
We’ve had a fantastic year studying American history: learning about people who came to this land seeking a new life and freedom, discovering more about the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, finding out how the branches of our government work, and attempting to understand the causes and consequences of the US Civil War, just to name a few highlights. Patriotism and citizenship, both within our country and within smaller communities, have been woven throughout our literature and history this year.
On a level closer to home, we can talk about how when we live with other people – in a home, a neighborhood, a school, a city, or a country – we have rules and responsibilities as citizens. What are the values and standards in your household that your family is devoted to? Aren’t we thankful to be a part of a family? How can we serve them? How can we serve our local community as citizens of SLO County?
We can also extend this to our school community, and what better time than right now as we wrap up our student-driven fundraiser? Students, you’ve done a fabulous job serving our school through your fundraising efforts and we are proud of you! It’s not too late – we can still reach our goal with the help of all of our SLOCA citizens reaching out to our greater community. Thank you!!!
Here are a couple of links, if you’re interested:
- Introduction to Citizenship – from the Congress for Kids website.
- Activities for Exploring the 5 Themes of Citizenship – from Education World (these 5 themes are actually all SLOCA character traits!)
And below is this month’s mini-poster, which you can print and display at home (click on the link or the image for the pdf):
April Character Trait: Citizenship
