I invite each one of you to uphold the Fallsmead character pledge by making sure that you and your family practice the beliefs that are in our pledge. Students should present these notes to their teachers. If they don't have a note, they must go home or to their caretaker. Our new president, George W. Bush, mentioned character several times in his recent inaugural speech. We all make some mistakes growing up, but if we know and practice good character habits we will become more successful, have more friends, and make better choices.
Children develop character by what they see, by what they hear, and by what they repeatedly do.
During any given day, there are many messages that influence our character development. Lessons of respect, responsibility, kindness, empathy, trustworthiness, fairness, citizenship, and tolerance happen in and outside of school. Role models can be parents, siblings, teachers, friends, neighbors, baby-sitters, extended family members, etc. We have the responsibility to teach the difference between right and wrong. We have an obligation to the next generation to teach natural and logical consequences when our young people err.