Saturday, September 26, 2015

October Letter from the Principal






Dear Great Falls Families,

Often times when we think about school, we think about academics. We think about our children acquiring the skills they need to be proficient in reading, math, and writing. Great Falls greatly values academic progress, but we also want our students to be kind people. We want our students to be able to problem solve, resolve conflict, and positively navigate relationships with peers.

Great Falls understands that social skills need to be taught and fostered through consistent language and expectations. Documented studies demonstrate evidence correlating strong social skills in children with positive long-term outcomes into adulthood.  In our continuing effort to create a safe & positive learning environment at Great Falls, we implement a variety of programs that exemplify our beliefs.

Steps to Respect
3rd, 4th, and 5th graders participate in the Steps to Respect program. The program consists of 9 classroom lessons taught by our school counselor, social worker, assistant principal, and principal. This program is designed to help address bully behavior and promote responsible, respectful student choices and actions.  Each classroom lesson focuses on topics such as skills to enhance friendships, recognize feelings & develop empathy, the difference between bully behavior & conflict, and how to recognize, refuse, & report bully behavior.

That’s My Story, Too!
Kindergarteners, 1st, and 2nd graders participate in That’s My Story, Too! Through the use of picture books and engaging activities, children learn about emotional challenges for their developmental stage and discuss how to cope with problems and issues in an age-appropriate manner. The lessons are taught by our school counselor, social worker, assistant principal, and principal and emphasize the importance of being a good friend and thinking about the feelings of others.  Students are able to relate to the characters of the story and, in turn, hopefully learn new strategies to implement into their own personal experiences.

Student Ambassadors
Student Ambassadors are Great Falls students who help other students find creative ways to solve problems and lead by example. 4th and 5th graders can apply to serve as a role model for others by making a commitment to demonstrate Code of Conduct behavior at all times. Student Ambassadors complete a program called, Little Peacemakers, that fosters leadership skills to become a classroom mediator. Throughout the year, they serve as school leaders and learn how to solve problems peacefully. Student Ambassadors also give back to the Great Falls school community by completing various jobs around the school such as working with younger students and assisting on the playground. Being a Student Ambassador is a huge honor and responsibility that positively impacts the culture at Great Falls.

We understand that there are clear avenues for addressing your academic concerns for your child, but please also contact us if your concerns are based on their social needs. We are always available to answer your questions and help provide resources. Our Social Worker and School Counselor have created a very useful and informative website that provides important information for addressing all needs. Please feel free to explore the Social and Emotional Webpage. In addition to such, we will be adding a special feature in our monthly “Great Falls Chatter” newsletter sharing our curriculum progress and how you may enhance social-emotional learning at home with your child.

As always, please feel free to reach out to me at any time with questions and feedback. I am available through email at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org and by phone at 222-1050.  New this year is my Twitter page & blog, which can be found at https://twitter.com/MrsBFortier and  http://greatfallsprincipal.blogspot.com/ where I will be making updates weekly on the happenings at Great Falls.

Happy October!


Sincerely,
Becky Fortier
Great Falls Principal







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