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Character Development

The Sumner-Bonney Lake School District believes in educating the whole child.  We believe it is our responsibility to develop a student’s character as much as their intellect, because educating the heart is just as important as educating the mind.  We believe in encouraging our children to be better each and every day, in each and every way – both inside the classroom and outside of it.   Research shows that when character skills are intentionally taught, students demonstrate significant improvements – not only in their social and emotional skills – but in their attitudes, behavior, and academic performance.   Sumner-Bonney Lake School District develops character by focusing on the whole child.  We are committed to helping our students develop all the skills needed to be successful.  

Character Strong

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Character Strong is intentionally designed to support the development of character and social emotional skills in students and staff. The 10 traits are intentionally taught by engaging students in activities to develop their character and social emotional skills needed for life. 

  • Courage
  • Perseverance
  • Honesty
  • Respect
  • Gratitude
  • Kindness
  • Responsibility
  • Cooperation
  • Creativity
  • Empathy

 Character Strong/PurposeFull People

PurposeFull People is CharacterStrong’s Pre-K-5 Toolkit. It is intentionally designed to support the development of character and social emotional skills in students, staff, and families. The following 10 traits are intentionally taught by engaging students in activities to develop their character and social emotional skills needed for life. The FAMILY component includes a letter home that has conversation starters, simple activities, and Family character challenges (“PurposeFull Pursuits”) related to the monthly trait. We know that this bridge is one of the most important ones to build! Speaking a common language between school and home and equipping families with the tools to engage in these meaningful (and sometimes tough!) conversation is critical for sustainable change.  

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The following are the 10 traits:

  • Courage
  • Perseverance
  • Honesty
  • Respect
  • Gratitude
  • Kindness
  • Responsibility
  • Cooperation
  • Creativity
  • Empathy

Kelso's Choices

This conflict-management curriculum for elementary students is based on the premise that every child is capable of becoming a peacemaker. It is designed around Kelso the Frog, who offers nine options students can choose from to resolve minor conflicts or small problems on their own.

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This program teaches children to distinguish between big problems (those that are unsafe, dangerous, against the law, or causes a child to feel frightened), and small problems. The only solution for big problems is to report them to a trusted adult as soon as possible.

If it's a small problem, students are encouraged to try at least two of the nine problem-solving strategies before reporting the problem to an adult. If, after two attempts the child is unsuccessful at solving the problem, it is time to ask an adult to help.

Problem-solving strategies include:

  • Go to another game or activity
  • Share and take turns
  • Respectfully talk it over and listen to each other
  • Ignore the problem behavior
  • Tell the person to stop the problem behavior
  • Apologize
  • Make a deal or compromise
  • Wait a cool off before attempting to solve the problem yourself

Second Step

Second Step is based on research that connects social-emotional competence and self-regulation skills to success in school and life.

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Each grade level features developmentally appropriate ways for students to learn core social-emotional skills such as empathy, emotion management, and problem solving. Students will also learn skills for learning that address self-regulation and executive function skills.

These foundational social-emotional skills also contribute to bullying prevention and positive school behavior systems. Second Step lessons are paired with research based lessons in Bullying Prevention where students learn specific skills to help stop bullying.

If you would like to view Second Step curriculum at your child's school please contact your school counselor or the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District Student Services Department at (253) 891-6062.