To the three “R’s” taught in school, many parents and teachers would like to add a fourth—Responsibility. They know that responsible students grow up to be responsible adults. Responsible students don’t have any one secret for their success, but they do practice some habits that help them. They are: setting goals, planning their time, studying every day, taking notes in class, having the materials they need, keeping their commitments and getting ready ahead of time. Practice these seven things to become a responsible student and to grow into a responsible adult. (Information taken from Seven Habits of Highly Responsible Students from The Parent Institute, Fairfax Station, VA)

Grandview intermediate students will be participating in Social Smarts lessons as part of our Positive Behavior Supports. The four guiding principals of the program, which were found on the program’s website: www.socialsmarts.com, are listed below.

The SocialSmarts program is based on the following four guiding principles:
•    Positive social skills begins with consideration of others. It is this thinking "beyond oneself" that is the foundation for how we speak and act when interacting with others.

•    Developing and exhibiting kindness and consideration in all dealings with others will ultimately make for a happier, safer, and more successful life for the child. This foundation of decent and appropriate behavior becomes even more important as the child grows into adulthood, as he or she enters the working world, contributes to society in various ways, and one day possibly parents a new generation of children.

•    Kindness, consideration, and the resulting civility in behavior must not only be taught, but also must be practiced and reinforced by example in the family, in schools, and in the child's everyday world.

•    Rather than dismiss manners and etiquette - which is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "the conventional rules of social behavior or professional conduct" - as old-fashioned, fussy, and irrelevant, SocialSmarts recognizes that we need to return to a more civilized period of behavior, where people are responsible and accountable for their words and actions. What we teach are the critical "social survival skills" that our children need to be successful now, in school, and later, as they transition from school to the adult world.