Principally Speaking

Happy New Year! May 2015 bring happiness to all of our North Country families.

Education is about developing leaders for the challenges of the future. These challenges will require citizens with inquiring minds and moral courage. Our intent is to provide a curriculum that promotes qualities crucial to a democratic society – developing inquisitive minds, enforcing safety, testing theory and befriending the many cultures that make our great nation.


The Seven Habits is based on making good personal decisions and treating people with respect.



Ethics refers to principles that define behavior as right and proper. The principles of the Seven Habits do not always dictate a single “moral” course of action, but provide a means of evaluating and deciding how to proceed when faced with personal challenges. A person who makes ethical decisions has courage. This is a universal quality respected by all cultures and religions. Each month, a habit is highlighted and all students are focused on its meaning. This does not mean that the other habits are not practiced, it is just a method to make sure students understand their intent. January’s habit is Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood.




Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” Students are learning that a good citizen gives more than he/she takes. The Golden Rule should always apply; “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. We celebrate this idea with The Great Kindness Challenge the week of January 26th. As parents and teachers, we need to give our children a solid foundation so that they may grow up to be well -rounded, productive citizens. Time is too short. It is never too soon. Have a safe and healthy New Year.






What is The Great Kindness Challenge?

The Great Kindness Challenge is one school week devoted to performing as many acts of kindness as possible, choosing from a checklist of 50 suggestions. The next Great Kindness Challenge takes place on January 26-30, 2015, and we are joining many schools throughout the nation in this endeavor. Over 500,000 students participated last year. The GKC has the power to increase empathy, tolerance, and compassion for all students from kindergarten through high school. Jill McManigal, Executive Director of Kids for Peace, stated, “When students perform kind act after kind act after kind act, kindness becomes a habit. When kindness becomes a habit, peace becomes possible.” Imagine students complimenting each other, reaching out to a lonely child, picking up trash, surprising friends with happy notes in their backpacks, thanking their teachers creatively, and eating lunch with a new group of friends. These kind acts and more will happen in schools across all 50 states during the 4th Annual Great Kindness Challenge! Schools complement and enhance the GKC week with kindness rallies, anti-bullying essay contests, kindness-themed spirit days, the GKC theme song (Kind-Hearted Hand), and Kindness Stations at recess to practice and reinforce the idea that Kindness Matters!