Stonehill School

Values Education: A Parent's Guide We offer a set of guidelines for life that are deeply ingrained in our school's supportive culture.
Throughout a two-year cycle, 22 positive values are continuously investigated as part of our values education programme, which is aided by the growth of reflective practise.
Our behaviour policy is centred on values education.
It offers a strong foundation that enables our students to make wise decisions by reflecting, thinking, and comprehending.
Our weekly celebration assembly focuses on the value of the month, and when a student from each class exemplifies the value, they are presented with a certificate.
Academic year 2018–19 Our July value is: Freedom the capacity to make wise decisions on what we say, think, and do.
that our students understand the risks of complete independence and why using our is not a good idea.
It is important that children are given options so that choices. can be made and that they are praised for making considered and appropriate choices.
Have a wonderful holiday with your children!
Our value for June: Quality Last terms months was understanding and this months value is Quality; both these values are linked to the approach to learning which focuses on Growth Mindset: In Growth Mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work.
This view creates a love of learning and a determination that is essential for great accomplishment.
Teaching a growth mindset creates motivation, enhances relationships and increases achievement.
In the meantime, please see below, to consider some of the ways you can support the school and your children How parents can help The simplest way to do this, and probably the most effective, is to praise effort and hard work avoiding the simple, youre so clever statements.
We are asking the children to think carefully about what it means to be understanding and to be understood by others.
Taking time to accept that people have different opinions from you, and that, although it may not end in agreement, they may have good reason to hold those opinions and if you put aside your point of view, and try to see things from the other person's point of view, you may realise that in certain situations, other people are not being unkind, they're probably just reacting to a situation, with the experience and knowledge they hold.
We will be encouraging the children to take time to really listen to the opinions and views of others in order to understand their point of view.
We all want to be listened to and understood but it is also important to understand situations from the viewpoint of others.
We want them to show how they can be understanding towards others; taking time to listen to what their friends and family have to say.
This term our value, understanding, focuses us on being more tolerant and sympathetic of everyone in our school community.
Our value for April: Honesty Telling the truth Being true to oneself and others Having integrity and using it in everyday life In school we will be encouraging children to tell the truth even when they have done something wrong and could be in trouble.
We will use the story of Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket to show how important our consciences are.
We will discuss the phrase living a lie and explore the effect a tissue of lies can have leading to greater and greater complications and situations which can be very difficult to sort out.
Emphasis will also be placed upon the importance of saying sorry and meaning it when in the wrong, which of course follows on from our March value of Truth.
Thought for the month: If you tell the truth you dont have to remember anything.
Mark Twain "If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people .
Everyone in the family should make a special effort to be honest with each other this month and in the future.
Our value for March: Trust In MARCH we will be exploring the value of TRUST At school we will be learning about trust and that we trust someone when we rely on the honesty, truthfulness, justice and strength of a person or thing.
Get children to make a list People trust me to Our value for February: Happiness This month we are focusing on the value of HAPPINESS. about different kinds of happiness in different situations and think about what the world would be like if people were not happy.
Our value for January:Tolerance Tolerance At Stonehill, we have a variety of cultural beliefs amongst our pupils and staff.
We strongly promote diversity with the children.
Assemblies are regularly planned to address this through the inclusion of stories, discussions, visitors and learning about celebrations from a variety of faiths and cultures.
Pupils and visitors of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school.
The following are quotes from famous people about the value of tolerance: "Tolerance is the ability to forgive those who tend to speak before thinking Catherine Pulsifer. "
Our value for December: Thoughtfulness During the month of December, we will be looking at the value of Thoughtfulness.
We will be asking the children to think carefully about what 'thoughtful' means and how they might be able to show 'thoughtfulness' through their work and friendships.
So what it means to be 'Thoughtful', how we can be thoughtful to others and how to notice when people are being thoughtful.
A thoughtful person is someone who thinks of other people before themselves.
You can probably think of lots more ways to be thoughtful.
Let us know what you have done to be thoughtful today.
of different teams in our school.
Unity is togetherness.
Unity is personal commitment Lots of football teams have the word United in their name.
How many teams can you think of?.
You are united with everyone in England as part of a national team.
How many other teams are you a part of?.
You can show unity by: Working together Share ideas and skills Include everyone Listen to others and value what they have to say Telling people you enjoy working with them Saying Well done Value activities you could do as a family.
As a school we like to encourage home and school to work together on the Values.
Here are some ideas of activities, linked to Unity, that you may like to do together as a family:
- Each person in the family can make a paper doll chain and write on each doll the different teams they belong to.
Find as many names of teams or companies with the word United in them.
Make peg doll characters for a team or of each person in your family Our value for October: Responsibility The ability to make and act upon appropriate and sensible decisions To recognise the consequences of ones actions To take care of oneself and ones property In school our pupils are often given jobs to do which they are encouraged to see through and do to the best of their ability.
We will be discussing our planet and how we should be responsible for reducing waste and recycling.
We will stress the need to take responsibility for the way we behave and encourage our pupils to make the right choices.
Responsibility in a global sense will be discussed and consideration given to how we as a school could make the world a better place, each class will think of a way in which they could take responsibility.
Thought for the month: A responsible person fulfills their duty by staying true to the aim.
Our value for September: Caring The summer holidays are over and the spirit of caring and generosity is in the air.
You can be caring with your thoughts and spend time with someone.
Homemade presents are cheaper and often appreciated more because you have been generous with your time and really thought about your gift.
Sometimes you might think that the person you want to share with already has a lot of things.
All of these things are ways of showing that you care.
If you are a caring and kind person then other people will want to care about you.
Our value for June is Co-operation Working together towards the same goal.
Thought for the month: There is strength in numbers.
Our value for May is Simplicity Appreciating plain and simple things in life Enjoying the natural world Behaving in a loving and caring way which costs nothing In school We will consider the joys and beauties of nature which link with enjoying break and lunch times outside on the field when we will give thanks for the wonderful gifts of nature.
We will examine simple playground games like hopscotch, chase and skipping pointing out that it isnt always necessary to have expensive equipment in order to enjoy yourself.
Children will be encouraged to share smiles and kind words a simple way to bring happiness to others.
One lesson to learn is that the more you complicate your life the bigger muddle your life becomes.
Thought for the month: The simplest things in life are free and fun At home You could take this opportunity to go out on a family nature walk and really open your eyes and look and talk about what you see.
You may like to collect fruit and flowers from the trees and bring home blackberrys roses and tulips which the children could take into school to share with their teachers and friends.
Make sure there are plenty of hugs and smiles this month.
Our Value for April is Humility to have a humble attitude to avoid showing off and boastful behaviour In school we will remember how Jesus showed humility when he washed the feet of his disciples.
We will emphasise the close link between the values of humility and friendship by pointing out that self-importance and boastful behaviour will not attract friends.
We want our pupils to have high self-esteem so we will emphasise how they can be proud of themselves and their achievements without boasting or undermining others.
You could encourage your children to acknowledge the things they are good at, be proud of these things and think how they can use their strengths to help other people.
Our Value for March is Appreciation Awareness and recognition of qualities and values Expression of gratitude A favourable judgement or opinion At school we will start by learning to appreciate ourselves and the qualities we possess.
The children will be reminded that Thank you isnt difficult to say but it means a lot to whoever is giving.
The importance of appreciating our environment, and showing that appreciation by looking after our surroundings, will feature this month as will showing appreciation for those around us, our families, friends and people in school.
Thought for the month: Life is a wonderful gift to you.
The way you live your life is your gift to the world and others around you.
Make it a fantastic one!
At home you could make sure that everyone says thank you appropriately.
Discuss as a family all the different ways that you can show your appreciation and put them into practice.
It soon becomes apparent that expensive gifts are not the only way of saying Thank you.
You may like to encourage your children to make a thank you card for someone who they appreciate, everyone appreciates something homemade which comes from the heart.
Our Value for February is LOVE A feeling of deep affection A great interest or pleasure in something In school we will be concentrating on showing our love through friendship and celebrating Valentines day.
We will explore the real meaning of love and how you should show love for others by caring, respect and kindness.
The children will be encouraged to spread love around through kind words and deeds and plenty of smiles.
Acts of consideration and love for each other will be encouraged and acknowledged.
We can be more loving to others by giving time, patience and attention to their needs.
Our message will be that from a feeling of love comes happiness and we want every person in our school to feel loved and happy.
Thought for the month: Love life and life will love you back.
Love people and they will love you back.
Children could be encouraged to make something special (eg.
You may like to use the internet with your children to explore the lives of people like Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela who demonstrated unconditional love in their lives.
Enjoy a loving family February.
Our value for January is hope To have a positive feeling of expectation The desire for something to happen In school we will discuss how this positive value can help us overcome everyday problems and difficulties that we face.
Our message is that we must always hope that things will turn out right, not just for ourselves but also for others and the world in general.
We must hope for peace in the world and work towards it in our own lives.
The children will be encouraged to dream their dreams and always keep their hopes alive.
Our value for December is Peace Freedom from disturbance Getting along with other people Putting an end to conflict and aggression In school we will be discussing the Christmas day truce in the 1st world war.
As well as remembering those who died in service we will look at the negative side of war and how wars can arise from minor squabbles.
We will examine the need for peace in our homes and in school starting with ourselves as individuals.
Thought for the month: Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson At home you may like to encourage your children to make a special effort this month to avoid squabbles and keep the peace.
Make (or buy) a Peace cake .
We wish you all a very peaceful December.
We will discuss the importance of caring for and respecting our school and everyone in it.
At home you could remind each other of the need to show respect in order to live a calmer, happier life.
It would be a good idea to make a family list of all people and things which should be cared for and respected every day eg. each other, pets, toys, furniture, the garden etc Encourage the children to respect their own property by looking after it at home and at school (it helps if its all named) Make sure that toys are put away, pets are fed and responsibilities undertaken willingly.
Aim for a conflict-free month!!.
Our value for October is Responsibility The ability to make and act upon appropriate and sensible decisions To recognise the consequences of ones actions To take care of oneself and ones property In school our pupils are often given jobs to do which they are encouraged to see through and do to the best of their ability.
We will be discussing our planet and how we should be responsible for reducing waste and recycling.
We will consider the importance of looking after ourselves and our possessions.
We will stress the need to take responsibility for the way we behave and encourage our pupils to make the right choices.
Responsibility in a global sense will be discussed and consideration given to how we as a school could make the world a better place, each class will think of a way in which they could take responsibility.
Thought for the month: A responsible person fulfils their duty by staying true to the aim.
Our value for September: Caring The summer holidays are over and the spirit of caring and generosity is in the air.
Both giving and spending time with others we care about is a special thing to do, and sharing time and our toys shows that you care.
The motto of caring is to treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.
If you are a caring and kind person then other people will want to care about you.
Our value for July is courage strength in the face of pain, danger or grief facing situations of which one is afraid At school we will be asking the question What are you really afraid of?
and then go on to consider how to overcome fears by being with and confiding in other people, friends and family.
Thought for the month: Sometimes the biggest act of courage is a small one.
At home you could discuss the above thought for the month with your children and decide what you think it means.
Encourage your children to be honest about their fears and try to overcome them bravely together.
Our value for June is Co-operation Working together towards the same goal.
Throughout this month there will be an emphasis on teamwork with the obvious link to sporting activities but also related to work in classrooms.
Thought for the month: There is strength in numbers.
At home during this month you may like to consider a small project within your home, to which you could all contribute, everyone playing their part towards a worthwhile conclusion.
Our value for May is Understanding During the month of May, we will be looking at the value of Understanding.
We are asking the children to think carefully about what it means to be understanding and to be understood by others.
Taking time to accept that people have different opinions from you, and that, although it may not end in agreement, they may have good reason to hold those opinions and if you put aside your point of view, and try to see things from the other person's point of view, you may realise that in certain situations,