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Chisago Lakes Middle School has written and developed a new character education program called CORE Connect. This block of time is a deliberate attempt and a proactive effort to develop sound integrity skills for our students _ or more simply, to teach children right from wrong. It assumes that right and wrong do exist, that there are objective, behavioral standards that influence individual choices of respect, responsibility, integrity, compassion and commitment that we ought to teach directly to young people.

Our school day begins with a scheduled CORE Connect period of 23 minutes. Each grade level follows a detailed schedule outlining the daily activities and discussion throughout the school week. The character traits noted above are imbedded in all grade level discussions within the CORE Connect curriculum These five traits represent the CLMS “High Five.”

All grades pursue a schedule outlining the following activities:

• Character Education Day – Activities and discussion concentrate on assisting students in developing qualities that promote sound judgement. Each grade has a set of interactive learning activities that are unique to specific grade levels

• Grade Specific Themes: Grade 6 – “Expert of the Week,” Grade 7 – “Study/Organizational Skills” and Grade 8 – “Let’s Get Real,” an anti-bullying curriculum

• A Flex Day – Established for academic support, CORE team rewards and students recognition, CORE competitions, academic games, etc

• A Check in Day – Developed for students to hear of upcoming school events, homework and projects due throughout the week, studying or reviewing for exams, etc

• School Wide Silent Sustained Reading – A day set aside for students and staff to experience the joy of silent reading. Students read only books or newspapers during this time. Students do not complete homework on this particular day.

CORE Connect provides the opportunity for students to feel connected to their school. Our primary goal is to provide opportunities for all students to develop a sense of having a meaningful connection with fellow classmates and with their classroom teachers. If students feel a sense of engagement with caring adults and friends around them, school and learning are much more significant.

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