GBRSS initiated a new program entitled the “Star Code” at an elementary school assembly on Tuesday, January 20th.

The “Star Code” emphasizes the values the school community is expected to uphold. The five points of the star each represent attributes expressing positive behaviors: Respect for people and property, Kindness to self and others, Celebration of Diversity, Appreciation for the good in each other, and Responsibility for what you say and do. The implementation of the “Star Code” will remind all members of the school community to work together to further create a nurturing school setting encouraging positive behavior with consistent expectations for all. This code exemplifies the social skills expected not only in the classrooms, but also on the playground, on school buses and at after school activities.

The code was developed by the students, who along with their class teachers, revisited the daily classroom values they try to uphold. These were compiled and simplified in order to create a value system that all could follow. Although these values have always been an expectation of how Steiner students behave, the “Star Code” will renew these points as a way to set a higher expectation for the school community as a whole. The tenor of this program is for students, teachers and parents to model these values through their behavior.

In addition to presenting this program to the students at this assembly, posters illustrating this code will be given to each teacher for use in the classrooms. This assembly was specifically chosen since the school will honor Martin Luther King, as well as it being Inauguration Day for President-elect Obama. Faculty member, Ann Sagarin wove the values represented by these two individuals into the presentation of the Star Code, acknowledging that these values have been passed down through the decades.

This initiative was a result of the Social/Emotional Health Committee, formed in the fall of the 2007/2008 school year. This committee consists of Marilyn Ruppart, the school’s Administrator; Ann Sagarin, the current sixth grade class teacher; parent and trustee Jonathan Baum; and consulting psychologist Dr. Steve Hoff. One of the primary roles of the Committee is to develop policy and programming in the areas related to the social and emotional well-being of our students. The resulting programs involve the education of the faculty and parents, as well as students, and are formulated appropriately for each age level. Role playing, small group discussion and lively class discussions are used to address such topics as bullying and teasing, peer pressure, Internet safety and healthy human sexuality and identity development.