Owens Primary School

 Welcome back to the 2009-2010 school year! We are already off to a very good start as our 2^nd annual “open house” was a great success.  I have already had an opportunity to meet several students and their families and I look forward to meeting and working with many more students throughout the school year.  My name is Mrs. Barrera and I am the School Counselor at Bessie Owens Primary School. 

            WHAT IS A SCHOOL COUNSELOR?  A School Counselor’s primary goal is to assist students in achieving academic success by focusing on the areas of social, emotional, and behavioral well being. It is my responsibility to encourage students to do and be their very best, and to feel safe & happy at school.  This responsibility is much easier to write and talk about than it is to put into daily practice!  Therefore; I am fortunate to be a staff member of a great team.  Our team is made up of teachers, staff members, parents and administrators that all work together to achieve student success.  At Owens Primary, our team motto is to Belong, Believe, & Achieve.  When we work together our students are guaranteed to succeed! 

 One way to achieve student success is to develop positive character traits among our students. Through the Character Education Program, our teachers and staff will foster ethical and moral values by modeling and teaching good character through an emphasis on universal values that we all share.  The six “Pillars of Character” (character traits) that we will study this year are Responsibility, Respect, Trustworthiness, Caring, Fairness, and Citizenship.  WHAT IS CHARACTER EDUCATION?  As defined by Dr. Thomas Lickona, Character Education is a deliberate effort to deliver virtues that are good for the individual and good for our society.  These virtues promote the well-being and happiness of the individual, affirm our human dignity and serve the common good.

RESPONSIBILITY is the first “Pillar of Character” for the month of September.  Responsibility means being accountable in word and deed.  It is having a sense of duty to fulfill tasks with reliability, dependability and commitment.  Following are examples of how students can be responsible…

1.      Attend school everyday on time

2.      Complete classroom and homework assignments

3.      Follow school rules

“Parents/Guardians, you are your child’s first and most powerful teachers. Please review and model the six pillars of character (positive character traits) at home as they are presented each month at school.  Thank you in advance for partnering with us in educating our students.  When we work together our students will Belong, Believe, and Achieve!

Go Bobcats!

Mrs. Barrera, School Counselor

From the office of Student Services:

Welcome Back “Brilliant Bobcats” and families to the 2009-2010 school year. My name is Mrs. Garcia and I am the Community Relations Liaison/ Comprehensive Student Support Coordinator for Owens Primary. Our goal at Owens Primary is to make sure students are at school everyday and on time. Attendance is a significant component of the learning process, if students are not at school they are not learning. I have been designated to monitor students’ attendance and to recognize and reward students with good attendance. Parents, I challenge you to step up to the plate and commit to send your students to school everyday and on time. Students will gain a sense of responsibility and understand the importance education beginning with being at school everyday and on time.

 I continue to ask for support from our “Brilliant Bobcat” parents, I cannot stress enough the importance of parent involvement in the school as it has been researched that parent involvement is crucial to the achievement of student success.  Throughout the school year there will be numerous school activities which build up school climate; therefore be sure to read the monthly newsletter as it will include announcements of upcoming events. If you would like to become a parent volunteer, please contact me at 631-5420 or stop by room 2. I look forward to working with students, parents, and school staff in promoting a successful school year.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Garcia

Community Relations Liaison/ CSS