As a sixth grader, you'll be a part of the A.S.T.R.O.S. program. A.S.T.R.O.S. is an acronym for "Achieving Success Through Responsibility of Self" and involves fun activities throughout the school year. It focuses on using the six pillars of character (caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility, trustworthiness) to develop self-confidence through positive peer relationships, leadership, and accepting responsibility for your school work and behavior.
We're planning an exciting year of A.S.T.R.O.S. activities! Throughout the year, you will participate in activities and service projects designed to help you grow in responsibility. In addition, special field trips and school activities will be planned for students who have consistently shown responsibility for their behavior and school work. Will this be you?
D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. It is a program that is taught to fifth graders by an officer from the Flagstaff Police Department. We are still awaiting information about whether or not this program is something that our school will be able to participate in this year. I will let you know as soon as I find out!
Regardless of what happens to the program, you (our fifth graders) will be held to the same standards of behavior that I expect our sixth graders to meet. We will focus on the six pillars of character (caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility, trustworthiness). Students who meet the expectations will be invited to participate in special D.A.R.E. activities with the other fifth grade students at Sechrist. Make sure you don't miss out!
You will be included in our A.S.T.R.O.S./D.A.R.E. activities if you meet the class and school expectations. This includes behaving appropriately and completing your homework on time. You will start each A.S.T.R.O.S./D.A.R.E. period with three points. At the end of the A.S.T.R.O.S./D.A.R.E. period, you must still have a MINIMUM of one point left. Inappropriate or disrespectful behavior or missing assignments will result in the loss of points. Be very careful about the choices you make; bad choices could cause you to lose a point, and lost points aren't earned back. The good news is that if you do mess up and lose all of your points, you will get a chance to start over when the next A.S.T.R.O.S./D.A.R.E. period starts.
You will receive an A.S.T.R.O.S./D.A.R.E. Squares chart for you to keep track of your A.S.T.R.O.S./D.A.R.E. points in class. In the event that you lose a point, you will take the A.S.T.R.O.S./D.A.R.E. Squares chart for your parents to sign.
Each A.S.T.R.O.S./D.A.R.E. activity and field trip will be designed to be a fun learning experience and to promote team spirit and positive social skills. We'll make every effort to keep the cost of each activity as low as possible, but please let us know if our occasional requests for field trip money presents a hardship for you.