Creating Caring and Capable Citizens
Highland Park Elementary
Austin, Texas
Jane Knowles, Principal, 1998 - 2006
Sally Hunter, C.L.A.S.S. Chair

Slide 2 - Highland Park Elementary
•	Grades K – 5th
•	550 Students including transfers
•	Neighborhood school in an urban district
•	Teachers averaging 14 years experience
•	Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills
•	Active parent and community involvement
	Tradition of educating the whole child

Slide 3 - Highland Park Scotties Have C.L.A.S.S.

Character  	 Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, 			Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship
Leadership  Student leadership training and 				opportunities
Active Minds Thinking about thinking 
Skills 	 Strategies for fully using our minds
Service  	 Opportunities for school and community 			volunteer service

Slide 4 – A Calvin & Hobbes cartoon is pictured, conveying the idea that each decision we make determines the range of choices we’ll face next.

Slide 5 - “I am a Highland Park Scottie, I am a partner in my education.
I pledge to make decisions that will help me become
the best person I can be.”

Caring and Capable Citizens:
Have zero tolerance for bullying
Practice ethical behaviors
Develop strategies to use personal strengths
and strengthen personal weaknesses 
Accept and support others with different strengths and weaknesses

Slide 6 - Family Groups
School Needs: 
		Reinforce positive school environment
Community Program: 
		Families of 2nd – 5th grade students
		Regular meetings with Family teacher 
School and Student Results: 
		Stronger campus connections
		Acceptance of leadership roles

Slide 7 - The Mind That’s Mine
Teachers go beyond labels:
•	Become keen observers
•	Provide Brain Training
•	Model self-reflection
•	Demystify students
•	Offer accommodations
		and interventions

Slide 8 - Neurodevelopmental Constructs
Attention
Temporal-Sequential Ordering
Spatial Ordering
Memory
Language
Neuromotor Functions
Social Cognition
Higher Order Cognition
					
Slide 9 – Mind That’s Mine Fair
Pictures show students standing alongside their projects.

Slide 10 – Strategies for Learning
Pictures show students in artistic and recreational activities.

Slide 11 - Student Opportunities for Service
Pictures display students in volunteer roles.

Slide 12 - Preparing for the Future
Fame is like a vapor
Popularity an accident
Riches take wings
Those who cheer today, curse tomorrow
One thing only endures
Character
						Robert Allen Shivers
						Governor of Texas, 1949-1957

Slide 13 - Creating Caring and Capable Citizens
Systematically teach and guide students in the practice of ethical behaviors
Help them understand their own strengths and weaknesses so they develop tolerance for those of others
Provide opportunities to experience
the satisfaction of serving others
As always, the obstacle is time