Heartwood

Saint James School utilizes the Heartwood Character Education Curriculum to reinforce our Catholic values and beliefs.  The Heartwood Curriculum is not a mere program, rather it is an attitude we are working to instill in our students.  Heartwood is taught from a HEAD, HEART, and HAND approach.  What this means is that we know the good in our heads, have the good in our hearts, and do the good with our hands.

 

The curriculum uses read-aloud children’s books to convey seven universal ethical attributes directly and effectively in order to create a strong foundation for conflict resolution and peacemaking.  The seven Heartwood attributes include: Respect, Love, Justice, Courage, Loyalty, Honesty, and Hope.  We have added an eighth attribute, Faith, as a means of emphasizing the importance of our Catholic values.  These eight attributes provide common ground in the form of values understood and shared by students and their peers. 

Our seventh and eighth grade students assume a leadership role in the instruction of the Heartwood attributes and serve as the leaders and role models for the younger students.  At the beginning of each month a different attribute is introduced, a story is shared, and activities are completed within the younger students’ classrooms, all of which have been planned by the 7^th and 8^th grade Heartwood Teams.  This process encourages students of all ages to wrestle with profound choices, share their experiences, and make personal connections.  Teachers then reinforce the attributes throughout the year within their regular classes and encourage students to implement the attributes in their daily lives. 

We encourage parents to discuss the attributes, stories, and activities with their children.  The family is a crucial part of Heartwood!  Together, we can help our children understand and model these values and develop into brave, fair, honest, and caring adults.