Valor Academy Values
We believe in an approach to character development is suitable to age and grade development, and serves students appropriately as we prepare them to succeed in secondary schools and professional careers. The importance of developing strong character traits and acting as a responsible citizen is be conferred school wide through all school activities and weekly community meetings.
An advisory curriculum bolstered by twice a week Community Circles rotates around our PREP values, classic philosophy, literature and current events, doubly exposing students to higher order thinking as well as ethics that parallel Valor Academy’s virtues.
Character expectations are explicit in the earlier grades, but as students mature they will gradually be expected to implicitly apply the importance of what they have learned through their daily lives. In the fifth grade responsibility might mean turning homework in on time and remembering to bring a pencil, whereas in the seventh grade responsibility will connote asking the teacher for extra word problems in order to adequately understand material.
Our system is based on our 4 PREP VALUES: Preparedness, Respect, Engagement, and Professionalism.
| V | What it looks like in class | What it does not look like in class | |
P |
Prepared | Having completed all of the HomeworkHaving all materials for classGetting to class on time | Having done some of the Homework Forgetting a pencil or other supply Coming five minutes late |
R |
Respectful | Respecting all classmates, the teacher, and the classroom environment | Making fun of a friend in jest; writing on the desk; talking back to the teacher |
E |
Engaged | Contributing effectively to a class conversation
Listening to directions |
Talking while the teacher talks and not raising your hand to participate Finishing work for another class |
P |
Professional | Speaking, acting, and dressing in a manner that supports Valor Academy’s virtues | Coming to class late, speaking out of turn, using slang, being unprepared |
Through exposure to these values, our students will learn that they are the masters of their own fates and are responsible for setting goals and achieving above and beyond their expectations. It is critical for our students to learn perseverance and resiliency, and to continually combat and conquer the challenges they face academically as well as socially. Our scholars are always aware of their current behavioral and academic standing through weekly PREP reports, and are continuously be in the process of self-examination for self-improvement.
Exposure to Habits for Success
Our Life-Work and Entrepreneurship class is taught by school administrators once a week at all grade levels, and focuses on helping students become successful by using the 16 habits of mind identified by Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick:
- Persisting
- Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision
- Managing impulsivity
- Gathering data through all senses
- Listening with understanding and empathy
- Creating, imagining, innovating
- Thinking flexibly
- Responding with wonderment and awe
- Thinking about thinking (metacognition)
- Taking responsible risks
- Striving for accuracy
- Finding humor
- Questioning and posing problems
- Thinking interdependently
- Applying past knowledge to new situations
- Remaining open to continuous learning
Another component of our Life-Work course focuses around professionalism and social responsibility.
- Professionalism - We teach a professional outlook to begin to prepare students for a successful future. The components include proper attire through school uniform, the use of positive social skills and etiquette, timeliness, and personal responsibility. Students are taught to always greet adults with proper titles, shake hands as a way of introducing themselves, and treat each other with respect and dignity. Organizational skills, time management, tidiness, and attention to work detail are in large part our focus.