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Safe and Caring Schools

Rockwood Character Education honors the following character traits:

Caring - demonstrating kindness, courtesy, and compassion
Cooperation - working together to accomplish a task
Courage - acting responsibly despite fears or difficulties
Integrity - being truthful, fair, honest, and trustworthy
Patience - waiting calmly
Perseverance/Effort - striving toward a goal despite challenges
Responsibility - being accountable for your own choices and behaviors
Self-Control - managing your behavior in a positive way.
Respect - showing positive regard for self, others, property, expectations, rules, and authority

The district uses the Caring Schools Community model with an emphasis on autonomy, belonging and competence, which is embedded throughout our curriculum. The key in this anti-bullying program is the support of bystanders and the anonymity of students who report bullying actions in their school community. Rockwood counselors teach student about the different roles involved in bullying behaviors and how to stand up to negative peer influence. Empathy, the opposite of bullying, is modeled and encouraged in students through student-led service training, buddy activities, school-family groups, and peer and adult mentors. Most importantly, conflict resolution skills provide students with skills to solve problems peacefully.

Rockwood has received numerous awards for its work in the area of character education. Some highlights of these awards and the district's other efforts to promote safe and caring schools include:

Rockwood was named the 2006 National District of Character by the Character Education Partnership.
Ten schools have been recognized as National Schools of Character including: Babler, Bowles, Chesterfield, Ellisville, Geggie, Kehrs Mill, Kellison, Uthoff Valley and Woerther elementary schools and LaSalle Springs Middle School.
Eleven elementary schools have been recognized as Missouri Schools of Character including: Babler, Blevins Bowles, Chesterfield, Ellisville, Kehrs Mill, Geggie, Kellison, Uthoff Valley, Westridge and Woerther.
Eighteen Rockwood schools were recognized for Promising Practices by the Character Education Partnership in 2012.
Rockwood Early Childhood, Eureka Elementary and Westridge Elementary received recognition by state education officials for Positive Behavior Support - a comprehensive approach to improving students’ behavior and academic performance.
Since 2000, the Rockwood community has raised more than one million dollars for the American Cancer Society through its annual Relay For Life event.
The WEB program (Where Everybody Belongs) is active in middle schools and high schools. Older students mentor younger students and model lessons in character education, anti-bullying and positive school climate.
The Leader in Me program has been used as a model in elementary character education. Stanton Elementary was nationally recognized as a Lighthouse School in 2011. Three elementary and three middle schools will launch the program in 2012-2013.