Imagine you have a box of crayons, each contributing its own unique color to create a beautiful masterpiece. Similarly, each one of you is like a special crayon, adding your own hue to the world. Being yourself means embracing everything that makes you who you are – your likes, dislikes and talents. But it takes courage to show the world your true colors, especially when others may not understand or appreciate your uniqueness.
Our world is like a giant coloring book, and each of you brings something special to its pages. So, embrace your uniqueness, be proud of who you are, and remember you’re all incredible just as you are. When you have the courage to be yourself, you give others permission to do the same, creating a world where everyone can shine in their own way.
Our daily Morning Assembly is a way our students, teachers, and parents build close connection, identify role models, and experience the reinforcement of positive messages.“Morning Assembly is my favorite time of the day. I enjoy this quiet time with my kids and our school community. I love starting my day with gratitude. It gives me such peace.” shared a current family. This special time not only lays a foundation for our Clairbourn life but also provides opportunities for our students to practice public speaking.
We believe what sets our students apart is the character of our Cougars. Our robust character education program is built on the school’s five core values: honesty, respect, responsibility, spirituality, and citizenship. Thank you to our middle school Student Council for starting the year with reminders about the importance of Clairbourn’s core values.
Our students are HONEST and truthful to themselves and others. They are RESPECTFUL because they know respect is the cornerstone for developing and maintaining a good, working relationship with all members of our community. RESPONSIBILITY is being accountable for their actions. Every time our students show Cougar pride and empathy for others, such as lending a hand to someone in need, their SPIRITUALITY comes through. Some of the qualities of spirituality include compassion, forgiveness, generosity, gratitude, humility, kindness, and a genuine love for humankind. We try to be the best we could possibly be, and recognize the best in everyone around us. Lastly, CITIZENSHIP is the value which calls for every member of a community to work to better that community with their actions and attitudes.
When diving deeper into our core values, you will see the one quality that surfaces over and over at Clairbourn: Gratitude. Our community, including students and faculty, are reminded each and every day not to overlook the good around us. We take quiet moments to think about something or someone we are grateful for, and something good that happened to us. We practice empathy, fairness, open-mindness, patience, and inclusiveness as a community. This gathering, which precedes academic work, is where students and school members come together as one. Clairbourn takes actions and embraces these values which help us grow to be Scholars and Leaders with Heart.
As we launch into election season, educators and parents need to be aware of our roles in maintaining civility in student discourse, cultivating critical thinking, and maintaining our ethical standards. This is a challenging task in any election year, but even more so now as the country seems to be quite polarized and divided. As you know, the challenge of maintaining respectful discourse is heightened in the discussion of topics that are highly emotional or charged in some way. As you navigate these waters in your homes, it might be helpful to keep the Clairbourn Code of Ethics in mind and help the children do the same.
Let respect, responsibility, honesty, citizenship, and spirituality lead the way. Each individual has political views, informed by personal experiences, information gathered from a variety of sources, and our own visceral responses to what we see. There are certain topics that illicit a strong response in each of us, sometimes a highly emotional response. This is completely normal for people who care.
I challenge you to express these views and feel things passionately while maintaining a language of respect and civility as you share your personal views in your homes. Your children are watching, listening, and learning from you. Help them to understand WHY you take a certain position. Help them understand WHY others may feel differently. Help them understand WHY you value your sources for election information rather than social medial posts. Help them to support their opinions with facts. Help them examine comments they hear with a discerning ear. Help them understand the benefits of having conversations to understand multiple perspectives.
In class, we endeavor to have our students express themselves clearly and thoughtfully. We want them to think critically and work to understand each other. We honor the diverse views of our families, and challenge the students to express these views with respect. When parents consistently model this at home, it makes it much easier for the students to carry this style of discourse to the classroom.
We know that the conversations will not be perfect, but we will work to maintain civility and respect in our classes. To me, the Clairbourn Code of Ethics is a great filter for the whole political scene. If we all express our thoughts with RESPECT, share only that which is HONEST, act in ways that are RESPONSIBLE, behave as good CITIZENS, and ground ourselves in SPIRITUALITY, we will all be better for it!
The Clairbourn family is not affiliated with a political party, but we stand firmly for the principles in our Code of Ethics! It is nice to have something that we can all agree on and support together.
Clairbourn’s Code of Ethics – Five Core Values
Clairbourn School values honesty, respect, responsibility, spirituality, and citizenship. These five values reflect different facets of a single virtue: character.
Honesty
Honesty is being truthful with yourself and others. Honesty results in fairness for each member of the Clairbourn community and makes for a life of integrity. It means that we adhere to our values when alone or in the presence of others. An honest person is genuine, sincere, honorable, and trustworthy.
Respect
Respect is treating others as we would like to be treated. Respect is the cornerstone for developing and maintaining a harmonious and productive working relationship with all members of the Clairbourn community. It requires, in both words and actions, a recognition and understanding of the essential being and background of others. Characteristics central to respect include empathy, fairness, open-mindedness, patience, and inclusiveness.
Responsibility
Responsibility is being accountable for our actions and accepting the consequences of our actions. Responsibility is the foundation for taking charge of our lives. Responsible people stand behind what they say and do even when it is uncomfortable or inconvenient to do so. Characteristics central to responsibility include accountability, reliability, perseverance, and self-control.
Spirituality
Spirituality is believing in a purpose and power higher than ourselves and in the innate goodness of humankind. Spirituality results in a peaceful and empathetic environment for members of the Clairbourn community. It requires us to look for the best in every person and situation. It means that we think well of ourselves and others and proclaim this fact to the world through noble and quiet deeds. Qualities associated with spirituality include compassion, forgiveness, generosity, gratitude, humility, kindness, and a genuine love for mankind.
Citizenship
Citizenship is the value which calls for every member of a community to work to better that community with their actions and attitudes. It is essential for a strong, vibrant, and productive school environment. It means setting aside exclusive self-interest and striving to improve life for all citizens through public service, volunteer work, knowledge, tolerance, and cooperation. Characteristics central to good citizenship include respect for others, adherence to rules and laws, commitment to the principles of democracy and justice, and loyalty to community, country, and purpose.
Clairbourn School Provides Private School Education for Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary School, and Middle School Grades | Serving Families in the Pasadena, California, Area and Surrounding Cities (K-12 Private Schools) Clairbourn is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Click here to request information.
