This year’s goal was to bring Moral Focus virtues to the forefront in the minds of everyone in the school environment – students, staff, families, and the community.
Throughout the school year, the Moral Focus Committee offered incentives to scholars for practicing the monthly virtues by taking part in activities on Choice Boards created by the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) Curriculum and Instruction team. At the end of the month, the classroom with the greatest percentage of Choice Boards completed from each wing earned a prize, like December’s hot chocolate party, January’s trail mix maker station, or March’s popcorn with toppings.
For encouraging their students, teachers of the winning classrooms were awarded prizes such as a late start/early release, room service, or a made-to-order pancake breakfast and coffee.
“The Moral Focus Committee’s efforts have received tremendous positive feedback from students, staff, and families and we are looking forward to making an even bigger impact next school year,” said Vista Kindergarten Teacher Kailani Sarjeant.
Themed bulletin boards, one for staff and one for students, featuring the Moral Focus character or icon are displayed at the start of every month. The boards are interactive, allowing participants to accept a challenge, scan a QR code to deepen their understanding of the virtue, leave behind a word of gratitude or encouragement, or give a shoutout to peer for exemplifying the virtue.
Along with the Choice Boards for students, newsletters are sent in English and Spanish to families the first day of every month. The newsletters, developed by the Curriculum and Instruction team, give tips on ways to practice the virtues at home and where to find additional reading or resources.
“The feedback from families about this has been overwhelmingly positive,” Sarjeant said. “Many parents have shared how they appreciate knowing how virtues are being introduced in class and what activities and events are taking place in school to further the development of Moral Focus virtues.”
The committee made a big push for Vista's participation in the Moral Focus Art and Writing Contest across all NHA schools. Each classroom was supplied with paper and art supplies such as card stock, oil pastels, paint, and colored pencils. Entries were judged by committee members and school-wide winners were announced at an all-school assembly. Vista submitted 27 entries, the most ever, and one lucky middle schooler was selected as a finalist.
The Moral Focus Committee also launched a Compassion Community Fundraiser in April, collecting toiletries and monetary donations to benefit, Once Upon a Room (OUR), a nonprofit organization in Grand Rapids. Vista collected $751 and more than 40 pounds of toiletries, working hand-in-hand with OUR’s dedication to displaying compassion by surprising long-term pediatric patients with hospital room make-overs in their favorite themes.
These efforts are a prime example of how Vista has outperformed the district for 16 years.
“Vista students really related to OUR's mission and found connection with the children they support,” Sarjeant said. “We knew right away we wanted to help. Middle school student leaders even actively collected donations in driveline during dismissal.”
Great job, Vista!
Check out a school near you!
About Vista Charter Academy
Vista Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving students in Young 5s through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
Visit Vista Charter Academy's blog to read more stories like this.