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Asset Building Champions (ABC) Program

ABC is Project Cornerstone's most popular program, with more than 2,900 adults reading to 38,000+ kids in 127 schools. The ABC Program is a literature-based program that addresses important issues like respect, tolerance, honesty, peaceful conflict resolution, taking a stand against bullying behaviors, and refusing to participate in gossip. 

The ABC Program started at Almond in the 2008-2009 school year. The program specifies books for each month (except for December and June) over the course of three ABC school years. Every class in grades 1-5 reads the same book each month, with our Kindergartners and 6th graders having a separate curriculum that is repeated each year. The cycle of books will begin again in the 2015-2016 school year. 

Each month the specially selected book is introduced and read in the classroom by parent volunteers, who also lead a grade-appropriate lesson plan. Books are used to spark discussions on peer relationships that are not usually brought up in daily school conversations. These discussions provide a time to introduce common language used across all grades such as filling someone’s bucket, giving warm fuzzies, learning how not to take the bait or how to be an UPstander. (See the Vocabulary and Concepts page.)

The program's goal is to help school communities achieve the following:

  • Create a common language and vocabulary about student respect and behavior expectations among all members of the school community — students in every grade, parents and caregivers, teachers and staff.

  • Create a respectful environment with positive peer interactions.

  • Help students develop skills to handle physical, verbal, relational and digital bullying and to STAND UP if they see someone else being bullied.

  • Increase the number of caring adults on campus so that all students feel that there is at least one adult they can turn to if they have a problem.

  • Contribute to a positive school climate where every student feels valued and supported to achieve and thrive.

For the upper grades, an additional goal is to help students navigate the issues of digital citizenship. The ABC volunteers are often able to pull in material from Common Sense Media.

Getting Involved

Spending an hour in your child's class can make a world of difference.

It's a great opportunity for Moms, Dads, Grandparents and Family Friends to support children in a meaningful way.

Training, books, discussion topics, and classroom activities provided.

Volunteer commitment is approximately 2 - 4 hours/month for eight months.

  • Initial Project Cornerstone training (2 hours) one time in the fall

  • Mandatory 1 hour training each month on the book/activity for the month

  • Personal preparation for the classroom session

  • Classroom reading, discussion, and activity (~45 minutes)

To become a volunteer or for more information, please email Katie Liniger. Alternatively, you may contact your lead room parent.

 



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