LMS Named a New Jersey School of Character

Lawrence Middle School has earned the distinction of being named a 2013 New Jersey School of Character, a status it will maintain for three years, through 2015.

The middle school will now be considered by the Character Education Partnership in Washington, D.C. for the National Schools of Character Program.

For more information, see the letter below sent recently by the New Jersey Alliance for Social, Emotional and Character Development (NJASECD) to Lawrence Middle School Principal Mindy Milavsky. (A copy of the letter can be found in the media box to the right.)

Dear Ms. Milavsky,

Congratulations! Because of the high quality of work represented in your State/National Schools of Character application, the New Jersey Alliance for Social, Emotional and Character Development (NJASECD) has selected Lawrence Middle School as a 2013 New Jersey School of Character. Your school will maintain this status for a period of three years, through 2015. Being selected as a State School of Character (SSOC) means your application has been forwarded to the Character Education Partnership (CEP) in Washington D.C. for consideration in the National Schools of Character program.

The NJSOC Committee received and reviewed 20 applications this year. Your application narrative showed high levels of implementation of the Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education in everything you do in your school. The artifacts clearly supported statements in your narrative and showed the reviewers how you are meeting the new key indicators which in turn, made an impact on scoring.

During February, CEP will review all SSOC applications from across the entire country and select the National Finalists. On March 1, the Finalists will be posted on CEP’s website, www.character.org. After that, CEP will contact the Finalists to verify and amplify information submitted in the applications, and some Finalists will receive site visits. By the end of March, CEP will send letters and score sheets with written feedback to SSOCs that are not selected as National Finalists. This important information will provide the guidance in areas of growth that applicants need to work on in order to make continuous progress and apply again the following year for NSOC status. CEP’s objective is for all schools to reach the achievable goal of becoming an NSOC. The process of applying, receiving feedback, and technical assistance from the SSOC sponsoring partner will put all applicants on the path to excellence and becoming a National School or District of Character.

As a 2013 NJSOC, you are strongly encouraged to share your best practices by applying for one or more Promising Practices. The online application is now open and available at www.character.org/nsoc. The posted deadline is March 15 – however, as a 2013 SSOC/NSOC applicant you have an additional month to apply, until April 15, and your application will receive special consideration. Winners will be announced by CEP in early May.

As the SSOC sponsoring partner, NJASECD extends its sincerest congratulations to Lawrence Middle School Applying for the NJSOC/NSOC award is a time-consuming process. The hard work that went into your application was clearly evident. We hope you found the analysis and self-assessment required to complete the application to be beneficial, and we wish you success as you proceed to the NSOC evaluation process.

The New Jersey Alliance for Social, Emotional and Character Development (NJASECD) which receives support from the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) and the Educational Information and Resource Center (EIRC) and funding from the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) for the NJSOC program will honor all NJSOC applicants at a special Recognition Ceremony during the NJASECD Annual Conference on March 18, 2013 at Rider University. Please plan to attend as our honored guest, along with your Board of Education president, superintendent, parents, students, and teachers who may have played a significant role in building and sustaining your character education initiative. There is no charge for the Recognition Ceremony. However, all of your representatives that plan to attend must be registered. Those staying for the entire conference day must pay either the member or nonmember charge that are explained on the attach flyer. All 2013 NJSOC applicants will be receiving special directions on how to register for the conference next week. You will also be receiving additional information about the Recognition Ceremony within the next few weeks. If you have any questions, please contact Nina Kemps at 856-424-1884 or nkemps@verizon.ne.

On behalf of NJASECD, NJDOE, EIRC, NJEA and CEP, we thank you for your commitment to implementing a quality character education initiative and helping develop good character in New Jersey’s youth.