Project Cornerstone is building a community where all adults support children and teenagers so that they thrive. Project Cornerstone works within the YMCA of Silicon Valley and more than 200 schools and community partners to influence the personal behavior of adults toward children and teens, strengthen youth-serving programs and impact public policy.

Don Callejon is part of Project Cornerstone's School Partnerships program, which empowers all members of the school community—students, parents and caregivers, teachers and staff—to reduce bullying, promote achievement and help all students feel valued and respected.

The programs are based on the research-proven developmental assets model and meet California Department of Education criteria for research-based youth development for the Safe and Drug Free Schools program. In addition, Project Cornerstone programs complement Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and align schoolwide efforts to improve climate by changing student behavior.

Don Callejon currently participates in the following two Project Cornerstone Programs:

Asset Building Champions (ABC) Program: This is our fifth year participating in the ABC Program. ABC volunteers read specially selected books and lead discussions in the school classroom that are designed to create a common language and vocabulary about student respect for the entire school. The stories and activities focus on issues like building friendship skills, increasing student-to-student respect, how to avoid bullies, and what to do if a bully is targeting others. Students also learn about values such as honesty, caring, responsibility, and friendship. Each month, ABC volunteers meet as a group to review the book and lesson plan for the upcoming month. Then, the volunteers read the book and lead the planned activity and discussions in their assigned classroom. Each month, readers share the monthly lesson with parents in a parent letter distributed electronically, or in the Wednesday packets.
Middle School Book Club: We are very excited to start our first year of the Book Club. Middle School book club facilitators hold monthly lunchtime or after-school meetings where they engage with students and hold thought-provoking discussions about books. (Suggested book lists are provided by Project Cornerstone.) The program helps young people develop a love of reading and form bonds with their peers as well as caring adults.

Project Cornerstone Corner – February, 2012

This month’s Kindergarten book is Understand and Care. Understand and Care focuses on explaining empathy to children. Understanding how another person feels is an important social skill that will allow children to show respect and caring for others.

The Grades 1-5 book for December/January is Salt in his Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream written by his mother, Deloris Jordan. There are two main themes in this book: following a dream and receiving support from family to achieve a goal – focusing on the asset categories of Support and Positive Identity. The Support assets are about having people in your life who show love, caring, and who appreciate and accept you. They are also about having places to go where you feel safe and welcome. Your family support provides this for your child at home and in your neighborhood. For your child, the Positive Identity asset means thinking about their life and its positive purpose.

If you have any questions about the Project Cornerstone ABC Program at Don Callejon School, please send an email to Jenn and Andrea at: dcabclead@gmail.com.

Project Cornerstone Corner – November, 2011

The Grades 1-5 book for November is Don’t Laugh At Me by Steve Seskin. Don’t Laugh At Me is a picture book that promotes understanding and acceptance of individual differences. We will discuss what it feels like to be targeted by others because we don’t fit in. These discussions will help the children become sensitized to the hurtful effects of ridicule, scorn, name-calling, bullying, intolerance and other forms of disrespect they encounter. We will also talk about ways to create a caring school and classroom environment where conflicts are resolved peacefully and students perform intentional acts of caring.

The Kindergarten book for November is Talk and Work It Out by Cheri J. Meiners. This book is about peaceful conflict resolution. We will discuss tools and strategies to help students avoid conflict with others. They will learn that it’s OK to have different ideas and opinions because these tools will help them agree to disagree.

If you have any questions about the Project Cornerstone ABC Program at Don Callejon School, please send an email to Jenn and Andrea at: dcabclead@gmail.com.

Project Cornerstone Corner – October, 2011

The book for Grades 1-5 this month is One by Kathryn Otoshi. One helps students recognize that they have the power to effectively react and respond to bullying behaviors. The key messages are “Everyone counts” and “It just takes ONE to make a difference.” Students will discuss between passive bystanders and proactive UP-standers. Bystanders can become UP-standers by saying or doing something to support targets of bullying. UP-standers know that it just takes ONE to make a difference. UP-standers take action to influence others to stop hurtful behavior.

Our Kindergarten students will read Join In and Play, by Cheri J. Meiners. Join in and Play teaches children about being a friend, making a friend, and playing together. It teaches them the rules for getting along, being a good sport, and cooperating with others.

If you have any questions about the Project Cornerstone ABC Program at Don Callejon School, please send an email to Jenn and Andrea at: dcabclead@gmail.com.

Project Cornerstone Corner – September, 2011

The book for Grades 1-5 this month is Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lowell. The focus of this book is to teach children how to stand up to bullying behaviors. Molly Lou models positive self-talk to the other students in the class and shows how positive energy can change negative behavior. Students will be empowered to deal with bully behaviors using the techniques and tools they learned in year 1 of the ABC program:

Give each other warm fuzzies.
Don’t take the bait.
Swim Free.
Be an UP-stander.

Our Kindergarten students will read Listen and Learn, by Cheri J. Meiners. Listen and Learn teaches children what listening is, how to listen, and why it’s important to listen. The book talks about ways to listen in a positive manner and what to do when someone doesn’t listen to you. Children will learn about listening and what body parts we use to listen (body, eyes and ears).

If you have any questions about the Project Cornerstone ABC Program at Don Callejon School, please send an email to Jenn and Andrea at: dcabclead@gmail.com.