AKKA Karate USA school utilizes one of the
most exciting and innovative programs you and your child will ever experience
in the area of Personal Responsibilty Education. The program is S.T.A.R.
(Success Through Accepting Responsibility or Stop, Think, Act, Review).
S.T.A.R. was developed by the Jefferson Center for Education, located in
Pasedena, California. The S.T.A.R. curriculum is currently used by over 5,000
schools and 50,000 classrooms across the country; it has reached nearly 2
million students.
The Jefferson Center for Character Education is a non-profit, non-sectarian
organization founded in 1963 which addresses the need to teach character
education in both public and private schools. The Jefferson Center focuses on
the systematic teaching of common values that cut across ethnic, cultural and
religious lines. These values include: honesty, respect, responsibility,
integrity, courage, tolerance, justice, self-confidence, and politeness.
At our school our mission is to instill in our students these very values using
the martial arts. We believe this to be an ongoing process and not something
to be achieved in a month, or year, but rather over a life time of education
and effort. We have chosen the S.T.A.R. program because it is the perfect
complement to our philosophy. S.T.A.R. will provide an ongoing, systematic
method of teaching the core values on which our program is based.
S.T.A.R. is designed to teach students to:
- Accept the consequences of their actions
- Use the S.T.A.R. Stop Think Act Review decision making model to solve
problems and resolve
conflicts.
- Develop and improve self-confidence,
self-esteem, and positive attitudes.
- Set and achieve realistic goals.
- Accept that attendance at class,
punctuality, and reliability, are part of being personally responsible.
Procedures of the S.T.A.R. Program
Theme of the Month: All monthly
themes will emphasize responsibility and values. For example, March’s
theme may be “How Can I Make Good Choices?”
Monthly Activity:
Each Theme of the Month will have an activity which the student is encouraged
to do. The activity will reinforce the value expressed by the monthly theme.
In March, the student is to keep a log book of choices that ended with positive
results. Parents, teachers, karate instructors are highly recommended as
helpful resources in validating the positive results.
S.T.A.R Award:
Star Patches of Achievement will go to every student at the end of the month
who complete and demonstrate the following:
- The monthly Activity
- Responsible behavior in school, as well as working up to his / her
ability.
- Responsible behavior at home
- Displays leadership qualities and a sincere effort to improve while
attending required classes in the
dojo.
- Returns the S.T.A.R. Home/School Approval Form no later than the last week
of the month. No late
forms will be accepted or lost ones
replaced. Remember, we are teaching the child responsibility.
S.T.A.R. Patches are worn on the uniform. There are 11 patches, corresponding
to the number of months of participation in S.T.A.R. Each month the student
completes the S.T.A.R. project, they will be rewarded with a colored star
patch. When the student reaches number “12” (and this may take
more than a year if the child skips a few of the S.T.A.R. monthly activities) a
special graduation pin is awarded.
Star of the Day:
Recognition will be given to those students who actively participate in the
S.T.A.R. program and demonstrate leadership in class. The Star (or Stars) of
the Day will assist the instructors and be highlighted in class.
Visual Aides: Each
month, the bulletin board on deck, and the sign in area will have the monthly
theme and activity set out for the parents and children to see.
As S.T.A.R. grows here at the school, there will be other enhancements to our
curriculum. As always, your input is essential to our success. After all, the
most important people in the Character Education of a child is mom and dad.
Once again, thank you for your support in helping make our school one of the
best Martial Arts centers in Tucson.
Sincerely,
Katrina Thibault