Capturing Kids Hearts

What is Capturing Kids’ Hearts?

Capturing Kids' Hearts is a relationship centered program that seeks to create positive and meaningful classroom interactions that leads to a student-centered, self managing classroom where all children are valued and celebrated.

How does it work?

Teachers use the EXCEL model to communicate with students. Students create their own rules via a “social contract.” Students hold each other accountable using “helping hands” and “fouls”. An environment is created that emphasizes positivity through “good things” and affirmations.”

The EXCEL model is used:

• to build relationships
• to build self-managing groups
• to build safe classrooms and schools

Engage: Students are greeted at the door with eye contact and a sincere handshake, knuckle bump or other such greeting to welcome them to school and start the day on a positive note.

X-plore: Teachers listen and attend to the personal, emotional and academic needs of our students.

Communicate: Teachers communicate care as well as content.

Empower: Teachers empower students to gain the ability to “use and do” the things they have been taught.

Launch: Deals with how we “end and send” out students into the world. The purpose is to start out students on a course of actions by ending our classes on a powerful note.

The Social Contract:

At the beginning of the school year, a Social Contract is created by the students, facilitated by the teacher, in effort to answer four questions regarding the environment of the classroom. The four questions include:

• How do you want to be treated by the teacher?
• How do you want to be treated by each other?
• How do you think the teacher wants to be treated by you?
• How do we want to treat each other when there is conflict?

The resulting answers make up a list of adjectives which serve as the basis for student expectations of behavior in the classroom.

The Social Contract is signed by all classroom members including the teacher.

The document is a living document and is referred to on a regular basis to highlight success and serves as a guide for when problems arise.

The Four Behavior Questions:

These are questions that we ask each other to help stay true to the social contract.

• What are you doing?
• What are you supposed to be doing?
• Are you doing that?
• What are you going to do about that?

Helping Hands and Fouls:

When a student is not following the social contract, other students will give a helping hand signal to that student. This signaling is taught first by the teacher before use by students.

When a student is being unkind, other students will foul or check that student. This motion is also taught by the teacher before put into use by the students. Students are asked to give “put ups” for any “put downs” they give to others.

Good Things (News):

Sometime throughout the day, teachers will allow time for good things or good news. This is a time when students share something good that is going on with them. This creates an environment of positivity and helps build relationships.

The students at CME are recognized for following the components of Capturing Kids’ Hearts. Each week teachers, and other building staff submit a name of a student or students who they have witnessed making good choices by following our Capturing Kids’ Hearts components. These good choices may be for a myriad of reasons: practicing leadership skills, having a positive attitude, being a team player, displaying artistic effort, showing excellence in behavior or academics, showing kindness or perseverance, just to name a few. The students receive an eagle feather in recognition for these good choices. These eagle feathers are fabric strips that then get attached to a ring students can display on their backpacks or in the classroom. They can try to collect all the possible eagle feathers throughout the year! See the below diagram for a complete list of feathers. This tangible ring of eagle feathers is a motivator for students to continue to try their best and soar to great heights. Three times a year, golden feathers are awarded to students who consistently show outstanding behaviors and choices. Students’ names are submitted by teachers, staff and peers.