Cerritos Info and Welcome Guide

Leaders of today inspiring leaders of tomorrow

K-5 students at Cerritos will lead their own learning through ongoing progress checks, data notebooks and developing effective habits in their lives to positively impact learning. This system incorporates principles from author, Sean Covey’s 7 Habits of Happy Kids. Students’ talents are fostered, highlighted and developed while students take ownership in their learning. In addition, students use data to set attainable goals, interpret areas of need/strengths and track their own progress. Kyrene Altadeña Middle School and Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School will carry on the 7 Habits of Happy Kids principles as students move into 6-8th grades.

Leadership Academy prepares children with 21st century skills by fostering:

Synergy with team and whole staff
A focus on personal leadership
Student communication (decreasing behavior concerns)
Greater sense of community
A more proactive environment
Excitement for learning
Responsibility
Development of the whole child (intellectual, emotional, social)
Goal setting through data based learning

Leader in Me Lighthouse School

Kyrene de los Cerritos is proud to be a Stephen Covey, Leader in Me Lighthouse School. As a Leader in Me School, students discover and practice a set of leadership and life skills from Stephen Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The Leader in Me schools receive national recognition is for their emphason developing leadership in young children.

At our school Leadership is a LIFESTYLE, not a lesson! Every child possesses unique strengths and has the ability to be a leader.

Incorporating The Leader in Me practices within our school's environment and curriculum empowers students with the Leadership and life skills they need to thrive in the 21st Century. Our children demonstrate critical skills and characteristics such as; trustworthiness, a strong work ethic, motivation, problem-solving skills, goal setting, effective interpersonal skills, a sense of teamwork, academic achievement and valuing diversity. Our goal is to develop the whole child socially, emotionally, academically and ethically to ensure they are leaders today that inspire leaders tomorrow!

Our Journey:

2009: Cerritos began implementing the principles of leadership using Stephen Covey’s, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and our dedicated staff and students synergized and made a commitment to incorporate the 7 Habits in everything we do at Cerritos. We developed a new mission statement, “Leaders of today inspiring leaders of tomorrow.” which continues to be the driving force behind everything we do.
2010: Through our enthusiastic approach and success with of integrating the Leader In Me principles, the Kyrene School District recognized our efforts and we officially added the tag line, A Leadership Academy to our school name.
2012: Cerritos was the 27^th school in the nation to be recognized as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by the Franklin Covey Foundation for extraordinary achievement in leadership. This prestigious award was the result of a rigorous evaluation. There are many elements to maintaining our Lighthouse recognition which is evaluated every 4 years.
2017: We earned the Lighthouse recognition again for maintaining leadership elements in our school such as the Lighthouse Team, leadership environment, integrated curriculum and instruction, staff collaboration, student leadership opportunities, parent and community engagement, leadership events, goal tracking and measureable results.

Leader in Me

The Leader in Me is not an event and it's not a curriculum; it's ubiquitous leadership development—meaning everywhere and all the time. Our teachers use an integrated approach and make leadership training part of everything we do. Teaching these principles impacts everything—the traditions, events, organization, culture, instructional methodologies, and curriculum of the school. Instead of seeing children through the lens of a normal distribution curve, The Leader in Me paradigm sees that every child is capable, every child is a leader.

The 7 Habits are:

Habit 1: Be Proactive®

I have a “Can Do” attitude. I choose my actions, attitudes and moods. I don’t blame others. I do the right thing without being asked, even if nobody is looking.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind®

I plan ahead and set goals. I do things that have meaning and make a difference. I am an important part of my classroom. I look for ways to be a good citizen.

Habit 3: Put First Things First®

I spend my time on things that are most important. This means I say no to things I should not do. I set priorities, make a schedule, and follow my plan. I am organized.

Habit 4: Think Win-Win®

I want everyone to be a success. I don’t have to put others down to get what I want. It makes me happy to see other people happy. I like to do nice things for others. When a conflict arrives, I help brainstorm a solution. We all can win!

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood®

I listen to other people’s ideas and feelings. I try to see things from their viewpoints. I listen to others without interrupting. I am confident in voicing my ideas.

Habit 6: Synergize®

I value other people’s strengths and learn from them. I get along well with others, even people who are different from me. I work well in groups. I seek out other people’s ideas to solve problems. I know that “two heads are better than one”. I am a better person when I let other people into my life and work.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw®

I take care of my body by eating right, exercising, and getting sleep. I spend time with family and friends. I learn in lots of ways and lots of places.

Some of the ways that students incorporate the 7 Habits in the classroom are by utilizing an Agenda to help organize homework, creating a Data Passport to establish personal and academic goals and monitor progress in various areas, and establishing a Class Mission Statement which communicates a common purpose for the classroom.

Also, Cerritos Leadership Academy typically hosts several Leadership Days throughout the school year where students have an opportunity to display their leadership in various roles – public speaking, acting as school tour guides, sharing data passports, and interacting with community leaders.

CARES Code of Conduct

Cerritos teachers and staff have crafted an easy to understand Code of Conduct to ensure students understand the school wide expectations. CARES stands for Caring – Accountability – Responsibility – Excellence – Safety. When students are “caught showing their CARES”, they will be given a CARES slip. At the end of each month through a drawing, one child per grade level will have their picture taken and displayed in the main hallway for all to see!

Country Flags in Main Hallway

Cerritos celebrates the diversity in backgrounds and cultures represented in our school. In the main hallway we proudly display flags from various countries. The flags represent countries from which our students were born. If your child was born in another country, please be sure to notify the office to honor his/her heritage.

School Clubs & Enrichment Opportunities

Cerritos offers several clubs that meet before, during, and after school. Each year new clubs are formed based on student leadership interests. A sample of clubs in the past include:

Broadcasting Club – This club consists of 4^th and 5^th graders. Students who participate in this club serve in all capacities necessary to broadcast the school’s daily announcements (cameraman, on screen talent, teleprompter, etc.) Due to the high interest level of this club, there is a tryout process to determine who is selected for the club.

Studentr Outreach Club – This club typically meets before school to work on service projects for our schol and community.

Student Yearbook Club - Students can help with taking pictures, designing pages and development of our school yearbook.

After School Youth Enrichment Programs – Kyrene School District also offers a wide variety of after school enrichment opportunities. Some of the upcoming classes include Tennis, Lego, Chess, Dance, Movie Making, Piano Keyboarding, Golf, Glee Music Theater, Spanish, and Young Rembrandts Drawing and Cartooning. For more information, please visit the Kyrene District website at https://classweb.kyrene.org/econnect/Activities/ActivitiesAdvSearch.asp or contact Community Education at 480-541-1500.

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