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The Oracle School District was one of only three Southern Arizona districts that showcased a program at Support Our Schools AZ’s (SOS AZ) first-ever Education Excellence Expo on Oct. 24, 2015 at Salt River Fields. According to SOS AZ, this expo was held to help promote their vision that “public district schools are an optimal choice for the children of Arizona.”
The event was a great success with 25 public school districts participating and numerous sponsoring businesses. The objective: “a visual and experiential display of the accomplishments and achievements of Arizona Public District Schools” was more than achieved and is just a start toward encouraging a broad public conversation in favor of public education in Arizona.
The Oracle School District showcased its “Cosmo Kidz” program. The idea behind Cosmo Kidz is to provide time each day (without cutting into the core curriculum) for teachers to lead brief discussions about how children can talk about and act into their social worlds more skillfully. The goal of Cosmo Kidz is to help children SOAR. SOAR stands for: Sense what’s around you; Open your hands to help others; Act with kindness; Respect other people. Teachers spend 5-10 minutes during the school day to reinforce this message to their students, often using puppets to demonstrate the concepts.
The program was first piloted during the 2013/2014 school year at Oracle’s Mt. Vista Elementary School and only one other school in the nation. Results have been very positive and the researcher who brought the District the program was able to get a grant from the Kettering Foundation to keep the program running, now for the third year.
Windy Messing, a kindergarten teacher at Mt. Vista Elementary, lauds the program for the positive impact it has on her student’s social skills and in building their compassion for others. “It has made my students more aware of how their actions impact others” she said, “and since much of their success in school depends on their ability to get along with others, I see Cosmo Kidz as a good foundation builder.”
It is unique programs like Cosmo Kidz, combined with high expectations, caring staff and small town roots and values that drive the Oracle School District’s mission “to expand expectations by providing an innovative and boundless educational environment that develops adventurous learners and responsible citizens.”
Learn more about the Oracle School District at www.OSD2.org and about the new Oracle Schools Foundation at www.OracleSchoolsFoundation.com.
There are news or informational items frequently written by staff or submitted to the Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner, Superior Sun, Pinal Nugget or Oracle Towne Crier for inclusion in our print or digital products. These items are not credited with an author.
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