Bragg School Newsletter
October 2025
It was wonderful to see so many parents attend our annual Back-to-School Night to begin the 2025–2026 school year. As I mentioned that evening, I am truly excited to be part of the Chester School Community and to work alongside you and your children.
All grade levels are off to a strong start, and students are actively engaged in learning across the content areas. Over the next couple of weeks, we are focusing on building culture and community within Bragg School. On Friday, September 26, we held our first Pack Meeting (whole-school meeting). During this time, students played a game called Just Like Me, where they listened closely and discovered what they had in common with one another. We then discussed our roles in school and the importance of following our Code of Conduct:
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Respect people and property
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Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself
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Use appropriate language
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Be courteous; speak kindly
This year, we will also be teaching our students to be proactive in taking responsibility. One strategy they are learning is how to use I Messages to express their feelings, along with TAG:
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Tell someone they are bothering you
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Ask them to stop
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Get an adult if they don’t
Since positive actions and behavior should be recognized, we are also launching our PAWS initiative, Positive Actions Will Succeed. Students will receive PAWS tickets when they demonstrate acts of leadership such as kindness, respect, responsibility, honesty, caring for others, and being a role model. Each month, tickets will be entered into a raffle, and 10 students will be selected to receive a small prize, such as a coin for our book vending machine. This is one way we are working to encourage and celebrate the positive choices our students make each day.
Leader in Me
We are excited to announce that all students will have leadership opportunities through our implementation of the Leader in Me program. Our goal is to equip our students with the skills needed to practice leadership and positive decision-making. Students will take part in whole-school meetings, school job-related activities, classroom lessons, development of a school-wide mission statement, goal setting, and learn the 7-habits.
The Leader in Me program uses Steven Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which are: 1. Be Proactive (You're in charge), 2. Begin With the End in Mind (Have a plan), 3. Put First Things First (Work first, then play), 4. Think Win-Win (Everyone can win), 5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood (Listen before you talk), 6: Synergize (Together is better), and 7. Sharpen the Saw (Balance feels best). These habits help individuals develop leadership skills, character, and effectiveness.