Mission - St. Joseph Catholic School provides a Christian learning environment that nurtures the growth of each student in mind, body, and spirit. Our school offers unique educational experiences that provide the values, knowledge, and skills students need to be successful in life.

St. Joseph School will be implementing a very successful Leadership Program called the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. All St. Joseph students and staff will learn the seven habits which are:

1. Be Proactive
2. Begin with the End in Mind
3. Put First Things First
4. Think Win-Win
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the Saw.

The habits emphasize personal responsibility and personal leadership, respect for others, and the most effective classroom practices. The habits are included in everything we do as a school. Students and staff use thinking tools to analyze progress and improve instruction. Each habit is explicitly taught to students from Pre-K to 8th Grade.  Effective practices include using children’s literature and the “teachable” moments in the classroom to discuss and apply the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Students.

Please discuss these habits with your children.

Habit 1 - Be Proactive

• Take responsibility for your life.
• Choose your attitude
• Think before you act
• Focus on what you  “can” do
• You are in the driver’s seat
• Turn setbacks into triumphs
• Have a can-do attitude

Please take the time to discuss these habits weekly with your child.

Be proactive is the ability to act based on principles and values rather than reacting based on emotion or circumstance.  Obviously, family life would be a whole lot better if people acted based on their deepest values instead of reacting to the emotion or circumstance of the moment.  What we all need is a “pause button” – something that enables us to stop between what happens to us and our response to it, and choose our own response. In your family life it is possible to develop a habit of learning how to pause and give wiser responses.

Habit 1 –Be proactive – is the key to unlocking all the other habits. It embodies the greatest gift humans have: the ability to choose.  Please discuss habit one with your child and family.  
Information has been shared from the books - The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen Covey and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey.

Habit 2 – Begin with the End in Mind

• Develop a clear picture of where you want to go in life
• What are your principles and values
• Have a plan – planning ahead always leads to better outcomes
• Discover your talents
• The paths you choose today can shape you forever
• Control your own life
• Do things that “make a difference.”
• Turn weaknesses into strengths
• Do not limit your options – you can do anything
• Think beyond today

Habit 2 –Begin With the End in Mind – involves creating a clear vision of what your family is all about. Habit 2 is about “destination.”  Covey suggests that families develop a family mission statement that describes the kind of family you really want to be and identifies principles that will help you get there. Working together as a family to discover your shared values and vision will help you create a “compass” or the inner guidance that will keep all moving towards your goals and destination. Know what you want the results to be before taking action. Begin with a clear destination to understand where you are now, where you’re going, and what it takes to get there.

Habit 3 – Put First Things First

• Prioritize, and do the most important things first
• Make a schedule  and follow it
• Work first then play
• Do not procrastinate
• Say no to peer pressure
• It takes discipline to manage your time
• Be organized
• Will-power not won’t-power
• Do not let your fears hold you back
• Be strong during hard moments

Habit 3 –Put First Things First   - This habit involves focusing on priorities –namely the importance of family.  Covey cautions that, “Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”  Successful people are willing to make sacrifices from time to time and do things they don’t like doing because they know these things will help them achieve their goals. Sometimes living Habit 3 isn’t so easy, but fortunately there is a big payoff for people who choose to discipline themselves and do the important things first.  

One of the worst feelings in the world is when you realize that the “first things” in your life—including your family—are getting pushed into second or third place, or even further down the list. And it becomes even worse when you realize what’s happening as a result. The most important thing you can do is make a commitment:  Once a week, no matter what, we will have family time together.  All of you are encouraged to sit down with your family and schedule family activities for the next month or two.

Habit 4 - Think Win Win

• Have an “everyone-can-win” attitude.
• I can win and so can you
• Be kind and considerate to others
• Believe we are all equal
• Choose to succeed, and help others succeed
• When conflict arises look for a third alternative
• Compliment others
• Be confident in yourself
• Get along with others
• Live by the “Golden Rule”

Habit 4 –Think Win-Win - Think Win-Win is an attitude about life. It’s a frame of mind that says I can win, and so can you. It’s not me or you; it’s both of us. This habit is the foundation for getting ahead in life by helping others get ahead.

This habit encourages family members to think in terms of mutual benefit. Happy families foster support and mutual respect.  They think in terms of “we” not “me” in order to make agreements. They want what is best for all involved. Develop an abundance mentality. There is plenty for everyone. One person's success is not achieved at the expense of another's. If we can always see each other as constantly changing and growing and acting in good faith, and if we can keep the end in mind, we will have the motivation and the commitment it takes to always go for win-win.

Habit 5 – Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

• Listen before you talk and without interrupting.
• See the world through the eyes of others
• Look people in the eye when talking
• Voice your ideas confidently
• When you understand you do not “judge”
• Offer constructive feedback
• Take the time to get to know others
• Listen with your ears, eyes and heart

Habit 5 – Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.  Listening is a very important skill, but a lot of people do not take the time to become good listeners. If you want to have great relationships with other people, take time to really listen to them and try to understand what they are saying. We look at the world through our own pair of glasses, glasses that come from our own unique backgrounds  and experiences.

Family members need to listen to each other with the intent to understand the thoughts and feelings of others then seek to effectively communicate their own thoughts and feelings.  Successful families build deep relationships of trust and love by providing helpful feedback. Most of the mistakes with family members are not from bad intent; it is just that we really do not understand. We do not see clearly into one another’s hearts. Commit to be a more understanding family by listening better and being more observant.  Teach your children to listen – not just with their ears, but also with their eyes, mind and heart.

Habit 6 - Synergize

• Work together to achieve more.
• Value others strengths and learn from them
• Be humble
• Value and celebrate differences
• Be a problem solver
• It’s not your way or my way but a better or new way
• Brainstorm
• Think outside the box
• Value and celebrate diversity
• Develop teamwork
• Exercise your mind
• Open-mindedness  -- non-judgmental attitude

 

Habit 6 –Synergize – This habit is about two or more people working together to produce more than they would be able to separately. Synergy is not just teamwork or cooperation. Synergy is creative teamwork, creative cooperation. Something new is created that was not there before. The family builds a mutual problem solving atmosphere based on the dynamics of loving, learning, contributing, and creative cooperation. We are better together than we are alone. The key to creating synergy is in learning to value—even celebrate –the differences. In a family it is not enough to simply tolerate or accept the differences we must actually celebrate the differences. We must be able to say sincerely, “The fact that we see things differently is a strength—not a weakness—in our relationship.”  This kind of synergy helps create a beautiful family culture –one that is creative and fun, one that’s filled with variety and humor, one that has respect for every person and every person’s varied interests and approaches.  It helps you create a family culture in which you can successfully deal with any challenge you may face.

Habit 7 – Sharpen the Saw

• Take care of yourself
• Balance feels best
• Find ways to relax and manage stress
• Laugh a lot
• Help others –“Service”
• Build and strengthen relationships and friendships
• Be a life-long learner and learn new things
• Examine what you eat
• Focus on how you feel –not how you look
• Spend time with family and friends
• Re-commit to your principles
• Pray, worship, meditate
• Renew your body, mind, heart, and soul

Habit 7 – Sharpen the Saw – This habit recognizes that a family increases its effectiveness through personal and family renewal. Every family must take time to renew itself in the four key areas of life: physical, social, mental and spiritual. Keep balanced in these areas also.

Family meals are important –even if you only have one family meal a week and that meal is your “family time” for the week. If the mealtime is meaningful, fun and prepared with love, the family table becomes more of an altar than just a table. Traditions may play a key role in nurturing the renewal of family spirit.

It is in happy families that we find our meaning, our strength, and our future. Spend some time identifying your family’s strengths. From that foundation choose some additional qualities that you can add to your family dynamics. Become involved in activities that will help your family build those strengths.

Family renewal involves the following: pray, worship together, do physical activity together, build relationships of trust and unconditional love, and learn new things together.