We review different Social Responsibility issues regularly at our staff meetings.

Last staff meeting we asked staff to submit a few words regarding how they use our Dixon Pride matrix in their teaching.  Impressive what we found out!

Staff comments - How they are using our Dixon Pride Matrix in their practice with students:

• Our matrix actually matches up almost exactly with the classroom expectations that I have used for years and years. I have always discussed these expectations frequently, whenever the teachable moments have arisen (and they arise all the time). All I had to do to support our school goals was change my wording a bit to match our matrix.

• We often refer to Dixon Pride during Student Council when we are thinking of things to do as a school community - ie. with the coin drive, we referred to honouring others (also included it as a line in the assembly).

• When doing SEL lessons, we often refer to Dixon Pride, with honouring others and honouring self.  

• In the beginning of the year, I try to focus on social responsibility using pictures and other stories while weaving in the language. When I can, I try to make references to it when things come up (i.e helping navigate a social problem) too.

• We have the matrix posted up in front of the classroom and make reference to it when it applies to lessons or classroom/school wide events, recess/lunch 'situations'. Self care, wearing masks, social distancing, cohorts (Honouring Self, and Honouring Community). Terry Fox, Remembrance Day, Food Bank and fund raisers we participate in, we 'pump up' the Honouring Others and Honouring Community. Taking care of our classroom and school, Earth Day specific activities hits the Honouring Community area too. I make a post or 2 or 3 on the e-portfolio to inform our parents of the matrix connection to activities we do.

• we had a discussion about what we see in the poster and what we think every picture represents.  We talked about what pride and honour mean. They individually shared why they are proud of themselves (for example: I am proud that I can...) and worked it into conversations about growth mindset.

• Last year with a class (primary) we talked about "showing your Dixon Pride for the environment"(I showed them the poster), because they had been leaving the library messy with books on the floor, pencils out etc.

• They drew me pictures of what Dixon Pride in the environment would mean. Pictures ranged from a tidy library to more "environmental" ones (recycling etc.)

• Recently on the playground when a student was talking to me about a classmate who sounded like they were being left out of a game, I said "Now how would you show our Dixon Pride to them?"  They looked puzzled and so I explained, "Showing Dixon Pride to others means to be kind and to include them in. Maybe they would like to play too and you can invite them."

-regular class meetings- using language from the matrix, referring to it as we talk, “what does it mean to honour?”, “what if everybody did that?”

-class brainstorm on big chart paper in groups- on chart paper would find: “Honouring Environment”, “Honouring Others”, “Honouring Self”- students write and draw ideas all over the page, 5 minutes per chart and switch, when complete class share

-begin with “honouring self”, dive deeper

• students are given a large heart, they draw and write everything they love inside, what is important to them
• create a flip book for each child, titled “A Better Me”- 1^st page- “At Home”, 2^nd page “At School”, 3^rd page- “In my neighbourhood”
• focus on responsibilities; what do they look like at home and at school?

-read lots of social responsibility books and have a follow up activity; two great books “The Bad Seed”, “The Good Egg”

(*All done in French!)

• We haven't done any specific lessons on the Dixon Matrix, but we make reference to all three (honouring self, honouring others, honouring the environment) on an almost daily basis. As situations come up, we discuss together how best to deal with the issue and address the students. We make use of the Matrix through teachable lessons, typically done in a class discussion format. From the beginning of the year, we told the class that the most important thing was to be respectful and kind not only to ourselves, but to others and the environment as well. Later on in the year, we have a science unit on energy where we will be further emphasizing the importance of caring for our environment.

• In our class we have been talking a lot about what the word "honouring" means. We began with how we honour ourselves (taking care of our bodies and our hearts) and what good friendships and relationships look like for us (people who are kind to us, who make us feel happy, etc.) and what they don't look like (friends don't say unkind things to each other or make you feel sad). Next we will be talking about how we honour others. 

• As we move through the circles, we are creating our own diagram that mirrors the Dixon one, with us at the centre surrounded by things we do to honour ourselves. We will continue to add circles building outwards as we learn.

• In K we've been talking about:

who the person in the middle is

how do we take care of ourselves (what do we do if someone isn't treating us respectfully or fairly)

how do we treat others (not only kind words but tone of voice and body language) 

Eventually we'll talk more about the environment and the importance of taking care of our local community and why it is significant that the word honouring is written 3 times.

• We've been working on our own personal little matrix wheel. Not sure where we're going with it but I was hoping it would be less abstract for them if they were the personal in the middle.​

• We have been having SEL talks in class and making reference back to the matrix. We have also discussed ways that we honour self, others and environment in our TL circle check-ins.

• Our school matrix is posted on my white board. My classes has done some lessons where we have made references to 3 honours. I also refer to it when we discuss appropriate school behaviours/solutions to our problems.