Dear T.H.

Rogers’ Families, 
 
We are thrilled to be rolling out our new school-wide character development program; Student 
Spotlight: Building Stronger Character One Trait at a Time. This program will extend across all 
grades levels; k-8, and will be implemented within each program housed at T.H. Rogers; 
Vanguard, RDSPD, and PSI. The purpose of this program is to provide students with a toolkit of 
strengths and standards that they can apply to daily situations throughout their lives, as well as 
help students gain a better understanding of themselves and their values.  
 
Each month a new character trait will be introduced through the middle school newsletter, 
grade level newsletters or websites, morning announcements*, supplemental resources 
provided to teachers to embed within their lessons, and facilitated character development 
lessons. 
 
Throughout the month students in each grade level will be spotlighted during morning 
announcements* for demonstrating strong character, in the selected trait of the month.  
 
During the last week of the month, teachers will help students in their homeroom class** 
anonymously vote for one boy and one girl, who they feel, have best demonstrated the selected 
monthly character trait. Based on student feedback, one boy and one girl from each homeroom 
will be spotlighted. Students will be celebrated at the end of the week each month, by having 
their picture posted on the ‘Student Spotlight’ wall, being recognized during a morning 
announcement*, receiving a profile piece written by the fabulous Mr. Brown that will appear in 
Ram News, and receiving a certificate of recognition.  
 
Note: *morning announcements will only occur once we have returned to an in-person school model.  
**The voting process may change every six weeks depending on the outcome of virtual versus in-person students. All students will 
be included regardless of their setting for learning.  
 
You, as the parent/guardian, can help by discussing the following questions with your child as 
well as giving positive feedback when your child demonstrates the highlighted character trait.  
● What does _____________ mean? (Example: what does respect mean?) 
● What are ways you can show ________? (Example: what are ways you can show respect at home? At school? To a teacher, 
parent or sibling?) 
● Who are some people that have shown __________ and/or _________ trait was their strength? (Example: who are some people 
that have shown respect? Do you know of anyone famous whose strength was respect?)  
 
Thank you for helping us to build a culture of kindness and respect here at T.H. Rogers! 
 
Respectfully, 
The Social Emotional Learning Team  
Courtney Walker and Bradley Evans  
courtney.walker@houstonisd.org  
bradley.evans@houstonisd.org  
Due to the late launch of this program, we will be combining the character trait for September, 
respect, with the trait of responsibility for October.   
Month  Character Trait   Definition 

September   Respect  Respect is thinking and acting in a positive way towards 

yourself, someone else, or something. Treating someone with 
respect means you interact with them in a way that shows you 
care about their feelings and well-being.  

October  Responsibility  Responsibility means being dependable, making good choices, 

and taking accountability for your actions. A responsible citizen 
looks out for the well being of others and understands we all 
play a role in making the world a better place.  

November  Kindness  Kindness is the quality of being considerate, warmhearted, and 

sympathetic toward others. Showing kindness means 
voluntarily helping others in need, and not expecting anything 
in return.  

December  Courage   Courage is having the strength to make good choices when 
feeling fearful or facing an obstacle. Courage means being a 
risk-taker to do something difficult.  

January  Resilience  Resilience is the ability to bounce back from failure and 
challenges. Resilience means recognizing and managing your 
emotions about a situation, and continuing to work toward your 
goals.  

February  Honesty   Honesty is telling the truth no matter what consequences you 
may face. Honesty means being truthful with your words and 
actions.  

March  Fairness  Fairness is the act of treating others equally, playing by the 
agreed upon rules, compromising, and being open-minded to 
different perspectives.  

April  Citizenship  Citizenship means being a productive member and supporting 

one’s community. Citizenship includes following school rules, 
displaying good character, being respectful of others, their 
property, and the environment, and taking care of yourself.  

May  Integrity   Integrity is a commitment to be honest, respectful, responsible, 

and courageous, even when faced with a challenge. Integrity 
means making good choices regardless of the circumstances 
and even if no one is watching.  

June  Growth  Growth is the positive development of character over the school 
year.