“We are very proud to be a Highly Performing School”

As Principal of Tonalea Elementary School, I welcome you to our website.  There are many positive things happening at our school, but one feature I would like to share with you is our school focus on character education. The Tonalea school community places a great amount of emphasis on teaching the pillars of Character Counts.  The State of Arizona has asked the schools to address character education as a means of improving the schools and the behaviors of children. In order to accomplish this task, we as adults model good character and teach our children using some basic strategies. To become good teachers of character, parents will find these basic steps helpful:

• Set goals for your children to achieve;
• Define behaviors that will be needed to reach the goals;
• Model the behaviors so the children will have a mental picture of what they are;
• Encourage your children to practice the behaviors;
• Reinforce the practice through the use of praise and privileges; and
• Observe your children in many different situations in order to decide whether the behaviors have been learned.

Discussing your beliefs with your children is the best way to help them develop the values and beliefs you consider important in helping to build their character.  

As we continue to work together to make each student at Tonalea achieve success, I invite you to visit our school and participate in the education of your children.  

Respectfully,

Lesa K. Friend, Principal