Project Cornerstone

UPCOMING TRAININGS & EVENTS

Coming Soon!

We can't wait to kick-off the 2024-2025 School Year with you! Please return at a later time for updates .

Project Cornerstone is a YMCA community initiative, with the mission to create an environment in school communities for students to feel valued and respected. Their ABC program - Asset Building Champion, focusses on developmental assets like building relationships, skills, experiences and values that help young people thrive.

ABC PROGRAM GOALS:

Increase relationships and developmental assets for all children and adults.
Increase the number of caring adults that students interact with at school
Create a common language and vocabulary about respect in each school community.
Use children’s literature to share concepts of personal power, resiliency, empathy, integrity, equality and social justice, honesty, and responsibility.
Increase student life skills in building friendships, identification of feelings, taking care of health (physical and emotional), responding to bully behaviors and peaceful conflict resolution.
Increase student achievement and learning engagement by creating a more caring, positive school climate where all students belong and feel safe.

"GROWING UPSTANDERS"

The focus of this year's books is the theme Growing UPstanders. An UPstander is someone who stands up for others by using kindness and empathy to do the right thing. Dependent on standing up for others is the ability to build and maintain healthy relationships. Active listening, openness to diverse perspectives, and building on others’ ideas are all central to building trusting, caring, supportive relationships. Having these skills encourages students to be willing to take intellectual, emotional, and physical risks, which is what an UPstander does.

VOLUNTEER

We are always looking for more volunteers to join our Program as class readers, if you'd like to volunteer or learn more about the opportunities, please see below.

Your Role as a Parent Volunteer:

YMCA Project Cornerstone provides written ABC lesson plans with detailed information discussion/activities to accompany each book. Our school has Lead volunteers who will mentor and guide our ABC volunteers. As an ABC volunteer, you are committing to consistently spending approximately 2 hours per month in the following ways:

45 minutes monthly training with the PC team to thoroughly discuss the book of the month, practice discussion questions and brainstorm on fun activities that you can then take to your classrooms.
30-60 mins (at the teacher's discretion) monthly of sessions in your respective classrooms for the ABC reading/discussion and activity.

If you are interested in participating in the program, please fill out the form below.

**Please note that you will need to have Volunteering Clearance from SJUSD to volunteer for this program. Please visit the SJUSD website for more information.

GRADE 1 TO GRADE 5 BOOKS

Have You Filled a Bucket Today? / Buckets, Dippers and Lids by Carol McCloud

SEL Core Competency: Relationship Skills

This book uses a bucket to symbolize our need to be filled everyday with positive experiences. The power of affirming words is captured by the simple concept of bucket filling. By expressing and doing acts of kindness and appreciation, we create happy feelings and good thoughts that fill our bucket and the buckets of others. Kindness is a quality that doubles when you share it. With this in mind, students and adults will learn to use the strong visual imagery of bucket filling as a tool to build friendship skills and a climate of kindness and respect school wide.

Tools

• Be a bucket filler. Fill buckets by doing kind actions and deeds for yourself and others.

• Bucket dipping happens when your bucket is low.

• Don’t dip into other buckets.

• Use your lid to protect and guard the good thoughts and feelings inside your bucket.

• Your kind act may inspire others to fill a bucket.

Simon’s Hook by Karen G. Burnett

SEL Core Competency: Responsible Decision Making

The focus of this book is to help students recognize the choices they have in responding to teasing. It empowers them to avoid perceiving themselves as a powerless victim of hurtful behaviors like name calling. This book introduces five specific skills to use in response to teasing. These five responses allow youth to choose from a variety of techniques to help them stay in control. Simon’s Hook compares teases to fishing hooks and promotes the idea of swimming free of those hooks by choosing a response that will keep youth feeling free from teases.

Tools

• Be a free fish. Swim free!

• Do little or nothing. Don’t react.

• Pretend to agree with the hook.

• Use distraction to change the situation.

• Laugh at the hook and make a joke of it.

• Use your lid to stop, think, and visualize what is happening.

• You have the power to choose how you react.

• Tap into your personal power to be a kind and strong free fish.

The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill

SEL Core Competency: Self-Management

This book is written entirely in rhyme with the text and illustrations capturing the energy of the playground. Underneath the lighthearted rhyme is the painful reality of bucket dipping behaviors that can occur while “playing.” In this book there are two main characters. Mean Jean is lonely and acts out toward other students to cover up her hurt. She is the recess queen. Katie Sue perceives that she has an empty bucket and demonstrates how to build a relationship with Mean Jean by using kindness and empathy.

Tools

• Learn and use conflict resolution skills.

• Targets can be empowered to become UPstanders.

• Stop, think, and understand the bucket dipping actions of others.

• Use your lid to prevent bucket dipping.

• Invite and include all kids to play.

• Identify two caring adults who will support you.

• Make a report to a caring adult.

One by Kathryn Otoshi

SEL Core Competency: Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision Making

The author describes her book, “The theme is acceptance and tolerance. How one voice can count and affect change. Many times, we think, ‘I’m so small. What can I do?’ But we do have an effect! It’s about changing thinking. When one person stands up for something, it might be just enough to tip the next person over and inspire him or her to also stand up.” Life lessons about boundaries, friendship, and standing up for yourself and others are beautifully illustrated. This book will allow students to consider others’ well-being and practice making safe and constructive choices about relationships.

Tools

• Feelings count. Have empathy for others.

• It just takes ONE to make a difference!

• Be an ally.

• Reconsider and give second chances.

• Offer opportunities to belong and be included.

• Commit to be the ONE to be kind and stand up for others.

More than Peach by Bellen Woodard

SEL Core Competency: Self-Awareness, Social Awareness

When Bellen’s classmates referred to “the skin-color” crayon in a school and classroom she had always loved, she knew just how important it was that everyone understood that “skin can be any number of beautiful colors.” This book spreads Bellen’s message of inclusivity, empowerment, and the importance of inspiring the next generation of leaders. Bellen created the More Than Peach Project and crayons with every single kid in mind to transform the crayon industry and grow the way we see our world.

Tools

• Be an Upstander and advocate for change.

• Use your passion and talents to improve the lives of those around you.

• Your voice can make a difference.

• Be aware of unconscious biases.

• Notice, interrupt, and rewrite these assumptions.

• THINK before you speak.

Empty Pot by Demi

SEL Core Competency: Self-Awareness, Responsible Decision Making

This book explores the concepts of courage, honesty, integrity, responsibility, and perseverance (CHIRP). These tools will empower students to value being true to themselves even when it is not easy. The story illustrates the importance of attitude and behavior in building your character. Students will understand that the result isn’t as important as trying your best, trusting in yourself, and listening to your own judgment to make a good decision.

Tools

• Act with positive values of CHIRP: courage, honesty, integrity, responsibility, and perseverance.

• Stand by your beliefs with others.

• Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching.

• Honesty makes trust bloom. Create circles of trust with peers.

• Being honest means telling the truth, even when it is not easy.

• It is important to always try to do your best.

Say Something! by Peter H. Reynolds

SEL Core Competency: Relationship Skills, Social Awareness

The book explores the many ways that a single voice can make a difference. Each of us has the chance to say something with our actions, our words, and our voices. You can say something using your art, your music, your poetry, your courage, or simply your presence. This story reminds students of the undeniable importance and power of their voice.

Tools

• Say something with our actions, our words, and our voices.

• Use problem solving skills to make positive changes.

• Influence your peers to do the “right thing.”

• Wield your skills and abilities to be an UPstander.

• Say or do something to spread kindness in the world.

• Stand by your beliefs with courage and determination

TK TO KINDER BOOKS