Improve even the lowest achieving schools with effective tools for early learners. Get attention, engage kids and create teachable moments. Start your morning and class meetings with a quick character building activity that creates positive energy for less disruptions in your classroom. The World’s Kindest Playing Cards™ make it easy. You’ll teach the three R’s, plus positive character traits in a fun filled way.

GivaGeta Smiles™ brings hands on, interactive and fun tools with important character traits that kids remember and helps sustain them throughout their lives. Now is the time to turn around our schools for the better. The kids are our future. It’s never too early to teach youth about character and develop the whole child.

1 Based on the 2011 report from the Connecticut Commission on Educational Achievement.

• High school dropouts are incarcerated at three times the rate of graduates.1

• There is $155 million more in lifetime healthcare costs for each class of high school dropouts.1

It’s never too early to start talking to kids proactively about character. GivaG-eta Smiles™ makes it easy for educators and parents with interactive tools that open the dialogue and gets kids talking about respect, responsibility, trust, forgiveness, understanding and more. Kids build developmental assets and learn valuable lessons in a fun filled way that supports their social, emotional and cognitive learning. So make it fun and get kids to think critically about character before, not after.

Promising Practices Improving School Climate using Inquiry Based Learning Activities with reflection.“Thank you Jim for presenting this to our PBIS team. These cards are colorful, inspirational and fun for our students and adults. We have recently ordered more kits and have been enjoying the meaningful conversations these cards help spark between students and teachers, as well as students and students.” ~ Melissa Perkins, Waterbury Public Schools Posting on GivaGeta Facebook Wall

Struggling to get middle level students to talk?

“I am always looking for different ways to help students work through issues. I found it’s a real cool, fun way [for students] to learn about themselves. It’s a different approach, to talk about core values. I get a lot of positive feedback. They are engaged right away. It becomes a fun activity for students to interact with each other.

The students are more willing to participate because it is a movement activity and your giant cards [The Educational Kindness™ edition of The World’s Kindest Playing Cards™] are a great way to be interactive and work through issues.” ~ Shannon Russell Connecticut LCSW of East Hartford Middle School Social Worker in the Students’ Assistance Center

12 ActivitiesOne Purpose

Strengthen Families

If you are one of the teacher’s favorite students, you probably get thebenefit of the doubt of an A rather than an A minus. But let’s face it, at times students rub teachers the wrong way and are graded harder.

The Solution: Tell a campfire story and teach heartfelt forgiveness in a FUN and memorable way.

“It was very successful,” said Ann Marie Cullinan, Assistant Superintendant Curriculum and Instruction. Very positive outcomes to improve school climate were indicated by Waterbury Public Schools School Climate Team at the April 7, 2011 Train of Trainers GivaGeta workshops. Each PBIS team analyzed and reviewed their TIC and SET results. The team then came up with next steps for their school’s PBIS team focusing on tier I, II and III interventions.

Creating Successful and Sustainable Interventions “It was incredible because there was so much synchronization of what Dr. Sugai said about PBIS and Jim Cantoni’s GivaGeta Train the Trainer workshop presentation. It was very positive and interactive.”~ Waterbury Public Schools PBIS team member

Waterbury, CT PBIS GivaGeta Workshop Survey Results:95.4% (124 of 130) of the School Climate Team learned how to:

• Build community by focusing on the positive

• Teach students how to create a positive and constructive climate in school

• Use the materials for Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports

• Educate the whole person and infuse character education into existing curriculum

• Use the materials to reduce the chances of bullying

• Use the materials to develop skills for the 21st century in students

• Get students to interact and learn from each other

• Get students and teachers to interact and learn from each other

Dr. George Sugai Professor of Special Education, Director of the Center for Behavioral Education & Research

Jim Cantoni GivaGeta Co-Founder and Author of “Give Teamwork ... Get Results™”