UNIDOS

La Academia community works to develop a culture of respect and collaboration based on our UNIDOS character traits (Unity- Never give up- Integrity- Discovery- Ownership- Success). Academia’s Responsive Classroom system explicitly provides necessary school-wide procedures, rules, expectations, consequences, and norms that help students become owners of their own learning and more self-directed in their behavior.

• Helping someone
• Collaborating with others
• Being respectful even when we have differences
• Being patient with one another
• Being kind to your peer
• Having empathy and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes
• Being generous and giving others the benefit of the doubt

• Being courageous and taking Risks
• Struggling and being brave enough to keep trying
• Using creative strategies to overcome obstacles
• Saying “I Can” in spite of feeling like “I Can’t”
• Staying focused, positive, and strong when things get tough

• Being honest
• Doing something when no one has asked because it is the right thing to do.
• Taking responsibility for the team when someone else has dropped the ball
• Owning your mistakes while asking for help or self-correcting.
• Instead of blaming others when something fails, get in there and help make it right

• Entering each day with a sense of Openness, Curiosity, and Wonder
• Noticing everyday things in a way you that you have never seen it before
• Seeking Creative ways to overcome obstacles
• Taking what you learn and applying it to new problems and situations
• Inquiry and Questioning
• Observation using past Knowledge and Reasoning to acquire a new understanding

• Accepting responsibility for oneself and for one another
• Creating space for mistakes and owning them
• Investment in learning, teaching and leadership
• Developing self- awareness
• Engaging in self-discovery
• Being mindful and intentional about what we say and what we do
• Self-reflection and making choices from a place of self-awareness

• Inspiration
• Aspiration to Achieve
• Growth Mindset
• Passion
• Patience
• Tolerance to fail or make mistakes
• Focus
• Hard Work
• Determination
• Perseverance

In certain regions of South Africa, when someone does something wrong, he is taken to the center of the village and surrounded by his tribe for two days while they speak of all the good he has done.  They believe each person is good, yet sometimes we make mistakes, which is really a cry for help.  They unite in this ritual to encourage the person to reconnect with his true nature.  The belief is that unity and affirmation have more power to change behavior than shame and punishment.  This is known as Ubuntu –humanity towards others.

The Story of Ubuntu is why at Academia Antonia Alonso; we believe in the power of community.  At La Academia, we believe in reflecting on our mistakes with the help of teachers, classmates, and community partners; they learn new skills to make better choices the next time; and they are affirmed by the community so that they know and feel that we believe in them and their goodness.

Academia Antonia Alonso is committed to building a safe, authentic community that is able to restore justice and make amends when a member of that community violates or harms the community’s relationship.

In the process of building our community and establishing our school’s culture, suspension is a consequence that could be used as a last resource. When used, it is used to strengthen the emotional safety of our community and deal with the roots of the behavior problems from different perspectives.

Requiring students to participate in the community takes on various meanings. First, they must do their best to practice its values in word and deed. Second, they commit to engage in restorative processes if they have harmed the community or been harmed by another member. There is a reciprocal principle implied here: We will keep you safe, but in return you have to show up as a full participant.