We Are Bucket Fillers
Each of the character education themes at Number Four School is attached to a relevant piece of literature. The first book we use each year is: "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" by Carol McCloud & David Messing. Images of buckets (and actual buckets) are some of the most common visuals throughout Number Four School (in addition to Clifford the Big Red Dog). In fact, one can often find Clifford holding a bucket filled with hearts and stars. Once our students have all completed their "Clifford Walk," the classes are all invited into the auditorium for a cooperative reading of "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" Our core values connect nicely with this piece of developmentally appropriate literature. The concepts of being a "bucket filler" (someone who shares, uses kind words, uses good manners, listens and is helpful) as opposed to being a "bucket dipper" (someone who uses mean words, hurts another person, or is in anyway unkind) are concepts that are reinforced school-wide throughout the entire year. This is language used by everyone in the building, from classroom teachers, to support staff, to lunch aids, to secretaries and hallway monitors.