Released on = June 28, 2006, 8:47 am

Press Release Author = Jennifer Lipa

Industry = Education

Press Release Summary = ST. LOUIS - - June 28, 2006- -The Incarnate Word Foundation,
Lutheran Foundation, Catholic and Lutheran Schools in St. Louis City, and the City
of St. Louis Mental Health Board, partner to affect a positive outcome in local
school communities.

Press Release Body = "We are enthusiastic about collaborating with these great
organizations," said Bridget Flood, Executive Director of Incarnate Word Foundation.
"We know the benefits of partnerships and look forward to seeing the positive
change it will bring."
The partnership works to implement a two-part proposal. One part of the proposal
is a bullying prevention program, aimed to impact students, teachers, and parents.
The program hopes to affect 4500 youth during the 2006-2007 school year. The other
part is a parent education program, aimed at producing positive disciplinary and
structural skills for parents to effectively manage problem behaviors. This
program hopes to assist 300 parents and caregivers annually.
The bullying prevention program, also named Peaceful Solutions, allows each school
to personalize their own program by choosing materials and counselors that will
address specific benchmarks for addressing bullying concerns. The program is
integrated into the schools' existing curricula and the proposed partnership would
expand the program from two Catholic Schools to 18 Catholic and Lutheran Schools.
The goal of Peaceful Solutions is to provide teachers and school staff with the
knowledge to recognize inappropriate behavior and provide appropriate intervention
in order to create a climate of tolerance. They also hope to provide parents with
skills that promote positive discipline and successfully manage inappropriate
behaviors. For students, the program aims to identify undesirable student
behaviors and their consequences, and to provide students with the knowledge,
skills, and support that result in changed behavior.
The parent education program, which will be implemented in the City Catholic
Schools, expands a program begun by the principals of the Catholic elementary and
secondary schools throughout the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The principals formed
coalitions to educate and support parents as they face a variety of societal issues
impacting their children. The program began with mandatory meetings for parents of
ninth graders and expanded to meetings for parents of sixth graders. Ultimately,
the principals would like to see the program expand to include parents of
Kindergarten and grade four students in the Catholic schools.
The program aims to educate parents to the issues and challenges facing children at
their various stages of development by offering positive discipline strategies that
would effectively manage problem behaviors. Part of educating parents includes
providing them with information and direction on areas such as alcohol, bullying,
drugs, and the internet.
Each of these programs is designed to improve community relationships among
students, teachers, and parents. They emphasize the dignity of all persons, which
is necessary for respect, the interdependence of all persons that is the basis of
community, and the rights and responsibilities of all persons, the foundation of
justice.
"This project assists in providing a program that reaches every child in the
community," Fred Bleeke, President of Lutheran Foundation, said. "We see it as
simply as education for all of the public, not simply those in public education."
With the help of the partnering of Incarnate Word Foundation, the Lutheran
Foundation, Catholic and Lutheran Schools in St. Louis City, and the Mental Health
Board, the total contributions come to $100,000 for the two programs.



Web Site = http://

Contact Details = Contact:
Bridget McDermott Flood
Executive Director
Incarnate Word Foundation
5257 Shaw Ave., Suite 3F
St. Louis, MO 63110
314-773-5100