HONORABLE MENTION SAMPLE LETTER
[DATE]
[INSIDE ADDRESS]
Dear[PRINCIPAL or SUPERINTENDENT]:
On behalf of the [SSOC SPONSOR and any CO-SPONSORS], thank you forapplying for State and National Schools of Character (SSOC/NSOC)recognition in 2013. The SSOC review committee received and evaluated [ENTER NUMBER, if you wish]applications from schools and districts with character education programs of exceptionally high quality in [STATE NAME]. Based on the evidence presented in your application, the committee selected your [SCHOOL or DISTRICT]to receive a Certificate of Honorable Mention.
[SSOC SPONSOR and any CO-SPONSORS] will honor all SSOC applicants at a special awards ceremony on[DATE].We will send more details about the ceremony in [MONTH]. Please plan to attend as our honored guest, along with your lead character education coordinator, and other interested staff,parents, students, and others who may have played a significant role in your character education initiative.
The purpose of the SSOC/NSOC awards program is twofold: 1) To identify exemplary schools and districts to serve as models for others; and 2) To help schools and districts improve their efforts in effective character education. We know that every school or district that applies for SSOC/NSOC status sees character development as integral to its mission, and we invite you to stay connected to [SSOC SPONSOR] and CEP as partners on your character education journey.
One way for[SCHOOL or DISTRICT] to serve as a model for others is by sharing your innovative and successful character education ideas and practices. We recommend that you submityour [ENTER NAME OF POTENTIAL PROMISING PRACTICE] to the Character Education Partnership (CEP) as a possible2013Promising Practice. Because you submitted a 2013 SSOC/NSOC application, your brief, online Promising Practices application is due April 15, four weeks later than the posted March 18 deadline. Application information and the online application for Promising Practices are available at . If you wrote about the practice in your SSOC/NSOC application, you may wish to excerpt what you have already written and add enough details so that other schools may learn from your example. Should CEP select your practice, you will receive a certificate at CEP’s National Forum on Character Education held in October in Washington, DC (or by mail, if you cannot attend). Additionally, your winning practice will be listed in the 2013Schools of Character magazine and on CEP’s website.
The work you did in preparing your SSOC/NSOC application is a significant step in understanding the current status of your character education initiative. The suggestions for growth on the attached score sheet should be beneficial in helping you improve your program and reach SSOC and NSOC status in the future. To understand your score, look at CEP’s 11 Principles of Effective Character Education, the scoring criteria for the SSOC/NSOC awards that you used as part of your application. This document is available online at . We encourage you to use this feedback to strengthen your character education initiative and any future SSOC/NSOC application that you submit.
To further support your program development efforts, we would like to offer you a special consultation opportunity.You are invited to contact [SSOC SPONSOR] to set up a consultation to review your program efforts in relation to CEP’s 11 Principles and receive technical assistance regarding the SSOC/NSOC application process. If you are interested in taking advantage of this consultation offer, please call [ENTER CONTACT NAME AND TEL NUMBER/E-MAIL ADDRESS]by [DATE].
The [STATE NAME] Schools of Character and NSOC program is an annual event. We hope you will apply again in 2014. Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your work and for your commitment to fostering character education in your school community. Please contact [SSOC CONTACT NAME] or Lara Maupin at CEP () if you have any questions or would like to offer any feedback on the SSOC/NSOC application process.
On behalf of CEP and the [SSOC SPONSOR any CO-SPONSORS], thank you for your commitment to implementing a quality character education initiative and helping form good character in [STATE NAME]’s youth.
Sincerely,
[SSOC COORDINATOR’S NAME AND TITLE]
cc:[CONTACT PERSON IF NOT THE PRINCIPAL]
[CO-SPONSORING AGENCY]
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