The Core Four +

Holistic Framework for Student and Staff Growth

This framework represents a layered approach to personal development, relationships, and lifelong learning. Each ring is interconnected, building upon the one within it to support the growth of well-rounded, resilient, and capable individuals. The structure emphasizes that true success in the outer rings relies on the strength and balance of the inner core.

Framework for Learning | Education and Early Childhood Learning

1. The Green Center: The Good Life, Life Balance, and Safety

At the heart of the framework is the green center, symbolizing what we aspire for every student, teacher, and member of the school community: The Good Life, grounded in Life Balance and Safety. This core reflects not just academic achievement but holistic well-being, fostering environments where individuals can thrive.

The Good Life: Represents a state of personal fulfillment where individuals experience a sense of purpose, happiness, and well-being. It’s about living meaningfully, with a balance of personal growth, relationships, and contributions to the community.
Life Balance: Focuses on maintaining equilibrium across all areas of life—mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. This balance supports resilience, healthy coping strategies, and sustainable growth.
Safety: Serves as the foundation for all other development. Without safety, learning and personal growth are compromised. Safety includes:

Physical Safety: A secure environment where individuals are free from harm and feel protected.
Social/Emotional Safety: A culture of belonging, respect, and emotional support, where individuals feel seen, heard, and valued.
Academic Safety: A space where curiosity is encouraged, mistakes are embraced as part of learning, and students feel confident taking intellectual risks.

This core is the non-negotiable foundation—without it, the development of personal skills, values, and competencies cannot fully flourish.

2. The Circle of Courage: Personal Skills

Surrounding the green center is the Medicine Wheel circle, which reflects the personal skills individuals should cultivate. Rooted in Indigenous teachings, the Medicine Wheel emphasizes the importance of balance and interconnectedness in personal development. The four key components are:

Generosity: The spirit of giving without expecting something in return—offering time, kindness, support, and understanding to others. It fosters community and strengthens relationships.
Independence: The ability to think critically, make decisions, and take responsibility for one’s actions. It empowers individuals to advocate for themselves and pursue personal goals with confidence.
Mastery: The pursuit of growth through learning, practice, and perseverance. Mastery is about striving for excellence, not perfection, and finding pride in personal achievements.
Belonging: The feeling of being connected to others, valued within a community, and having a strong sense of identity. Belonging is essential for mental health, motivation, and self-esteem.

These personal skills support self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-motivation, forming the inner strengths individuals need to navigate life’s challenges. Without these skills, it’s difficult to build meaningful relationships or engage fully in learning.

3. The 4 Core Ring: How We Treat Others

The 4 Core Ring represents the values and behaviors we expect in how people treat one another, both within the school and beyond. These core principles create the foundation for a respectful, inclusive, and compassionate community:

Kindness: Demonstrating care, compassion, and thoughtfulness in actions and words. Small acts of kindness build trust and create positive environments.
Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of others, fostering deep connections and reducing conflict. Empathy helps us respond thoughtfully to the needs of those around us.
Self-Control: The ability to regulate emotions, manage impulses, and respond thoughtfully rather than reactively. Self-control supports positive decision-making and conflict resolution.
Honesty: Being truthful, trustworthy, and acting with integrity. Honesty builds strong relationships and creates a culture of trust and accountability.

These values are not just taught—they must be lived through daily interactions, modeled by educators and staff, and reinforced through positive school culture. They create the emotional and social safety necessary for learning and growth.

4. The 6 Cs Ring: Manitoba’s Global Competencies

The outermost ring represents the 6 Cs, which are the Manitoba Global Competencies. These are the essential skills and competencies that prepare students for success in school, work, and life. They are considered employable skills, transferable across all careers and life experiences:

Critical Thinking: Involves the intentional process of synthesizing and analyzing ideas using criteria and evidence, making reasoned judgments, and reflecting on the outcomes and implications of those decisions.
Communication: Involves interacting with others and allowing for a message to be received, expressed, and understood in multiple ways and for a variety of purposes.
Collaboration: Involves learning with and from others and working together with a shared commitment to pursue common purposes and goals.
Connection to Self: Involves awareness of the related nature of emotional, intellectual, physical, social, cultural, and spiritual aspects of living and learning, and the responsibility for personal growth, well-being, and well-becoming.
Citizenship: Involves engaging and working toward a more equitable, compassionate, and sustainable world through the development and value of relationships with self, others, and the natural world.
Creativity: Involves exploring ideas and concepts in order to represent thinking, solve problems, explore opportunities, and innovate in unique ways. It is the interaction of intuition and reasoning.

These competencies are not only skills for personal and academic success but are also the contributions we bring to the world. They reflect the ways individuals can positively impact their communities and the broader global society. While these competencies are critical for future success, they cannot be fully developed if the foundational layers (safety, personal skills, and interpersonal values) are not in place. For example, collaboration requires self-control and empathy, while creativity thrives in environments where individuals feel safe to take risks.

The Interconnectedness of the Rings

This framework is not linear—it’s dynamic and interconnected. Growth in one area supports development in others:

The green center (safety and well-being) provides the foundation for personal growth.
The Medicine Wheel fosters self-awareness and personal responsibility.
The 4 Core values shape how we engage with others, creating positive relationships and communities.
The 6 Cs equip individuals with the skills needed to succeed in academic, professional, and social contexts, and to contribute meaningfully to the world.

When there are challenges in the outer rings (e.g., difficulties with collaboration or critical thinking), it often signals a need to strengthen the inner rings—whether through enhancing personal skills, reinforcing core values, or addressing safety and well-being.

Final Reflection

This holistic framework reflects the belief that education is not just about academic achievement—it’s about nurturing whole individuals who are balanced, compassionate, and equipped with the skills to thrive in life and contribute positively to the world.

When we prioritize:

Safety and well-being at the core,
Personal growth and self-awareness through the Medicine Wheel,
Positive relationships and values in the 4 Core Ring, and
Global competencies and life skills in the 6 Cs,

…we create schools—and communities—where every individual can reach their full potential and carry their strengths into the world, making it a better place for all.