School Behavior Plan
School Rule: I WILL ACT IN A SAFE AND RESPECTFUL WAY
General Guidelines for a Safe and Respectful Climate
- Any type of weapon or dangerous object will be left at home (School
Board Policy).
- Harassment (as defined in School Board Policy) will not be tolerated.
- Adults will wear nametags; visitors and volunteers will check-in
at the office.
- Toys, trinkets, and gadgets will be left at home. This includes
skateboards, in-line skates and scooters, headsets, pocket video games,
lasers, squirt guns, etc.
- Gum will be left at home.
- Outdoor jackets will not be worn in the building during the school
day. As a matter of respect, hats are generally not worn in the building;
there are some authorized exceptions.
- Soft voices will be used (if talking is necessary) in the building
and on the bus.
- Staff will accompany classes in the halls, staying to the right.
- Students will use laminated passes on unaccompanied errands.
- To minimize hallway clutter in winter, only roll-up sleds may
be used at school.
- Students are not to be dropped off at school before bus arrival time. If you need before or after school child care, please contact KIDS' Club to make advance arrangements.
S.T.O.P. Sign Conflict Resolution
Each fall, every classroom is trained in using the four steps of the S.T.O.P. Sign for conflict resolution. Students are encouraged to use these steps on the playground, as well as in the classroom. Parents can help reinforce these important skills at home as well. In the process, each student takes a turn stating each part of the four steps.
S=Say what you feel
Students are taught to try to identify what they are feeling and to simply state "I feel angry" or "I feel frustrated". For the older students they are also encouraged to tell what behavior caused them to feel that way. For example, "I felt hurt when you didn't include me at lunch today." Using sentences that start with "I" instead of "You" help students to communicate without making the other person feel defensive. We practiced our non-verbal skills such as eye contact, calm body posture, not interrupting when others are talking and facing the person.
T=Tell what you want
Students are to state what they want to have happen (i.e. " I want to be included and sit with you at lunch"). By identifying their wants, it helps each person to know what action they can take to help resolve the conflict.
O=Own up to your part
This is where each person has a chance to take responsibility for their part of the conflict. It also helps restore the relationship by acknowledging that both people contributed to the problem. (For example, one person may have said something unkind and the other person may have reacted by yelling back)
P=Peaceful Partners
The last step involves trying to find a solution that both people can agree to try in order to solve the problem or prevent the problem from happening again in the future. A good way to start this step is by saying "Maybe we can..." or "Next time we can...". If only one person agrees to the solution, or it's a win-lose solution instead of a win-win solution, it probably won't work. It's important for both people to feel that a compromise (win-win) has been reached.