The Discipline Policy at Hampton Elementary is described in the student Agenda Planner. Discipline is considered as a part of a wider behaviour management approach to developing appropriate behaviour choices for our children.
We continue to operate on the philosophy that all children have the right to learn in a school climate that is safe, satisfying and productive. Disruptive behaviour by a student infringes on the rights of others to learn. Home and school together must share the responsibility for teaching and encouraging acceptable behaviour.
Our Behaviour Management program includes a structured program called “SkillStreaming” that includes over sixty behaviour management skills divided into 5 areas: Classroom Management, Friendship Making, Dealing with Feelings, Alternatives to Aggression, and Dealing with Stress. Children will be taught skills in each of the five areas throughout the school year. Acquiring and practicing the skills will increase the ability of children to make good choices about whether they will contribute positively to any given situation.
The SkillStreaming approach to Behaviour Management reflects the belief that children can and will make good choices if they are trained in skills for making decisions; allowed the opportunity to decide; given the positive support they need; and held accountable for the decisions they make. Our Behaviour Management procedures will continue to be directed toward placing responsibility for student behaviour where it belongs: in their hands. Each person in our school is responsible for controlling his/her actions and reactions to any situation.
Hampton Elementary introduced Skillstreaming as a behaviour management process during the school year 2004-2005. Students were taught skills for managing behaviour in a consistent and positive way. Students were given concrete doable examples of what the expected behaviours would look like when done correctly. They were given an opportunity to practice the skill, and they were positively reinforced when they were observed acting in the expected and correct manner. Teachers were all aware of what skills had been taught at any given time and were able to intervene in student behaviour by any student in the school by pointing out the skill a student was not demonstrating, ask the student to show the correct way to conduct him or herself, and reinforce the student in a positive way following the student’s demonstration of the skill.
This approach enables
any teacher to request any student to
correct the behaviour in a positive manner that focuses the
child’s attention
on his/her ability to make the correct choice, and for the student to
be in
control of his/her own behaviour.
Consistent emphasis on SkillStreaming resulted in a 40% drop in
referrals for all behaviours previously observed in our students. We
believe
there was an actual increase in students making better choices on their
own,
because they knew what was expected and could deliver on the
expectations.
Behaviour Expectations
“HANDS OFF /
FEET OFF / WORDS OFF”
It is expected that all individuals will treat one another with respect.
Examples of inappropriate behaviour include:
1) Hitting, kicking, physical or mental abuse. (Teasing, putdowns, excluding others)
2)
3) Abusive or
inappropriate language or gestures
4) Throwing objects such
as rocks, sticks, or snowballs
5) Persistent or continuous disruptive behaviour
Consequences
The purpose of
this is to: teach students to accept logical consequences for their actions; to
give the time to evaluate their behaviour; to involve students actively in
finding positive alternative to their actions. A teacher may send a child to the
supervised classroom for a time out if necessary. When a child is on the step
program they are able
to earn their way off the program for having shown a positive improvement in
making
better behaviour choices. Children will be given a specific time goal to permit
them to have success in earning their way off the step program. Parents will be
made aware of a
referral by
Talk Mail. A form will be sent home
to be signed and returned.
Step One:
For the first offence, a student may report to the noon supervised classroom
where he/she may lose
time from their playground break.
Step Two:
For repeat offenses of a serious nature the same procedure is followed as in
Step 1, plus the Child's parents are contacted by the school.
Step Three:
For a third major offense the child will be assigned 1 Full Noon hour session
in the
Training/Supervised classroom. Parents are informed the next step may be a full
day School Suspension.
Step Four:
For the fourth major offense the child may serve a Suspension of one full day.
Parents will be notified by phone. This suspension may be served as an in school
suspension, rather than an out of school suspension. Each case is examined on an
individual needs basis.
Step Five:
For the Fifth major offense, the child may be suspended from school for 1-5
days. After which, the
child will be permitted to return to school. Parent(s) must meet the Principal
and/or Vice-Principal prior to readmission after an Out of
School Suspension.