Pupil Wellbeing
Golden Rules
Concord school has six Golden Rules that we feel are important to support and promote a safe, happy and successful learning environment. These rules are discussed regularly in classes and at Virtues assemblies.
Golden Time
Working on artwork in Golden Time.
This is probably the favourite time of the week where the children are rewarded for all their great behaviour. Every class has the Golden Rules displayed in their classrooms as well as around the outside of the school. When a child makes a bad choice or breaks a Golden Rule, they get a verbal warning, or a warning card. The next step is to go into the yellow spot for seniors or a cloud for the juniors. Then if they go into the Red spot or sad cloud, they lose Golden Time. At the end of the week, every child has a special Golden Time for half an hour in which they opt in to an activity of their own choice. If they have lost e.g. 5 minutes Golden Time, they have to wait that amount of time before they can join in the reward.
Every second week we have a whole school Golden Time involving all the teaching staff and teacher aides which provides a greater choice of activities, which includes specialised art, paper folding, sport, lego building, painting, cooking, and other exciting things. If a child has not lost any Golden Time in a term, they get an extra special reward at the end of the term e.g. swimming, popcorn movie time etc.
Quality Circle Time
Students in Quality Circle Time.
Concord School has been working with the Quality Circle Time contract over the last three years with a cluster of South Dunedin Schools.
There are many parts to the programme but essentially it is a social programme that provides a structure and strategies to sort out any relationship problems both within classrooms and the playground, provides a variety of options for playground activities, and rewards and celebrates children for good choices they make with their behaviour.
Classroom Circle Time
Circle time is an opportunity for children to play some cool games and have fun. It is also a way to talk about any classroom or school issues that are bothering them. Everyone is able to give advice and also take responsibility for helping another child with their problem. The children especially enjoy thanking others for being a friend or even apologise for upsetting another class member. With circle time, children can practice oral language, co-operation, have some physical activity, practice being calm and focus on solving problems. It is timetabled weekly.
Positive Ed and the Strengths Programme
During 2010 Concord adopted a new focus on Positive Ed and the Core Strengths, to support the Virtues and help to sustain the very successful Quality Circle Time programme. We are strongly committed to enhancing student wellbeing and helping them to flourish socially, emotionally, physically, and mentally. Positive psychology techniques build on student strengths to promote engagement in their learning, develop positive relationships and encourage positive emotions, especially gratitude, to enhance their lives and enable successful student achievement. Research shows that wellbeing leads to improved learning outcomes, increased life satisfaction and personal resilience. Our Monday assemblies now focus more on identifying and acknowledging Strengths in children and encouraging them to know when to use them.
Key Concord Strengths
- Teamwork
- Fairness
- Gratitude
- Forgiveness
- Love
- Courage and
- Kindness
In 2011 we are focusing on Strengths of Relationships, which also include Peacefulness, Friendship, Enthusiasm, Self Control and Leadership.
Awesome Us
Room 5 were fortunate to be a part of the Awesome Us programme run by Denise Quinlan. Awesome Us is part of the school’s Positive Education Programme. The programme concentrated on what the students are good at, their Strengths. There are 24 Strengths, some examples of which are persistence, humour, leadership, enthusiasm, creativity, self control, bravery, gratitude, fairness and forgiveness. The children learnt what each of the Strengths means and how to spot them in themselves and in other people. They learnt that if they showed Strengths in a particular activity then they could transfer these strengths to another activity. The children really enjoyed the programme and the interactive activities involved in it. It’s great to see them celebrate what they are good at and set goals for things they need to work on. They have a very good knowledge of Strengths and enjoy discussing them with others.
RTLB
The Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour is a service based in the South Dunedin area for schools like us to access when we need to meet the learning and behaviour needs of some children in a more specific way. These teachers have special skills to work alongside our classroom teachers and assist us to put programmes in place to help these children.
The Code of School Behaviour
Concord School is committed to providing quality learning opportunities that enable all students to achieve within safe, supportive and respectful learning environments, that are socially inclusive and positive.
All members of school communities are expected to:
- Conduct themselves in a lawful, ethical, safe and responsible manner that recognises and respects the rights of others
Students are expected to:
- Participate actively in the school's education programme
- Take responsibility for their own behaviour and learning, guided by the Virtues Project and the Responsible Behaviour Plan
- Demonstrate respect for themselves, other members of the school community and the school environment
- Behave in a peaceful manner that respects the rights of others, including all students' right to learn and the teachers right to teach
- Cooperate with staff and others in authority, and observe the Golden Rules
Parents/Caregivers are expected to:
- Show an active interest in their child's schooling and progress
- Cooperate with the school to achieve the best outcomes for their child
- Support school staff in maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment for all students
- Initiate and maintain constructive communication and relationships with school staff regarding their child's learning, wellbeing and behaviour
- Contribute positively to behaviour support plans that concern their child
- Support school programmes such as the Virtues Project, Quality Circle Time, The Golden Rules, Golden Time etc
The Teachers are expected to:
- Provide a safe and supportive learning environment, guided by the Golden Rules, the Virtues Project, Quality Circle Time principles and the school Vision Statement
- Provide inclusive and engaging curriculum and teaching
- Initiate and maintain constructive communication and relationships with students and parents/caregivers
- Promote the skills of responsible self-management, tolerance, positive relationships, peacefulness and resilience, guided by the key competencies of Managing Self, Relating to Others etc.
- Be responsible in the first instance for endeavouring to resolve problems and behaviour within their own classroom guided by positive behaviour management strategies consistent with the rest of the school and developed from the Quality Circle Time model
- Recognise when particular behaviours are too difficult to resolve alone and seek further assistance (guided by the Responsible Behaviour Plan) from senior staff or the Principal
- Advise parents if/when their child reaches a specific stage of the discipline procedures as outlined in the Responsible Behaviour Plan
Principals and Senior Staff are expected to:
- Play a strong leadership role in implementing and communicating The Code in the school community
- Ensure consistency and fairness in implementing the school's Responsible Behaviour Plan for students, while meeting the needs of individual children
- Communicate high expectations for individual achievement and behaviour
- Review and monitor the effectiveness of school practices and their impact on student learning
- Support staff in encouraging compliance with The Code and facilitate professional development to improve the skills of staff to promote responsible behaviour
- Seek outside support (RTLB, GSE, Police) when a behavioural problem moves beyond the resources of the school
- Organise each year to send parents/caregivers a copy of school and class rules, behaviour expectations and consequences and classroom strategies
Consequences for Unacceptable Student Behaviour
Student behaviour that does not comply with the expected standards, and disrupts another's learning or well being, is not acceptable. The Responsible Behaviour Plan for Students will set out the range and level of responses and consequences for student behaviour that is not consistent with these standards, and will provide a structure to assist teachers and support staff when dealing with behaviour problems. Corporal punishment is not used.Consequences are to be applied to:
- Provide the opportunity for all students to learn
- Ensure the safety and well being of staff and students
- Assist students who exhibit challenging behaviours to accept responsibility for themselves and their actions
- Guide and correct students using the language of the Virtues
Teachers will use a range of consequences, which might include:
- Warnings
- Loss of Golden Time
- Loss of privileges
- Walking with the duty teacher at intervals
- Golden Reflection (detention)
- Phoning parents
- Meetings with parents/Principal
- Withdrawal from the playground
- Withdrawal from the classroom for one day or more
The Code of School Behaviour is based on the following values and principles:
Values
- Professionalism: committing to the highest standards of accountability and performance
- Respect: treating all people with respect and dignity
- Honesty: being open, trustworthy and truthful
- Responsibility: being dependable and accountable. The ability to respond ably, keep agreements and apply best effort
- Confidence: having faith and trust in self and others. Feeling sure of self and trying new things
- Innovation and Creativity: fostering safe environments that support innovative and creative practice
- Diversity and Inclusiveness: encouraging the whole school community to participate in education and cultural activities
- Diligence and Excellence: supporting the pursuit of best effort
- Enthusiasm and commitment: encouraging enthusiastic participation and engagement, and perseverance to see a task or responsibility through to completion
- Peacefulness
- Cooperation
- Kindness
- Gentleness
Principles
- New Zealand schools expect high standards of personal achievement and behaviour
- The foundation of positive classroom behaviour is effective teaching, inclusive and engaging curriculum, and respectful relationships between staff and students that promote healthy self awareness, tolerance and resilience
- Positive behaviour is enhanced through a whole school approach, and effective school organization and leadership
- Partnerships with parents/caregivers, the wider school community and other support agencies contribute to positive behaviour in school
- Staff expertise is valued and developed
- Standards of expected students behaviour are linked to the plan
- Responses to inappropriate student behaviour must consider both the individual circumstances and actions of the student and the needs and rights of school community members
- When dealing with unacceptable student behaviour teachers and support staff are encouraged to use the language of the Virtues, STATE-NOT BERATE-NOT DEBATE, and keep emotion out of the situation