Protecting the Physical and Emotional Health of children
The School Discipline System
The school will not accept mediocre behaviour either in the playground or classroom.
In the classroom
The teachers run an assertive management system where there are clear consequences for inappropriate actions. If your child chooses to misbehave these will be the things that happen:
1) Your child will be warned.
2) Your child's initials will be placed on the Board as a reminder that behaviour is poor.
3) If misbehaviour continues then a tick will be placed next to your child's name as a final warning.
4) Two ticks next to your child's name means that they are withdrawn to another room and the parents telephoned. This is serious misbehaviour.
5) If there are 3 outs during a two week period the Principal will be writing to you requesting an interview to discuss your child's behaviour. The school will have begun a range of interventions to deal with your child's behaviour. The conversations between the Principal and parents will focus on solving problems rather than blaming. Come to that meeting prepared to cooperate.
6) If more than two letters are sent home in any one term there will be a meeting with the Principal who will review the schools options which may include stand down or suspension of your child. You may find this conversation very difficult.
7) The school reserves the right to vary these procedures and consequences without warning. For example serious misbehaviour in the first instance could still result in suspension.
Timeout in the Playground
Timeout is our schools behaviour management program for children who choose not to follow our school rules in the playground.
Inappropriate use of hands, feet, shoulders, or property, or using swear words or words that can offend will result in a "time out".
Time out can also occur from any activity that does not follow the school rules.
Typically this is not wearing school sun hats during hot days.
Timeout runs for fifteen minutes at the end of lunchtime.
Children in timeout report to the Resource room where the senior teacher monitors the children while they carry out a range of repetitive boring tasks.
Incentive trips
In addition to the assertive discipline programme in the classroom and timeout in the Playground, the school also runs an Incentive trip programme which encourages self discipline and motivation.
At the beginning of each term performance targets are set by the classroom teacher. If the children achieve the performance targets they get rewarded at the end of term.
The performance targets are realistic and usually revolve around getting all homework handed in on time and a low number or nil time outs or names on the board.
Rather than focus on negative consequences the Incentive trip scheme makes students aware of the positive consequences of good behaviour.
Unfortunately there are always a few students who do not make it onto the end of term incentive trips. These students spend the day doing normal school work with the Principal.
The administration of the discipline system is in the hands of the teachers and Principal. While some parents have sought to tell teachers what they consider fair for their child the final decision rests with the teacher and Principal.
