HELPING STUDENTS MAKE GOOD CHOICES

One important facet of my job is to work with our staff to manage student behavior at school.  I view these elementary school years as ones in which students are learning how to make good choices and understanding that all choices carry consequences, both positive and negative. Although each teacher may have unique and specific guidelines for procedures within his/her own classroom, all staff members communicate three school-wide rules and expectations with all students:

Keep hands, feet and objects to yourself.

Do what adults in charge tell you to do.

Treat other people the way you want to be treated.

 Most often when there is an infraction of these rules, the adult in charge will communicate the problem to the child’s teacher, who will handle the situation and communicate with you, as necessary.  For a serious infraction, or an accumulation of minor infractions, I may be called upon to intervene.  As part of the process of dealing with a behavior issue, I work through the answers to the following question with the student:

 What can you do if you make a poor choice?

• Notice and admit your mistake. (Honesty is often the most difficult step.)

• Cooperate with the adults who care about you and want to help.

• Choose to make it right. (This may include making amends and an appropriate apology.)

• Accept your consequences. (The consequence will be determined based upon the student’s history and the seriousness of the offense.)

• Learn from your mistakes.

• Make better choices next time.

In order to facilitate collaboration with parents/guardians to help students make better choices, it is my intention to call home when I become involved and have a conversation like this with a student.  Please do not be alarmed if your child tells you he/she had to speak with the principal but you did not get a call from me.  There are times when I speak with many students while investigating a situation so I can make decisions based upon the best information I can glean.

There are times when your child will alert you to situations at school as well.  We take your concerns seriously and will do everything we can to investigate and remedy problems.  Please remember, contacting your child’s teacher is always the best first step when you have a question or concern, but when needs arise, I am available to mediate.  Using my e-mail link through our school website is a great way to communicate with me, as I am not always readily available by phone throughout the day.

For a copy of our school-wide behavior management system, click here.  To view Doña's bullying policy, click here.