Cove Cliff Elementary School

Code of Conduct

Statement of Purpose:

At Cove Cliff, students, parents and staff members have worked together to create a Code of Conduct based on three guiding principles: kindness, respect and safety. The staff, students, the Parent Advisory Council (PAC), as well as our family of schools, have developed a Code of Conduct to establish clear guidelines for a safe, effective and positive school environment that allows all students to work, learn and play in a safe and caring school setting that respects the rights of all individuals and upholds our expectation that Cove Cliff is a positive place to work and learn together, and where individuals, their property and the school setting are treated respectfully.

Cove Cliff's Code of Conduct is reviewed annually in May and June by students, parents and staff members. Additionally, the direct instruction of the school code is a September initiative that is launched with a student led assembly, led by our grade seven students under the guidance of school staff members. Each September, the Code of Conduct is reviewed in all classes. The Code of Conduct is clearly stated in the front of the School Agenda and in the School Handbook. Students are required to know and understand the school rules, acceptable behaviors and the consequences for any misconduct which are listed in both the Student Agenda and the School Handbook. The school code is shared each day by students and teachers through morning messages and school wide announcements. Each classroom has a posted code of conduct.

When participating in or attending school activities, including those outside of the school, students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that brings credit to themselves and to Cove Cliff at all times. Students are subject to all the expectations, as if they were in attendance at school.

The Principal of the school is responsible for administering and supervising the school. He and/or his designate, including teachers and other appropriate personnel are authorized, in accordance with School Board Policy 302, to exercise authority within the school on all matters concerning the discipline of students. The execution of discipline must be similar to that of a “kind, firm and judicious parent, but shall not include corporal punishment.” (School Act, Section 76(3)).

Conduct Expectations: Acceptable Conduct

Expectations for student conduct are clearly outlined in our Student Agenda which describes in detail appropriate behaviours under the guidelines of our Cove Cliff Code of Conduct:

Be Kind

Be Respectful

Be Safe

The following information illustrates how our Code of Conduct can be demonstrated:

Play Space

Adventure playgrounds, Field, Sign-out Equipment and Black Top, Landscaped areas

Be Kind:

Invite others to join

Speak politely to others

Include all who want to play

Accept skill differences

Be Respectful:

Play by the rules that are agreed upon before you start

Speak politely to others with your words, tone and body

Be responsible for your own garbage and recycle

Take care of yourself, others and the environment

Be Safe:

Be aware of other people who are sharing the play space

Help others in need

Use equipment appropriately

Problem solve conflicts and seek help from an adult if needed

Common Areas

Hallways, Fountains, Washrooms, Office Area, Library

Be Kind:

Give others personal space

Keep hands and feet to yourself

Allow others to work when you move through the school

Be Respectful:

Walk quietly so other students can continue learning

Use polite language

Follow adult directions

Be Safe:

Watch where you are walking

Keep to the right in the hallway

Help to keep all areas clean

Report problems to an adult when needed

Instructional Areas

Classrooms, Gym, Extra-Curricular Activities, Field trips, Assemblies, Library, LAC, Multi-Purpose Room, Computer Lab:

Be Kind:

Let people talk and listen to the speaker

Encourage and welcome the ideas of others

Praise the ideas of others

Be Respectful:

Do your best! Be an engaged learner

Encourage and be open to the ideas of others

Accept others as they are and acknowledge their unique talents!

Show respect for others and their belongings

Be Safe:

Enter and exit in an orderly manner

Put materials away

Use equipment carefully

Inform an adult if something poses a risk to you or others

School Rules and Expectations:

Litter

As a litter-free and environmentally conscious school, all students are asked to keep litter in their pockets or to use the trashcans provided throughout our playgrounds.

Chewing Gum

Due to many problems caused by improper disposal, gum may NOT be chewed at school.

Bicycles/Skateboards & Scooters

Once on school property, bicycles should be walked to racks and locked during school hours. Scooters should be walked or carried into classrooms and put away. Skateboards are not encouraged because of safety and storage issues. Skateboards should NOT be ridden on school property. The school accepts NO responsibility for lost, damaged, or stolen bikes and scooters.

Attendance and Punctuality

Students should arrive at school shortly before the 8:50 bell so they are ready and prepared to start the day. Students who arrive late are required to sign in at the school office, as they will have been marked absent by their classroom teachers. Punctuality is encouraged as tardiness impacts instruction, and students arriving late to class can cause disruption to others. Students are expected to attend school regularly and to be on time.

Please phone the call back number:

604-903-3426 if your child will be away from school or arriving late due to an appointment.

Hats

Although appropriate for outside, as a common courtesy, hats are not to be worn anywhere inside the building.

Dress Code

School is a place of work for students, teachers and staff members. Students are expected to dress in a manner that is appropriate to the learning environment and that enables them to learn and to exercise regularly at school. Students who dress in an inappropriate manner will be given alternate clothing to wear, or will be sent home to change. Examples of inappropriate attire for school are:

· clothing with offensive or inappropriate logos or words

· clothing that is revealing and more appropriate for a beach or swimming pool

· clothing that reveals under garments

Snowballs

For safety reasons, snowball throwing is not allowed in or around the school.

Indoor Traffic

To ensure effective patterns of movement for all children and adults working and learning in the school, we have designed a simple procedure for entry and exit. Children enter by their “wing doors”. They exit by their external classroom doors. Parents are encouraged to allow students to enter the school and head to their classrooms on their own.

Volunteers:

Parents and community members who are working in classrooms or volunteering in the school are reminded that they are required to sign in at the office and receive a visitor’s tag to wear while they are in the building, or on the school grounds. This helps with the safety and security of students. Parents are asked not to be on the playgrounds during recess and lunch breaks as this makes supervision more difficult for staff members.

Parking Lot

Please respect the signs indicating Staff Parking and do not park in these stalls. There is a parking lot at the back of the school that can be accessed from Raeburn. Please do not leave cars parked along the yellow curbs in the front parking lot.

Building Security

For safety reasons, during instructional periods, all exterior doors will be locked with the exception of the East Primary Door (to allow students in portables access to the washrooms) and the Main Doors near the office. We request that parents do not knock on classroom windows or doors during instructional periods. Parents are reminded that all visitors to the school are required to sign in at the office and wear a Visitor’s Pass.

Leaving School

Students are not allowed to go to another child’s home or any other place for lunch unless it has been arranged beforehand with the parents of both students and notes from both parents are provided to the teacher and to the office. We ask that all students sign out when they are leaving and sign back in when they return. Students leaving for medical appointments or special events are also required to sign out and back in at the office to ensure student safety. Students are not permitted to go to Deep Cove for lunch without a supervising adult.

Telephones

Students with legitimate reasons for using the school telephones will receive permission from their classroom teacher to use the classroom telephone. We discourage students from using the phone to make social arrangements, as we have limited access to phone lines at the school. Student use of cell phones use on the school site is not permitted.

Valuables

Our school staff is not able to safeguard items, nor are we able to replace anything that is lost, stolen, or broken. Please do not bring i Pods, personal music devices, Game boys, cell phones, precious jewelry, or any other valuables to school.

Conduct Expectations: Unacceptable Conduct

What happens when a student does not follow the Cove Cliff Code ?

A MINOR OFFENCE is dealt with by the adult who witnesses the behaviour. This offense is documented in the office and by classroom teachers in order to keep track of repeated patterns of behaviour.

A MAJOR OFFENCE results in the student filling out a PRR (Personal Responsibility Report) or written assignment, and the parents are contacted.

A SEVERE OFFENCE is one in which the student needs to be immediately removed from the situation. An outside authority may be called (e.g. Police, Fire etc). Parents are contacted immediately.

The following list will give you an idea of where misbehaviors lie on the scale of Minor, Major, or Severe Offenses. The list is not exhaustive:

Minor	Major	Severe
Unwelcome teasing	Taunting	Concerted effort to harass someone
Profanity to selves	Verbal bullying	Bullying or intimidating younger students
Classroom disruption	Theft	Threat with a weapon
Throwing snowballs	Planned exclusion of a student	Use of fireworks
Unsafe use of equipment	Pushing/kicking	Fighting
Name calling	Defiance	Premeditated physical attack
Yelling inside	Vandalism or the destruction of school or other students' property	Possession of a weapon
Throwing rocks or other items (not at someone)	Leaving Boundaries	Possession of drugs or alcohol
Non-compliance	Playground confrontation between two equals	Physical attack by a group on an individual
	Profanity directed at a peer or authority	Retribution against a student who has informed adults or sought help

Rising Expectations:

It is an expectation that students will grow and develop throughout their school careers. Consequently, older students are expected to accept increasing responsibility for themselves and their actions as they mature. Positive reinforcement of good behaviours and thinking ahead to reduce the occurrences of negative behaviours and situations is encouraged. At Cove Cliff older students are offered increasing opportunities to be leaders in the school and to lead, guide and support younger students in positive ways. They are also expected to be thoughtful and conscientious and to think about the impacts of their behaviours on themselves and others. Therefore the expectation of our older students is that they model positive behaviours for younger students and that they take initiative to prevent negative behaviours from occurring.

Consequences

The school has the definitive authority to determine consequences for students who refuse to comply with school rules and policies. Disciplinary action or consequences for unacceptable conduct are based on principles that have been developed in a fair and reasonable manner and will be administered in a fair and consistent manner. Disciplinary actions, whenever possible, are intended to be logical, preventative and restorative, rather than punitive. They may include apologies, time out, Personal Responsibility Reports, written assignments, service to the school, in-school suspensions, and suspensions. Disciplinary actions will be administered on an individual basis, in every situation, and will be based on the circumstances of each case.

Discipline for minor infractions may be delivered by the supervision aides, teachers, or other staff members. Discipline for Major and Severe offenses will be delivered by the school administrators who will exercise discretion and flexibility, taking into consideration the circumstances of each case (e.g. severity of the infraction, student’s age, prior history, parents’ input, etc.).

Notification

The school recognizes that it works in partnership with the parents of its students. As such, when dealing with matters of discipline, parents will be notified of disciplinary action in any circumstance that is deemed significant by the school. This includes any behaviours that fall into the Major or Severe categories of behaviour at Cove Cliff. Furthermore, school officials may have a responsibility to advise other parties when there have been serious breaches of the Code of Conduct. Examples of that notification are as follows:

* Parents of student offenders will be informed in every case;

*Parents of student victims will be informed in every case;

* School district officials will be informed as required by school district policy;

* Police and/or other agencies will be informed as required by law;

* On rare occasions where a situation is severe, all parents may be informed when it is deemed important to reassure the school community that school officials are aware of a serious situation and are taking appropriate actions to address that situation.