QUEEN MARY COMMUNITY SCHOOL

CODE OF CONDUCT

Working together to support Social Responsibility in our students!

This Code of Conduct has been established to ensure a safe, caring and healthy learning environment for all students, staff and visitors at Queen Mary Community School.

In the words of the North Vancouver Board of Education:

· "...appropriate student conduct is based on respect for oneself, and for others and is essential to the development of healthy, responsible people."

In the North Vancouver School District students are expected to:

· Observe school rules and codes of student conduct

· Attend school regularly

· Respect the rights of others and their property

· Respect the health and safety of others

· Respect the learning environment of others

· Behave in a way that brings credit to their school, home and community,

· Meet the standards set out in the BC Human Rights Code that include the prohibited grounds of discrimination.

We believe that all schools should be free of inappropriate behaviours such as:

· Interfering with the learning of others

· Engaging in acts of bullying, harassment, intimidation and/or violence

· Using threatening language or behaviours (including Internet communication)

· Bringing weapons, including toys and replicas, to school

· Participating in unsafe and/or illegal acts.

QUEEN MARY

Our Code of Conduct is part of daily life at Queen Mary, and helps students and staff to find common language and understanding of how to get along safely and respectfully with each other. All school staff intervene daily to teach, re-teach and reinforce the appropriate conduct of our students through discussions:

· in classroom meetings,

· during school assemblies,

· on the playing fields,

· in the hallways and washrooms.

THE QUEEN MARY CODE OF CONDUCT

· Respect for myself and others

· Safety for myself and others

· Responsibility for my learning and actions

HOW DO WE TALK WITH STUDENTS ABOUT THEIR CONDUCT (BEHAVIOUR) AT QUEEN MARY ?

Student behaviour is always considered in the context in which it occurs. The age of the child, frequency of the behaviour and the circumstances surrounding the incident are all taken into account.

All school personnel at Queen Mary can respond to the behaviour of students that they observe or witness.

· If the student's behaviour supports or demonstrates our Code of Conduct a student may receive a Gotcha!

· If the student's behaviour does not support the Code of Conduct they may:

- Be asked to stop and talk about their behaviour,

- Be warned about their behaviour,

- Receive a BEHAVIOUR REPORT from a staff member

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A STUDENT RECEIVES A ‘GOTCHA’ ?

A student takes their Gotcha to their classroom teacher. Gotcha's are collected in each classroom and once the Gotcha target has been reached the entire class celebrates their appropriate behaviour by having a Gotcha Party!

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A STUDENT RECEIVES A BEHAVIOUR REPORT ?

The staff member and student meet and complete the Behaviour Report together, and:

· The student learns about how their observed behavior does not support the Code of Conduct

· The student signs the Behaviour Reports to acknowledge they understand how their behaviour did not support the Code of Conduct

· The Behaviour Report is given to the student's classroom teacher

· The classroom teacher monitors student Behaviour Reports and determines an appropriate action including;

- Discussion with the student,

- Contacting the home (parent/guardian)

- Entry in to the L.O.F.T. program at Queen Mary

- Meeting with the Principal regarding the student’s behaviour

EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS

At Queen Mary, we believe all students and staff members

should contribute to our positive school environment by:

· Providing and respecting a purposeful learning environment

· Promoting and demonstrating self-discipline

· Modeling cooperation and consideration of others

· Modeling safety and responsibility.

We expect all students to follow our Code of Conduct both on and off the school grounds so that their behaviour brings pride to themselves, their home and to their school at all times.

By following our Code of Conduct, we believe students, visitcrs and staff members are able to establish a safe, respectful and responsible environment in which there is an appropriate balance between the rights of the individual and the rights of others.

RISING EXPECTATIONS

While we expect all Queen Mary students and visitors to support our Code of Conduct to the best of their ability, it is understood that we do have higher expectations of students and visitors as their time as a member of the Queen Mary Community grows.

Older students are, and will continue to be, given more responsibility and maintain a clear ability to model the appropriate behaviour that supports and teaches our Code of Conduct to both new and younger students at Queen Mary. In this respect, inappropriate behaviours from established and older students at Queen Mary will be dealt with greater consequence than for younger students or those new to our school.

However, serious breaches of the Code of Conduct (acts of violence; weapons/drugs; or other unsafe or illegal acts); depending on circumstances, could result in serious disciplinary actions.

HOW CAN PEOPLE IN THE STUDENTS’ HOME, SCHOOL, AND COMMUNITY CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER TO BUILD A STRONG SENSE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THESE CHILDREN WE SHARE?

We can support our children in building social responsibility by:

· teaching and re-teaching safety and safe behaviours in many settings (roadways to and from school, gymnasium, playgrounds, in the community)

· continuing to model socially appropriate behaviour while we are with our children

· helping to teach our children to find safe ways to express anger or frustration

· listening to our children's concerns and feelings and help teach (and re-teach) ways to solve problems appropriately

· seeking help from each other when we are challenged by the behaviours and actions of our children.

ALL OF US (PARENTS/GUARDIANS/TEACHERS) WORKING CLOSELY TOGETHER CAN HELP STUDENTS GROW AS MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. TOGETHER, WE CAN GUIDE THEM IN THE CHALLENGING AND COMPLEX PROCESS WE LIKE TO CALL . . . . GROWING UP!