WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH TO POSITIVE BEHAVIOURS

At St Ita’s we follow a Whole School Approach To Positive Behaviours. This whole school approach is about creating an environment, which encourages effective learning through the development of a positive, calm and welcoming atmosphere. The approach is in place for everyone in our school community: Student, Teacher and Parent.

At St Ita's we encourage positive feedback to students and endeavour to teach students how to behave appropriately. We recognise that learning social skills and socially acceptable behaviours is a process, which everybody moves through at a different pace. Learning appropriate social skills is seen in the same light as learning how to read or complete maths. Some people need more assistance in some areas and less in others.

In the past, many years ago, discipline has focused mainly on reacting to specific student misbehaviour by implementing punishment-based strategies e.g. reprimands, loss of privileges, and in very extreme circumstances, suspensions and expulsions.

Research has shown that the implementation of punishment and in the absence of other positive strategies is ineffective. Introducing, modelling, and reinforcing positive social behaviours is an important step of a student’s educational experience.  Teaching behavioural expectations and rewarding students for following them is a much more positive approach than waiting for misbehaviour to occur before responding. We use a restorative approach when dealing with all behaviours at St Ita’s.

WHAT IS A RESTORATIVE APPROACH?

At its core, the restorative approach is a philosophical shift away from the traditional, punitive approach to wrongdoing. The restorative perspective views misbehaviour as an offense against relationships. This approach maintains a focus on accountability of actions with a specific emphasis on empathy and repairing of harm. To that end, Restorative approach seeks to address underlying issues of misbehaviour and reintegrate wrongdoers back into the school and classroom community.

One of the more complex issues in schools today is how we deal with students who make poor choices and display poor behaviour or inappropriate behaviours. With the introduction of the Child Safe Standards and the Child Protection Act, it sets out very clear guidelines in how to manage and deal with behaviour issues in school.

As a Catholic Primary School, one of our core premises is our capacity to be forgiving. At St Ita’s we take a restorative approach towards all issues relating to behaviour. Where the perpetrator has to own (take responsibility) for their behaviour and there are always a consequence depending on the seriousness of the perpetrators actions.

Most behavioural issues are sorted out by the class teachers or yard duty teachers. On some occasions behaviour issues such as fighting, bullying are brought to the attention of the Principal or Deputy Principal and they will deal with it with the child’s teacher. In these situations one of the first things that we do is gather all the information and facts from all the parties involved; the perpetrator, the victim and any witnesses. This is always done in a calm setting behind closed doors away from other members of the school community. This is crucial as it protects the dignity and ensures confidentiality.

We also work with the child who has been impacted by the behaviour to make sure that they are ok and talk through what they expect from the perpetrator. It is important parents understand that it is the role of school staff to deal with issues relating to poor behaviour at school.

Over the last 12 months, a team of St Ita’s teachers and students have been working collaboratively to develop our Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviours plan. (WSAPB)

The WSAPB plan sets out a list of consistent expectations for all Students, Staff and Parents under the 5 values of; Respect, Resilience, Compassion, Inclusiveness and Team Work. The intent and purpose of the plan is to promote responsible and positive behaviours which creates a safe and respectful place for all within our learning community.

SCHOOL WIDE BEHAVIOUR EXPECTATION MATRIX

At St Ita's we are currently in the process of developing a Whole School Behaviour Expectation Matrix for teachers and students to identify the expected behaviours at St Ita’s Primary School. The matrix includes appropriate behaviours in specific areas of our school including:

• All Classrooms
• Oval and sandpit
• Play equipment
• Canteen
• Toilet
• Passive areas (outside gym, Library, under the rotunda)
• Moving around the school at recess and lunch
• School Assemblies
• Wider Community Excursions and Camps

These behaviours will be displayed around the school and discussed regularly with our students and families via assemblies and newsletter.

MANNERS MAKETH THE PERSON

A common piece of positive feedback I often receive as Principal, is that the children of St Ita’s have very good manners. This feedback is generally from adults in our community that see our children out and about on things such as school camps, visits to the elderly in our local community or excursions to places in our wider communities.

A well-mannered child will stand out in today's world for all the right reasons. Saying, "Please" and "thank you," and using good manners will get your child noticed for the right reasons. Teaching good manners can seem a little tricky, however. It can be hard to convince a child to follow basic manners when his/her peers might not be doing so. You can help your child master basic manners with the strategies outlined below:

1. PRAISE YOUR CHILD’S USE OF MANNERS

Praise your child whenever you catch him using good manners. For young children, this may mean saying, "Great job remembering to say 'thank you.'"

Praise older kids for putting their phone away when they are at the dinner table or for shaking hands when greeting a new person.

If you have a younger child, provide praise right away. Say, “You did a nice job thanking Grandma for that gift.”

Do not embarrass a teen by praising him in front of other people. Instead, have a private conversation about how you appreciate that he behaved politely toward guests at a family gathering or give him positive feedback on how he handled an interaction with a store clerk.  

2. MODEL POLITE BEHAVIOUR

The best way to teach your child any new skill is to be a good role model. When your child sees you speaking politely to others and using your manners, he will pick up on that.

Pay attention to how you interact with your spouse or close family members. Sometimes, it is easy to forget to use manners with the people you feel most comfortable with.

Send thank you notes, ask for things politely, and show appreciation when people are kind. Whether you are in line at the grocery store or you are calling your doctor's office, your kids are paying attention to your behaviour.

In addition, be careful about how you handle situations when you are upset. If you are angry with someone, do you tend to raise your voice? Do you use harsh words when you think someone has treated you unfairly? Your message about the importance of using manners will not be heard if you do not model how to behave politely and respectfully.  

3. ROLE-PLAY TRICKY SITUATIONS

Role-playing gives kids an opportunity to practice their skills. It can be a helpful strategy when you are entering into a new situation or when you are facing some complicated circumstances.

If your 5-year-old has invited friends to his birthday party, role-play how to use manners while opening presents. Help him practice how to thank people for his gift and how to respond if he opens a gift that he does not particularly like.

Sit down with your child and say, “What would you do if…” and then see what he has to say. Pretend to be a friend or another adult and see how your child responds to specific situations. Then, provide feedback and help your child discover how to behave politely and respectfully in various scenarios. 

4. PROVIDE A BRIEF EXPLANATION

Avoid lecturing or telling long-winded tales. Instead, simply state the reason why a specific behaviour may not be appreciated.

Kids are more likely to remember their manners and specific etiquette rules when you provide a brief explanation about why a particular behaviour is considered impolite or rude.

If your child is chewing with his mouth open, say, "People don't want to see the food in your mouth when they're trying to eat." If you make a big deal about it, you may inadvertently encourage the behaviour to continue.

However, if you can just state the reason in a calm and matter-of-fact manner, it can serve as a reminder for your child about why other people may not appreciate what he is doing.  

5. KEEP YOUR EXPECTATIONS AGE-APPROPRIATE

Make sure that your expectations are appropriate to your child’s age and developmental level. You can start working with a toddler on the basics of saying “please,” “thank you,” and “sorry.”

By the time your child is a teenager, you should be focusing on advanced skills like phone etiquette and communication that is more complex skills.

Sometimes it is helpful to really focus on one area at a time—like basic table manners—before moving onto other skills. If you give your child too much to learn at once, he may become overwhelmed. It’s common too for previous skills to be revisited from time to time to make sure your child is remembering to use them.