Valleycliffe Elementary School Code of Conduct

 

 

Mission Statement: At Valleycliffe Elementary School, we believe that all children have the right to learn in a safe, caring and supportive environment. Our expectations are that students will be kind, cooperative, and respectful.

The School Board in its policy on student conduct, states that the school must be a place for orderly, purposeful high quality endeavours, within a pleasant, positive and supportive atmosphere of human interactions.

 

Among the student behaviours and attitudes that the Board expects to be evident in the school are the following:

 

1. Respect: Students should show respect for people, property and the mission of the school. They should respect the rights, responsibilities and privileges of themselves and other students, as well as the adults in the school. All students shall behave in a manner that is caring, friendly and As students mature, our expectations for their behaviour increase. Older students are expected to set a good example for younger students.
2. Responsibility: Students should gradually assume more responsibility for themselves, (as individuals and as members of society) as they get They should become responsible for undertaking, organizing and completing school work and for meeting social obligations.
3. Quality: Students should meet or exceed school standards for language, dress, attendance, and behaviour and strive for excellence in all their school
4. Attitudes: Students should display enthusiasm, diligence, and sportsmanship in all their school They are expected to be positive, to participate willingly in school activities and to undertake them in a co-operative spirit and a sense of justice and fair play.

Our Safe & Caring School Environment:

Is free from Acts of

• bullying, cyber-bullying, harassment
• threat and intimidation
• violence in any form
• abuse in any form
• retaliation against a person who has reported incidents
• discrimination in any form including race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, age, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity and expression (prohibited grounds set out in the BC Human Rights Code)

Or Misuse of

• Cyberspace/cell phones/electronic devices/computers – students are to be aware that they may be subject to discipline (or, if applicable, lose the privilege of using technology) for misuse of technology if it negatively impacts the school environment

Some examples include (but not an all-inclusive list): use of cell phones during school hours, use of inappropriate websites, using social media sites to cause harm to others

 

Does Not Tolerate the Presence of

• Theft and vandalism
• Weapons or replica (toy) weapons, lighters, matches, explosives or any other dangerous object
• Inappropriate touching of others
• Intruders or trespassers –ALL visitors to the school must first report to the office

Dress Code

It is expected students, staff and parents are to support a learning environment where attire is appropriate, and not offensive to others. Clothing worn to school should be appropriate for the weather, allow freedom of movement, images and writing on clothing should be respectful and should not display any negative or inappropriate messages.

Note: It is expected that students who choose to bring personal belongings to school understand that the school staff are NOT responsible for lost or stolen items.

 

Violation of School Code of Conduct

It is recognized that the teaching and reinforcement of social responsibility and pro-social behaviours is more effective in establishing and maintaining high discipline standards than punishing students for inappropriate behaviour.

Consequences will be applied in a fair and consistent manner, respecting individual rights, responsibilities, age and maturity; and be restorative rather than punitive in nature.

Whenever possible, incidents will be resolved by restorative and supportive practices such as:

Meeting with the students, phone call home, meeting with parents and students, restitution, collaborative problem solving, school-based team involvement, counseling (in school or referral to out of school professional), mentoring program/asset building, mediation/conflict resolution including peer mediation, family group conferencing/Elder Circles/circle process (restorative justice)

The school will make every effort to support each student on an individual basis to determine the root cause of the behavior and respond accordingly. Parents and/or other parties necessary will be informed by the school of serious or repeat violations of the School Code of Conduct and/or violations of other policies regarding student behaviour. Actions taken will be determined at this time.