Discipline Policy

Dear Parents,

    We have developed a classroom discipline plan, which affords every student guidance in making good decisions about his/her behavior. In doing this, the children are afforded the opportunity to learn in a positive, nurturing classroom environment. It is important for each child to learn to develop self-discipline and good work habits, resolve conflicts peacefully and think independently. Your child deserves the most positive educational climate possible for his/her growth. We know that together we can make a difference in this process. The plan below outlines our classroom rules, positive rewards and consequences for appropriate and inappropriate behavior.

Our classroom rules:

1. Follow directions.
2. Keep hands, feet and other objects to yourself.
3. Be kind to other children and adults in the classroom. Show respect.
4. Take good care of class materials and clean up things when you are finished with them.
5. Always walk in the hallways and classroom.
6. Raise your hand when you need to share something with the class.
7. Use a soft voice in the classroom, save your big voice for outside.

In order to encourage students to follow these rules and make choices about their behavior, we like to praise the children for their efforts in fun and creative ways. When we catch a student "being good", we often choose a cheer and we praise the student in a special way. For example, one cheer is called a "penguin clap" where we all flap are arms like penguins. Another cheer is sung to the tune of "Stayin' Alive" from Saturday Night Fever. There are many others, but they are too numerous to mention. We have found that these motivators work especially well for the children. They are very proud when they clap for each other. This method also builds a sense of community in our classroom. Each and every student is encouraging others to do well, and they develop a sense of camaraderie in an effort to do their best.
 

The last part of our discipline plan involves logical consequences that occur when class rules are broken. Examples of logical consequences may include:

• Time away from the class for class disruptions or bothering other children
• Cleaning or repairing damaged property
• Written or verbal apologies for unkind behavior toward others
• Walking back to the starting point and walking (instead of running) in the building.

Please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher if you have any questions about this policy.

Yours sincerely,
The Kindergarten Team