AISB PYP BEHAVIOR POLICY AISB COMMUNITY AGREEMENT The American International School of Bucharest engages learners in a rigorous and balanced international education, prepares them to realize their full potential, and inspires them to be successful and responsible global citizens. To this end, the Early Childhood/Elementary/Middle/High Schools have a core community agreement intended to promote key values to help realize our mission, based on the mission and philosophy of the International Baccalaureate Program, specifically derived from the IB Learner Profile. This agreement and its guidelines are applicable at any time on school property, in any and all school settings, both on and off campus, and include all interactions between community members, be they in person or via other non-direct means such as online interaction. PYP BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS The goals of the PYP Behavior & Discipline Policy are to create a safe and orderly environment that is conducive to learning for all students, and to develop in our students an awareness of how their personal actions affect others and the overall school community. The relationship between rights and responsibilities is pivotal to behavior expectations of our PYP students. In order for each of us to exercise our rights, it is necessary for us to uphold and honor our responsibilities to preserve these rights for everyone. We will use a problem-solving approach in order to develop life skills specifically linked to the IB Learner Profile that are necessary both in and out of school. Classroom rules and procedures are established in alignment with school-wide expectations and support the development of the IB Learner Profiles. Students will receive positive reinforcement as well as clear and consistent consequences that focus on students taking responsibility for their own behavior as appropriate.
STUDENT S RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITY for LEARNING I have the right to learn and help others learn; therefore, I have the responsibility to respect others in the learning process. Everyone should be free to learn, teach and express him or herself without being interrupted. This means that I am responsible for: coming to school on time and be ready to learn following directions and refraining from disruptive talking and disrupting in class being engaged in learning and putting forth best effort understanding that making mistakes is part of the learning process and be comfortable and prepared to make them moving through hallways and inside the classroom in an orderly manner and respectful of other learners RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITY to SELF I have the right to my own individual style as both a person and learner; therefore, I have the responsibility to allow others their personal style. Everyone should be able to play, work, read, study, teach or spend time quietly and peacefully without unwelcome interference. This means that I am responsible for: showing awareness of myself and others as learners and thinkers regulating and taking responsibility for my actions acting in a principled, responsible manner with all members of the AISB community taking care of my personal hygiene and health (by washing my hands, using appropriate toilet etiquette, and procedures for preventing the spread of common illnesses)
RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITY to ALL OTHERS I have the right to be myself and to be happy in school; therefore, I have the responsibility to act with integrity and respect for others. Everyone should be treated fairly, and have their feelings and cultures respected. This means that I am responsible for: speaking to others in a kind and respectful way being considerate of the feelings of others and their personal space showing tolerance and appreciation for all personal and cultural difference respecting all personnel on campus: teachers, support staff, parents, volunteers, and classmates RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITY for PROPERTY I have the right to feel and be safe in this school, and to have what I bring to school be protected; therefore, I have the responsibility to ensure that others also feel safe regarding their property. I have the right to enjoy the facilities and environment at AISB; therefore, I have the responsibility to do whatever I can to protect and to preserve the property and environment of this school and community. This means that I am responsible for: taking care of my own property respecting the property of others keeping my hands to myself and sharing in a friendly and respectful manner using equipment in the manner that is was designed keeping our school free of destruction and reminding or reporting anyone who fails in that responsibility PYP students will be responsible for complying with t h e s e b e h a v i o r a l e x p e c t a t i o n s in the classroom, in the theater, on the playground, in the cafeteria, on the bus, and within the context of all other common spaces and school-related activities. Each student is held responsible for his or her actions when under the supervision of school personnel. Once students have been dismissed, parents or guardians are expected to adhere to all policies and procedures in this document whilst on campus.
PYP teachers and students work together to build classroom community agreements that are consistent and aligned with AISB s Student s Rights and Responsibilities and community agreement. Each teacher has the professional discretion to establish and enforce his/her own classroom agreements, which are posted in the classroom, and is responsible for communicating the classroom agreements and consequences to the respective parents. Teachers, students, parents and administrators are committed to working together to address disciplinary matters with the aim to help students develop strategies to self-regulate behavior and take responsibility for their chosen actions. SETTING PYP STUDENT BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS Classrooms adhere to the classroom agreements demonstrate acceptable use of technology store personal items in assigned cubbies walk in an orderly, quiet line in the hallways, staying on the right side Hallways retrieve/return cubby items and change indoor/outdoor shoes in an organized and quiet manner refrain from being in hallways before school and during morning and lunch recesses wash hands before eating walk at all times Mealtimes/ sit down while eating at designated areas when noted; use appropriate table manners Cafeteria clean up area when finished eating; carry tray to tray holder, push in chairs, throw away any rubbish take responsibility for spilled food or other accidents talk using indoor voices use cafeteria bathrooms before going out for recess Community Venues Bus Playgrounds remain seated respect performers and show appreciation in appropriate ways no consumption of food or drink in the Theatre show respect to bus driver and all passengers at all times wear seatbelts and stay seated while on the bus use inside voices be prompt for pick-ups and dismissal use respectful language store all belongings safely cross in front of the bus when boarding or exiting the bus play in designated, supervised areas stay within boundaries be respectful of trees and landscaped areas use good sportsmanship and fair play use playground equipment and toys safely be inclusive in games
PYP DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES AISB staff and administration are responsible for enforcing a firm, fair, and consistent discipline policy throughout the 4 school divisions. The entire school is engaged in teaching and practicing the IB Learner Profiles and appropriate behaviors that promote a safe and caring school environment. As a school we expect to see positive examples of our core community agreement in action. We value the role of positive consequences and celebration for students who follow the community agreements regularly. We make formal efforts to celebrate students who follow the key responsibilities and exhibit exemplary behaviors in order to further develop them. COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS POSITIVE CONSEQUENCES: EXAMPLES OF POSITIVE BEHAVIORS IN ACTION Responsibility to OTHERS: Respecting others Praising others Helping others Welcoming and caring for new students Following acceptable use policy when using technology Reporting bullying Responsibility to SELF: Being truthful Independently dressing/undressing Being principled when conflict arises Following acceptable use policy when using technology Reporting bullying Responsibility to PROPERTY: Hanging backpack in appropriate place Keeping cubby area tidy Picking up litter Reporting damage in bathroom, to landscape, facilities and/or equipment Reporting theft Returning lost items to lost and found, a teacher, the Office or a student Responsibility to LEARNING: Demonstrating appropriate behavior in classrooms Demonstrating appropriate behavior outside of classrooms Demonstrating appropriate use of technology POSITIVE CONSEQUENCES Include: Complimentary notes to the student from students/teachers/ principal Complimentary notes home to the parents from teachers/principal Community-wide recognition (Gatherings, Assemblies, Grade Level Meetings, etc.)
COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES: AISB discipline procedures are consistent school wide. For instances where our agreements are broken, there are a progressive set of consequences and/or procedures that are followed to create a safe learning environment. To illustrate what this looks like, each of the key responsibilities have been described along with behaviors that would require discipline procedures. In such instances the school s faculty and administration will rely upon our disciplinary guidelines to help promote discussion and reflection on alternative positive behaviors. It is our goal to empower our students to learn from mistakes in order to make better decisions in the future as well as to teach them a sense of responsibility for their own behavior. Concrete examples of the steps taken when applying consequences are given in the disciplinary guidelines, but in general, the following courses of action can be expected: Minor Incident teacher intervenes directly with student; incident documented depending on severity and frequency of the manifested behavior Significant Incident teacher and/or principal intervenes directly with student and informs parents; incident documented Severe Incident student referred to the principal; incident documented and parents informed For any incident determined to be severe, or those that are repeated at a disturbing rate, a student may be suspended from school. A suspension is a serious consequence intended to signal possible permanent removal from the community should disciplinary problems persist. Suspensions may be in-school or out of school and will be determined by the school s administration. In the most serious of disciplinary issues, or if disciplinary issues persist, the administration may recommend to the director that a student should be expelled. If this happens the Director will conduct a hearing with the Principal, the student, the student s family, and a student advocate. Based upon the results of the hearing the director will decide whether to make a recommendation for expulsion to the board of directors. The board of directors will hear the case from the director and thereafter the board of directors will make a final decision.
PYP DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES Examples of Inappropriate Behavior Discipline Procedure Minor Significant (repeated occurrences) Severe Physical Harm -pushing, shoving, hitting -fighting -rough play - biting, scratching, tripping - throwing objects - using/possessing objects that could cause serious injury empower student to resolve problem WHO Intervenes Teacher informs principal; teacher or principal will be designated to manage case depending on significance and place of incident (e.g. classroom vs. outside of classroom) Teacher informs Principal RESPONSIBILITY TO OTHERS Emotional Harm -teasing -name calling -verbal harassment -purposeful humiliation -insulting comments about intelligence, size, ability, race, color, religion, ethnicity, gender -profanity - gossiping - exclusion of others from games, conversations, etc. -intimidation, bullying, or abusive behavior. -being dishonest, lying -stealing Discussion; verbal warning Possible Time Out Action making it right Homeroom teacher keeps track of individual s incidents; if repeated and/or becoming significant, teacher reports to Principal Consequences apology, etc.) Additional student consequences to be determined by teacher or principal: Loss of school privileges for specific amount of time (e.g. recess, field trip, ASA, etc.) Reporting Teacher informs principal Teacher or principal informs parents; a parent conference may be required apology, written reflection; signed by parents and returned to Principal) Additional student consequences to be determined by DP and/or Principal: Loss of school privileges for specific amount of time (e.g. recess, field trip, ASA, etc.) Suspension: In-house or Out of School (days to be determined by Principal) Possible Expulsion Teacher or principal document incident Principal informs parents; parent conference may be required by Principal Principal notifies Director Note: Any of the mentioned behaviors that are considered to be bullying due to repetition and intent as well as that which could cause serious injury will be treated as severe. 10 P a g e
RESPONSIBILITY TO SELF Examples of Inappropriate Behavior - plagiarism/cheating -inappropriate dress -disrupting class - rude and disrespectful behavior Minor empower student to resolve problem Discipline Procedure Significant (repeated occurrences) WHO Intervenes Teacher informs principal; teacher or principal will be designated to manage case depending on significance and place of incident (e.g. classroom vs. outside of classroom) Severe Teacher informs Principal Principal informs parents; parent conference may be required by Principal RESPONSIBILITY TO LEARNING -disrupting the learning process -being late -not respecting ones work and the work of others -not following classroom agreements -bringing games/toys or electronic equipment that are not permitted in the school or not permitted to be used during school hours Discussion; verbal warning Possible Time Out Action making it right Homeroom teacher keeps track of individual s incidents; if repeated and/or becoming significant, teacher reports to Principal Consequences apology, etc.) Additional student consequences to be determined by teacher or principal: Loss of school privileges for specific amount of time (e.g. recess, field trip, ASA, etc.) Reporting Teacher informs principal Teacher or principal informs parents; a parent conference may be required Action making it right (formal apology, etc.) Complete THINK SHEET reflection; signed by parents and returned to Principal Additional student consequences to be determined by Principal: Loss of school privileges for specific amount of time (e.g. recess, field trip, ASA, etc.) Suspension: In-house or Out of School (days to be determined by Principal) Possible Expulsion Teacher or principal document incident Principal informs parents; parent conference may be required by Principal Principal notifies Director
RESPONSIBILITY TO PROPERTY Examples of Inappropriate Behavior Physical -damaging property -writing on objects -defacing bathroom or other areas in school - destroying landscape - purposely mishandling equipment in order to break or -stealing/hiding or purposefully taking objects that belong to the school or others - littering Minor empower student to resolve problem Discussion; verbal warning Possible Time Out Action making it right Homeroom teacher keeps track of individual s incidents; if repeated and/or becoming significant, teacher reports to Principal Discipline Procedure Significant (repeated occurrences) WHO Intervenes Teacher informs principal; teacher or principal will be designated to manage case depending on significance and place of incident (e.g. classroom vs. outside of classroom) Consequences apology, etc.) Additional student consequences to be determined by teacher or principal: Loss of school privileges for specific amount of time (e.g. recess, field trip, ASA, etc.) Reporting Teacher informs principal Teacher or principal informs parents; a parent conference may be required Severe Teacher informs Principal Principal informs parents; parent conference may be required by Principal apology, etc.) Complete THINK SHEET reflection; signed by parents and returned to Principal Additional student consequences to be determined by Principal: Loss of school privileges for specific amount of time (e.g. recess, field trip, ASA, etc.) Suspension: In-house or Out of School (days to be determined by Principal) Possible Expulsion Teacher or principal document incident Principal informs parents; parent conference may be required by Principal Principal notifies Director