LATE ARRIVALS
It is important that all students arrive at school on time. Not only is this good training for later in life and for a good work ethic, but it disadvantages the actual student and others in the class. Home readers are sometimes changed first up in the morning so late arrivals impact on this and your child may not have new readers as the process is complicated and must work within a tight time frame of when the teacher aides are scheduled for this task.
A letter will be sent home if a student is late on a number of occasions. Please make every effort to ensure that your children are at school on time.
RESPECT
It’s one of our values, but what does it really mean? What does it look like on a day to day basis? We talk about it. We desire it from our children (as parents) and our students (as staff) and we should give it to one another as a matter of course.
The dictionary meaning of RESPECT: noun 1. An appreciation of a person’s worth or qualities a) “We have a high respect for him as a leader”; b) “Please show your mother more respect”.
We believe that everyone has worth and so we should show them respect. The staff here at the College model respect daily in the way we speak to students. Even in our discipline, we treat children with respect.
However, we are often dismayed when we hear how a number of students speak to others – even adults and in some instances staff- with a complete lack of respect. Sometimes it is the tone of voice rather than what is actually said.
As a result of this we are addressing RESPECT on a number of levels –
• ON ASSEMBLIES
and
• IN CLASS
We know that as parents, you would totally support this and because the best results are achieved when home and school work together, we will make you aware of the aspects of RESPECT we are targeting each week (one verbal, one action). At the school level, we will be addressing:
WEEK 7
1. Using someone’s name when speaking to them (verbal)
2. Walking respectfully past others (on paths etc) (action)
WEEK 8
1. Using kind words (life and death is in the power of the tongue) (verbal)
2. Keeping our hands and feet to ourselves. (action)
2. Keeping our hands and feet to ourselves. (action)
To give positive reinforcement of these, staff will be keeping an eye out for students who are demonstrating these aspects of RESPECT and acknowledging this with a slip which says: (picture above).
These will be handed into the office (like the WOW Awards were previously) and another slip can be taken home to let parents/guardians know how the child showed RESPECT. (picture below).
Please congratulate your son/daughter when one of these comes home. This will not be a five-minute “fix”, but we are committed to developing a culture of RESPECT in the Primary College. Every good quality needs not only to be introduced but also maintained, so although we will be targeting a new aspect of RESPECT weekly, we will be looking for maintenance of the previous aspects.
Will you work with us? Your children will reap the benefit of growing up with an ability to show respect to others which will prepare them for the future in a world which actually recognizes and values this quality – even though it is sometimes rare in today’s society.
Cheryl Bryers, Head of Primary