Expected Behaviours
- everyone has the right to learn,
- everyone has the responsibility to learn, and to allow others to learn,
- everyone has the right to be treated with respect,
- everyone has the responsibility to treat others with respect,
- everyone has the right to work and play in a safe environment,
- everyone has the responsibility to provide a safe environment for work and play.
Unexpected Behaviours
Unexpected behaviors are those that do not follow our school guidelines and include all aspects of bullying type behavior.
Examples of unexpected behaviors:
- Physical Aggression: hitting, kicking, shoving, spitting, threatening (at Midnapore School, we only play games that involve no body contact),
- Social Alienation: gossiping, spreading rumors, ethnic or racial slurs, excluding from group, humiliation,
- Verbal Aggression: mocking, name-calling, teasing, swearing,
- Intimidation: threatening others, a public challenge to do something, playing a mean trick on someone.
- disturbing the learning of others,
- ignoring the bell,
- playing in “out-of-bounds” areas (e.g. parking lot),
- running in halls,
- leaving school property without permission,
- vandalizing school property,
- littering on school property,
- throwing snowball or rocks,
- riding bicycles, scooters, skateboards or rollerblades on school property,
- climbing poles climbing on to the school roof,
- inappropriate washroom behaviour,
Procedures when unexpected behavior occurs:
We respond to all incidents of unexpected behavior in ways that maintain the rights and dignity of all involved.
Consequences for unexpected behavior should be fair, logical, and designed to reinforce positive behavior. Children will be given opportunities to resolve problems caused by their own behavior:
Possible Consequences:
- student/staff interview to reinforce appropriate behavior,
- time-out,
- written reflection about incident,
- loss of privileges or detention (recess, noon hour, in-class),
- note of apology,
- phone call and/or letter to parent,
- payment for damage/repairs,
- suspension (in-school or out-of-school),
- creation of a Positive Behavior Support Plan
Zones of Regulation
At Midnapore School we use the Zones of Regulation, which is a curriculum designed to foster self-regulation and emotional control. The Zones of Regulations was created by Leah M. Kuyper and introduced by our Calgary Board of Education, Occupational Therapist. The ‘Zones’ is geared towards helping students gain skills in consciously regulating their actions, which in turn leads to increased control and problem solving abilities. The goals of the program are to:
- Teach students to identify levels of alertness and what their body feels like
- Identify emotions identify emotions and what their body feels like
- Become aware of how to get back to ‘just right’ or green zone with strategies
- Learn when and how to use strategies and understand how their behaviors influence others’ thoughts and feelings.
This curriculum connects to the language we use to discuss expected and unexpected behaviour.
There are four Zones and each Zone has an associated colour and behaviour/feeling/thought description.
The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness: sad, tired, sick or bored. This is when one’s body and/or brain is moving slowly or sluggishly.
The Green Zone is used to describe a regulated state of alertness, and shows control: calm, happy, focused, or content. It is the Zone you need to be in for schoolwork and for being social.
The Yellow Zone is used to describe a heightened state of alertness; however the person has some control. A person may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, nervousness, confusion, or slightly elevated emotions and states (e.g., wiggly, squirmy, sensory seeking). The Yellow Zone is starting to lose some control.
The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness or very intense feelings. A person may be experiencing anger, rage, explosive behaviour, panic, terror, or elation. The Red Zone is not being in control of one’s body.
Kuypers, L. (2011). The Zones of Regulation: a curriculum designed to foster self-regulation and emotional control. California: Social Thinking Publishing.
