All classrooms use the Responsive Classroom model, which focuses on the classroom community. Children begin each day with morning meeting where they read the morning message, share something important to them, ask and answer questions, or play a cooperative game with classmates. Appropriate behavior is modeled and taught. Children are shown how to take turns, be active listeners and feel a sense of belonging with their peers. Research supports that this sense of belonging is imperative to a successful schoolwide foundation.
All children begin their day as an accepted and essential part of their classroom community.
Each classroom also creates its own rules which all agree to follow. Clearly defined rules and consequences are posted. In the classroom environment all students know what is expected and acceptable behavior at all times. The committee recognizes that each classroom is unique, however all classrooms need to follow a specific plan for inappropriate behaviors, with a time out or thinking chair to be used for a child who has shown an inappropriate behavior. After a disruption of three times, the child will then have a consequence which would be the same in each classroom.