All staff including administration, teaching staff, assistants and everyone having contact with students, must teach and model the appropriate schoolwide behaviors. Students must have clear understanding of what are expected behaviors whether they are in a classroom, a hallway, at recess or in the cafeteria. Children spend most of their time in the classroom setting, so this would be the primary place where the feeling of connectedness would be established. 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.